Work, Travel, Save...

 ..."Repeat." ~ Unknown.

 Part II of my Road trip. Part I here. On Friday, our plan was to take Noah to the Reptile Gardens. So we got up ate breakfast and planned to meet his grandma and him in the lobby for the drive. Which wasn't too far away from the hotel. 

Once we got to the gardens. We made our way in and got our tickets and immediately went inside the dome. The domed building was lush filled with trees and greenery everywhere. At the top level, were all the different snakes, lizards, fossils and plants. Even a few silly carnival mirrors. My grandson enjoyed it and spending time with his Dad was definitely the highlight for me.

I noticed the Bouganvillea tree or in CHamoru, "Puti Tai nobio"

My two fave boys!

I caught this special moment in time!

Watching Noah frolic and play while seeing all the interesting reptiles with his father was truly heartwarming for me. I am sure this will be a lovely memory for them both and myself. After we had gone through the dome area, there was a Bird Show we wanted to catch. So we left that area and headed to the show in another building. Sadly, instead of a bird show it was a show on snakes. Still interesting and Noah enjoyed it, he even got a chance to touch a python!! They both did! 

Sadly, I only took videos the rest of our visit there. Afterwards, we headed outside to the play ground and sand box. Noah was in his element! He was having a blast! By the end of the day we all were ready for lunch and my grandson was ready for a nap.

 We all got back to the hotel and relaxed the rest of the day. Tev and his son played until early evening. On Saturday, our plan was to head out to the Bear Butte National Park in Sturgis, SD for Noah's Naming Ceremony. His grandma Susan had everything planned out. Once there, the views were just amazing! The area felt very peaceful and sacred. You could see all the hikers walking up the mountain side too.

The plan was to set up and wait for Noah's Great Uncle and then we'd begin the ceremony. We didn't wait too long and while we had finished setting up the food table. We began with having Noah sit in a chair, myself in the other and the Lakota family surrounding us. Sadly, since Tevin and I were in the ceremony, we didn't get a chance to video any of it. But I will described what it was like...

The family surrounded Noah, Susan, Tevin and I and Susan's teenage grandson began the Lakota chanting songs while the rest of the family surrounded us. He sang with such beautiful tone and clarity, the song was of their Lakota Ancestors. I felt emotional by the end and just in aww with their tribal traditions. Tevin had to clip a blessed feather on Noah's hair. This feather was made for him and we were told that the feather would stay with him his entire life. 

Noah was so good, he simply sat in his chair and stayed prayerful. A feat even for a five year old! At the end, Tevin and Noah's great Uncle Virgil took food offerings to a sacred area and left them for the ancient Lakota spiritual ancestors. We all ate and Tev and I were in aww of the family and love they have for Noah and their welcoming love of Tevin and I. Noah's Lakota name was given to him by his great grandmother, who was still alive and we were told it is an ancient name that she had given him. How special is that?! Noah was just beaming with pride.

Just before the ceremony...

It was very beautiful and we learned that Bear Butte is one of seven sacred sights for the Lakota people. It was fitting that Susan had chosen this spot, you see my grandson's was also nicknamed, Noah Bear when he was a toddler! On Sunday, our last day with my grandson, Tevin decided to take him to a new spot that opened up in Rapid City, The Jump N Slide Adventure Park!

Noah and his cousins had a blast and didn't want to leave, well Noah didn't Haha! It was exhausting watching them jump and run or hop around. The park was huge with one area for older kids and one for younger ones as well. By Monday, we met Susan, Moralla Noah's older cousin and Noah for our goodbyes. The time had flown by so fast and we all had to head home. We hugged Noah and Susan and wished them safe travels as well. It was hard to say goodbye, but definitely hopes of more visits in the future! Tev and I headed out early about 7am back for Texas.

Leaving SD...

 

 

By 3pm on Tuesday, we had made it safely into San Antonio. So many things had happened and now it was coming to an end. I stayed a few days in Texas and left Tev and Monica by Easter Sunday. The trip had been bittersweet with so many blessings in between. I got back on Guam by Monday night and simply went to bed. Tevin had spoiled me while I was with him in Texas, now to get back to my life here on Guam. Ahhh, truly blessed and thankful for sure!

