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After getting back from Paducah, Kentucky, I decided to wait one week before leaving out on another short getaway adventure. I wanted to go somewhere that it wasn’t too hot or sunny out and a place where we could possible adventure a few caves. Due to my oldest son’s planned trip with he’s father sister to Tennessee; our household including two people with respiratory issues. I knew I needed to go somewhere that was at least 3 to 5 hour drive going and coming back. I also wanted the adventure to include much-needed family fun, but have some level of control over our environment, so we wouldn’t pass out from walking in the hot.
Honestly, my family and I were talking about cave visiting with the kids, before school started session. So we just started looking up close cave places and stumble upon The Hocking Hills State Park in Logan, Ohio. The only thing we knew about the area was it just started back opening up local places, including the state park and attractions. We just said let’s go and visit the place!
So we all decided to travel at the end of July and spend at least a few days in Southeastern Ohio exploring the area. The drive didn’t feel long at all, but of course I wasn’t doing the speed limit…LOL! We got to Logan, OH in under 3 1/2 hours; we probably could’ve keep our drive time down but there were a lot of construction going on leaving Indianapolis and headed into Cincinnati area that drove me crazy. My family was laughing at me the whole way there; all I was saying was “What the bloody hell!?…Shit!…My lord!…Are you serious!” I give my little sister permission to drive back; even though, the drive back was way smoother and faster than going.
WHAT IS THE HOCKING HILLS STATE PARK?
Riding on State Road 664
The Hocking Hills State Park is located in Southeastern Ohio. From the information provided, it is more than about 10,000 acres long with breathtaking forests that are stunning all year around. The park features a variety of adventurous destinations and if you are into hiking, you would definitely love exploring this park; whether it is for 1 day or 2 weeks. There’s much to do!
The Welcome Center
When finally arriving to Logan, Ohio! We had to stop at the Hocking Hills Regional Welcome Center before entering the state park. Even though, the Hocking Hills State Park is located on State Road 664…it is very easily to get lost if you don’t seek help first or a map; especially if it’s your first time going there. The Welcome Center is located right off US 33 and State Rd 664, you can’t miss it! The tour guide person helped out a lot with our family have kids and Curious George kids at that. We wanted to explore a few safe caves, before headed to the more cautious ones. She told us a little bit about the park, trails, caves, and eating areas. But suggested to explore the Old Man’s Cave first before venturing off to other ones.
We started our expedition headed to the Old Man’s Cave first!
HIKING ADVENTURE in HOCKING HILLS
Most of our time was spent hiking the incredible trail of the Old Man’s Cave. We were trying to focus on these trails listed, because of how the park is split:
- Old Man’s Cave
- Ash Cave
- Cedar Falls
- Rock House
We knew that it was possible to hike at least two trails each day and planned it well; until we enter the parking lot of Old Man’s Cave.
Entrance of Old Man’s Cave
First we had to find parking! Then prepare what items we needed to take and the items that should stay in the vehicle, even though I wanted to cry. The stroller had to stay like the tour guide said, but I am glad we did listen cos the pathway wasn’t a joke.
It took us about 20 minutes to start the trail, we went the wrong way to start…Come to think about everyone went the wrong way that visit LOL and my sister’s rubber band that connects to her braces kept coming off. It was like the rubber band didn’t want us to enter the trail. She get it back on and then it would pop off…CONSTANTLY AFTER, like it was saying “You thought you had me on sucka!…Stay your ass right here and fix me!”
The Warning Sign
When we finally got on the trail. My sister, niece, and son notice this sign about What Not To Do and looked at me.
As if I was the person, who would do the opposite of what the sign stated not to do…ACTUALLY, come to think about I am that person indeed!
Anyhoo, the trail was short and a person can easily forget their plan on tackling 4 trails like we did, just admiring the beautiful scenery of the cave. Is was a one-way in and out trail, which made my sister a little cautious LOL. But I think it’s only like that to enforce the social distancing guidelines, since nobody can’t wear face masks walking through trails like that. It was cool to see the different cliffs, the waterfall, and two short tunnels we went through. My niece stop everyone at the first tunnel. She show a huge spider that nobody else saw and I am so glad I didn’t because I would had to find another way around. But you can hear my sister voice echo in the tunnel loud as hell…“SIS…OMG, WAIT!!”
LOL, I am not going to lie..my daughter was trying to go back and help. I was like “Oh, hell to the naw…keep moving!”
I told my sister…“Just haul ass, cos I am not about to stop in the middle of this tunnel.” Damn near fall, cos the tunnel didn’t have any light.
