Inferno

Krystal with a K: What's up everybody? Welcome back to Platt Twist Still Alive! I am your hostess with the Moses, three time cancer survivor and chaos coordinator, Crystal with a K. my gosh, thanks for coming back. I know it took a week off because I needed a fucking vacation, we have not had Anyone on the podcast so far that had survived a natural disaster. I realized that a friend of mine named Meg, she actually had survived the 2018 paradise fires in California. This fire was was the deadliest in California in history. Over 85 people died. Eighteen thousand structures were destroyed and over fifty thousand people were completely displaced and had to leave their homes. so I'm gonna let her tell her story because she actually lived through this. So everybody say hello to Meg. Meg, say hello to everybody.
Meg: Hi everyone!
Krystal with a K: I know you're originally from California, but why don't you tell me, you know, what your life looked like there in the days leading up to this, your family dynamic, all of that.
Meg: Yes. we lived in the Paradise, Megalia area, which is in way Northern California. And it was my husband and I, and we had three children at the time. a five-year-old, a three-year-old, and a two-year-old. we were pastoring a church up there
Krystal with a K: So you had your hands full. your husband was a pastor or is a pastor?
Meg: We were both licensed pastors. Yeah, so we co-pastored our church.
Krystal with a K: Okay. So you guys are in the community, knew knew a lot of people around you, at least the ones that love Jesus.
Meg: Yeah. And others too. Yeah. Everybody, you know. Yeah.
Krystal with a K: The others too. They still count. That's right. So were you guys aware that anything like was there any warning I 'cause I literally know nothing about this, so days leading up to this were there fires further away or was this something that like started and hit with the fury?
Meg: Yeah. Okay. Yeah, really the only warning we had gotten was the electrical company had put out warnings that, the weather looked like it might get windy. And if it got really bad, then they were going to be cutting power throughout the areas to, mitigate issues. Although I don't really know what that would have helped with, but that's what they were saying. it's Northern California. that's not an unusual email or text to get, our area. it's called Butte County. so we are on a mountain. And so there's a bunch of, the foothills and the way that they're designed, those, you know, they go up and down and up and down and those buttes get formed. within those areas can get really windy. So you might not be experiencing wind, but a mile or two away from you can get very, very windy, kind like a breezeway, right? A building might block the wind, but the breezeway is very breezy. So That was kind of the weather that was leading up to it. We were in a drought, it hadn't rained. It's November, but it's still warmer outside. maybe a little cooler than here in Texas in November, but still it's not cold. that's important because that morning I was arguing with my five-year-old whether or not she could walk the 20 steps to the car to wait for her sweater. And I remember that because I'm like, dude, you're going to live like it's just in the car. You'll live. it was a whole morning typical regular morning with three children.
Krystal with a K: Mom shit.
Meg: Yes, trying to get one to TK, one to preschool, right, with a two-year-old as well, and a five-year-old who thinks she knows everything. Pretty standard.
Krystal with a K: So this is like a weekday, hubby's at work, you're home with the kids getting them ready for school.
Meg: Yes. It's a Thursday. Correct. my husband had started working off the mountain down in a local town called Chico, which is actually where we had met and had started our family and then moved up the mountain to pastor. And so he left fairly early because it takes about 40 minutes from our house to get off the mountain just because not because it's far away. just simply because you have to drive slower. So he had already left, but when he left, it was still dark. And so I was leaving the house at about 7.45 that morning.
Krystal with a K: you're just going along your regular day in the car, no news or anything of any of this occurring yet, correct?
Meg: No, that's kind of the funny part, right? So my five year old's arguing with me about this sweater and I was like, you'll be fine. It's not cold outside. And as she's walking out, you hear her with her little five year old attitude going, oh yeah, then what's that big cloud doing? So I'm like, what cloud? Like, it's not gonna rain. we haven't had rain, I go out and sure enough, there's a massive cloud. in the sky but it is not a rain cloud it is definitely a fire cloud a picture oh yeah just a huge smoke cloud I tried taking a picture of it but because of the depth perception between all the trees you can't tell you have no idea that there there's no way to see it I'm trying to take pictures send it to my husband
Krystal with a K: So it's smoke?
Meg: who I did call and I was like, hey, this thing's kind of big. looks, was more nervous it looked close rather than how big it was because I didn't want to get stuck up there on the mountain by myself with three children, like where he gets cut off, where he can't come back home. And now I'm stuck parenting alone all night. Like that was really the concern. Yeah, I don't, I don't want to, I don't.
Krystal with a K: I'm not I don't wanna be home alone all night. You need to tag me, motherfucker. Where are you? And plot twist, it was way more serious than that.
Meg: with three children, yeah. Yeah, so. I mean, it did become pretty serious, but it's kind of, like in certain areas when there's a tornado warning, everyone's like, yeah, where's the tornado? Like you don't do much. It's very similar in California. When you see fires, you got a 50, 50 shot. how, how serious do I need to take this right now? Rather than my gosh, there's a fire and you panic. Like it's like, should I be worried? Should I not be worried? Cause they're fires all the time. but you just never know when it's gonna be that fire. And so when I had called my husband, he was like, oh yeah, some of the guys that are coming in, they're talking about it's like up in Conkow, which is another mountain town. And I said, yeah, it definitely looks like it's over there, which there's no direct access between us and Conkow. If there had been a bridge, it would have been about five minute drive, but there's no direct, you have to go all the way around and it's about a 40 minute drive. But, what do they say? is the bird flies? Yeah, whatever it is, you know. Yeah, there you go. I know. And so, But fire-wise, we're talking a few miles away. You know, we're not talking, yeah, we're not talking far.
Krystal with a K: By the crow's f yeah, as the crow flies. I only know that because of Sons of Anarchy. The crow flies straight. Okay, perfect. So however Minutes. Yeah.
Meg: I was like, okay, well, I'm gonna keep an eye on it. He's like, all right, call me if you decide to leave, I'll come up and help. we technically lived in Megalia, which is just slightly above paradise, but they're essentially one in the same, it is just a little bit more up the mountain. And I'm like, it's gonna go through paradise and I'm gonna get stuck up here you've got one main road, up or down, which way are you going? And I was already kind of struggling with that. So again, I don't want to be stuck with the options of now I can only go up? What's up? we've never even made it that far yet. So I get off the phone with him and I take the kids to school. which is only like two minutes away, we pull in and we park and there's just a perfect view of the smoke cloud from there. the way that tree line just opens up where the school is. You can see it. It's just huge and definitely a little more overwhelming than it looked at my house. both of my girls went to school on this campus. So as I'm walking up and I had dropped off my oldest with her teacher in the cafeteria, she was totally like, bye mom, a little bit nervous at first. And then once she saw her teacher, she was like, oh yeah, okay, bye, leave me alone. I don't want to stay with you. so I go to take my other daughter to her preschool classroom and my friends walking up and it's like, nah, Ms. Heather, canceled class just to be safe. so I was like, all right, so we're standing there. Like, do how do we navigate this? Cause this is kind of crazy. This, this huge giant smoke clouds looking pretty scary, but also no one at the school, not a single person is acting stressed or carried in any kind of way. So I'm like, well, you'd think that schools would be one of the first to get notified, And there was other parents standing and talking with their friends. And teachers are walking by. And I remember a pair of kind of walking by scoffing at parents taking their kids out. Like, oh my gosh, if there was a problem, we would know. can see the problem. You know?
