Tuesday, February 07, 2017

Whew - On the Road Again

We're on the road - our very first road trip as a little family unit since buying the motorhome.

Whew! There are a lot of details to saying goodbye to a loved one. Rebecca, Michael and I met with Randy at Musgrove Funeral Home today. They are amazing - absolutely no price gouging or emotional manipulation. After the meeting, Rebecca went one direction with a list, and we went another direction with a list. We are tracking down Dad's DD214 so Mom can be buried with him at Fort Logan National Cemetery.

The kids packed the motorhome, as Michael wrote the rough draft of an obituary, I talked with the local paper and checked in with my family.  We took the van to a potential buyer who is going to take it to the mechanic while we are gone. We trust them implicitly.

We have the date and time for a memorial service in Crescent City locked in.

In the midst of this, "the movers" called. Oy VEY! They can't find the checks we've sent them, they're opening our boxes and repacking them for another company to move them. We decided it's best to go to Yuba City and get a RECEIPT and WATCH and inventory them as they unpack our things and repack them...... ::snort::

We're going to Mom G's house to track down some legal papers.  We are pretty sure they'll be easy to locate, but who thinks to travel with such things?  We got a late start and may not make it all the way to Crescent City. I think it might be nicer to walk into the house in the day time anyway.  As we drive, I am touching base with family to let them know the time for the the memorial in CA.

We won't be able to plan a time for Denver until the VA approves and then we go through the scheduler at Fort Logan.....wondering about the weather too as Michael would like to drive out. +Starting to check weather and roads.....

Gray afternoon

Stacia's Tribute

My dear grandma love
I will miss you terribly
But you are happy

Stacia and Mom G often wrote haiku's and shared them back and forth. She showed us this one last night.

We are all remembering various incidents and times today.....Stacia had a strong desire to spend her 11th birthday in Crescent City  (really out of left field - before any of us had thought of  moving to Crescent City to help Mom G). Looking back, we are thrilled and happy this worked out. Her birthday was just four days after Mom G's 88th. birthday. We were all looking forward to another one this year. I had begun planning the 90th/13th shindig.
Michael, Mom G, Nolan, Stacia, Alex

Last summer Stacia caught a fish - but she released it. Mom G was insistent she needed to be sure to keep the next one, as she was craving trout. Stacia promised to catch another fish for Grandma to eat. She tried and tried but never caught another fish last summer. Today, she regrets not being able to keep her promise.  We are assuring her it is o.k. - but those of us a bit older, who have walked this path, can understand the regrets. Maybe you'd say a prayer for Stacia's young heart today?

We have assured her the times she spent listening to Mom G's stories, as they sorted through her possessions and she did odd jobs for Grandma,  were happy ones for Mom G, and ones she will remember the rest of her life.

Stacia uses "words" more than our men-folk to express her thoughts and emotions...but I know, while the past year was a tough one, it is full of treasured memories. We were given the gift of getting to know Mom G in a way we'd never known her before. She was more talkative about her childhood and adult memories than she'd ever been. I regret thinking we had "plenty of time" to capture the stories on video.
Treasured Memories