R.I.P. Kia

KIA

October 2007 - September 11, 2009

Back in September we were headed to Kansas for several reasons... 1) the KS State Fair, 2) Standardized testing for Preston and Tanner, and 3) Celebrate Landon's 7th birthday.

The one "pet" we had was a little beta fish that was given to us for free back in Oct. 2007, and we spent $3.?? for the food. We were guessing it was a girl because the lack of color so we searched for a name. Each kid threw a name in a hat and we drew one. Kaylie's name won and our fish was now named after an elephant in a Barbie movie, Kia!

Anytime we would have to head out of town we would ask 'Auntie' Jeannie to fishy-sit for us. So the plans were to drop her off as we were heading out of town.

The morning of September 11th, yes...a very solemn day of remembrance anyway...the boys came up and said something was wrong with Kia because she looked gray and was laying on the bottom of the bowl. I came down the stairs, and there she was...gone :( I had two who had a hard time with this "death". Preston and Tanner got quite emotional losing their one and only pet.

I then had the hard job of talking "funeral" arrangements with the kids. "Kids, we can either flush her down the toilet so she can go to the ocean." (That philosophy is from Finding Nemo and it's OK that my kids buy into that.) "Or we can bury her."

The majority decided they'd rather bury her because "if she went to the ocean she'd be dead anyway" and if "we bury her then they would always know where she was at." Burying it was! Although Landon had no qualms flushing her and that another fish would eat her.

I had my first day of Friday morning Bible study that morning so I had to head out and I left instructions with Jeff to bury her and maybe have a "service". When I returned home, Jeff was pretty tense and frustrated and Kia was still laying at the bottom of her bowl. The burial fell on me.

We chose a spot under the treehouse by the fence. Preston dug the hole and we all, minus Jeff, went out to say our farewells. We didn't have time to make a cross for her to mark her grave, but we covered it with some stones to keep the prairie dogs away and so we could finish the "marker" when we got back from Kansas.

Kia was a good fish. I believe she lived a good "dash" . :)

The Viewing

The Grave

Those at the Burial

After being reminded that it's a solemn occasion.

The Stone of Protection