Krystal with a K: So I what that's kind of mind blowing to me because even we live in Texas, right? even if there's an idea of snow, school closes because they're so anal about it. We've had flood warnings, we've had fire bans and things like that. I get that California is used to some degree of fires here and there. But to have a massive cloud literally behind the school
Meg: Yeah. Right.
Krystal with a K: And not think just in case maybe we should leave the kids at home with their parents. I guess she'll answer this. if this was a failure of, the state or whoever is supposed to tell the school that. I don't know at this point. I'm just like I that seems like such an overlook.
Meg: Right. Yeah. Yeah. So I mean, hindsight, right? you get information later about why there was such a lack of information. So in this whole area, that were threatened by this fire at some point, only think it was like one percent of that area ever got a mandatory evacuation warning.
Krystal with a K: What?
Meg: from what we've gathered it's because it went out. Like it was one of the first things that went down. So they could not get this warning out. they wanted to
Krystal with a K: wasn't a failure, this was that. Whatever they utilized to get this information out was down because of the fires. Wow, that's so scary.
Meg: Right. Yes. Like a that's why I'm assuming schools couldn't get notified I wasn't on that side of it. I only know what I know. So as we're standing there chatting, trying to figure out what do we do, looking at this big giant smoke cloud. how do I deal with this? If I need to go somewhere, where are we going to go? So I'm texting my best friend. can we come stay with you for the day? Texting my mother-in-law, hey. If need be, can I bring my kittens to your house? Because I can't take them to my best friend they live in a teeny tiny little apartment and we're already five coming to join their three. So I'm on the same. They were in Chico, so where my husband was at work. That's where they were. Yeah.
Krystal with a K: And how far were these people in relation to you? Where your husband was working.
Meg: my friend is trying to figure out how can we get out what are all of our exit strategies but there was just a moment in the atmosphere something changed it just felt like the everything just nothing actually dropped but that's just the feeling was just like something just fell my friend and I looked up from our phones, locked eyes, and both of us at the same time, like, it's time to go. I don't know how to explain it. We just knew. And we both knew at the same moment. So we go into the office, because she's got an older son in school in the elementary part. Obviously, I have an older daughter. So they're like, yep, sign it. Just go get them. It'll be faster than us trying to call them. So we go. We're not the only parents who are grabbing their kids out. School hasn't been in that long, but long enough. I get her out and I'm like, we're going just run, I remember having to pick up my two and three year old because they couldn't keep up. So I'm carrying them like surfboard style running to our van. we get in the car, we head home. on the phone with my husband on the way and just like, we're gonna go pack bags. Something doesn't feel right. This feels big. And he's like, all right, I'm headed that way. at the time he would commute using his Harley. I get home and I set my five year old, okay, here's a suitcase. Just go into your room and throw a bunch of clothes in for you and your sister And the other two just start watching TV, I think. cause my middle surprisingly I don't want to say went catatonic, but kind of was like, I'm going to turn off. I'm not, I'm going to, I'm awake, I'm off, like I'm offline.
Krystal with a K: because I know a little bit about you and like your how you grew up and everything, you're kind of like a duck as far as I've ever seen, where you're like chill as fuck on the top, but underneath it's like your feet are just going like this. Were you like that in this moment? Or do you feel like because they're your kids and they know you, they could sense you being freaked out?
Meg: Hahaha! No, I think that even now, same daughter, absolutely hates, she hates storms, she hates lightning and thunder. anytime my phone goes off she's like, what is it saying? this whole last week with all the, flash flood stuff, she's just panic. Like she just can't, when it, yeah, about specifically those things. just doesn't, she doesn't do well.
Krystal with a K: So she's an anxious person about those types of things.
Meg: so no. From what I've been told is I do really well in these moments. Bring me chaos, bring me stress, don't bring me laundry. That apparently overwhelms me. But.
Krystal with a K: Thanks, trauma. We're great. It's it's not a lie. I do believe that things that you've endured make you really great in chaotic situations. But then when boring life comes along, you're like, I don't know what to do with all this energy. I what do I do?
Meg: Yeah, Yeah. Right. then you add an ADHD and that like just does not help at all. Just it's fun. So we're throwing stuff in the car. I remember I had the two younger ones buckled in their car seats and my oldest bringing her backpack. And so she's headed to the car. My husband calls me and he's like, hey, I'm trying to get to you. he's at the very tippy top of paradise, almost getting into Megalia when I can hear him talking to someone like he's no longer talking to me. And they're telling him something. And he's just like, babe, you've got to go now. just abruptly and he's like, I'm not gonna make it to you, you need to leave now. And I'm like, what do you mean? Like I, what, I am leaving but I'll be like, but now like, and the, you know, the weirdest things happen when you're in these moments, cause all I could think of is, I haven't grabbed all your hats, cause my husband collects hats. And I mean, you know, it's just, he, I mean,
Krystal with a K: Same. What's he gonna do? This is an emergency. He's gonna need him.
Meg: He loves his hats. That's literally what came out of my mouth. What do mean? I haven't grabbed all your hats. he's like, forget my hats and please just leave. So was like, all right, I have to grab the cats and then we'll be out. So I go to the garage, cause then you get the carrier and I look, it's literally at the very, very top of some tower of stuff. And I'm like, nope. So I grab a laundry basket, throw the kittens in it and throw them in the van. I was like, kids will love it, they'll love it, everyone will be happy, it's fine. And I take off. I think I left at about 8.30 that morning, I'm trying to head down the mountain at this point. I get through Megalia, and the main thing that kind of separates us is a reservoir. It's not very big, it kind of just looks like a lake. and I can see that they've got it blocked at some point. I'm like, Lord, let me get through, let me go by, don't stop me, don't stop me, because I do not want to go up. And he lets me go. And at this point now, they though make us go up what they call old Skyway, because if they had built a newer road. that kind of went side of the mountain. So it's a little faster. It's like maybe a minute faster, but it's faster, whatever. So old Skyway kind of goes up a little. So we turn, we go up and pretty much from that point on it's just fire. buildings are literally completely engulfed in flames. Now it's all of sudden windy. When we had left that morning, it really wasn't windy, but now it's very windy, especially up here. Fire's literally coming. Across the road like it's stretching its firearms just and then we're just going through my kids are going mom You're going through fired. I'm like, well what I have to we're we're going we are work
Krystal with a K: I'm sorry. You have a laundry basket full of kittens, a car full of kids full. Two kittens is a lot. And a laundry basket. A van full of kids. Husbands on the other side of all of this. And you're just fucking driving through fire. And at this point, how are you internally feeling?
