Team Jacob Enters The Chat

Growing up in a midwestern town in the middle of summer in 2008, I was apart of the teenage craze that was and still is the Twilight franchise. I was a really big book worm and would often times find myself wandering the public library stacks of novels. Looking for the next adventure to drown myself out from hearing the sounds of my parents fighting.

I dreaded summers. Most kids would talk about what vacation spot they were going to in Florida. For me it was terrifying. It involved me staying home in a house filled with abuse, dilapidated conditions with no working air conditioning, and food insecurity. So finding good books were important to help distract me from the world I was living in. And this is where the Twilight franchise enters the chat.

Our town was very small. I'm talking a church on every street corner kind of small. People knocking on your door asking you if you know Jesus kind of small. Praying for people and expecting them to work every vaction Bible school kind of small. So with those kind of experiences, one might think eventually living in said small town that you would get swept up in drinking the kool-aid of religious beliefs.

At first my parents tried to keep us shielded. However after multiple reach outs and attempts, the church turned into a way that our father realized he could become more abusive and controlling through his status in the household through the teachings of the Bible. Keep in mind, I don't think all religion is bad and support those who have their own spiritual practices and beliefs. In this instance however, you have a person undiagnosed with mental illness who purposely used the biblical teachings to justify abuse.

It was gradual at first. The Baptist church seemed really open and welcoming to my family. As time went on however of us attending, they really started promoting building projects to continue to reach the "lost" even though the church was already really big. Various purity conferences and parenting classes. This is when I began to notice this massive shift in his behavior more than it already was.

We weren't well off, so all my clothes were already second hand to begin with through the various thrift stores. I mostly had jeans and tee shirts. Eventually he said I needed to be more feminine and dress more like a young woman or other wise I would become a lesbian. It started with clothes and eventually shifted into what I ate, who I started associating with. Not being allowed to have friends outside of church. Which then turned into not being able to celebrate Halloween because everything was either demonically influenced, or the Devil himself.

I'm not joking. The music I listened to, everything was monitored. Eventually my trips to the public library began being monitored, and this is where the shift started happening. Youth group's big agenda in the mid 2000's was heavily focused on what you put into your head translated to your behavior problems. So Twilight and Harry Potter Series were heavily targeted as being demonic and witch craft. Which is massively sinful, and they believed those books could somehow cause you to be possessed by demons. It sounds insane now that I'm out of the church, but this is that belief system.

But I knew the one place they couldn't monitor me was when I was in school. School was an escape so I started checking out the books at school instead, and began hiding the Twilight books in my locker. I would crunch in what I could during the day. It was my little secret of autonomy, and even if one of the youth group kids would tattle on me, no one really had phones much. It's not like Gossip Girl where a text blast could go out, and your whole business was out on the internet for everyone to see. Honestly this is how I managed my last several years of school. Silently hiding the mystical world of glittery vampires, and hiding in the pine trees.

Eventually I left this small town, joined the Navy and unbeknownst to me ended up settling in a town called Bellingham, WA much later on in life. 2 kids, divorced, and a Corgi later I was pretty far from the biblical teachings that were given all those years ago. (By the way, my dad ended up going to jail for the abuse that we were dealing with. So much for leading by example.) What I didn't realize was how close we were to Forks, the actual town that inspired the entire franchise.

I told my friend Kevin, "I have to go! It's my childhood in that town because of the books." He jokingly looked at me and shook his head. He grew up here in a town 40 minutes from Forks. Sarcastically he said, "Kayla nothing good is in Forks. You are wasting your time, it's not worth it." But guess who didn't listen.

I mean he wasn't wrong, we got to Forks after 10 hours of driving. It's magical in its own right, but here's what I will recommend. Don't make it your whole trip. Make it something you do while you are visiting the area! The town is super small, and you can do all the Twilight things in a matter of like 2 hours. All the places that inspired the books can be done on a self guided tour. There's actually not a lot of shops or anything to do there. It's just this sleepy little town that was saved by the author. The one thing that's super cool is the museum called Forever Twilight.

Here you can see all the cool props and outfits from the movies! They host a Twilight festival every year, where people flock to the area and it drastically boosts the local economy. But when it's not happening the town is pretty dead for locals! Which is why I highly recommend going on a camping trip while you are there! The kids and I love camping, and so I made it a point to camp at Mora campground. What you may not realize is that this is located in the heart of the Olympic National Park.

This is right around the First Beach, which is located on the La Push area of the Quileute Tribe reservation. Out of all the places to stay this honestly in my opinion is the best place. You are right on the ocean, the waves were perfect for all ages and the sand was the best here, and you are supporting the local tribes. We stayed at Mora, but found ourselves here multiple times. Something about the place genuinely draws you in and is really calming. Also food is really expensive in the area, so plan accordingly with bringing stuff if you plan on going. They do have one grocery store in town but it's very expensive.

Coming here though, and sitting on the beach with my dog Morty healed a part of me that I didn't realize needed healing at the time. I basically gave the middle finger to my dad and the religious trauma, and visited the place that they tried banning me from in my head. I just grew up, got adult money and started doing the things I loved in the places I loved. The things that matter to me. That beginning nostalgia photo is the sign that everyone stops to take pictures at is iconic.

Once I drove past that sign and into the town, it was like the words of what was said and done in the past no longer mattered. I was just there in the moment being present with my family. I also was really proud of myself too, that was first camping trip that I ever planned alone. I usually tag along with a group. I learned alot about what I did and didn't need gear wise for camping. I found campgrounds I want to stay at in the future. It was alot of logistical stuff I didn't know I was going to need.

But either way, who would've thought visiting a little old logging town would've been cheaper than a trip to my therapist? I know I sure didn't know.