Galveston

Recently (in May), hubby and I went to Galveston for a night... We never went on a honeymoon in almost 9 years of marriage, so this was like a little one :)  I love the beach and it had been quite a while since I had been... So we dropped the kids off at their Nana's and made our way down south... 

When we arrived we went straight to the dolphin sighting tour and headed out on the water. Hubby wasn't exactly thrilled with going dolphin watching but went along because I wanted to go (he may not admit it but when he saw the dolphins he was fascinated). We then checked into our hotel room and got ready for a romantic dinner. We ate at a semi-fancy restaurant over-looking the beach and I had quite a few mimosas (and since I don't drink very often I was pretty lit lol...) Once we were done, we walked across the street to the beach.

Let me tell you how soothing the beach was/is for me. By the time we walked onto the beach, the sun had set and a big, bright, beautiful moon had begun rising over the gulf. I stepped into the water and raised my arms like a bird and this weight lifted off of me. I felt as though I could fly. I yelled into the strongly blowing wind (it gave me goosebumps) and let it all out. Anger, anxiety, pain, disappointment... Everything.. I cried sad and happy tears that needed to be shed for whatever reason and let them go... I wasn't worried about bills, kids, my own mental health, my non-relationships with my brothers, my still-being-mended relationship with my parents... None of that was there; just the moon, the ocean water, God, and me... 

               (The lights on the horizon line are huge ships we had seen while dolphin watching)

When I looked up, my hubby was playing in the water.. He was carefree as well and had a huge smile on his face. After the traveling and excitement of the evening we were asleep as soon as we hit the pillows... We visited the beach once more, the Moody Gardens Aquarium, and then headed home. 

For those few minutes the night before, I wasn't a wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend, or family member. I was just a girl, with the wind surrounding her, who was just living in the moment with nothing holding her back. Life is hard, complicated, sad, exciting, happy, and joyful but as Godly creatures we need to alway carve out a little time for ourselves and just be.

What is a place you like to go to just be?

 

Crochet=❤️❤️❤️

My biggest hobby that I spend the most time, energy, and money on is crocheting. It soothes me, it lets me scape for a short period of time. I suffer from anxiety and depression, crocheting has helped me work through a few issues. I can sit down and count out stitches when I'm having a panic attack and it calms me down. I like the option of not having to take Hydroxyzine to calm down. I don't like taking medicine if I don't need them, I would rather use a natural remedy or a coping mechanism. When I crochet I can make a project that keeps someone warm or give a baby and mother a special keepsake. I can make things for my girls that they see and ask for such as fingerless gloves... 

I am constantly looking for new patterns and learning new techniques and new stitches. I love crocheting so much!! I can say that one thing that irritates me about crochet is when someone refers to it as knitting or sends me patterns that are for knitting only.. I tried to learn how to knit and I didn't like it.. 

My mom taught me the basic stitches of crochet when I was a young girl. As I became a pre-teen and then a teenager I lost interest in the craft. When I became pregnant with our oldest I picked up crocheting again and made her a baby blanket or two. I then lost interest again because I only knew a few stitches. When I picked up crochet most recently I was pregnant with our third daughter and really needed the down time. Before I was professionally diagnosed with anxiety and depression, crocheting helped me relax. These days I have a Facebook page for what I hope will become a profitable business of crocheting. I love making large and small projects for others. I would love to just do it for free but I couldn't afford it.

If you are looking for a new hobby or a way to find some peace in your life or even to challenge yourself often, I encourage you to try crocheting... If you do crochet, could you share some tips or even your pictures of projects you've completed.. I would love to see them!