Celebrate a Writing Contract with a BookMoon

by Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites
Someone in a younger generation than I currently reside in coined the term “babymoon” to mean one last vacation as a couple before a new baby comes along. Not to be outdone—because I like making up new words, too—I decided after a recent contract signing that my husband and I would take one last trip before I put “butt in chair” to meet deadlines, and I would call said trip: bookmoon.
My newest contract, a mom’s devo for Penguin Random House, comes with a head-spinningly quick deadline—I think that may be a new adverb I just created too, because I can see a red line under the word—so I knew once the book details arrived in my inbox, I’d have very little free time for anything or anyone. I wanted to deposit some hours into my husband’s attention account before I started the writing project, in case he needed to withdraw some fond memories during my busy time of writing. 
Don’t get me wrong—my husband is incredibly supportive of my writing opportunities and helps me meet deadlines by taking on even more responsibilities around our home, in addition to his own busy work schedule requirements. But, I like having memories of time spent together in my storage bank as well.
After signing my contract, but waiting for final book instructions, my husband and I packed for a one-night getaway to Jacksonville, Florida. We found a new restaurant to enjoy for lunch, and then headed to the Jacksonville Arboretum and Botanical Gardens. David and I spent hours wandering the trails, listening for birds, counting squirrels, identifying trees and plants, watching for alligators, attempting a few selfies, and stealing kisses.
The next day, David and I went different directions … sort of. My “treats” for the trip were exploring the nature center the previous day and picking the restaurants, and David’s treat of choice was hours spent in a ginormous used book store (yeah, that synonym for large has a red line under it, too, but I can’t take credit for making up that word). I eventually made my foray into the cavernous building, but my first priority for the day was my Word Weavers International critique group meeting. My group, Page 33, meets the third Monday of each month. I sat in the car, windows rolled down, computer turned up, and chatted with my girlfriends, using the WW sandwich method, about our most recent writing sample.
A belated lunch of barbecue and an ice cream dessert later and David and I made our way back to Statesboro, reminiscing past vacations and sharing future dreams and goals. A brief getaway, the trip proved to be just what we needed in preparation for my impending, busy writing schedule.
What about you? Have you ever taken a BookMoon? And, honestly, if we’re creating our own definitions of words here, we could even designate two definitions for “bookmoon,” one of which means a getaway taken just before starting a new book project OR a getaway taken to celebrate the completion of a book project. Would that change your answer? 
Tell me about your bookmoon adventures, ones you’ve already taken or one you’re planning right now in your head! Because I hope I’ll have the blessing of another bookmoon opportunity, and I might want to follow your suggestions!
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Julie Lavender loves seeing different parts of God’s big, beautiful world, whether those locations are just a few miles away, across state lines, or across the world. She especially loves adventures with her husband of almost-forty years, and bonus points if her adult kiddos and grandson accompany them. Julie is the author of Children’s Bible Stories for Bedtime(Penguin Random House), 365 Ways to Love Your Child: Turning Little Moments into Lasting Memories (Revell/Baker), and a plethora—she didn’t make that word up but loves to use it often—of newspaper and magazine articles.