We’ve been in Hawaii for a week now and yesterday I finally felt more settled and almost comfortable. The suitcases and boxes are put away and making meals has become do-able. I’m able to locate towels for the kids, and Mac’s diapers in drawers. This is a new house for me, bought last summer but under construction for the past 9 months. It’s still in the process of being remodeled though and the downstairs continues to be full of noise, dust, and workers but there’s light at the end of the tunnel and by end of July everything should be done.
Should being the operative word here.
And while Hawaii feels comfortable, the writing does not. It’s been long enough since I did hardcore writing and I’m frustrated by the writing I’m doing here. The deadline for Shey’s book is less than a month away and I can’t afford to lose or waste time and yet when I sit at the little desk I set up in the corner of my bedroom, my mind wanders. I find I just want to sleep. Mac still wakes three or four times a night to nurse and my brain isn’t my brain yet. It’s fuzzy and thick and it wanders when it should be focusing on story and plot and pacing.
But panicking never helps–not relationships or writing–and I’ll never get the book written if I’m negative and stressing. Far better to be calm, and confident, and single minded (okay, a little hard with a 9 week old but still…it’s a good goal). So off I go to write. But while I write, do tell me what’s going on with you. Are you on vacation? Working? Making any fun summer plans? Bring me up to speed when you’ve time as I’ll be checking back in later today to see what’s going on.
LOVED LOVED LOVED the picture! It’s great to see the three of you. Nice looking group, Jane!
I can totally understand you needing to get more sleep. It’s quite ambitious of you to have a writing deadline with a 9 week old! That’s just crazy.
But, at least you’re with your honey and that makes it so much better!
The kids are off from school and I’m still job hunting. In the interim, I’ve gone back to school to learn a new trade. Nothing like the pending doom of losing your house to kick your butt into high gear!
Enjoy Hawaii. Wish I was there with the twins!
Sheri
Jane, I’m so glad you all are together. I know every minute you’re apart must seem like an hour.
I also hope that every day is full of things that make you happy. Of course, I can’t wait to read Shey’s book, too, and it’ll be done when it’s done. Right now, I hope that the sound of the ocean and the scent of plumeria (which I seem to remember everywhere the last time we were in Hawaii!) is soothing and restorative.
We’ll look forward to seeing Baby Mac (who will have grown like crazy!) when you all are here again.
Julie
Such a beautiful family! No big plans for us. Maybe going to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in D.C. maybe coffee with a friend.
Jane,
So happy to hear that you are in Hawaii with Ty and the boys. It must be wonderful. My summer is good. Taking the kids to the pool and spending a lot of time with great friends. Was out to lunch today with a close friend and she started to describe a Lifetime movie that she is dying to see and I realized she was describing Flirting…I asked where the heck has she been? She started laughing when I explained how that movie has been shown for how long now? And why hasn’t she read the book yet? Needless to say, this weekend when we visit her at her vacation home for the holiday, I will be bringing my autographed copies of my JP books!! Besides, she may have a vacation home, but I have autographed copies from an awesome writer!! She was already impressed when I told her I know you…So that was the highlight of my day!!
As for the rest of my summer plans, I am totally looking forward to the Summer Fling with the candle company in August when I finally get to meet Kari in person!!
Hope you are enjoying yours!! Have a wonderful 4th of July!!
What a great photo–what a beautiful bunch you are! Glad you are all settled (mostly) in Hawaii; for a while I wasn’t sure when it was going to happen. Our summers are always peppered with different day camps and beach trips with mom. We did Sea World on Tuesday and stayed LATE (drove away at 10:20) and had quite the Shamu-hang-over all day Wednesday!!
Juggling two kids with two working parents (who won’t give it up to daycare) isn’t always fun. At least they are having a break from their routines. I am hungry for it, I must say! I’ve been trying to get into that tree hammock/chair (that my hubby bought me for Mother’s Day) at least 2-3x per week. Good stuff and a key ingredient to the quintessential summer afternoon.
Take good care, enjoy your Aloha time and Shey’s story will pour out of your fingers.
Warmly,
Shannon in Tustin
You look great and happy. I think the creative juices will flow once you are relaxed and not distracted with all the stuff going on. Then, it will be super and right with you. Good luck in getting that time you need to meet your deadline. I’m happy your family is all together…Ruth
Trying to write a YA “real quick” before possibly having a new VENUS book to write. I’m feeling like you do about writing, but without the excuse of an infant keeping me awake and making my brain foggy. LOL!
Glad you are all together finally! Hope you enjoy your summer!
Yes, beautiful family!
Best,
Paz
aww love the picture!! You guys are beautiful together no wonder Mac is so adorable.