FYI be sure to bring a flashlight or use your flash on your phone, you’ll need it!
Due to our time in the Old Man’s Cave, we didn’t get to finish the other (3) liked we planned. The kids were getting hungry and my sister had to head back to finish some school work. So, we finished up and headed to Jack’s Steakhouse.
Hocking Hills State Park has plenty to do besides hiking trails, includes: fishing, hunting, boating, canoeing, camping, ziplining, and so much more.
DINING at JACK’S STEAKHOUSE
OK, now before someone comments about my experience. Please note that was our first time in Logan, Ohio and not sure what great places were open to eat in Hocking Hills.
All I know, we were carving for steak, salmon, burgers, mash potatoes, rice, fries, and etc. So, when we seen the steakhouse we thought it would be similar to the steakhouse restaurants in Indianapolis.
As much as I would’ve like to have given this restaurant a good rating, the experience there didn’t feel so good. I do have to say this much some of the local diners were very nice and staff tried to go above and beyond apologizing for us waiting nearly 1 1/2 hour to be served, after the majority of the dining room had left. It was bad, people after us were dining in and getting served less than 30 minutes of sitting. With similar to or more of the order we placed.
I am just so glad, the kids were patient as we were cos I would’ve left if they started acting a fool. But they were laughing and holding conversations with some of the locals, including the staff. My son never seen Amish people before and he was interested to know little bit about their culture.
Once we received our meals, we all dug in and started eating. Nobody complained about their meal, which was a plus compared to long wait. So, in fair this time…I will not be rating this restaurant, but if someone were to ask it wouldn’t be a high rating. I still left the waitress a tip because she was very kind to my children and family; even though I knew that she knew…we were about to start getting inpatient.
I remember one of the locals on the trail, including the tour guide asked if we will be dining in town. They both mention the La Cascada Mexican Restaurant, nobody was in the mood for mexican food but we know next time to listen to the locals. THEY LIVE HERE!
WILL THERE BE A NEXT TIME to the HOCKING HILLS?
Despite the food services being very slow at Jack’s Steakhouse. We still had a great time overall in Hocking Hills. Upon leaving, we realized that in the short time that we stayed; we still did not get to fully experience of the area like we prefer. So, YES!…we will definitely be back to the area. We actually started planning other attractions that we didn’t get to experience and we know it’s a MUST DO!
When people travel to new places they have never been. We are always researching turning to decide if it’s going to be worth our time and money. I GET IT!
But if you spend your time worried about those things, you will never know what is truly out there. Whether it’s 30 hours or 30 minutes away. If you’re thinking about traveling somewhere in the late summer or fall and interested in outdoor activities, just plan a trip to the Hocking Hills State Park. It will be worth the trip!
Heck, maybe your experience your at Jack’s Steakhouse would be better than ourselves. The food was good and super hot when it finally got to our table.
Here are some more highlights of our trip:
Downtown of Paducah, Kentucky!
I must admit, I never thought about visiting Paducah, Kentucky!
Until last year, my kids and I decided that we needed to take getaway trips and select one uncommon place that we would never think to visit for each state…OMG!! Did I just say “Each state!?”, you know a mommy is nervous about letting her 13, 12, and 4 year old kids pick locations..LOL!
Two weeks back, we were trying to decide where to go in Indiana (South to be exact) that would be:
- Safe from the spread of COVID-19
- Less than 2hr drive for me, **SINCE THEY’RE NOT GETTING BEHIND ANY WHEELS!**
- Inexpensive, since I was taking not only my 3 kids and myself, but my niece as well.
- Somewhere that had some sort of tourist attractions.
So, it was quite strange at first because the kids and I agreed to go to Raccoon Lake State Recreation Area located in Rockville, IN. Unfortunately, there were no hotels available for last weekend and my kids really wanted to play in the lake. So, I search again and stumble upon Paducah, Kentucky. It was about 4 1/2hr one-way drive, depending on how many times you stop. The website http://www.https://www.paducah.travel/about-paducah/unesco-creative-city/ talked about this small town as being a UNESCO Creative City and showed different tourist attractions that not only excited the kids and me. But, what REALLY caught my eye was the artwork and amazing historic buildings this city had.
So, we packed up and headed off!!
Now for those who are not to familiar with where exactly this small town is located. Paducah is located in the Southwestern section of the state and situated right along the Ohio River.
