Saturday, October 24, 2015

Mom and Dad's Ashes 10/24/15: Bradenton Riverwalk

Today we went out to a place called Riverwalk in Bradenton.  When I cleaned out my parents' house when they died I found hundreds of pictures of us walking along this stretch of the Manatee River.  Back then there was only an old train to play in but now there is a playground that the girls love to go to.

Me and the girls holding the jar of ashes.


Opening the jar to scatter the ashes in the Manatee River.



We kind of made a mess and had a lot of people looking at us wondering what we were doing!




Looking out at the water.  That bridge that is open is the train tracks that Tropicana (the juice company) uses, they're located just a few miles from where I grew up.


This spot is also not even a mile away from the hospital where my dad died.  Today is the one year anniversary of me telling my dad that my mom died (he was in a coma from the time she died until a week later).  I will never forget what he said that day "that's how it happens, one day someone is here and the next day they're gone".

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Mom and Dad's Ashes: Anna Maria City Pier 10/17/15

Today is the 5 year anniversary of my mom dying.  Sometimes it seems like yesterday and sometimes it seems like it was such a long time ago.  I barely remember what it was like to have parents.

In honor of my parents for all of the weekend in between today and the anniversary of my dad dying, December 4th, the girls and I will take a portion of their ashes and scatter them at some of their favorite local places.

Today we went to Anna Maria City Pier.

Whenever we had someone visit us from out of town or if it was someones birthday (either my mom or dad) we would go out to the restaurant at the end of the pier.

Today the girls and I drove out to the end of Anna Maria Island to scatter their ashes at the water beside the pier.


I have a picture of me and my parents together under this same sign


Posing together with the jar of their grandparent's ashes


Dumping them into the water


Watching them wash away


Looking out at the Skyway Bridge in the distance at the end of the pier


They loved walking on the pier



My little loves



Both of the girls loved where we went, although, I don't think they understood what we did entirely I'll have these pictures to show them when they're older to explain it all.