Boogs Is All Grown-Up

Boogs turned 18 a little over a month ago. Wow! Time flies so fast. It seems impossible that it has been 18 years since his first breath. He made my husband and I parents. It has been such an honor and a blessing to be his mom.

Of course, I forgot to buy candles for his birthday cake. We made due with adding up the number candles we had in the junk drawer. He did not want a party of any kind. We went for dinner at a Brazilian steak house where the waiters come around with skewers of food until you can eat no more. That is all he wanted to do.

He looked so handsome for his senior portrait. 

It was a lot of fun to have him come back to elementary school for his senior walk. The seniors walked through all of the hallways while the elementary students lined the walls to clap and cheer. It was neat to see some of my old students. After the walk, the PE coach had the seniors play with a giant parachute in the gym one last time. It was really sweet. I think I enjoyed it more than he did. 

They looked so big walking our elementary school hallways.

It has now been a week since Boogs' high school graduation. How did it go by so fast? It seems like yesterday when he was posing for his first day of Kindergarten picture. We had to continue the traditions of standing in front of the front door on the first and last day of each school year. Man! I think that door shrank.

There were 613 students in his graduating class. 

The principal of my school was on the stage while students were receiving their diplomas. She sent me this picture of Boogs from her point of view. 

We are so proud of Boogs for the kind, caring, intelligent, witty, and responsible man he has become. We are looking forward to seeing how he spreads his wings and soars into his next phase of life. 

The old saying is true - The days are long but the years are short. 

Crochet Spring 2024

I started crocheting in February of 2021. I really like making crochet animals and plushies. I started on a sweater, but quickly got bored with it. Here is what I have been working on this Spring.

Astronaut for a space explorer themed nursery for one of my co-workers. 

One of the people attending the baby shower asked if I could make her an astronaut using her school colors. Her school's mascot is an astronaut. It was easier the second time. I rarely make the same thing twice. 

The pattern for the astronaut came from Studio Wow.  The pattern was easy to follow and fun to make.

Another co-worker had a baby shower at the beginning of May. I made this little sleeping puppy. I think it turned out so cute. I have a hard time using velvet yarn because it is soooo slippery. I slightly modified the Dreaming Beagle Oskar pattern by Marivan Crochet.

My school's mascot it a ray. I made several rays for people who were retiring or leaving the school. I added little tags that say "Once a ray, always a ray".

I used THIS YouTube video to crochet a pickle but I forgot to take a picture of it. I made a tag to turn it into a Positivity Pickle for a friend who is going through a rough time. 

Right now, I am trying to complete this hippo by Funny Hook Design. It is for a jungle themed baby nursery of a friend. It is starting to look like a hippo. Hopefully, I will complete it soon.

What creative projects are you working on?

Spring Break 2024

Boogs was busy working, so I had free time for Spring Break. This is the first year we have not done something together with friends for the break. I called my friend CK, who I have known since kindergarten, and we made plans to hang out for a few days. I booked a room in Lumberton, TX at the Book Nook Inn. What a cute place! The owners were so nice and helpful. The included breakfasts were delicious. I loved wandering around their property. Besides just being a bed and breakfast, they hold weddings and other events there.

The different rooms had different themes. My room was at the top of these stairs. It was their Steampunk room. I loved discovering all of the steampunk details they put into the room. 

Even the microwave and mini fridge had steampunk details.

I met up with CK and her husband and we went for a walk at Cattail Marsh in Beaumont. It was a beautiful day. There are 8 miles of trails and tons of wildlife. We walked about three miles, dodging alligators along the way.

There were times we walked down one edge or another of the trail embankment to put a bit more distance between us and the alligators lounging in the sun. Do you see the alligator in the picture below laying on the embankment, really close to the trail? I was a little nervous.

I loved the reflection of the clouds in the water. I took way too many cloud pictures.

It was so peaceful listening to the sounds of the birds while on the walkway.

Two alligators right next to each other. 

This was the biggest alligator we saw on our walk. We made sure to give him LOTS of space.

It was a great walk and so nice to spend time together and catch up. The next day, CK and I went to Village Creek State Park for picnicking, kayaking, and hiking. The park is right on the edge of Big Thicket National Preserve.

I made sure to ask about alligators before I agreed to kayak. The park ranger who rented the kayaks to us, assured me that there were not alligators because the water was moving and alligators liked still water. We were the only ones out on the water. It was so beautiful. We rented the kayaks for two hours but I could have definitely stayed for longer.

It was so calm and peaceful out on the water. Of course I had to take a picture of a tree and send it to my mom.

The clouds were really pretty.

We had a picnic and chat before heading out for a walk.

No alligators on the trail but CK almost stepped on this copperhead snake. It was certainly well camouflaged. 

We watched it slither off the trail into the leaves and grass.

We had a great visit. It was different without herding our kids along with us. Boogs and CK's oldest are both high school seniors. We talked about the way our lives are changing. I guess it is time to get used to not have Boogs as my travel companion.