Darlene Scharf Makeup Artistry

LETS GOOOOOOOO!!!

Are you ready to celebrate the Best of Fort McMurray?? The Best of YMM returns & kicks off in less than two weeks! Get ready to nominate your favourite businesses & people!

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Check out our previous winners & categories here :

https://ymmonline.ca/best-of-ymm/best-of-ymm-2024/04/2025/your-mcmurray-magazines-best-of-ymm-2025-readers-choice-awards/

Surviving The Fire of 2016. My story.

First off, thank you for wanting to read this! I'm not sharing for attention or to get pity. Many many people have stories much more devastating than mine. I'm sharing to let people know my experience, to know why they have seen change in me and to share how grateful I am for you.

May 3rd 2016. In the early morning, those of us to who lived north of the bridge were worried for our friends south but I went about my day as normal. Fed the kids breakfast, watched cartoons, kids played outside in the backyard. Uncle Larry( God Bless you), called us the night before and told us to take some precautions, such as putting important paperwork aside and what not. I kept checking Facebook to follow up with how the fire was, how far, how everyone was doing on the south end of town. When I walked by the bin I remember thinking, maybe, it's time to put on the radio, it would be so much easier than checking my phone. I believe it was around 11 am. You know that voice you use when you talk to your kids, pretending everything is ok but it's really not? I could begin to hear this creep into the voice on the radio. Then the warnings to pack "just i case" came. Tyler called. He told me to pack the kids and our animals up and head to Cold Lake. They need him to shut the plant down. Just to be safe. When he got home he would drive the car down if he needed to.

The next moments that went by so fast, quite frankly, it's still such a blur. I remember the kids were playing and being crazy. Inside I had this dark feeling, something's gonna happen. The voice on the radio was telling us to have things packed and be prepared to evacuate in an hour or two. One song played. He told us to get out. One song is the length of time our lives changed forever.

I phoned tyler. He told me to pack for the kids and me. Nothing for him. He would be fine. He would pack when he got home. I was terrified. Trying to think of everything important for the kids and the animals in mere seconds. The kids were jumping on the bed and not listening when I asked them to go get their favourite toys. So I grabbed Abigail, sat her down in front of me and said " Abigail, I need you to listen. Danger. The fire is coming and we need to leave. I need you to go pack your toys in your laundry bin. You have to be fast." Abigail did exactly as she is told, anyone who knows us well, know that we always call her Boo. So when I use her first name, well she knows s**t just got real."

We maybe took five minutes to pack. Every other second I kept looking in Tyler's closet. I kept looking and his looked at his wedding ring on the bathroom vanity. My heart was breaking. I kept thinking I need to save the kids. That's my job. My only job. Focus. I grabbed our dogs and cat put them in the car first. Loaded the kids. Started the truck and dread hit. I totally forgot we have a quarter of a tank. That's it.

So I drove out and got in a VERY huge line at the closest gas station. After about thirty minutes, I got 3 cars to the pump and everyone started pulling away. There was no gas left. I drove to the next closest gas station I had was about five hundred feet away and everyone started pulling away. Surprisingly enough, I kept my cool. I knew if I panicked, I couldn't do my job. " I have to save the kids".

The roads were bumper to bumper, people with campers, animals, way too many people in their cars. Everyone was polite with the street lights, no one racing around or driving frantic. I looked towards the fire. Which was probably three or four kilometres away from me, our beautiful blue sky was filled with fire way above all the houses and apartment buildings in the distance. It was getting closer. I knew if I wanted to get gas, I had one last shot. Go towards the fire. The fire was about half
a kilometre away, so high in the air I couldn't see the blue sky anymore, it was just fire and smoke. I turned off all the vents in the truck. As I was waiting in line, i watched homes go up in flames. I saw and heard explosions. I made it though. I filled up the truck, the guy told me they were closing now and that I was lucky. I wasn't lucky, I was blessed.

I got back in line to head out of the subdivision and outta town. It was getting so close. I had to get out, everyone started slowing down and I could see why. There was fire up ahead. I couldn't see past it, I just seen people were in the farthest lane avoiding it. I just thought. Do your job. I drove through it, I remember thinking that it took minutes to get through. Now that I've seen where it was, I now know it was only a few trees. It must have taken me seconds.

Somewhere around this time, the phone calls started coming in. My cousin who I hadn't spoke to in years called me. A friend calling to make sure we were ok and my father in law. These people didn't stop Calling. These are the people who helped me keep my cool. Chat with the kids. Prayed with me and for us. These people, I don't even know how to put into words just how grateful I am. I would not have made it throughout the day without you.

God blessed me with amazing children. They ate snacks in the backseat and watched movies and thought it was a blast that the animals were in the truck with us. As we were on our turn, to get down the hill. I seen people on bikes with hue backpacks, people on horses. Some people had their windows down and were talking. In between the phone calls I couldn't stop thinking of Tyler. Working in the plant. That on any good day is one of the most dangerous jobs out there. I kept praying for God to protect him. Not to let the fire go that way. If the fire had gotten there, we would all be gone. My prayers and I'm sure many others, were answered and the fire didn't get to Suncor or the other sites. Not that day anyway.