Meg: Well, too, but yes. Yes, yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah. honestly, it's scary, but also it was this, I gotta keep moving. if I can just keep going and get off the mountain, we'll be fine. Like that was really just, I I have to get past it. can't just stop here just cause there's fire, my brain just said, keep going, keep going. and I'm like, it's already here, right? what's the plan? You know, like, in terms of how bad is it gonna keep getting if it's already here, which is like the most northern part of paradise you could be in. And, you know, my kids are, they're semi-freaking out, but mostly probably because they've just never really seen fire like that, you know, like stuff like.
Krystal with a K: Me neither.
Meg: that just burned, you know?
Krystal with a K: And I'm forty. I would be freaking out.
Meg: yeah. and it was on either side, but there was no, you can't just look this way. Like that's on fire too. we finally get there's a little right before the stop sign, it kind of the road does this and there's just a few cars. So I'm like fourth or fifth car from the stop sign and we just stopped there no one's moving there's cars over there I can see and they're not letting them through. There's no movement here. There's cars as far as I can see going that way. And they're obviously not letting anyone go that way because apparently that whole part of new Skyway was just on fire. I could see some, because I'm more up, so I can see cars down there on it, like a big old semi truck, and they're trying to figure how to move them out of that, because it's all on fire. And so they're trying to manipulate the situation. And that's when my, friend that I was at the school with, she calls me and she goes, where are you? And I think we had left our house at the same time, like we had texted each other, but she lived about five minutes further up, Megalia. than I did. And so by the time she got to the reservoir, they were turning everyone around. So she made it there and got turned around. So she didn't make it to where I was. Just in that five minute difference between getting to go into paradise or having to turn around and go up.
Krystal with a K: So they're sending everyone else to go up the mountain and you made it past the cutoff to go down the mountain.
Meg: Yes. Yeah, yes. I'm sitting there and I, my husband calls me, where are you? And I'm explaining where I am. And I'm like, where are you? And he goes, well, they want to let me go through. Cause the main roads on fire, like you, you need to leave. That's was the go part. So he's like, they made me turn around. I, I didn't really understand what he was saying at that time, but I think what he was trying to say was that he had actually made it down back into Chico I think at that point he was officially off the mountain just kind of at the base. waiting for me. So talk to him then and then I think we were there for 30 minutes just chilling, waiting, know, fire and huh. The fire I know is behind me is down there. I don't know what's in front of me, but again, all I can think of is if I can just keep going. we do move. We do get down a little bit. and then we get stopped at
Krystal with a K: At the stop sign.
Meg: the main four way light, the second main road in paradise and, there's, we're all stopped. Like there's cars trying to come this way. where there's cars this way. But there's also a gas station here. There's a propane business right here. And we just chill there for like...
Krystal with a K: God. It's like a scenario where you're like, This can't get any worse.
Meg: yeah, So we just chill there for a couple of hours. So I think yeah, we, hour and half, two hours as we're sitting there, the last time I had communication with anyone was at about 9.30 that morning.
Krystal with a K: Hours.
Meg: one point I remember trying to call someone or send a text and it just wasn't going through. So the last time I talked to my husband was at about nine 30 that morning. And then from that point on, nothing worked. And then my foot there was absolutely zero service on my phone. They had turned off the power to the whole city and probably surrounding areas as well. And the smoke just was coming down getting heavier and thicker. As we're sitting there, I'm watching helicopters go to the reservoir, pull water, come and just drop it because I can see the fire on the main road. And they're trying to move those cars further down so that way they're not right there. But about a couple hours in, we start moving. They're starting slowly making these cars go that way. And then I'm like, they're starting to move us and then they'll move them. And I'm like, just let me keep going,
Krystal with a K: So you're finally getting to go.
Meg: finally, yeah, there's movement and I just remember being like, God, like, let me get through, let me get through, don't stop me, don't stop me. I'm thinking, why else would we be moving if it wasn't that we're gonna get to get out, But I'm still at the top part of paradise. I still have all of paradise to go through, Prentice isn't a huge city. It's about 20,000 people. It's a mountain town. We made it past the light. We were moving. And at that point, they had us in both lanes. So it's just a one way in each direction kind of road. So we are now trying to get down where we're on both sides of the road. And then we stopped again. I'm like, why are we stopped? at this point now, it feels and looks like you're in a war zone it's so smoky. It's so dark. It's blocking out the sun. Some light will come in and out, but it's super dark. There's obviously cars everywhere, but these are really loud when they're on fire and also when they fall it's really loud. you've got snapping branches and twigs. Fire itself is super loud. And then on top of that up there everyone has propane tanks and so those are all now blowing up. you'll just hear an explosion and then another explosion And then you got a helicopter going around you so it quite literally felt and sounded like a war zone so we're
Krystal with a K: I'm in shock right now, just I can't even control my face because you're so like nonchalant speaking about this. again, I know you're the duck. But did you ever stop being the duck? Now but as this is progressing again, it's not just you. You have these kids with you. Like kids you'll die for, those your babies. And I just
Meg: Nah, you know, I've worked through it, it's fine. No, Still the duck. Yeah. Yeah. Right.
Krystal with a K: I know there's has to be this medium or that middle ground where you're like, as a mom, you have to stay calm even when you're scared shitless. But then on the other part of it, you're a human being and this is terrifying. I can't even imagine what you were seeing.
Meg: Absolutely. Mm hmm. Yeah. they're in the back, I have videos and you can hear in the background, like, Greatest Showman soundtracks playing, Moana's playing, like, they're fine, you know? A few different times during this whole experience, they would ask, Mom, are we safe? Or Mom, what's going on? checking in themselves, like, for updates. And I just was like, no, we're not safe. but yes, because the ages of my kids, particularly my daughters, cause they are five and three and very intelligent that I just, don't, we'll be fine. It's fine. It's fine. I just feel like no one likes to feel invalidated. They're looking at fire. Like, how are you telling me everything's fine? You know, that I just don't.
Krystal with a K: You were honest.