Due to our drive time, we ended up going straight to the hotel to get some rest; since there wasn’t any hotels available downtown that particular weekend. We ended up staying at the COUNTRY INN & SUITES by Radisson which was about 20 minutes away from the downtown area. The room was nice, honestly I wasn’t worried about the that to much as long as I could lay down..LOL! I must say, the hotel staff was very friendly and let us know ahead of time about breakfast any concerns due to the COVID-19.
The next morning we got up bright and early to plan our day and the trip back home. My kids only wanted to do three things:
- Go see the Port and see if we can ride the boat
- Go to YaYa’s Island
- Go to Bob Noble Park
Me on the other hand wanted to do way more, plus take a lot of pictures. But, due to our time restrictions we only were able to do a few things. So, our first stop was the PORT of PADUCAH!
THE PORT of PADUCAH
The Wall to Wall Mural at the port!
When we arrived, the first thing we notice was this beautiful Wall to Wall Mural that borders the Ohio River at the edge of town. My kids and I were so amazed that we didn’t even see if it costed to enter the port. The best part is one of the locals told us it was FREE!!! So, we got SUPER excited and decided to look more around until the “American Duchess” boat arrived. So, they wanted to go down near the water. Were I almost had to play the lifeguard for my daughter “Curious George” self, who nearly slipped into the water. Once, we got Shiloh taken care of and changed…LOL! We notice a sign near the wall that explain a little bit of the town’s history. The town was completed flooded out by the river in 1937, which left the U.S. Corp of Engineers to build a protective wall guarding against the river. The Wall to Wall Mural is the focal point of the town.
When my son read it, my daughter said: “Mom, that water almost took me too. Never going near that again!” A few locals heard her and started laughing with us.
Near the west end of the wall, we couldn’t help but notice this big black train that had the No. 1518 on it. The local couple that walked over there with us explained that the train was the last Mikado type steam “Iron Horse” used by the I.C.R.R (Illinois Central Railroad). The reason why it is on display in Paducah is because the IC retired it back in the 1950s. The IC was also preparing to demolish the roundhouse it was stored at. So, the IC decided to donated it and along with two other models (IC RPO car and steam era transfer caboose) to Paducah back in the 1960s.
After talking with the couple and we learned that the “American Duchess” boat no longer comes to the port, which was a disappointment. So, our second stop was Broadway still in the downtown area!
Broadway – Downtown Area
Downtown Paducah, Kentucky on Broadway!
As we were walking down Broadway, I started to notice why the city received the “UNESCO Creative City” honor in 2013. Just walking down that one street, you start to feel inspired. We notice a lot of local shops were all around such as the “Hollyhock House”. The Hollyhock House is a women’s fashion and gift boutique located not to fear from the Port. The store was closed, but what caught my attention was how the owner design her boutique. It’s was beautiful!
Right next door is the “Paducah Area Painters Alliance aka Papa Gallery”. The Gallery was closed as well, but it looked as if it features original artwork from various artists. I would have passed by what caught our attention was the painting of a man sitting down.
We notice this street that was turned into an outside eating area. There were more local shops and the building right of the shops was the “William Clark Market House Museum”. A few more locals notice we were tourists and talked with us for a little bit and told us about this amazing pastry shop called the “Kirchhoff’s Deli” http://www.kirchhoffsbakery.net, the cookies were freshly baked out of the oven and when you bit into one. It just melt right in your mouth, the kids ate the entire batch before going out to sit down at one of the tables. The cookies were that tasty!!
Even though I wanted to continue venturing around the downtown area, time was of the essence for us in order to make it to YaYa’s Island, Bob Noble Park and on the road back home. So, we talked a little longer with the couple who mention Kirchhoff’s Deli to us and headed off to YaYa’s Island.
YaYa’s Island
YaYa’s Island
YaYa’s Island is an indoor children’s entertainment center, that will have your kids going wild! The place was fairly reasonable in price, I spent around $70 for admission fee, food, laser tag, and playing the arcade machines. The girls had a blast playing in the bounce house and big playhouse with the other kids. They rarely wanted to play on the arcade machines with the boys. The place had something for everyone to do and have fun!
The funny part about our drive to YaYa’s Island is when we got lost from direction of an local and our doggone GPS…LOL! We ended up in this area where we stumble on some beautiful homes. It took us about 10 minutes to get back on track and once we did, we realized the whole time we were not that far from Park Ave by Bob Noble Park. My kids started laughing at me saying I never should’ve listen to the person that give us the direction.
Hmm…It wasn’t my fault that the person doesn’t know their own town…LOL!!
