Life Goes On...

Last week my family, including our spouses (minus Brian's...she wasn't able to get away) went to Rivers Inlet, my dad's favorite place in the world. It is also the place he passed away on August 12th.

This past year has been a hard one for my family. As Jason put it, we experienced a lot of firsts--first birthdays, Christmas', Father's Day's, words, steps, etc. and all these firsts were without my dad. Our children's beloved Papa. It's been a rough ride. Somedays were easier than others, some were just plain hard to make it through, but we did it. We did it as a family. We supported and loved each other.


On August 13th we spread my dad's ashes at the head near Good Hope Cannery. The ceremony was amazing. The other boats, some who didn't even know dad, fell in line behind ours honoring the amazing person he was. We experienced the most beautiful scenary and had a great time fishing. The people were fantastic, supportive, and loving. The food was incredible. The fishing was out of this world. And the weather was beautiful. We couldn't have asked for a better week.

I left Good Hope Cannery feeling a little different. Rather than being weighted down with my grief, I feel at peace. My dad is where he belongs and we said our final goodbye. We will always love and miss him, his memory will live on, but it's time to close that chapter and move on. Life goes on. And so do we. There's such peace knowing we honored his wishes. Such peace knowing where he spent his last days, the place he loved most.

I had a great time, despite the circumstances. I was dreading the trip thinking I would spend more time crying than smiling, but that wasn't the case. The Coho fishing was great and I filled my tag. Starr caught 6 plus a halibut. Jason and Brian caught a bunch. mom snagged some good pinks, and Melissa caught a 19lb King Salmon. It was awesome and an experience I will never forget. There are so many photos to share...I wish I had more space and time!