Meg: I just didn't see the need to lie. I just kept telling them, like, no, we're not safe, but we're trying to get to safety. we are going to trust and have faith that God is going to protect us. And that's where I left it. we're doing the best we can, which they would accept it and that was it. There was never a moment where anyone was hysterical. There wasn't a moment where anyone was just crying or breaking down. they bickered like normal kids for the yeah, but they were still pretty good. especially for their ages and not having much to do we were trapped in our vehicle for the entire day.
Krystal with a K: Like a car trip.
Meg: eventually the fire chief had knocked on my window and I rolled it down. He let me had to put his head in the car so I could hear him because everything is so loud outside. And he is just like, you're going to follow the car in front of you. Just follow him and where he goes, you're going to go and everyone's going to follow you too. so they just start diverting cars. And I'm thinking, okay, great. We're moving over to the other main road and we're gonna get out. And no, we did not get out. He just takes us to the shopping center area. There's like a grocery store, there's a Kmart, and we just park. And I'm like, what are we, no, no, no, movements good. Feeling like we were going somewhere. That's what I wanted. Parking, parking does not sound like we're,
Krystal with a K: I don't need groceries. I need to get the hell out of here.
Meg: doing anything, know, sitting in parking was the worst for sure because no one's explaining anything. I have no idea why we're here. Eventually, after the fact, I find out that it's what they call shelter in place. So they're finding the safest place that they can for you in that moment. And a big giant concrete parking lot is the safest that they can find because there's as little as could catch on fire. Like you're further away from things that can catch on fire. So at some point we are surrounded by fire. Thankfully the grocery store we were in front of did not catch on fire at that time. Everything behind it was on fire we could see the trees behind that and you could see them on fire.
Krystal with a K: were there any issues with anybody breathing because of the smoke
Meg: Yeah, eventually it became a pretty big deal, particularly because, this smoke didn't just go away. we're going to deal with, weeks of this fire and smoke it was so bad that they have satellite imagery of the smoke reaching the East Coast.
Krystal with a K: Well, and that's what typically kills people in fire situations. It's not so much the fire itself.
Meg: Yes, correct. Right. Yes. What they had said was, if you breathe the smoke in, even five minutes was about the equivalent of smoking a pack of cigarettes, like in terms of the damage it can do to your lungs.
Krystal with a K: God.
Meg: my son ended up developing asthma because of it. So we're sitting in the parking lot.
Krystal with a K: I'll take it and move it. This
Meg: I park and I'm like the first spot and I can literally if I just back up a little, I will be able to just be the first car out of this parking lot because I don't want to be here. it was super disorienting because again, it's like 1230 in afternoon, but it physically feels like midnight. it's so dark. Everyone's got their lights on trying to see. My pictures that I have of that time don't do it justice because it kept lightening everything up I can see more using my camera looking through it than I could just normal. So we're sitting there. I get out at one point because I have to change my son's diaper. within 10, 15 minutes of being there, and I can hear a woman and she like walks by and she's hailing a police officer. So he pulls up and again, because it's so loud, everyone has to yell to be heard. So I can hear their conversation and she goes up to him and she goes sir, what's going on? he's like, this is where, you need to be because this is the best place we can find, And then she's like, okay, but are we safe here? And this cop looked at her he just went straight face and was just like, no, man, I can't guarantee your safety on this mountain at all. she's expecting to be lied to. Like I can feel it, you know? And he's like, no, like I can't guarantee your safety anywhere on this mountain. He goes, but what I can say is if my family were on this mountain right now, this is where I would want them. And then he rolls up his window and drove away. And she's just like standing there like completely in shock.
Krystal with a K: I mean I feel like he It sounds like he handled it very similar to what you did. this is the truth, which it should be. some people would give people shit for being honest, but I also think that you owe it to the public as like somebody that's serving the public. as a mother, you and your family were pastors at this church. Faith is a huge part of your
Meg: Right. Yeah. agree. Right.
Krystal with a K: family in your life. So relying on that, using the truth, but also using that to lean on for strength. That sounds like a big part of what you guys were having to do. Ugh, I'm getting chills. Like
Meg: Yeah. Right. Right. yeah, well, and it's, you know, it's one of those things. So I'm finishing up. I put my son, you know, and like strap them because we're just chilling now. So I shut the door and I sit and I look up and that same woman is parked just slightly to my right. I physically watched the hope leave this woman's body she's alone and she is just completely breaking down. that's all, like, I'm just, that's how I felt. I like, I'm like, I can tell. Like, I am physically watching the whole, completely leave this woman's body. And I'm sitting there crying. silently crying. Cause you can't watch that and not get emotional. Like I still get emotional thinking about it. And
Krystal with a K: No
Meg: I'm sitting there like sobbing and I'm like, my God, what are we doing? everywhere I'm looking, I can't see much cause it is so smoky, but what I can see is everything's on fire. So what is, what is going on? And I just remember like, God, you gotta figure this out and you to figure out now. Like I can't do this, I just take a deep breath my oldest was like, mom, are you okay? I was like, yeah, I'm fine. You know, just really want to get out of here. I left my house at 7 45. I had not ate breakfast. My oldest had breakfast at school. The other two had some sort of breakfast, like granola bar and applesauce, But it is now getting close to one and that's it. I have an eight, that's all they've had all day. I don't have water because I'm not like my husband who has an emotional support water bottle at that time. I do now. You know, it just, thought I, the way I packed, the way I left, it was because I really just believed I needed to go spend the day off the mountain. I was not.
Krystal with a K: You thought about the hats, but you didn't think about the water. Priorities.
Meg: packing things up as if I'm not coming back. The only reason I brought the cats was because I thought just in case I would be devastated if they had been left in the house, you I really, did not think that this was going to become what it became. And so we had nothing. So
Krystal with a K: Right. It's a living creature. But why would you? The school didn't make it a big deal. Nobody was making it a big deal that was supposed to, and you didn't realize it was a big deal until you were headed away after you'd already packed and left.
Meg: Right? No? No one was. No. Right. Yes. Right. And so this really nice guy came and knocked on the one. He's like, Hey, just wanted to check. how are you doing? is everyone okay? And I'm like, well, we're probably as good as you can expect. And that's, yeah. Do you have food? Do you have water? I'm like, actually we have nothing. I think maybe one of the kids had a water bottle. Probably the, youngest. And He's like, okay, he's like, we're just going around checking, making sure everyone's okay, see what, people need anything. So he came back like 50 minutes later and had a already open. Someone had drank a little bit of it, like propel water. And I did not care I will accept your water, your offering. And it was one of those little hummus packs with the pretzels.
Krystal with a K: Zero fucks given. Yeah, I don't Pretzels.