Well here in WA life goes on as usual but fortunately no rain these days, yay! We can’t afford to go on a vacation this year, so I enrolled my girls in summer league swim team and kidstage and thats what we will be doing this summer. We live around a lake so we go there alot. Also want to go to the zoo and of course, Wild Waves!
Jane,
Big hugs to you over the lack of sleep. Hopefully, the change in climate will settle Mac down and you can relax and get back to being you. Love the picture of the 3 of you.
Working all summer with a couple of days off so I don’t lose my vacation time. Will try to get to RWA in DC, sorry I won’t see you there this year.
Take care of you and your lovely family.
What a beautiful picture, Jane! You both look so happy. And what a naturally daddy there! I’m glad you’re in Hawaii and enjoying life. Good luck with the writing!
On this end, getting ready to go to D.C. for RWA conf. and prepping for the release of my first (and super hot) NY release!
Have a great 4th of July! Wishing you lots of fireworks 😉
Jane, so glad to hear that solitary parenthood is finally at an end for you for a while. Good for Mac & Ty and very good for you to be in Hawaii. Hoping for the island to work its magic on you and your writing, too.
That’s a lovely picture. We are taking a few days off over this holiday weekend and taking some day trips and doing a little barbequing. Although it was a long time ago I remember how tough it was to get anything done with a newborn. I never appreciated how lovely continuous hours of sleep was until I didn’t have it.
Wonderful picture! Hawaii, what a great place to be now, relax and just let the book come to you. 🙂
No vacation this summer, since I am at a new job. Will take off some days to go help my Aunt who is in the final stages of cancer.
This holiday weekend will enjoy the pool and waterfall, and play some Hawaiian music i.e. Fiji, and pretend I’m back in Hawaii!
Counting days until release of new book!
Jane,
That is a beautiful picture of the three of you. I’m sure once you settle down and hear the beautiful sound of the water there you will be able to write. I don’t know why it is but everytime I get to Hawaii and just get near the water all my stress seems to just go away. Hawaii is one of my favorite places. Hoping my trip to go there in October ends up happening.
Have a wonderful summer and enjoy your family and the beauty of Hawaii.
Dawn
Hi Jane,
Glad the whole family is together…Today my daughter is at a birthday party and I get some time to myself. No big summer plans, but had breakfast with a friend this morning and she asked if I wanted to go on a cruise to Hawaii on Dec. 26th! Yes, of course I do but need to try and come up with the money. Hope the writing gets a little easier – thinking of you.
Are you permanently in Hawaii now?
I am actually on vacation this week and next. Just hanging out, doing whatever I feel like, when I feel like it. It’s a much needed break and I’m enjoying it very much. 🙂
Echoing what several others have said, great picture, by the way. 🙂
Great picture, thanks for sharing!
Enjoy your summer in Hawaii, I’m jealous…wind and clouds here so far on my 1st week of holidays. I’m off with the kids for the summer, so we’re hoping to see some sunshine soon!
Hopefully the sights and smells, and the sound of the ocean will inspire you to get back to Shey’s story!
Great picture, love it. Its nice to see the three of you together!
I have been doing some painting and remodeling, putting a new laminate floor in kitchen and hallway. We are doing the work ourself and it takes a while. I was nailing down a subfloor yesterday myself. Yes I am a jack of all trades and master of none.
Beautiful pic!!
Enjoying the weekend with my family!
Just got back from five vacation days spent on the Olympic peninsula and had a great time and fabulous weather. I waved to Hawaii from the beaches; my favorite was the wild and rugged Ozette area where we hiked in for 3 miles and then down another 3 miles or so and back to the trailhead in a loop hike. Not many people there, and so different from the soft sands where you are, but it was as hot and a magical place.
Hi Jane,
I can only imagine how difficult it must be to focus and write when you have so much going on in your life! Wow!
My whole family is in Los Angeles for the holiday and I am stuck here on call for work. I guess there could be worse things. I am enjoying the peace and quiet away from 3 teenagers! I miss my husband already and I won’t see him for another three weeks but that’s ok. I am enjoying my time today.
My son and I leave for a baseball tournament in Cooperstown, NY this week so I am gearing up for that. Otherwise I am reading a Sisterchicks book and hanging out. It has been an enjoyable weekend so far. I am playing golf with my parents tomorrow. It really has been a good break.
Enjoy your time with Mac although I am sure getting up 4 times a night has been tough. I can’t believe it has been 13 years since I had to do that!
Michelle
What a handsome family. You are so blessed that you have Ty, the boys,family, friends and fans, happy 4th
Hi Jane,
What a beautiful picture of your family! You’ve sure had a lot of changes in your life lately – just keep putting one foot in front of the other and things will gradually settle.
