i made it to des moines just after midnight, there was plenty of rain during my drive but that was all. i made one stop along the way, at the casey's in clear lake. i got a can of Coca-Cola, slice of pizza, and some reese's peanut butter. i brought some CDs to listen to as well. all i did after getting to town was check into my hotel and get ready for bed. no need to do much more that late at night, especially when i had things to do in the morning. i got my continental breakfast, then headed for the church in west des moines. along the way i stopped at a Walgreen and got a sympathy card, along with a small bag of peanuts.
when i arrived at the church, i recognized my sister first. she laughed a little, had to ask why. she said something about not knowing when i would arrive, even though i let dad know about it. she was standing next to my uncle. then i found my dad, and no surprise how we talked a lot. hadn't seen him in almost two years. i also spoke with some of the church employees, since i would be singing at the funeral. i arrived shortly after family visitation began. i was informed how i would be doing the 'recessional'. i didn't talk to my cousin that much, but she had many other people that wanted to talk to her and she was crying a lot, and it is hard for me to see crying. i got up twice during the ceremony, first to get my program from the family room, then to get the printed page of the song lyrics to 'i'll fly away' as i had a hard time remembering a line from it. i did fine with singing it, although i felt myself pausing after the first verse, afraid i would forget the next line. it was a little more nerve-wracking than expected, as it is nothing like karaoke when one has the prompt right in front of you. my cousin hugged me after i was done. my dad said it might have been easier had there been an accompaniment, such as a piano player, and i agreed. i got some photos of the facility and then went to the luncheon. then it was on to the grave-side service, at the cemetery in Booneville. she was cremated and my cousin's daughter held the box on the drive there. i got a ride with my uncle, and my dad and sister were in the same car. i saw a U-Haul facility on the way there, plenty of trucks parked next to what looked like an abandoned motel. there was also a gated community in the area. i looked around at the cemetery a little, and we left shortly after the grave digger covered the hole. then it was back to the church, where i picked up my car and went back to my hotel. i called a classmate, who was at his office, the judge in des moines, and it was nice to talk about various subjects for a little while. he said he would be in the twin cities next month, hopefully we can have lunch somewhere while he is in town. he gave me the number of a classmate, mutual friend, my little league teammate. and i spoke with that classmate even longer, although from the hotel phone as my cell phone battery was dying and i brought the wrong battery charger with me. we hadn't spoken much since his wife left him a few years ago. i watched a little TV, then fell asleep. when i woke up it was getting late, so i knew i wanted to go out again, this time to a karaoke bar. i sang 'fix you' by coldplay. it was across the road from merle hay mall, and i had been to the mall earlier in the day, bought a pair of winter gloves at a clearance sale at the sears. i looked around at the younkers liquidation sale but didn't buy anything.
when i arrived at the church, i recognized my sister first. she laughed a little, had to ask why. she said something about not knowing when i would arrive, even though i let dad know about it. she was standing next to my uncle. then i found my dad, and no surprise how we talked a lot. hadn't seen him in almost two years. i also spoke with some of the church employees, since i would be singing at the funeral. i arrived shortly after family visitation began. i was informed how i would be doing the 'recessional'. i didn't talk to my cousin that much, but she had many other people that wanted to talk to her and she was crying a lot, and it is hard for me to see crying. i got up twice during the ceremony, first to get my program from the family room, then to get the printed page of the song lyrics to 'i'll fly away' as i had a hard time remembering a line from it. i did fine with singing it, although i felt myself pausing after the first verse, afraid i would forget the next line. it was a little more nerve-wracking than expected, as it is nothing like karaoke when one has the prompt right in front of you. my cousin hugged me after i was done. my dad said it might have been easier had there been an accompaniment, such as a piano player, and i agreed. i got some photos of the facility and then went to the luncheon. then it was on to the grave-side service, at the cemetery in Booneville. she was cremated and my cousin's daughter held the box on the drive there. i got a ride with my uncle, and my dad and sister were in the same car. i saw a U-Haul facility on the way there, plenty of trucks parked next to what looked like an abandoned motel. there was also a gated community in the area. i looked around at the cemetery a little, and we left shortly after the grave digger covered the hole. then it was back to the church, where i picked up my car and went back to my hotel. i called a classmate, who was at his office, the judge in des moines, and it was nice to talk about various subjects for a little while. he said he would be in the twin cities next month, hopefully we can have lunch somewhere while he is in town. he gave me the number of a classmate, mutual friend, my little league teammate. and i spoke with that classmate even longer, although from the hotel phone as my cell phone battery was dying and i brought the wrong battery charger with me. we hadn't spoken much since his wife left him a few years ago. i watched a little TV, then fell asleep. when i woke up it was getting late, so i knew i wanted to go out again, this time to a karaoke bar. i sang 'fix you' by coldplay. it was across the road from merle hay mall, and i had been to the mall earlier in the day, bought a pair of winter gloves at a clearance sale at the sears. i looked around at the younkers liquidation sale but didn't buy anything.
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