Happy

Hello. My name is Nidia Stubblefield and my family and I live in Bastrop. The week following September 4th was immensely stressful for my little family. We spent a week of uncertainty scared for many of our family members who had to evacuate, some running around town trying to find lost pets, three to four families jammed into a two bedroom house and tensions running high. Their house might have made it Tuesday but that didn't mean it would be there Wednesday or Thursday or Friday. It was a week where all our children stayed home from school unable to at least play outside because of the intense smoke and myself trying very hard to hide the fear and tears. It was a week of subtle and reassuring conversations with my children to explain to them that their daddy, who is a paramedic in town, was ok even though they hadn't seen him in 24, 48, 72 hours and would eventually not see him again until 7 days later and that all the airplanes and helicopters that seemed to them to be flying just inches above their house were there to help us.

My home, my family, my husband the paramedic were all safe and sound at the end of this ordeal. We know at least 10 families that are either friends or family that lost their homes and are on the road to rebuild their life so their ordeal is not over but today I write to you on behalf of my brother-in-law and his family. My brother-in-law Cory is a hard-working man. He works as a welder at Griffin Industries. His wife Naomi works at the Hyatt Regency Resort and they have a sweet three year-old named CJ. They had just moved into a duplex in Tahitian Village in early August and were excited to be in a new place they could call home. When the fires started and they were evacuated, they were blessed to be put up at the Hyatt like all the other staff that had been evacuated but because of the stress of all the activity in town and the uncertainty of not knowing if their home and all their belongings were still there, Naomi refused to leave the Hyatt. Late in the week, my husband was able to go to their street (since he was in the ambulance) and finally got the answer they were looking for. The house was gone and their would be nothing to even sift through. It was all gone. All of Naomi's jewelry of her late grandmother, Cory's items from when he served in the military, and all of CJ's toys. Everything.

Cory, Naomi, and CJ are on the road to recovery. They are getting back on their feet but it hasn't been easy. It was weeks of struggle trying to register for help since they hadn't been at the new house long enough to even change the address on their IDs yet, settling utility accounts, replacing lost important documents. They are very grateful for all the help they have received but no matter how "gently used", no one likes to wear someone else's hand-me-downs or be away from the comforts of home for very long. Today, the family is settling into their new apartment but even that is not as joyous as you would assume. The fact that there were so many families displaced made it near to impossible to find a new home within their price range and in a decent part of town. They finally had to settle for the bottom of the barrel apartment complex in town that is clearly not the environment they hoped to raise CJ in, infested with roaches and shady characters all about.

Please help me get them to the concert. I have seen this ordeal and the stress of it change them and almost break their spirit. I know it would mean the world to them if for just one night they could forget, relax their shoulders for just a second, and take a deep breath. I already bought some tickets for my husband and myself since originally I was told by Michelle and the facebook page that there would be some exclusively for fire victims but I would gladly give mine to Cory and Naomi if I have to. I really hope you can help me bring a smile to their face.

Here is our contact info. I pray I hear from you.