We’re not doing much this summer. Hubby is laid off so we’re laying low!
Hi Jane
I was happy to read that you guys are all together for awhile now. Did you decide to spend the summer there and then come back for school? I also hope the creative juices begin flowing again soon for you!
I just got back last weekend from a 3-day trip to Va. Beach with a girlfriend and of course got her hooked on your books! Now we go back to Va. Beach with the family next weekend and then a camping trip to a state park near here where we will stay in a cabin on a lake. Really looking forward to getting away. I am starting a new part-time job next week and looking forward to it but not the craziness it will add to my schedule. My son is on a summer swim team and that keeps us busy and my daughter has just gotten into sewing and is taking a few classes.
Love the photo. I’ll back Mac is happy to have his two biggest fans together.
I’m cleaning house, which is surprisingly exactly what I want to be doing.
Lovely photo!
I love summer… when my kids were young I was lucky to only work two days a week at a job I enjoyed so I was able to profit from their summer vacation.
Now, two of my daughters are competitive equestrians and summer is filled with horse shows. As both girls compete at a fairly high level, we are no longer at weekend shows, but shows that start on Wednesdays and finish on Sundays. We typically do 10 of these shows a season, starting in May and finishing in August. Needless to say, it eats up my summer.
I love going though. However, I have to say I am torn between enjoying my garden and staying home and the thrill of watching my girls. And we no longer take family vacations during the summer.
Anyway, enjoy your summer in Hawaii… it sounds heavenly.
Jane –
I’d say great photo, but I hate being redundant (it is though). Seems I can’t get away from Hawaii as my boss just got back 2 weeks ago, my friend just left for your islands on her honeymoon, and now you’re sending tempting messages from wind-swept beaches. I’ve made due with my June trip to Phoenix and a new pool membership; my first full summer at my new digs and my first summer in a while with a community pool. Since I could swim before I could walk, it’s a real treat for me. Had a lovely Fourth going to a concert and fireworks at West Point – and getting lost along the way as I missed the exit and wound up in Poughkeepsie, NY. Check out a map someday – it’s a long way from Jersey. I knew I was in trouble when the the mileage counts for Montreal starting going down. Still, it was a beautiful day to be going through the Adirondacks (I think) and we took the local route along the Hudson River back down to West Point, so we really had a lovely time of it.
I having a similar writing stump; having a framework thanks to pounding out a synopsis for my first contest entry, I’m now stuck with not knowing how to move forward. I’m leaning towards writing out of sequence again. That at least lets me produce something and then I can work backwards to the trouble spot. Method? Meet my madness.
So, so glad to see you looking and sounding better. I have a card for you guys that I’ve been carrying around for weeks, but I’ve just to get it out of my bag and into the mailbox. Hopefully, Mac won’t graduate high school before then.
Enjoy your time on your island with your boys. I wish you good BICHOK – butt in chair, hands on keyboard.
The first post-baby book is like getting out of quicksand. The key is not to panic.
Maybe he’ll sleep better in Hawaii?
Hi Jane,
What a beautiful picture! Enjoy your summer in Hawaii and remember the 3 R’s, Relax, Relax, Relax. The writing will start flowing again when your body and mind are ready, for now enjoy baby Mac as I sure you already know they grow up so fast.
As for my summer it’s kind of a eventless one, hubby is due to have a second hip replacement on the 14th of July, stemming from a line of duty injury 6 years ago. So this summer will be fill with lots of doctor appts, rehab and the kids and I taking care of him.
Take care and enjoy you summer!
Melissa
What a lovely family you have Jane. How are Jake and Ty doing these days?
Great picture Jane! Morning the departure of my college friend who came for a 6 day visit and left today. What fun we had shopping, watching dvds, puzzling, drinking wine – old friends are the best!
Hi again Jane,
Your picture is so beautiful! How is Hawaii? I hope you’re having a fabulous time. I was actually in Bellevue with my husband on a business trip last month during the warm weather – it was so beautiful there! We stayed in Bellevue and I visited all around Seattle while Scott (my husband) was working. I really enjoyed it! I went all over the waterfront, Pike’s Place Market, and the Bellevue Mall. Together Scott and I went sailing on Lake Washington with one of his colleagues, and we also visited some of the wineries in the area. At the Columbia Winery we found out that a local friend of ours is going to be performing there the first weekend in August, so we bought tickets and will be coming back that weekend. I can hardly wait! Are you going to be back in town then? Perhaps I might actually get the chance to see you in person – that would be so awesome!
Take care – Aloha!
~Dea