Our Last Location Before Heading Home: Bob Noble Park
Bob Noble Park
Bob Noble Park is Paducah’s largest park, featuring a wide variety of activities on it’s 135 acres land. The park is located on Park Ave and it’s FREE!!! The park is situated around lake with a bridge and gazebo. This park has so much activity from fishing, walking around, playgrounds, basketball courts, tennis courts, volleyball courts, trails, skatepark, and more. Boredom is not an option! My oldest son wanted to play basketball, but realized not faraway from the courts there was a skatepark. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t have his skateboard! On the other hand, the girls and Josiah had fun walking around looking at the geese and playing with the other kids on the playgrounds.
I was so blown away by this artistic little town from the number of boutiques, museums, craft and art stores, including the landscape of the downtown area in Paducah. We didn’t have enough time to explore everything the town had to offer, but I know this town is on another getaway trip list for us very soon. So, if you live less than 5 hours away, amazed by creativity, and just want to getaway from your everyday life! Try visiting Paducah, Kentucky and make memories with your love ones!
Check out highlights of our trip:
Did not realize my niece hop her butt AGAIN in my selfie..LOL!!
Ohio River
Downtown Paducah, Kentucky on Broadway.
Beautiful photo I took, when the geese were about to fly away from their home.
You purchase one fountain drink and get refills the entire time of being there.
My oldest son trying to figure out how to connect his PS4 to the TV..lol
The Gazebo
The kids and I saw several artwork around the park.
The Pool was closed due to COVID-19...but they had the coffee station OPEN!!
Fishing Regulations...and it's Free!!
My son trying to keep up with my daughter.
Kids playing in the big playhouse.
My niece taking my spotlight for a selfie...LOL!!
My youngest son
Steam Locomotive No. 1518
Arriving at YaYa's Island
The girls being the girls in the hallaway
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson in Paducah, Ky 10 minutes away from the bridge.
The kids amazed by the river!
The kids headed inside the port area
Shiloh was busy bee
The geese home in the lake.
River life has played an important role in this city history due to the historic flooding in 1937.
There’s a reason Gatlinburg, Tennessee is the most-visited place. Between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding tourist attractions, there’s truly something for everyone here – from your curious toddler to your 13-year-old know it all to your obsessed little sister enjoy spending all your money…LOL!!
This was our first time traveling to the area as a family and the scenery from Pigeon Forge to Gatlinburg was the most beautiful thing you could ever see, especially at night! The travel distance took us about 6 hrs and 45 minutes to get to the hotel due to all the stop & go traffic, but we didn’t mind at all. The kids were so taken by the amount of activity in Pigeon Forge, they literally forget I just drive 6 hrs and needed to wind down. So, you can only imagine what happen when we finally made it to Gatlinburg!
ARRIVING INTO GATLINBURG!
Gatlinburg Welcome Sign
The only thing I am going to say is WOW!!! Talk about a big tourist attraction. Everything was busy from the roads to the restaurants, souvenir shops, and pretty much anything else we could think of that made us say “LET’S GO THERE!” The sidewalks had it all!
I feel like, if you want to be near the national park and in the center of it all, Gatlinburg is surely a great place to stay and stay we did!
Usually when we’re traveling and staying at hotels; we have to take into consideration our lodging options. I love my family when it comes to lodging, they do not complain much as long as:
- We do not sleep somewhere that is rated low; we usually look at 3.5 to 4.5 star hotels for comfort and amenities purposes
- The price is fairly reasonably; we like to make sure our trip money will not be spent entirely on each night at the hotel
- Food and store locations are nearby
- Parking will be available; if we decide to walk throughout our entire stay
We decided to stay at the Country Inn & Suites by Radisson and everyone loved it. The hotel was located right in the center of it all. The price and room was great for the 1 1/2 nights we stayed. The kids and my little sister loved the complimentary hot breakfast. The staff was pretty amazing as well; we arrived a few hours early before check-in time and the receptionist had our room rushed to be ready within 30 minutes.
Spending the Day at Great Smoky Mountains
Great Smoky Mountain Sign
The mountains have been calling to me, every since we left home and with so much to do in the surrounding areas. We almost decided not to go. But we did!
We spent most of our time inside of the car, due to having a toddler with us. I didn’t want to take a chance on entering the deep part of the mountains with the kids and get lost or my daughter decides to be to curious and we end up on the edge of a cliff. Nope, no thank you! We were happy to drive around in the car and stop here-there to get a few pictures. I was just happy we were able to actually spend the day exploring the mountains and get away to see something different.
