Life at a "Swell's" pace

This past weekend we decided to make the short trip to Forks, Washington, and Port Angeles, Washington, to check out some of the Twilight Saga movie perks of the area. Of course, these two actual locations weren't used in the movie filming, but there were a few things that were used. The Forks High School sign, the Welcome to Forks sign, and a few random things in and around both areas. We also enjoyed spending a lot of time on the Quileute Indian Reservation and the beach at La Push. The beach at La Push had a lot of surfers and it's definitely a place we will have to add to our surfing bucket list.

Forks Visitors' Center:

Our entire trip was a day trip and it covered almost 750 miles round trip.

The Swan Home in Forks. An Airbnb that you can actually stay in and get the complete feel of Twilight:

The sign at Forks High School used in the movie:

Twilight fan signs on the way to La Push:

Tribute to Stephenie Meyer:

On the way to the Quileute Indian Reservation and La Push:

The view from La Push was amazing, especially as the sun went down. Absolutely will be giving this area another trip to check out the swells and surf a bit in the waters here.

Coming down along the bayfront in Port Angeles, Washington:

Along the jetty separating Washington and Canada. This view is of the Washington side.

View of the Canada side from the jetty.

This area in Forks, Washington, has a Forever Twilight in Forks Festival. The festival falls on September 8-11, 2022. You can purchase tickets starting on January 1, 2022.

On September 30, we celebrated Skylar turning 18. As much as I would like to say I am proud that he has become such a great person in his 18 years, it's hard for me not to think of him as still my little boy needing me to help him put on his shoes and his coat. As a mom to an only child, it's hard to let go of those moments. He has made Jeff and me so proud. I don't think I could have asked for a better son. We have shared so much in life together. We have explored the state of Oregon from top to bottom, experienced some firsts together, and have done so much more than most mothers and sons do in a lifetime. He is my buddy and I get so emotional when talking about how much I love him. He had really changed my life for the better, and this week I took the time to right a letter to him. I posted it on Instagram, as well. The letter read:

a letter to my son:
18 years seems so long when thinking of the years in time, but thinking of it in age, it doesn't seem so long. time keeps on slipping away year after year and before we realized it, here we are—celebrating 18 times around the sun for you. over the years we celebrated milestones with you, and it seems most of them have come in recently like a large swell that i can't seem to get up on and stay balanced. your sixteenth birthday started to rock that little boy in you that i held onto so tightly. then came your first permit, your first drive, your high school years, the first time you really opened up to us, your first job, your first heartbreak, and even the first moment i saw you truly proud of yourself. all of the things i missed out on, and didn't get to experience in my life, i hope i've allowed you to explore and experience them all and grow at your own pace. i hope i've shown you through all of the negative you've seen in the world that life itself really is incredible, and love actually is all around us. skylar, deer, bean, baby tuesday, baby beaner, and all of the other names you've gained over the last 18 years, you are truly our gift to the world. and, anyone that pushes you aside, forgets about you, fails to acknowledge your achievements, or even ignores your views of life are doing a great disservice to themselves. because, my beautiful, intelligent, caring, one-of-a-kind, wonderful, little boy, we are the lucky ones. we are truly the lucky ones. and, 18 years ago today—you saved me. you saved my life, while giving you life—and because of that, we are definitely, irrevocably, the lucky ones.
happy eighteenth birthday, bean! i am so proud and honored you chose me to be your mom. i love you, mumu

Skylar's Instagram story post showed how we spent the day of his birthday, especially in the morning. Him and me spent pretty much the entire day doing all of his favorite things and going to his favorite places. We ended up leaving our phones in the car after our stop at Starbuck's and literally being present in the moment. It was such a great day and gave me a chance to pretend to be 18 again and just hanging out.