Meg: It was not opened. So I, of course, gave that to my children. And we all drank every so often a little bit of the propel water. I have no idea what's happening anywhere else other than right here. there were some nurses that were going around handing out basic surgical masks, because at least it was something. at one point someone came and said, hey, there's a woman that has her grandkids with her that she wasn't anticipating having with her and she's looking for diapers. And I was like, I got diapers. I find out later that it's actually our really good friends. I was giving diapers for her child. they were part of our church it was his parents that had their kids, which they didn't know at that point because majority of people work off the mountain. So you have all these people who have commuted and gone to work and they're in completely different area of town. our friends had no idea where their kids were, if their kids were okay, if their parents were okay, like nothing, because that is how little communication was able to happen during this timeframe. nothing working because there's no power anywhere, which includes cell towers. So nothing is on. And it was so the smoke was so bad. I don't even know how well reception would be anyway. But yeah, so chillin. And then a little bit later, another gentleman stopped by and he was like, hey, I'm just going around. I'm just seeing if anyone needs food. I'm like, yeah, we don't really have anything. goes, well, I don't have much. He's like, but I do have a fifth wheel kind of across the parking lot I can make people soup. He's like, that's really all I can offer. I'm like, thank you so much. I think for now we're okay. but I'll come find you if anything changes." He's like, please do. I know it's not much, very sweet. There was wild, in a good way, the stories that came out from just the goodness of people. But I remember just being like, I'm not moving because I've got an exit strategy, okay? I am the... first vehicle out of here, So sitting there, kids are honestly given everything. They were actually really, really good. They did great.
Krystal with a K: That is such a blessing in itself.
Meg: Yeah, especially if you know my kids. I'm just sitting there like, I don't have anything to do either. Like, other than just stare at what's going on, the guy, I'm gonna call my neighbor, and the truck next to me, he had just gotten off work. And so he had, you know, big, of very typical like, you know, manual labor worker who has those big giant chests of a lunch pail. And so he's like, let me see if I have anything left from my lunch. And he had one of those like really awful like nature bars. I don't even know what they're called, the super crunchy things that make a mess everywhere. had, I used to, but man, I can't But I didn't have water. So I'm like, so this is awful.
Krystal with a K: I actually like those. It's like eating a rock, but or gravel, but kind of delicious. that part. Can't wash that shit down. Then you have a dry throat on top of everything else.
Meg: You know, so yeah. You know, so he gave us that but he's like, I don't have much. And he was like apologizing like it was his fault. And I'm like, this is a lot this is helpful. I really appreciate you sharing with my family, but, know, I'd have moments where it's like, why what's happening? What is going on? Why? Why are we in this situation where you really start to question am I going to die? Is this what's happening right now? Because I am surrounded by fire. We are not going anywhere. I don't know what's happening. I don't know why we're not leaving. And then I would then have other moments where it's just like, God did not bring me to this moment for it to be my last moment. Like he did not. bring my children to this moment for it to be their last moment. no, no, like this is not the end. I have full faith that God is going to bring us out of this. it was like when I would go there, I would start to almost despair Then it was like, For me, would say like the Holy Spirit was really like, no, God did not bring you through everything you've been through for you to die like this. I remember this moment where it was like, have to stop doing this, the kids kept asking, because they would see something new catch on fire and they would get, my gosh, mom, look. So they'd ask, you know, check in. I'll say for me is what's going on? Why aren't we moving? You know, like some constantly having to answer these things for them. I remember answering it one more time. mom, mom just wants to get off the mountain. That's, all I want, How about, I think it about four o'clock. I felt like I was just fading. I had not ate all day and I just remember a heaviness, settling over me. And then something inside me was like, you need to go get soup. And I like, why am I gonna go get soup? I don't want soup. My kids hate soup. They're not even gonna eat it. And then again, no, you need to go get soup. You need to go find that guy and you need to go get soup right now. All right, I guess I'm going to go find soup. So I like, guys, get your shoes on, Cause of course they took their shoes off, my middle daughter can't find one of her shoes. Somehow we did find another shoe for the correct foot that was missing.
Krystal with a K: For the foot that sh that works. It works.
Meg: So I've got the two-year-old in a little umbrella stroller. the three-year-old walking with two different shoes, they're all wearing the little masks that we were given and we walk over trying to find this guy's fifth wheel, he sees me and he's like, oh my gosh, like, thank you for coming. You know, super sweet. I'm like, put my kids into his fifth wheel and I can see out of the corner of my eye, a police cruiser coming up. even when you can tell someone's trying to catch your attention, like they're wanting to talk to you. I kept getting that feeling. And so I'm handing this guy, another one of my kids, the police officer stopped. So he's like, hey, like what's going on? I was like, we haven't ate all day and this gentleman offered us something to eat. the police officer talks to the driver and then he is saying something to me. I can't hear him, because again, it's super loud. And he says something about an ice chest and something he's offering us food. but then he said something about leaving. And I'm like, wait, what? What's going on? And he goes, well, we can move an ice chest over because we're trying to get people who have children, we're trying to get them off the mountain first. And I was like, okay. And he was like, yeah. So like,
Krystal with a K: That's me. I have children. Pick me.
Meg: He's like, so, you can get in our car and we can get you out of here. Yes, yes, I want to do that. And he was like, OK. I'm like, OK, I need to go get like my purse, like my stuff, because you can't bring anything. And I'm like, no, no, no, I just need my purse and my wallet. maybe said diaper bag or something and he goes, okay, but that's it. I'm like, okay. And he goes, well go get it. And I'm like torn, cause I just handed this strange man three children, but this officer is telling me I need to go across the parking lot. so he looks at me like, we're gonna stay right here. your kids will be fine. I run across the parking lot and I'm grabbing my purse. I put the diaper bag on and as I'm doing that, the kittens pop their little heads out.
Krystal with a K: He'll thank you for that.
Meg: and I lose it. I just start sobbing and I'm going, I'm so sorry. Kids before cats, kids before cats. And I shut the van and I run back to my children and I like just wrecked having to leave them in the car. But I'm like, there's food all over that van. They will be fine. what am going to do? Sorry, I need to take these kittens. and then them say, you'll have to wait then. Like, nah, uh-uh. Kids before cats, as sucky as that was, I kept just having to convince myself of that. Yes, it really was. there's food, there is water, Because we had poured some of...
Krystal with a K: But that's also how serious it was, is that you had to make a choice like that.