I must say, that I will definitely be going back to do a lot more than just drive around and see the forest. There was so much to look at while driving through the mountain. I can only imagine what else is out there! I would love to explore the different trails, visit caves, check out rain-forest, and from a far look at the wildlife. But, I will wait until my daughter gets a certain age to where I feel comfortable going deeply into the woods. I want to make sure, if we do have to run for safety. We can without me trying to haul a stroller around. I am just saying!
Check out the view: The View
Touring the Sidewalks of Gatlinburg!
The sidewalks of Gatlinburg!
Every since we arrived, you could barely see the roads let alone the sidewalks. It was so busy! So, I had to get up early just get a few pictures without the worry of being hit by a car or being in someone’s way.
There was so much to do for everyone, regardless if you had many to burn or just traveling on a budget. It didn’t matter, you could still enjoy yourself!
We had to stop and get gas at the local gas station. While pumping the gas, my sister notice there was riverfront not far away and we decided to let that be our first stop. If you are driving, it would be better to leave your car at the hotel and walk. We barely found a parking space to pull in to!
I honestly must say, I didn’t think my kids would like going to riverfront, but they really loved walking on the big rocks and tossing the small rocks in the river. My oldest son meet a few kids his age and they all started hopping from rock to rock, which lead him to slip in the water and getting his socks wet…LOL!! I know , I shouldn’t laugh but I told him to be careful and stop hopping. I hard head makes a soft bottom! But overall I was relieve he wasn’t seriously hurt, just his big ego. After that he was ready to go.
After leaving the riverfront, we decided to detour back to check out two places: Arcadia and The Chocolate Monkey before heading to Pigeon Forge seeing what they had for attractions, before our trip back home.
Check out the view: The View Heading Back To The Highway
I know for a trip like this due to all the attractions in both Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. We will definitely have to make this a 4 to 7 day trip.
Check out the highlights of our trip:
Another beautiful overview of the mountains.
My sister and son walking across the rocks.
Riverfront
Arriving in Gatlinburg.
They all wanted to run to the riverfront
Josiah finally getting up the rock.
Jo'Quan find a secret hidden location...looks like it could have been animal spot.
The trees look at if it was all about the slide down...check out that little hole by me!
My sister and I being silly.
The Family
Near one of the many cliffs in Great Smoky Mountains.
Front View of Country Inn & Suites by Radisson
Dining Area
Josiah loving one the big comfortable bed.
Nice balcony area.
Jo'Quan enjoying himself.
Overview of the mountains
We stop at one of the off sight locations.
The kids getting excited about the room.
Shiloh loved being on the balcony.
The Family
Hanging with a few kids he meet.
Josiah carefully getting off the rock.
Shiloh and me!
Leaving the riverfront.
At another site in the Great Smoky Mountains!
The boys and me!
At the riverfront
Next time...I want to visit the winery behind me.
The kids enjoying their candy at The Chocolate Monkey.
Variety of delicious caramel apple selections.
This is ONLY chocolate...LOL!!
Shiloh enjoying her candy from The Chocolate Monkey.
The exit of the tunnel.
As humans in this world, we are highly social beings. The desire to be around other individuals and share our personal experiences with them. A large portion of us call these people our friends and some just are associates we chat with here and there. A lot of us, myself included, don’t generally set aside the opportunity to value our friends; making sure to value those that have been close by through it all and removing ourselves from those who cause us damage or agony.
Friends, in my eyes, are one of the most important people you can have in your life. It is a circle of people that no matter what is going on or the time length of not talking; you know that with a blink of an eye those people will be by your side with no hesitation or questions of why.
Let me take that back, cos I have to sometimes ask “Why?” depending on the situation…LOL!
This is one of the motivation behind why we don’t just merely want friends, we need them. The need for the constant companionship. But, you don’t necessarily have to have a lot of friends either. I don’t know about most people but I don’t need to be around a large group of people to feel like I am apart of something. Honestly, my circle of friends is small, very small at that! Not to say, I don’t know a lot of people because I do; I just believe everyone has a story and everyone in your story plays a part. Either it will last for a short period of time or long, that depends entirely up that person. You can’t make a person stay, if they don’t want to and you shouldn’t want the wrong people in your corner anyway. If the people in your circle aren’t contributing to your growth than it’s not a circle. It becomes more of the matter of quantity vs quality.
My friends and I don’t get as much time to talk and hang out because of our schedules.
