Back in Time

(This blog was started while we were still in O.S. and finished at home.)  I feel as if I have gone back in time upon arriving at our condo here near Ocean Shores.  It must be immediately noted that this is a positive realization and by no means a negative one.  When we arrived Friday night, we weren't quite sure what to expect.  We had won the condo in a fundraising auction last October and for some time because of the move, work schedules (I have my trade show for work this coming weekend) we weren't sure if we were even going to be able to make it over here.  However, thankfully we did and have been able to spend the last few days listening to the crash of the waves, enjoying the town, the pool, the beach and the sounds of 1985.

Our realization of our trip via the DeLorean happened Saturday morning while we were at the pool watching the kids swim.  Jerry came out and commented how he heard a strange sound, he couldn't quite tell if he was hearing right at first, but realized soon that yes, it was indeed the click clack of an actual type writer.  Pre spell-check, manual paper load and all.  We were back in time.

The trip continued when I found the video rental room full of none other than VHS tapes.  There were no rental fees, only the honor system of writing down the name of the movie on a pad of notebook paper.  As I ventured off to tell the gang of my discovery, I passed by a ping pong table that reminded me of one long ago that I played on as a child.  We went a few summers to Notre Dame for Alumni Family Week and stayed in the dorm rooms.  My days consisted of swimming, biking, fishing and playing ping pong with my siblings and new friends.  I hadn't happened upon such an environment since then and the nostalgia felt good.  I almost expected to see my big brother Matt pop out of the water calling for me to jump in with him like we used to when we were kids.  Instead it was now my own children, smiling and happy.

After a few games of tether ball, which is much like bike riding, the familiar sting as I hit the ball hard off my hand brought me back to elementary school days.  Sage put up quite a fight, but ultimately my size won me my victory.  I loved it, not the win, but the feeling of being a kid again.  This whole trip has been that way.  For instance, Sunday, jumping in the ocean with my shorts on, hand washing dishes and brushing your teeth with five people all using one sink.  (Yesterday, Kate, Saxton and Sage and I went swimming for almost an hour  in the ocean.  The Pacific NW isn't the warmest of waters, but that made the experience all the more memorable!)

Life is funny and sometimes a bit unusual, but I think for all of us these have been good things the last few days.  I hope that Jerry, out adopted family member Kate, Sage, Saxton and Max are able to take away the same happy feelings as I have this trip.  In the words of Max in describing the "pool" our time here has been pretty "cool!"    

Side Note:  I now understand why people go to remote areas to write.  My head has been such a traffic jam of thoughts over the last few weeks.  I have wanted to write more, but I just haven't been able to organize my thoughts into words.

Additional side note:  As we drove around the main street of Ocean Shores, I listened to Jerry and Kate talk about how the town truly hasn't changed in years and I realized that isn't such a bad thing.  I know I love the ability to revisit certain places and have them remain (for the most part) unchanged.  It's almost like stepping back into a photograph or a home video and having a true scene to replay a memory.  Often times the feelings are bittersweet, but the memory still beautiful.  Personally, I have just been recently introduced to the quaint, coastal town of Ocean Shores.   None the less, in just a short time, my sweet memories are already piling up and hopefully will continue to do so for years to come.