Meg: I don't know if it was good for them, but whatever. We poured some of the propel for them. yeah, so I just had to shut the van and run. And they put us in a fire rescue, park ranger style, Jeep. there's four of us and we shoved into their backseat and I had my two year old and I buckled him and I together. my oldest is like, but we don't have car seats. can't be in this car. Like we have no car seats and mom, you can't do that. You can't two people can't have a seat. this is, this is my child. And the officer was like, I love that you're saying that he's like, absolutely right. He's like, your mom taught you right in a normal situation. You absolutely should always be in a car seat. He's like, except in an emergency. He's like, and this is an emergency and in emergencies, it's okay. because the officer said it, we're good. Right?
Krystal with a K: He's not gonna give you the ticket, so it's okay. You can break the rule.
Meg: Right. we leave. no one else has left. Not a single person has left the parking lot. other than police officers, but we are the first civilians that they're that are going out from any parking lot. And as we're driving, I can see other people in larger parking lots also sheltering in place as we're driving, everything is on fire. So within seconds, my kids are going, mom, that's on fire, mom, that's on, and I'm like, guys, we are unfortunately going to see a lot of fire. You don't have to tell us every time you see fire. we're having to go really slow because they're calling in downed power lines. So clearly no one else is left because the way that they're telling them, they're radioing in, okay, here. whatever number and then it's like, are we sure the power's off to this one? Yes. And then we'd go over like electrical wires there's a tree we've got to go around they were constantly relaying this to someone. that was disorienting. I didn't know where I was, even though we've lived here for, you know, at that time about three years. I know this road and I don't know where I am. you use landmarks to kind of guide you and it's like that used to be a McDonald's and there's nothing there. And my kids were okay. And again, this is now almost 5 p.m. So they've been doing pretty good with everything. But then we pass their favorite restaurant, which is Black Bear at the time.
Krystal with a K: This is like ten hours.
Meg: And you can tell what it is because the bears are still out front. And as we're passing it, it's completely engulfed in flames and it literally just collapses right as we go by it. And my kids just lose it. I think that was the moment for them that this is real. mom, that was Black Bear. it just. crumbled, it's gone, and they're all hysterically crying and I'm just like, I can't do anything. I've got two men in front of me, I've got three kids now that are just have just everything to for them is just I was it that was their moment and they're crying and I'm having to console them and also trying to keep them quiet so they can keep radioing people. we go down, This road will take you to another town called Orville. it takes you like to this road, which then takes you over cause it's kind of like a triangle between paradise and they got Chico and then Orville and then she go to Orville or connected by, 99, which is just as another highway. And so we're driving down and all of a sudden we just drive through this wall of pure dark smoke. now where it's bright, the sun is completely out. There's not a cloud in the sky. wasn't it like midnight just a second ago? the kids are like, you know, what the heck? And then my phone just starts making otherworldly sounds, all of the notifications that I have not gotten since about 9.30 that morning are all coming in at one time. So it is all the Facebook sounds, all the text sounds, all the messenger sounds, all the missed calls are all coming in and are just trying to go at the same time. I realized, oh my gosh, I have service. Like that's what's happening So I was like, hey guys, could I call my husband? And they were like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, please, please, please call him. Let him know this is where we're taking you. so I call him and I'm thinking like, I haven't talked to him all day, expecting this like, babe, where are you? What's going on? Like. I'm expecting this kind of thing and so it's ringing and he answers and he just, hello? So I'm like, oh, maybe I haven't been missing all day. Like maybe he doesn't realize how intense this is, you know? So I was like, hey, babe, I just wanted and then I didn't even get any other words out and he's just hysterically crying on the other side. And I was like. okay, I was missing. This was real, like this happened, you know? But really it was this, I think he was so afraid of what he was gonna find on the other side of that phone call. he was just braced that it was gonna be a police officer or, we found this phone, and someone saying we've got your kids, but your wife didn't make something, right? all the scenarios of it's not my wife. What if it's not my wife calling me from her phone? So then when he heard my voice, it was like, everything just broke. And I'm over here like, you know, cause I'm, right. I'm like telling him where we're going and he's like, okay, I'm gonna be there as soon as I can. it's, you know, from
Krystal with a K: Huh. That made me want to cry. Like I almost started crying just now. Because the relief, like all of the feelings.
Meg: From Chico to Orville, it is about a 25, 30 minute drive, especially where we were going. So one of the churches in Orville had Red Cross set up there. that's where they were taking us. I show up and there are tons of people. We've got three kids who've literally been in a car all day long and there's zero direction on what to do, where to go, what's happening. I walked through this whole church. No one's telling me what to do. I'm finally like, hey. We just got rescued. I go, I'll fill this out. I'm like, cool. it was super weird. And it was almost like they hadn't yet dealt with anyone who had actually escaped. we really were the first civilians that had come off the mountain since they pretty much had closed everything. Thankfully, because we were pastors, So the other Foursquare pastor in Oroville, our friends, he heard that's where I was headed. So he's like, I'm going to go meet her there. So he came, which was really helpful, because at this point, my kids are absolutely running amok they're five and under and they they really have been amazing but they've been cooped up the entire day they are stressed and they it's still traumatic as great as they're accepting it all it's just there's this chaos and i am from what i've got other people have told me i am i am done i was just a shell for me it was because all that adrenaline was finally done and my body was like, all right, we're safe. And then it shut off. was like, can't, I can't. And it was, it very much. And I was just like, yeah, some might call it shock. didn't feel like shock. It definitely just felt like my batteries were done and I was just.
Krystal with a K: And then you crash. Yeah.
Meg: literally going on fumes and I finally got to my destination. I'm going to sleep now, but I'm awake because I can't cause I still have three children and I'm at a random place. don't know. So, but again, let's remember I had abandoned my vehicle up on the mountain. My husband takes a motorcycle to work and I were stuck at a church. So we call our other best friends they also have three children at this point and we're like, can you come meet us at this church and then take us home? And they were like, yes we can. It's more watching my children and anything and I'm just sitting there. my husband pulls up he's parked and he's running and I stand up and I go to him and I lose it because now I'm safe. Right. Because now my husband's here and now I can just everything I can relax like because now the other half is here, he's gonna take care of everything. Even though our friend was there and he was super helpful, it's just different when your spouse shows up. And my husband jokes all the time, because he's like, I was expecting the kid, we're gonna run up dad. And he's like, I didn't get that. They were just running like crazy kids.
Krystal with a K: You're not alone in it. Not the same. Yeah.
Meg: It's fine, it's whatever, you know, but I did. I was like, I ran up, I was excited to see you, at that point, left the church, stayed at my best friend's house and they were in a teeny tiny two-bedroom apartment. It was her, her husband, her son, and she is eight months pregnant. And now she has five additional guests. And yeah, yes, yeah.
Krystal with a K: But that's what best friends are for.