I knew I couldn't leave it. Do your job. My job was to save my family. I couldn't not go to him. I couldn't leave him behind. I did probably something stupid, I drove north instead of south to get him. It's a good thing I did that because they had shutdown the highway going south out of town. By the time I got to suncor he finished his shift, the plant was down and he could leave. The camp at Suncor said they would save us a room for the night because Tyler stayed to shut down the plant. I picked tyler up at the gate and we drove to the camp. When we got there we all went in but they said they gave our room away to another family. Honestly, I don't blame them. I wouldn't be able to say no to anyone either. We heard they just opened the highway going south again. We decided. Let's try to get out. So we took the kids back to the truck. Tyler stayed with them so I could go get some food for us to eat.

All day I kept my cool. All day I didn't raise my voice. I didn't shed a tear. I just kept
Saying do my job. I buckled Abigail in her car seat closed the door walked to the back of the truck and I dropped. The weight of the day caught up with me. I broke down. Two minutes. I told myself I had two minutes to let it out. We are safe. All of us. Nothing else matters.

I got up off the ground, grabbed food and off we went. We had to try. As we drove through town, all we could could see was burning. Our beautiful city was going up in flames. Just complete shock and devastation. This beautiful place that I found my husband in, where I met friends who became my family, where I had my son in and raised my beautiful children. I thought there was no way anything would be left. I said my goodbyes.

We arrived at Tyler's parents home approx 1 am I believe. I am so to have call these people my family. Opening their home to us and another family with no questions asked. I love you so much.

I don't remember much, until the next day. Tyler didn't have any clothes, he had nothing. Me and the kids had a couple outfits but really not much. So I drove to the city of cold lake. What I found there I couldn't believe.

There were signs everywhere for donation drop offs, pick up spots and so on. The entire place had been transformed. I met an amazing friend and went to the mall and every store there had 75% off to those of us from Fort McMurray. They must have had every single person working in every store. Which was filled with other people from home.

I went into Bentley store and we were chatting with a couple women, who I thought worked there. I didn't bring my purse and Tyler told me to grab one while I was out, so as I was looking around the store the manager came up and asked me to try and hurry up. I was like what? Why? An older lady I was speaking with earlier approached me and said I need to buy you something. Please pick out everything you can for $100. I said no no that's ok I only need one I'm fine. She said no. I can't do much to help with what happened, but this, this I can do.

We tried to find a place to rent in the cold lake area, but with our current rent and another we couldn't afford anything that was furnished and allowed animals. We were on our way back to the families home and I received a call from two of my very dear friends. They said they have a house for us to stay in and it's been fully furnished by the city of Swan Hills. I couldn't believe it. Just for us.

We stayed another couple days with our amazing family then headed to our new safe haven. We arrived approx 9 pm that night, barely in the door and we heard a knock. There were a couple women with bags of groceries over flowing and gift cards for everywhere in town. The people from Swan Hills our just some of the angels God blessed us with.

As shocking and terrifying that day was. It changed me in ways I could never have imagined. I am so thankful to so so many of you who sent us money, prayers and shoulders to cry on. I am so grateful to be Canadian. I mean proud. This year on the 150th anniversary, I promise I will celebrate with every ounce of my being. I have never known so much love in my life. Not only from those in my life but to those strangers who gifted my family and so many others in any way shape or form. We
Love you.

Thank you to all the first responders, fireman, police force and anyone else that helped along the way. Thank you doesn't cover it. I am forever grateful.

May 1st, 2017. Our place survived. We had quite a bit of smoke damage, we lost about half of what we owned but we were fine and had insurance. Emotionally the kids didn't like sunsets until a couple months ago. They would yell out to me or tyler and say mommy the fire is coming. They are doing so great now, they are thriving, active, silly, smart human beings!Tyler has been my rock, as always. Calm, collected and supportive as always.

Today marks 10 years, time really does fly by. Faster than you imagine possible. Fort McMurray is just as eventful with our natural disasters in 2026.

So much and so little has changed all at the same time. The kids are huge, they are so kind, silly, loud, crazy, full of jokes and hugs teenagers now. Sunsets can still sometimes be a trigger, the initial smell of firewood but on a whole, I absolutely do not regret making Fort McMurray my home for the last 20 years. It really is the land of dreams ❤️

Spring Mini's

📣📣📣Alright… I’m finally teaching this ☀️✨

My Sun-Kissed Glow Makeup Masterclass is officially open and if you’ve ever struggled to get that fresh, bronzed, glowing skin… this is for you.

I’m breaking down my exact technique for creating:
✨ soft glam
✨ radiant, skin-like makeup
✨ that effortless “lit-from-within” glow

No heavy makeup.
No harsh contour.
No looking like a different person.

Just you—but elevated.

⸻

📍 Forbidden Chapters
🗓 May 30, 2026
⏰ 6–9 PM

👑 VIP MASTERCLASS
Only 20 seats available
🎟️ $120 | 18+
⸻

Spots will go fast 👀
Let’s get you glowing ✨