Dave Waslen

My home and all of my family’s belongings were burned to the ground in the Palisades fire. We are incredibly blessed to be safe and evacuated, but it feels surreal to have lost absolutely everything we owned. Sharing our story and raw reflections on X because it feels important to document this tragic life event. I also hope this post will serve as a reminder to others of how quickly your entire life can be flipped upside down. My wife (Taylor), our maniac french bulldog (Otis) and I have lived in Venice Beach together for 4.5 years. Ten months ago we welcomed our first child Theodora to the world. She’s insanely cute. We love Venice but we had simply outgrown our apartment and wanted to find a nice neighborhood to raise our family and establish roots. We had been looking for a new place to rent that served all of our needs: 3 bedrooms, backyard, walking distance to parks, etc. We figured best to rent for the next couple of years until we were absolutely certain on where in LA we wanted to live. LA rents are exorbitantly high and the market is extremely competitive. We had multiple places slip through our fingers due to various circumstances. Finally, in early December we found a home in the Palisades that was beautiful, within budget, and satisfied all of our needs. We jumped through all of the hoops necessary to land it and we were ecstatic when we received the good news that we did. Our move-in was slated for Jan 1. Since December 29th we’ve been working like busy bees to pack up our old home and get settled in our new home. Moving is mentally and physically taxing. Can’t believe how much crap we accumulated! By January 5th we had the place set up and comfortable. We were so happy and at peace in our new home and neighborhood. On January 7, our nanny arrived to watch Theodora while Taylor and I left to work in Venice and Santa Monica. At 10:45 AM, we got a text from our nanny with a photo showing a cloud of smoke emerging not far from our backyard. Taylor had our car and was driving toward the Palisades to get Theodora, but traffic was completely gridlocked. We instructed our nanny to put Theodora in her car and drive to Whole Foods in Santa Monica, where we would all meet. She had never driven our baby before or set up a car seat, so we had to walk her through the steps. Understandably nervous, she managed to get it done and quickly left the house. Thanks to her swift action, she was able to escape the Palisades before the rush. Waiting for our nanny and baby to escape the Palisades amid the flames and bellowing smoke clouds was the most terrifying 20 minutes of our lives. It felt apocalyptic, like a fever dream. Thankfully, our family was united and we gave our nanny a huge hug for saving the day. I considered driving into the Palisades to grab some belongings but at that point the fire had grown quickly and we had heard that it was impossible to go in or out of the neighborhood. We made the decision to drive to San Diego to my in-laws' home. That afternoon and evening we received an overwhelming amount of calls and messages from friends and family inquiring about our safety and the status of our home. At first we tried to hold onto hope that our home had been spared. However, as we watched the news, combed through X, and spoke to other people in the neighborhood we started to embrace the reality. Yesterday morning we saw a video on Next Door that showed that our house had been burned to a crisp. My mind is racing between shock, sadness, optimism for fresh beginnings, and fear about the to-dos ahead. I keep daydreaming about family heirlooms, stupid tchotchkes, photos, and random sentimental items that I’ll never see again. I have no idea where we’ll live long-term or how we’ll rebuild our lives, but I find solace in knowing we have each other and are safe. At the end of the day, home is with your loved ones, and everything else is just stuff. Lastly and most importantly, the outpour of love, support, and generosity we have received makes my heart explode. From the firefighters and emergency responders to our friends and family who have done everything in their power to soften the blow of this traumatic event, I feel overwhelmed with love and gratitude. I've got a fire in my belly (too soon?) to make this an incredible year. We will bounce back. Cheers 🍻