The first day of school used to be a national holiday in my house...

Today at Beach Read Authors we have Rebecca J. Clark, author of SHAMELESS and mother in the Pacific Northwest.


Back when my kids were young and I was a stay-at-home mom, I used to look SO forward to the first day of school. Because that meant for a few hours every day, the house would be mine. I could get back into a routine—workout and clean the house in the morning, write in the afternoon until the kids got home.

Now, the kids are older. They still went back to school (high school and college), but it’s not such an exciting time anymore. Why? Because I don’t need a break from them like I used to when they were younger, more demanding and more needy.

 Now that they’re older...they just don’t need me as much and they’re not home much, and when they are home, they’re doing their own thing. We all work, and trying to find a time when all of us aren’t working or doing our own thing just doesn’t happen very often. Okay, never.


 That’s why I was so excited to take a family trip last month. We, along with my mother in law (whom I actually like, so don’t roll your eyes LOL), headed down to Lincoln City, Oregon, about a six-hour drive south of where we live. We rented a house right on the beach. We’d never been to Lincoln City or this house, so we were hoping for the best, hoping the photos online were representative of the actual house.

 We weren’t disappointed. It really was right on the beach. It was big, it was clean, and did I mention it was right on the beach? People asked us what we were going to do down there. Surf? Go to the nearby sand dunes (not so nearby FYI)? Visit all the little shops?

 Nope. Our plans were simple: Hang out with each other in the house and on the beach. Period. And that’s all we did. We walked on the beach together. We hiked the neighborhoods overlooking the ocean together. We built a fire and roasted marshmallows and made s’mores together. We played card games together. And we even—gasp!—ate meals together, something that rarely happens at home.

 Nobody was bored, not even my 17-year-old son and nephew (pseudo son who lives with us). Not even my mother in law who’s like the Energizer Bunny and needs to be “doing something” constantly.

 The five days we spent down there went by way too quickly. [Big sigh here]. And the first day of school also came way too fast. For the first time in years, this milestone actually made me a bit sad, because it means we are back to our routines of seeing each other as we’re coming and going.

 Which is why we’ve already planned another family outing—Leavenworth in November. Counting down the days...


6 comments:

  1. Oh wow...that house is magnificent and what a beautiful photo of the beach. That trip sounds like a slice of paradise. I would love to go there for a week and just write. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. Alicia, those are my thoughts exactly. I would love to go alone or with a group of fellow writers and just pound out the words and take long walks on the beach... Heaven.

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  2. Let's all meet there to write. What do you say writers? I love the Oregon coast for its wild beauty. Love Leavenworth WA in the fall too!

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    1. That would be so much fun. I wish I was able to get more time off the "day job." Then I'd definitely plan this asap.

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  3. That sounds like a fantastic plan...would love it!

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  4. This sounds very cool. Being a mom is a hard job, and God bless you for doing it well, Becky! And yes, we need our own BRA retreat on the coast some day!

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