Since, I have launched my website, social media pages (Facebook and Instagram) with my craft designs, including joining small groups. I have wind up becoming close acquaintances with numerous of different individuals. Not only because of the similarities we share as crafters, bloggers, etc…but because they have fill that gap of not being able to talk to my close friends on a daily basis. The amount of support that is given and advice shared to help further myself. Those sorts of connections add balance to my life; especially when it gets difficult or the struggle of managing your own business becomes real.
Good friends allow you to venture off, make mistakes, and at the end of it all they will love and support you anyway. They are not scared to give you advice that they feel may upset you; even though, the advice usually helps guide you through some of the most difficult decisions. They do so out of love and respect!
Even in the craft community, many are not perplexed of disclosing to you something out of good intentions. Out of respect and love for the craft, many are willing to guide you down a positive road. Along with your close friends, they too recognize your desires. In their own way need your support to grow and be recognized too.
This is what friendship is all about, being the biggest supporter no matter how far away or close you are to the individual, especially in the time of need. Friends are there to not only laugh and celebrate your accomplishments with, but to lift you up through the tears and sadness as well. Having friends like this who value you is a wonderful feeling, I think!
We often get so caught up in our lives that we overlook how short it truly is. Fill your life with people who add value to it and let go of the ones who don’t. Through all of my trials and tribulations, my close friends have always been there. It doesn’t not matter how far we are from each other or if we haven’t spoken in a few weeks. We always are looking out to make sure the other one is okay and when we do meet up or talk, we cherish and appreciate time we spend together.
I have always love being a solo-adventurer!I’m the woman you see alone at shopping stores. The one who takes off and goes on solo trips by herself or jumping off cliffs, without feeling like I should bring someone every time with me. Even though, I have a ton of wonderful and adventurous people in my life, I have always loved rocking out solo!Does that mean something is wrong with me? Of course, something must be wrong with a woman who does mostly everything by herself, right? To be quite honest with you, to me I have much fun doing things alone. Then always hanging out with someone. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love hanging out with my friends and family members. We always have a blast when we’re together. But as you get older, sometimes you realize your interest are totally different from others, which is TOTALLY FINE! Some people who are like me just love to adventure alone. While others may feel the need to always having someone around. FOR ME, DOING THINGS ALONE HELPS SET YOUR OWN ITINERARY.
Like I said, everyone has different interest! There are days where you would love to have girl time. So, you try to plan a day just hanging out. One person wants to go shopping with no money. Another person does not care, but complains when the decision is made where we’re going. Then, there is me! Who wants to go see the inside of a cave, which of course everyone automatically says “No” too. At the end, the day is halfway gone to where everyone decides to postpone girl time. Now, if I was alone I would’ve gone to the cave, went shopping afterwards, and got something to eat one the way back home.When you’re with someone else, you are often beholden to their speed. For example, let’s say I decided to go shopping one weekend to purchase supplies I need to craft with. My friend or relative asks can they tag alone. Before they asked, you already had a plan to visit at least 3 stores; so you can get back before the day is almost over to start working on a project. You walk in the door! You’re eager to get in and out, even let your friend or relative know you don’t plan on being in here long. However, they have a whole neither agenda. Pushing the cart all slow, looking at everything in every aisle…lol. LIKE, WTF…COME ON!!Before you know it, you’ve been at one store for over 2 hours, next store for 1 hour and didn’t get a chance to go to the other store because your tag alone buddy-GOT TIRED! The polite thing to do is be understanding and patient! You know…let them shop or take them home. But the kicker, HERE IT COMES….your tag along buddy spent all that time at both stores and didn’t buy a damn thing. LIKE REALLY…WHO DOES THAT?!Now if I was riding solo…lol! I could taken my tail to every single store look at a few things, got what I needed and out in 30 minutes to 1 hour max at each store. Still giving myself enough time to get back home to start on my projects.Now, I am at home thinking to myself, “Why didn’t I just roll by myself today!”We all have our moments were we love spending time and chillin’ with our love ones, but do we always need too? People may call me lonely, but deep down they really don’t understand me. I don’t be caring about being around a bunch of people, every single day. I was brought up in two big families, one side seeing them mostly all the time and other on special occasions. Trust me when I say, I haven’t missed out on anything as far as having people around…THEIR STILL THERE!!As I have gotten older, my interest in many things have changed from others. If I am the lonely one out the bunch, so be it! I bet you, I’ll have more fun flying solo!!
I didn’t know playing “Pokemon Go” with my children could be so fund and beneficial!
