What we did on our summer vacations!

Remember those reports we used to do back in the day, "What we did on our summer vacation?" Well, the R8 thought we'd revive the tradition this year. In honor of Labor Day, below we share what kept us busy through the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer:

Shellie –

I engaged in some experiential learning with a jetski ride around the Currituck Sound while vacationing in the Outer Banks. I admit to a certain nervousness about getting on this machine, but it turned out to be easy and fun. As the beefcake who set me up on the jetski said: “It's pretty easy. Squeeze the lever and it goes--like a bullet."  

Candy –

Summer of Fun! What a great summer. Lots of travel and friends and family for me this summer. June started off with a bang when I attended the In Your Write Mind writers’ retreat at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. Awesome time hanging out with my grad school buddies and attending writers’ workshops.

July brought a trip to the RWA National Conference in Anaheim, CA. Spectacular workshops, rousing keynote speakers, and lots of wine and fun with my romance writer friends--both old ones and new ones. Thank you! Pitched stories to agent Sara Megibow and Harlequin editor Brenda Chin. Great conference. Well worth the time & effort! 

Finally, August rounded out the perfect summer with a family trip to Myrtle Beach, SC. We spent a week with my brother’s family at a resort on the beach. It was a blast. Seven males and two moms in a three-bedroom, three-bath condo. Well, to be fair, we weren’t inside all that much. Fun in the sun, on the beach, and at the lazy river. Enjoyed every minute of my summer and the memories I built! 

 

 Nichole –

My summer's been a bit light on vacation, but it's been a great season all the same. I kicked off my summer on a sticky day in May when I graduated with a master's degree from Georgetown University. That day was the culmination of three, long years of hard work. Whew! By midsummer, I wrapped up revisions on my Work In Progress, and sent the manuscript to my agent. Writers hope for that moment. I'm thrilled I got to have it. Now, at the end of summer, I'm knee-deep in a new manuscript, reading all the light-hearted books I can get my hands on, and making plans to adopt a dog. Good books and a new best friend can make for a vacation any day.

 

 

 

 

Evie –

Holy cow, June, July, and August just flew past me this year. Looking at my calendar I see that I spent lots of quality time with my writing friends, ten incandescent days with my kids and grandkid in town, and last but not least, I turned 50. I also see that I didn't spend a lot of quality time with my butt in the chair and my hands on the keyboard. I will be changing that this weekend. But if I could sum up my summer in one picture, it would be this one, of my granddaughter playing in the bubbles. It's going to be my screensaver this winter, when the temperatures take a dive. 

Lisa –

I spent the summer near the water, charging my batteries for the coming winter (summer is my favorite season).  We also took a trip to Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota.  Some of the things we saw were Pikes Peak, Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone.  It was a great opportunity to revisit some places I'd visited as a child and to learn about some new ones.  And, of course, it was an opportunity to spend time with my family, which I treasure.






 


Keely –

My summer jump started with a week in Boston visiting my dad and stepmother over the Fourth of July. What a walkable, beautiful city (not something I ever said before the Big Dig came a-knockin’)! Though I admit, I didn't do a lot of walking in my cheetah print mules. I'm fashion forward, not a masochist! Later in the month, I popped up to Berkeley Springs, WV for an awesome and productive writing weekend with some chapter-mates. And in August I had the pleasure of meeting up with my Thrall family relatives in Long Island for a little mini-family reunion. Oh, and I started a kitchen renovation. And, and, and…actually, I’m kinda ready for fall. Cooler weather, less travel, and…progress on the new kitchen!

Tell us, what did YOU do on your summer vacation?