Meg: Yeah, so I mean, that was the day of, Honestly, everything that followed was probably a whole lot harder which is wild, right? When you're facing death, it ended though. Like everything else that came after was a lot more difficult. to have to deal with and walk through and handle, I'm sure you've experienced this where people like to say things because their intentions are really good. They're really trying to be helpful, but it's not. And the biggest thing. right, which I think intentions. Yes, because I think genuinely they were
Krystal with a K: Right, they're trying to glass half full your scenario, you try to give them grace.
Meg: Most of them, I'm sure there were some probably need some help, but some most of the time I think they were trying to make you feel better, right? They're trying to help. I do think sometimes they're just trying to make themselves feel better because they don't know how to deal with your grief. Yeah, yes.
Krystal with a K: People are very uncomfortable with other people's grief or other people's feelings. So they try to just make it s seem better for themselves a lot of time. And I don't think it's intentionally selfish, but sometimes it's okay to say, I don't know what to say to you. I don't know what that's like. sorry doesn't cut it.
Meg: Yes. Right. Right, right. Yeah, so the biggest thing we were constantly told were, thank God you guys are okay. Thank God, none of you were hurt. Thank God it was just stuff. cause at this point, mean, I guess technically we didn't know the outcome of anything. Thursday the fire happened, Friday we had left because that weekend had planned to go a couple hours south to go to a thing called Apple Hill. It's a huge festival happens every year to go stay with one of my sorority sisters. So this had been a plan for a couple months and they were like, it's still open. totally get it if you don't come, but it is still open. And at that time, the smoke was horrendous in Chico area. And I'm like, is it smoky there? And they're like, no, not at all. Then we're coming. We are absolutely coming. So we left for the weekend. And that Saturday, we had a member of our church, uncle was up doing assessments of the fire stuff because they weren't letting really anyone in.
Krystal with a K: All my way.
Meg: he was contracted by the electrical company to do something. she had texted him saying, hey, will you go by my pastor's house and see if it's there? we're talking to them and all of sudden a picture came through and it was from the streets where our house was. And you can see a down transformer right there. And our house is just completely gone. and you can see our neighbor's house standing in the picture.
Krystal with a K: So that's how you found out your house was gone.
Meg: Yeah, there's fire apps, we were watching like the fire line, right? And as our where we lived in our address went within the fire area, and the fire line went beyond our home, we had to wrestle with uncomfortable parts, I want my home to be fine. But also do I wanna be the only home that's fine? I'm not going up there and I'm not gonna go live there after this. even if our house is fine, we're packing up and we're moving. but are we gonna be able to sell our house? Can you sell a house after a fire? I'm like, all of these things that you just don't know, you don't think about. And I'm like, I don't know how I feel. I'm super conflicted. I want my house to be fine, but if everyone else has lost their house, I don't wanna be the only one. God, don't let us be the only home. That's fine. So Saturday we get a text with the picture saying, house is gone. And it was
Krystal with a K: Not just your house, everything inside of your house that belongs to your family, pictures, everything.
Meg: Well, yes. Yeah, everything. Yeah, everything. Everything is gone. we had already pretty much assumed our church was gone because those friends that I talked to about that I'd actually given diapers to her kids, not realizing that I was giving diapers for. We got a hold of them and the road our church is on. They had to actually abandon their car and there's a pictures of them running with their dogs in their arms because they were trying to flee. And so it was actually on the same road. And I'm like, there's no way. if they had to literally abandon their car because the fire was coming too fast, our church has to be gone. And sure enough, he confirmed that it was gone. Our friend is a Cal fire and he had some friends go look for our van, see if it was OK. Saturday. We got a picture of our van with the cats at the driver passenger window. Totally fine.
Krystal with a K: I am so glad the cats are okay because I don't know if my listeners would be able to handle dead kittens. I don't think I was gonna be able I was like waiting.
Meg: Oh, dude, I don't know if I could have. I know. they're fine. Okay. So then our Cal Fire friend is like, Hey, when you get back Monday, I'm gonna sneak you up the mountain. Because only firefighters could go up there. first responders and then they were starting to let animal Humane Society type people were because and it's also a decently rural town. So you've got a lot of people who had a lot of pets and no one is allowed to go up. So even if their homes are fine, you've got people with pets
Krystal with a K: Rescue people.
Meg: someone go find my pet? So they had people going up checking homes that is important, because when my husband got up the mountain with the Cal Fire friend, because he literally had to shave, firefighters love moustache. Yeah, right, because they can't have facial hair he kept a mustache.
Krystal with a K: To wear the gear. Right.
Meg: and he just put on his friends stuff they didn't ask for any of his information. They just took our friends information and they both went up. So he was able to get pictures of our church, pictures of our house and a couple of friends homes that were standing. And then he got to the van He's like, no one will question you coming off the mountain. the only question you get on the mountain. So he was gonna drive the van home. he gets over there apparently I locked the van and had no idea I did. They broke the passenger window. and the cats were no longer in the van. which I'm grateful for, because if we hadn't been able to go up there that quickly, right, I am glad that this happened. I'm not mad at anyone. It just, it did kind of suck. So.
Krystal with a K: But they weren't they were like the only thing you had left and someone took them. But they're alive or were alive. If someone broke the window
Meg: You know, right. So but they must be alive somewhere. Right. So right. And my worst, worst case was that they just let them out. and let them go. But so we got the van back and now we have to find the cats, which at this point I know they're safe. They've got to be safe. Like there's, there's nothing I can do for them. I don't have a home. I don't have anywhere to put the cats. at this point, if someone came and rescued the cats, then they are being fed, they're being cared for, they're fine and we'll find them eventually. And if we don't, someone will adopt them. Like that's where I'm at, right? it took us, well, I say, I should say us, I shouldn't, I should say it took my mother-in-law. about two weeks to find the cats. I don't remember even where she found them, and then she kept them until we were able to get into a place and take them back from her. like you said in the beginning, over 50,000 people are now displaced because the mountain is still closed. we have to deal with insurance. it's things you don't think about just because they're the fire. You still have to cancel your internet in case you were wondering. I need birth certificates. I need social security cards. I need, I need a lot of things. I don't have any, I have a suitcase that has a couple of shirts. in it in some bottoms, right? Like I got, I have nothing you have now 50,000 people trying to find somewhere to sleep. So by the time we're looking, we're calling places, we're shopping by apartments, and some are like, we're okay, we'll put you on the list, you're 245th on the wait list. And then some are like, sorry, we stopped the wait list at about 150 or 200 or we're no longer taking anybody You know, people are having to go like four or five hours away just to find somewhere to stay. obviously there are people who are staying with family, but we didn't have anywhere to go. So at one point we were literally looking at staying in a family's converted garage. And that's where we were going to live. It had a bathroom, so that was cool. And we were thinking about how can we put up a partition? Like we were just gonna live in this room, all of us, because we didn't really have any other options. and then our other friends were like, hey, we're leaving our apartment complex, they called it caring communities. So they would put on like monthly events and then they would do every week, like a breakfast thing there. it was a little more involved than that, but that is essentially you did events for them. They're like, but you get either free or reduced rent. And they're like, maybe you can take our job because it comes with an apartment. So they go to their manager and they're like, Hey, what if we did this? And there he was like, man, he's like, unfortunately, the position has already been filled. He's like, but tell me more about your friends. He's like, well, they were on the mountain. They've lost their home. They were pastors, lost their church. And he goes, they were pastors. And they weren't here. She was like, yeah. And he goes, let me look. And he looked and he goes, yeah, we'll bump the list. they'll get the next available apartment. It should be ready beginning of December. And we're like, wait, what? And he was like, he was like, they love Jesus? Yeah. He's like, totally. So who knows how long this wait list was, but totally got pushed to the front and got a little, that's right. You know, and
Krystal with a K: Wow. All because Jesus was your homeboy. Moral of the story, guys.