For some who don’t know about Pokemon Go, it is a free game that has been out for over 1 year now. It can be downloaded on your iPhone or Android device. Once you open the app, you must create an account and then you will see your avatar standing in the middle of a map of wherever you are, at the time. The app track your location via GPS as you and your children walk around searching for Pokemon and going to Pokestops.
My kids for weeks have been talking about “Pokemon Go” and trading cards with their friends at school. Just last week, we decided to play a challenge game together, which was listening to cartoon TV shows theme songs (old and new shows) and guessing the name of the show. Of course, I won; however, my youngest son ALMOST had me…LOL. After that game, the boys wanted to play Pokemon Go. To be honest, at first, I was a little cautious of playing, since I didn’t exactly know the game and the walking distance of this game. LOL, but I decided “What the heck!” it would not hurt any to try it for the first time and I must say, I had a blast with them.
We decided to give it a try when it was nice and a little warm out, while it was still light outside. The app was COOL!!, the boys had my cell phone guiding us the whole way. I think I made a mistake by letting them do it, because their directions were off. But, if you let them tell the story, they would swear I made us go the long way, even though they had the cell phone LOL!! They were so worried about catching an egg that we ended up 1 mile south away from where the egg was located on the map. We had to turn around go back north on the Moron Trails. When we finally got to the location my oldest son started laughing saying “We must wait 25 minutes, to catch it.” I was like “Yea no, let’s keep walking we can always come back around!”
We continue walking and looking up Pokestops for Pokemon and eggs! I have to say, it was super fun walking and exploring the area with them to catch Pokemons.We were only supposed to be out walking for about 30 minutes to hours, but we were out for 2 1/2 hours walking around finding Pokemons and seeing interesting things that we typically do not notice on a day to day basis. The walk was something we all needed, I still was cautious because you can easily get distracted from the game and not watch your surrounding or intersections where cars are going back and forth. It was so many people walking, riding their bikes, or walking their dogs! I remember taking this picture of the boys and didn’t notice there were four pitbulls and owner behind me. I, typically do not get scared that easily, but LOL…my butt almost jumped on the stone with the boys when I felt those dogs by my legs. The owner did apologize and kept walking, but the funny part was the dogs. They looked at me if they wanted to say, “Are you crazy, nobody worried about you?” and kept walking with their owner lol. I can still see their faces…LOL!
I think the fun part of it all was bonding. We were talking and locating Pokestops, when we finally find the locations we took pictures and the boys were getting excited. We caught about 70 Pokemons and 1 egg during our 2 1/2 hour adventure. We would have stayed out a little longer, but it was getting dark and we could barely see what was coming near us. So, it was safe to call it a night!
Check out the pictures below!!
One of the most best energizing and gainful aspects to being a mother is having the capacity to share the things you cherish and appreciate doing with your kids. For a few, it can also be one of the most disappointing aspects too…especially when your child(ren) do not enjoy something as much as you do or if they tend to embarrass you in public!
Gratefully, I have not had that experience with my kids not enjoying things I like to do (Well, they might not enjoy a few things I like..lol!!) But generally speaking, they love most of things I find intriguing and entertaining. I also find it intriguing, when your children think they can out do you at things, you’ve been doing your entire life. For example, my oldest son thinks he can beat me in every single video game that comes out; even though, I’ve been playing video games my whole life until I started having more responsibility, such as raising them..LOL!!
Today, I was going through my bin of leftover yarn. I seen, I had a considerable measure of yarn leftover and chose to make coasters out of them. My youngest son Josiah, who is 8 yrs old, comes into my work area and he was just looking at what I was doing. If you y’all are anything like me, you know when your kids are either up to something or want something LOL! I know my children like the back of my hand. He was very curious and was standing there patiently looking. So, I waited patiently for him to ask me the question he wanted to ask.
I was always taught, “If you don’t ask, you will never know”.
A few minutes later pops the big question, the question every child asks his/her mom, even though they already have a clue, “Momma! What you are doing?” I explained how I was going to crochet coasters out of the leftover yarn and he stated, “I’m not good at crocheting yet momma, but I bet I can do it and better!”
I’m thinking to myself, “Hmmm!”
So, we decided to work on a few coasters together.
Crochet Coffee Coasters
We eventually got done with the first batch of coasters and he decided that it was to much and he wanted to go back in his room to play Minecraft on the game system with his brother. To be honest, I didn’t mind thinking to myself, “Good, I can get this last batch of coasters finished. So, I can take a break myself.”
