Despite our somber reasoning for being in Iowa in the first place, we were able to come together as family and to be with Liz in her last few days. More than anything, we were so glad that we were given the opportunity to spend some time with her before she passed away. The funeral was held today and while we wished we could have attended, we were glad we got to spend time with her while she was living.
While Liz slept, the girls spent time in the play room. They had movies and games for the kids so that the families could visit peacefully. Abigail and Elizabeth both had the opportunity to hold Liz's hand and visit with her for a while. They both colored her pictures and spent time comforting everybody. Their smiling faces are always relieving in difficult times.
We spent A LOT of time in the car over the four days (1,700+ miles to be exact). Driving between Bussey and Pella takes about 20 minutes. While we were glad to have made the trip, the girls got pretty tired of being in the car!
We spent some spare time letting the kids get some energy out at the local bowling alley in Pella.
Jude joined us and had a great time!
We also spent some time playing at the playground in Bussey. Considering midwestern winters, the weather was actually relatively warm.
I love this picture of Elizabeth on the new playground equipment in front of the Bussey water tower. Irene's (Maggie's Mom's) memorial fund was put towards the wonderful new playground at the park in Bussey.
I love that they kept the old playground equipment in tact. It's very cool that our kids get to play on the same equipment that Dan, Nate, and Jer did as young boys!
Even Jer couldn't resist the new playground equipment!
Jude had a great time playing with this cousins over the weekend.
We also took a walk to the rail roads were Nate promised Elizabeth she would find some railroad ties! Uncle Steve, Jude, Jer and Lindsay followed shortly behind!
Jude just wanted to run on the tracks! Boys will be boys!
Jer, Lindsay, and Jude also stayed in Bussey on our final night. We watched a movie while the kids "mellowed out". I don't know how I got this photo, I'm pretty sure this moment of calmness lasted for about thirty seconds!
We said goodbye to Liz on our last evening in Iowa. It would be the last time that we would see her. We packed up and headed on out early the following morning.
The Cracker Barrel in Council Bluffes was calling our name on the way in, so our caravan made the stop on the way out!
We drove through the day and arrived in Colorado around 2:30 p.m. We were very pleased to see the "Welcome to Colorful Colorado" sign, even though we didn't see much "color" for another three hours!
Over the years, we have gained a lot of very special memories with Grandma Liz. While I only had a very short six years to get to know her, I will remember her forever! We named our daughter after her, for starters! Liz put special care into my wedding dress alterations, she send special thoughts on our Birthdays, and every snowflake at Christmas will be hung with extra care! Grandma Liz will be dearly missed and we will forever cherish the time that we had with her.
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