Meg: all these little things of we never once were homeless. We never, we didn't have to keep bouncing like from couch to couch. We didn't have to rent a teeny tiny studio garage, you know? And we got in, the apartment was super tiny. It was more like a little hotel. um, size-wise, but it had two bedrooms, so all the kids were in one. We had our own, I mean, we could have a whole other episode on the aftermath and the grief of all of this, but that is, that is essentially the basic part of surviving a wildfire.
Krystal with a K: no, I think it's like any traumatic event. I mean, again, I say this all the time, it doesn't have to be cancer to be a difficult thing. And a lot of times it's the aftermath, it's the unknown, it's the having to figure out how to navigate the life after the hard thing, the dark thing. And it sounds like though things worked out for y'all in a short period of time, thank God That doesn't mean that it wasn't a struggle, it wasn't difficult, and that you weren't grieving your entire life before because it changed completely.
Meg: yeah. Right, absolutely. something you have to do is get your property cleaned up, Because everything that burns, all the chemicals, All your products in your house, are now in the ground. And so you have to, you yourself have to get your property cleaned up. So one of the things
Krystal with a K: So you guys are responsible for that as well?
Meg: Yeah. Yeah. You have to hire a company that comes out and cleans it because it's toxic. it has to be disposed of properly. So one of the things is a group called Samaritans will come and they have volunteers and they'll help you sift through your stuff.
Krystal with a K: What do you have to do for that?
Meg: right before a company that you've hired will come clean it. So it's like there's all these things that you have to do that you just don't think about
Krystal with a K: So obviously you guys have fast forward to now, you're in Texas. Again, you have a beautiful family. Thank God you guys are okay. You never have to diminish what you guys endured. You are such a badass. I don't know if anyone's told you, but just getting to know you more and more, even through doing the podcast, you're just such a force. And I know I've been through my shit, but you've been through your shit and most people have had theirs. But I can't imagine keeping my cool and maintaining the way that you did throughout that entire thing. And I'm just very proud of you and I'm glad that you're here still and that your family's still here. And you should be very proud of yourself. And I definitely want you on my zombie apocalypse team, For the record. what are some things
Meg: Cool.
Krystal with a K: that you learned from this there's a lot of hardship, but what things that were good that came out of it? Because what I heard you say is the humanity aspect of all these people coming to help. What other things?
Meg: Yeah, I think for us, it was just that moment of grief comes in all shapes and sizes, you know? I think even now that's something that's actually, hard, but it was a good thing is it's hard having a weird style of grief, right? I didn't lose a loved one, I didn't go through some crazy medical thing. This is kind of an unusual type of grief in terms of losing everything, We lost our home, we lost stuff, we lost our church, but most importantly, we lost our community. all these people just in paradise alone, over 13,000 structures, burned on fire. And I think the majority of them were homes. And so you have people like my daughter's teacher had to move four hours away after the fire. So my daughter just lost her teacher, you know. I have friends that are moving across the country. Everyone in our church except two or three families lost their home and they're scattered. And so I think for us, It built this idea that even though it's it's just stuff, right, that your community is incredibly important and who you build that community with is important and that every single person is going to go through hard times. No matter who you are, no matter what you've already gone through, you will experience a hardship. It's just a part of life. But Who do you have in your corner? You need to think about that. Who is going to catch you in your worst moment? And it was eye-opening, but maybe in a good way for us to see the people who showed up after the fire and also saw the people who did not show up after the fire, which is a hard lesson, but... it allowed us to push through, we had really great people behind us,
Krystal with a K: I actually think that's a very big part of surviving. not everyone is worth your time and energy and I just think that it's a filter. You filter out the bullshit and everything that you go through, there are so many people that are willing to step up, your standards raise. for me in life, I don't make room for the dramatic people, the people that aren't there anymore. And some people are just a season.
Meg: I think for me, it's helped me interact with other people who are going through grief, like on a large scale type grief, because I'm someone who very much worries about what I say and will ruminate on what I have said to the point where I have... sometimes been scared to say something or scared to like I'm imposing or I don't want to interfere or well don't want to bug them they're going through something right but I still do it I remind myself you know what no the worst thing the worst thing was when people were silent when you didn't hear from someone that was way worse than when people would say the wrong thing like I would take people trying over silent any day.
Krystal with a K: Meg, thank you so much for sharing your story. I think again, trauma is trauma. I cannot believe that you endured all of that. I'm really thankful you were willing to share that because I think we have a lot of people here in Texas and the Hill Country that have been through devastating flood and loss. And yes, they knew people that have passed and had family members pass, but then there are some people that had All of their homes and everything taken and I think that there's room for all types of grief. So thank you so much for sharing it. You've been amazing. so let me do my shameless plug now. Check our website out at www.plot twist still alive. dot com. You can also email us. If you have a story that you survived something crazy big or small, we want all. whatever you found to be life changing or your plot twist, I'd love to hear about it. You can email me or slip and slide up into my DMs. We're on Facebook and Instagram and TikTok. Make sure you're following those accounts because I'm pretty fucking funny. If you have not left me a review yet, come on, bam. I need a five-star. Five star make me holla, honey, boo-boo. So please leave us a review on whatever platform that you listen on. We now have video. So if you're still on Apple and you haven't seen our beautiful mugs, Meg is looking hella fine today. Her hair's fabulous. And I'm always looking good. So make sure you're watching on YouTube or Spotify. And if you wanna listen in your car, I guess that's fine for now. But let's end this shit the right way. We're gonna do a high five. See a high five the screen. Psh still alive. And do your evil laugh.
Meg: Muahaha!
Krystal with a K: Ha ha. Okay, I love it.