Delovely: The Grand RV Tour: Gville

After our happy days in Idaho, we made a straight shot drive down to my parents' home in Nevada. We left on a Sunday morning and had arrangements made to bury our baby Anna in Gardnerville the next day. Time was of the essence. Our worst fears and frustrations were realized when we had a tire explode when we were nearly 3 hours from our destination. Again, we sat around waiting on the rental company to honor their responsibility to us. They insisted we use the spare tire. But none of the tools were in the unit to access and change the tire. They then remembered that they don't keep the tools in the unit to prevent accidents and liability issues (changing a tire on a huge RV is a little different than changing a tire on a regular car). So after an hour of phone calls and waiting, we finally had some roadside assistance arrive. He accessed the spare and told us that he could not in good conscience put that tire on the RV. It was in worse shape than the tire that had blown. So after another hour of back and forth phone calls, the rental company finally authorized purchase of a new tire. Shortly after that, we were on the road again.

The kids were pretty patient. Cori's sister Brittany and her family were traveling down with us to be with us for the burial. They were a huge help. They were able to take Grace, Grant and Eden and continue on so as not to get in too late that night.

Cori, Jeffers and I were three hours behind them. The rental company insisted we bring the blown tire back with us. They needed it in order to claim insurance reimbursement. It would not fit in any of the outside compartments. The only place we could keep it a little out of the way was in the shower. So for the next week we hauled the smelly thing around with us like a member of the family.

Anna's burial was very simple. Cori and I went to the cemetery early to finalize details for her headstone. The rest of our sweet family contingent arrived at the predetermined time with our kiddos in tow. Cori spoke, mostly to the children, and offered a prayer. I spent many hours of our drive thinking of the words I could say to articulate my mama heart. Sitting there, I couldn't do it. I was grateful that Cori's words were enough.

Anna's little casket was so small that the traditional methods for lowering her into the grave were not applicable. There was a ladder that had been placed in the grave. It is a double site, and so the bottom of the chamber is over six feet down. Cori carried her casket down the ladder and we all tossed flowers down to wish her well until we see her again.

That afternoon we hung out at my parents' house. Sadly, they were out of town the couple of days we were there. My sisters were there and we were so grateful for their support. Sara and Kevin came over from UT, and Thea was a huge help with the 8 kids running around.

Later in the afternoon, we took a family walk to remember Anna. We plan to do this every year on her burial date. Her time with us was so brief and has felt incomplete to our mortal hearts. Our family was improved by the expectation of her. And our faith has grown as we look forward to being with her again. We don't want to forget.

We had researched a few local hikes, but there was a large fire burning that had closed the necessary road, and as the afternoon wore on, we didn't want the hassle of driving out anywhere. So we did a loop around my parents' neighborhood.