Being that I know my kids, especially how they are like the definition of peripatetic. They just can’t sit still to save their soul, ALWAYS ON THE GO! Especially, my little blossom Shiloh. She started walking at 6 months, began running at 9 months and can’t keep out of stuff at 1 yrs old. Like I said “ALWAYS ON THE GO”..LOL! You would think just by looking at her that she has been living in this world longer than one year old.
So, when it comes to working with me on my projects. I generally will let them come sit in with me or even help, but I still stay focus to the task at hand because I know in the middle of my work. They will eventually want to either say “Hold up, momma I’ll back!” or they will jump up and leave the room and decide to venture off to do something else.
Even though, I know my kids! Regardless I cherish every single moment that we spend together if I am crafting, adventuring the world, reading a book with them, drawing, watching a movie, or laughing about silly things. I always love and cherish our family time, it brings us closer as a family.
I love this quote by Les Brown – “You Don’t Have To Be Great To Get Started, But You Have To Get Started To Be Great.”
Never discourage yourself a dream only you can vision. Many people are afraid to take the first step which is “GETTING STARTED”, because of reasons of feeling like they have to be great at what it is they’re trying to pursue or would people like what they have to offer. If you never try you’ll never know how great you can become or how inspiring your vision may impact another person life.
Yes, it may take you weeks, months, or even decades to get to where you want to be at in life. But it’s better getting things started and knowing you tried than waiting around for it to be given to you.
Hello to all!!!
My name is Daphne Buie, visionary, creator, and owner of TheDaphLife and Luxurious Madam. I would like to start this wonderful, life long journey toward inspired creativity and family excellence with you all today, by dedicating this brand, this idea, my creativity, and this lifestyle, in honor and memory of the, the original, “Luxurious Madam”, Daphne Pheal, my mother. Through love, optimism, determination, and dedication, she instilled in us that the real “Luxury” is FAMILY. It is with this understanding that I confidently present to the world “THEDAPHLIFE” and “LUXURIOUS MADAM”.
What many of you may not know is that, 11 years ago, just when I was a few months away from graduating high school, my mother died of a brain aneurysm. Since that time, I have cherished the memories we shared, and the broad, optimistic, perspective of life she embraced us with. My mother was strong and nurturing. She taught us that family and life was a treasure of gold to have, and should never be undervalued. That’s why our home was more than walls, bricks, roof, and a street address. It was a foundation of love, morals, loyalty, honesty, and friendship. Anyone who knew my mother always wanted to be around her, and those who heard about my mother always wanted to meet her.
My mother was my greatest teacher! My mother taught me about selflessness. In fact, my mother showed me selflessness. For years my mother battled through severe migraines. Rather than letting us know, because we were too young to really understand exactly what she was going through, she shielded us from what was truly going on to protect our outlook on life. My mother never let any of her health ailments detour us from spending quality family time together. Even in pain, my mother showed me the significance of humor. She taught me self-awareness, to embrace my identity and individuality, while at the same time respecting the quality of other individuals and their character.
Of all the things my mother taught me, what really stands out in my world, and is evident today is, “Entrepreneurship” along with creativity… this too has roots with my mother. For as long as I could remember my mother made her own clothes. She loved creating ceramics, which is a passion she shared with my grandmother. I also remember my mother working for herself as an Avon and Mary Kay representative for many years. My siblings and I spent many days going door-to-door passing out flyers throughout many neighborhoods with my mother. Each door we knocked, on my mother would politely and enthusiastically present her pitch, product, or answer any question the potential customer may ask, and we would go to the next home. Whether or not the potential customer was receptive or rude, my mother would always smile, treat them with kindness, and remain professional. She was successful at both companies for years until she finally decided, to pursue other ventures. My mother taught me so much!
As you can see THEDAPHLIFE and LUXURIOUS MADAM is definitely inspired and shaped in so many ways by my mother. Although she is not physically here with me, the sacrifices she made and the wisdom she passed on to my siblings and I, remains within us, and helped propel us to be where we are today. From her example, I love to design and create many handmade items such as knitted items, accessories, art, Planners, and a host of other creative items! I will even take custom orders, and create exclusive one of a kind items just for you. Instead of knocking on your door, I will invite you into my life, my home, my family, my joy and adventures, my thoughts, inspirations, and we will be inspired together!!
I am thankful for the growth that I have achieved these 11 years after her departure. I appreciate and enjoy life every single day, being the woman no one else knew I could be, but my mom. Thank you all for going on this journey with me! I dedicate this with love to my mother, Daphne Pheal, the first and the original Luxurious Madam