Sandblast Rally 2013

This past weekend, Dan and I attended our first official stage rally event. Sandblast in Cheraw, SC. In the week leading up to our departure, things started looking like they weren't going to work out for our team. (We had recently been added as the newest members of Noble Star Rally. click here to visit their website) Their other car that was supposed to attend wasn't ready on time, their crew chief and manager were ill, other team members weren't available, etc. It just wasn't looking good. But Amanda & Derrick (driver and co-driver) were determined to make it, and we were not going to let them down. We had no idea what to expect, but it was an adventure, and we were all for it. So the day we left, it was just the 4 of us, and 3 dogs. Maybe not the ideal team, but a team none-the-less. 
The road trip went well. Long, but uneventful. We arrived to our campsite very late, and to much colder weather than we had anticipated. It felt like MI. Brrr. But, we stayed positive and pushed through. During our trip down, we had found out that a few guys had volunteered to help us out. This was a pleasant and much appreciated surprise. 
Friday morning, we were up early and ready to get the show on the road. Amanda & Derrick headed off to do a radio spot, and Dan & I got the truck loaded and ready for tech. Once they were back, we headed into town to register, clean up the car and get into tech. We were all in high spirits, laughing and joking and having a great time. We had Hank the Gnome with us, ready for his photo op. (Turned out, he was quite the popular guy. People couldn't wait to snap his picture and chuckle with us as we posed him endlessly.) Tech went smoothly, thanks to the delightful Marcel. He not only joined in the fun with Hank, but gave us directions to shakedown and some helpful tips. While at tech, we were joined by our lead volunteer and all around great guy, Gino. We all knew instantly that he was a great fit for our goofy little group. 
From tech, we headed to shakedown. This was a good chance to test out the car on the sand, and see and talk to many of the other drivers and teams. It went flawlessly, and after more photos with Hank, we headed off to Parc Expose. This was basically just a chance for the locals to check out the cars, meet and greet with the drivers and for everyone to socialize. 
The next morning (Saturday) was rally time. We were all in great moods and excited to get started. Gino and his 3 guys set up our service area bright and early, allowing us to spend a little extra time with Amanda & Derrick before the race. 
Once they headed off, we took off for service and to meet the rest of our makeshift crew. I'd like to take a moment, and say that these guys were AWESOME. They jumped in with both feet and kicked ass. Service ran with military precision, and Gino, Hector, Kai and Shane kept Dan and I laughing the entire time. Our group fit together like puzzle pieces, and service ran so smoothly, we even had plenty of time for more hilarious photos with Hank. The rally went well, and Amanda & Derrick placed 3rd in their class and 9th overall. A great finish! After the rally, everyone headed into town where a local restaurant/bar hosted the dinner and awards party. We spent the remainder of the night chatting and laughing with TONS of great people. Marcel, Ryan, Kevin, Brian, Anders, etc. the list is never ending. We were all freezing cold and exhausted, but no one wanted to leave. It was that much fun. A perfect end to a pretty damn perfect weekend. 
And I haven't even told you the best part. Dan & I had brought a small container of our son's remains with us. We weren't sure if we would do anything with them, but since the whole thing started with us trying to fulfill a dream of his (and Dan's) it only made sense to have some there. Originally, we toyed with the idea of spreading them at the starting line of stage 1. But after talking more about it, we thought it would be more fitting to have him in the car. We weren't sure how to bring this idea up to Amanda and Derrick, or how they would feel about it. But, since they had been so amazing up to that point, I figured... what the hell. So, I pulled Amanda aside and just asked what she thought. With no hesitation at all, she said absolutely. She told us to pick wherever we felt comfortable placing him and even helped us decide on the perfect location. Zach was finally going to be in a rally. It was bittersweet and very emotional for us. But as usual, Amanda & Derrick handled it and us perfectly. Shortly after placing him in the car, I found a white feather (I've been finding them since Zachary's passing. Often when I need them the most or on special days.) and I knew this was a sign that we had made the right decision and that the Boy Child was happy. Right after finding it, Amanda asked me if we minded leaving him in the car. She said she felt safer having him there. This time I had no hesitation. I showed her the feather and explained what it meant. Zach had given us the answer even before the question had been asked. He always was a smart kid... 
We arrived home on the 7 month anniversary of his passing. 7 months of being completely lost and broken. But for the first time, we felt hopeful. We knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we were on the right path. The one that Zach was leading us down...