My house burned down

Wednesday update after a very long, sleepless, anxiety-ridden day.

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From: Kimiko: Beautiful, intelligent child of royalty
Date: 25 Jul 2007, 07:18 PM


As many of you know by now, my house burnt down last night.

Click here for the news story, pictures and video (just keep in mind that it is NOT known whether it actually started at my house or not, according to the public information officer I spoke to, so that's misinformation. The rest, though, gives you an idea of what happened.

Now, 14 hours later, I still haven’t slept and am stuck in a bit of a state of shock. But I am absolutely counting my blessings. Luckily, I wasn’t home at the time, my son was in California, and everyone in the house next door got out safely. Nobody was hurt, although my dog and cat were both killed (and that’s the one thing I’m rather emotional about).

Still, it could have been worse and what it all boils down to is that stuff ­– furniture, clothes, etc. – can be replaced. My animals, of course, cannot. Things like yearbooks, photos. momentos and memorabilia can’t either. But it’s all still just stuff, and I was trying to purge anyhow as I was scheduled to move to Broad Ripple a week from today (Aug. 1).

As overwhelming and surreal as this whole ordeal has been, I am even more overwhelmed by the support that I’ve been receiving from all of you. Many people have called or e-mailed to check on me, to offer a place to stay, to offer items (couches, dishes, silverware, artwork, etc.) so that I can rebuild my “home.” Many have donated cash so that I can go get things like toiletries and basic clothing to get me through as I enter this “rebuilding” phase. And the response has been so great, and I am just SO touched and SO appreciative of all that you are offering and doing for me. I am the type of person that has a very hard time asking for help, but there has been such a tremendous outpouring of support and I know that I don’t even have to ask because whatever I need will be provided.

I know that with all the offers of support and housewares, that Ricky and I will land on our feet. The place we’re moving into next week is significantly smaller than the homes we’ve been living in the past few years – it’s just a small, two-bedroom bungalow that won’t require a whole lot of furniture to fill. I will need to start from literally from scratch ­–towels, dishes, bedding, bedroom furniture, living room furniture, etc. – as NOTHING in the house will be salvagable. This isn’t the best picture, but it’s a phone pic from the backyard looking in:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=62886&id=501548772

In any case, I know that I have offers for various items that I will need and I extend the biggest, sincerest THANK YOU to you all.

I’m not sure exactly how to coordinate this yet, but I will keep you all posted as I figure out how to best deal with this mess. Additionally, for those who are wanting to contribute, I’m urging that you also consider that three families were actually affected in this blaze – myself and Ricky, my ex-boyfriend Micah Faidley (who also lost all of HIS belongings), and our next-door neighbors – a mother and father with three little boys and a grandmother, who most certainly don’t have the extended support network that I have with all of you. I have yet to speak to them to see what their needs are and how they’re going to proceed, but I would love to be able to offer them superflous housewares and furniture that I won’t be able to use, for those of you who would be up to offering.

On that note, I DO have a place to stay for the next few days. I DO have a car and a couple of changes of clothes. I DO have cash (thanks to all of YOU) to go buy some necessities. And I DO have hope that all of this is somehow a blessing in disguise.

Again, THANK YOU ALL for all that you are doing for me and are continuing to do on my behalf. I am positively overwhelmed by the support. And as a single mother who is far, far away from any family, this support network is truly touching and I can’t express just how grateful I am.

Continue to keep my family, Micah and my neighbors in your thoughts and prayers.

~ Kimiko


p.s. Basic answers to questions I’m being asked:

- Ricky wears a size 10.

- He’ll need shoes (no clue what size he is right now, maybe a 3.5 or 4?) and school uniforms and winter clothes eventually.

- He’s really upset about losing his manga book collection – Naruto, O-Parts Hunter, Battle Angel, Black Cat, Bleach, Dragonball-Z, DNAngel, Chibi Vampire, Full Metal Alchemist, Flame of Recca, Getbackers, Grenadier, Haunted House, Mar, Samurai Champleu, Trinity Blood, Yuh-Gi-Oh.

- I wear a size 8.5/9 shoe.

- Size (a woman doesn’t like to disclose this, so if you think you have things that would fit me, just email me!)

- Toiletries: I’ll go buy some now, so don’t worry about those things.

- Furniture (This list feels like a wedding registry!):

Living room and den/playroom:
Couches, coffee table, entertainment center or TV stand, TV, DVD player, CDs, DVDs, board games, stereo, media storage, etc.

Bedroom: Full or queen bed, twin bed or bunk beds (we had two twin mattresses and were planning on buying a bunkbed frame – but beggars can’t be choosers!), bedding for twin and full/queen, dressers, nightstand, etc.

Kitchen: Dishes, silverware, microwave, dish rack, seasonings, table and chairs, cups, glasses, wine glasses, barware, pots and pans, bakeware, cutting board . . .

Dining room: Table and chairs

Office: Desk, hopefully insurance will replace my beloved Mac, printer, etc.

Etc: Bikes, skateboard, artwork (a true loss), whatever else you can think of that I’m too tired to think of now



Thank you.