Idaho Falls and home again

After the 280 mile drive to Idaho Falls from Boise, Sarah and I were both pretty tired. We made it by 5pm and the graveside service wasn't until 6pm. We stopped by the house of Sarah's Aunt. We used their computer to make sure that we knew where Fielding Memorial Cemetery was. Since my best girl friend Sarah lives in Idaho Falls, we called and arranged to meet her after the service for dinner. I think that graveside service was harder than the funeral. Everyone was gathered around her coffin and all the flowers that had been sent for Camille. Seeing her casket on the ground made it all too real. Her sister read the life sketch, her brother performed a viola solo, and her father dedicated the grave. Tears were shed and we said goodbye. Afterwards, Sarah and I pulled it together to have dinner at Applebees with Jen Evans and her boyfriend, Dan. They were so cute together and it was nice to see her. At 9:30pm, we left Idaho Falls for Pocatello, ID, and Grandma's house. When we got there, Sarah and I were so emotionally and physically tired that we went to bed. One funny moment happened when I was brushing my teeth. I took my toothbrush out of my bag of bathroom stuff, put on toothpaste, and started to brush. It tasted funny. I rinsed my mouth a lot. Then I reached in for my hairbrush and found it sticky. It turns out that my shampoo had leaked and had gotten over everything, including my toothbrush. Yuck. I rinsed everything off and Grandma gave me a new bag. I threw the broken shampoo bottle away. When we awoke, Grandma made us pancakes, gave us vegetables, and sent us on our way. We drove 208 miles home, with a stop at Mom and Dad's house for a wonderful lunch. We even got to take home leftovers. After we got home, Happy came over, as well as Jason and Joe. It was nice to sit and talk. All in all, Sarah and I drove 870 miles this weekend. It was emotionally, mentally, and physically draining but it was nice to be able to say goodbye to Camille.

In Boise for Camille's funeral

After finding out that Camille had passed away, we wanted to know when the funeral would be. There was never really any question of us going to Idaho for the funeral. We both wanted closure and a chance to support her family through this horrible time. After being told it was in Boise on Saturday morning, I got online and booked a hotel for Sarah and I. We left Friday afternoon, a little after 1pm. I had printed the directions to the hotel from Mapquest, along with directions to the funeral. Sarah and I stopped by Smith's on our way out for treats. We agreed that we needed chocolate, fruit-flavored candy, and something salty. After a few hours of driving, and me reading the TV Guide magazine out loud to Sarah, we decided to stop in Twin Falls for dinner. Sadly, we made the wrong decision. At the Johnny Carinos in Twin Falls we had bad food and bad service. I don't recommend it. So after a total of 380 miles, we finally reached Boise and our hotel. Our hotel was close to shopping and restaurants. We ended up eating a late dinner at TGI Fridays that was less than a block away. I bought a new purse at Target and Sarah bought a new shirt. Without being too boastful, I have to say that I chose well for our hotel room. It was very nice and we slept pretty well. I recommend the Amerisuites Boise Town Square Mall on Milwaukee Street. The only bad part of it was the free continental breakfast. It wasn't very good at all. We left our hotel at about 10:20 in order to arrive at the viewing at 10:30am. Since Mapquest said that the funeral was less than 4 miles from our hotel, we thought it would be a breeze. Sadly, it was not. Unlike Utah roads, the roads in Boise do not generally have numbers. They all have names such as Maple Grove, Victory, Emerald, etc. When you miss a road in Boise, you don't know how far you have gone past since they aren't numbered. After a long detour, we arrived at the church house at 10:50am. It was a nice funeral; if a funeral can be nice. The bishop did a wonderful time talking about eternal families. Camille's brother, Rich, and another relative, performed a wonderful viola and piano duet. Her sister discussed Camille's life and what she was like growing up. Afterwards, Sarah and I decided that we should go and eat before driving the 280 miles to Idaho Falls, where Camille would be buried. We saw Dave, Camille's boyfriend, and exchanged hugs. Sarah and I ate at a Mexican Restaurant, where I didn't like my meal. That's right; 0 for 3 in the meal department in Boise. Sarah and I hit the road by 1:30pm for Idaho Falls.