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Bradenton, Florida


Last weekend my sister Alissa and I made a quick trip to Bradenton, Florida to visit our grandparents and our aunt. Alissa flew from New York City and I flew from Atlanta and we met in the Tampa airport.  Our youngest sister Caylen had a wedding to attend to in New Orleans so she couldn’t make it to Bradenton with Alissa and I.

Our grandfather had a stroke a couple years ago and has been living in a nursing home ever since.  He’s recently taken a turn for the worse and our family is unsure how much time he has left. 🙁 Our grandmother is extremely healthy, but she lives in a retirement community. My aunt moved to Bradenton to be closer to our grandparents and to take care of them.  My aunt visits my grandfather and grandmother almost every day.

Friday

On Friday Alissa and I went to meet our grandmother at her retirement community.  She used to live by herself, but decided it made sense to sell her house and move into a retirement community about a year ago.  Alissa and I were really worried because we weren’t sure what to expect and didn’t want our grandmother to be in a really depressing facility.  We were so happy to find that her condo unit is beautiful and everyone is extremely active in the community. All the people we met were so sweet and my grandmother has a boatload of friends, which made us feel so much better.  Alissa and I had lunch with our grandmother and then we went to the beach in the afternoon to relax. At night we met up our grandmother and aunt for dinner.

Saturday

Saturday my aunt, grandmother, Alissa and I went to visit my grandfather at his nursing home.  I’m not going to lie, it was extremely hard seeing him in his condition.  My grandfather can barely talk and he sleeps most of the day.  We took him outside on a walk in his wheelchair so he could get some fresh air.  We spent the afternoon walking around the pier near his nursing home.  After a while he got tired and we took him back to his room.  It was really hard saying goodbye, because I’m not sure how much longer he has left.  Family is so important and as I’ve gotten older I realize how precious these moments with loved ones are.

Sunday

On Sunday Alissa and I booked 8:30am flights to head back home, her to New York, and me back to Atlanta.  It was a quick and emotional trip, but I’m glad we got to see our grandparents and our aunt.  Plus, it was really nice spending the weekend with Alissa.  I’m close to both my younger sisters and it’s hard being so far away from them.  As hard as last weekend was, I’m glad I’ll be able to carry these memories with me.   Hopefully I can make it back down again after the holidays.

xx,

Lauren

 

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