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls

More Small Puppy Cotton Candy Babies!!

     Yup, I got bitten by the tiny BJD bug!! Haha! Back in February, I had tried to win the lottery for the Japan Shop (Neko Shop) that sells these cuties exclusively. Sadly, I did not win. So, I made the effort to search for the China based creators that sold them and sure enough I found them. Now, to use a third party service to buy them and ship them to me...

Fast forward, by March 31st they arrived to me and I tried to put the two dolls I bought, together. Because the ones I ordered are a kits, that came with wigs and some sanding required. But hey I can't complain, they were way cheaper than a completed one with face paint. So, I started or tried to start putting them together...

Kit incomplete above.

 The kit included, the head, body, limbs and wig. I ordered one tan version with a white wig, and one normal skin version with dark brown wig. The kits even came with the S hooks and elastic bands. I began with looking at the pieces, and like a puzzle you put them together. But, I had to sand some parts of the heads, limbs, and hair. Luckily, I ordered some sand paper from the Volks USA website.

Another kit.

 After spending a day sanding. The next day, I tried to put the doll together, but hit a snag. How do I pull the elastic band through the inside of the foot which had a plastic bar anchor? The plastic bar would require me to pull the elastic string through under the bar and up out of the other side of the bar inside the foot, ugh. There were no instructions, but since I had previous history of owning a BJD I knew what needed to be done. Well so I thought! Haha!

But how?! The feet and hands are so teeny tiny?! So I tried a needle, nope didn't work at first and I was becoming impatient. Next, I tried making a really skinny hook using the same thread wire I use for making my beaded key chains and somehow fish the elastic into the other side of the bar in the foot. Ta Da! It worked only once sadly, and doing the other foot, just did not happen no matter how many times I had tried, and I tried at least 10 times! Ugh. My fingers sore and arms tired along with dropping the foot a few times or hands. Seriously!! NOOO! By then I was exhausted from trying.

You can see the bar anchor inside the foot.

So, I had half a limb completed or I should say, one leg only. Just before the day I was to leave for the States, I tried to figure another way to get the tiny elastic thread into the foot of the body. I forgot what that was, because it didn't even work. Oh well, so I decided I would just put it away until I could figure an easier way to do it.  

 Once I was Stateside, I had the kits with me and thought a lot about what I could find to use that would help me more easily. Sure enough, I did a search for tweezers and figured that perhaps an eyelash tweezer might work?! Now, to find one. I checked at the NEX when Tevin took me there for items to take with us during the road trip, nothing. When we got into South Dakota, he then took me to a Walmart for snacks and water that we would have for our hotel stay. Sure enough, we found the tweezers there! So, when we had some down time, I tried using it and it worked for the feet only. The hands was a bit too hard to maneuver the elastic into because of the tinier space between the bars, ugh.

Needle and thread only helps with stringing the larger parts.

 So as you can see in the photo below, I decided when I got back home to Guam to make an "S" hook tiny enough to use inside the hands. It worked!! Yay!! But I must say trying to fish it into the hand and attach that hook onto the elastic is not an easy task either! I tried asking the makers from China how to do it and never got a response sadly. I even ask around and one collector said she didn't have to do her small puppy because she got it completed by the Neko Shop. She did suggest using a thin needle and thread. I didn't use this suggested method until I got back and it helped when I needed to thread the elastic through the other parts, but not when I have to put it through the hand or foot. Ugh. I also asked the Neko Shop but didn't get a response until after I had completed the task. Haha!

Hand and tiny "S" hook I made using wire.

In the end, the teeny tiny "S" hooks I made for the hands worked out. I completed one of the kits for now! Yippee! Whew! Now my little tan Small Puppy is done! I even did his face paint! Not perfect but it will do. The face paint below was my 2nd attempt. The 1st was not to my liking. Haha! This tan version I've wanted since seeing other collectors share.

 

Below, the two bjd's together, my 1st Small Pup and now my tan one. Oh I forgot to mention the kits do not come with eyes or magnets. You will have to buy them separately. Luckily, I knew where to get them! You will need the magnets for the face and back head plates. The eyes, I had already in my collection that I bought from a Japan seller who makes them herself Roseden on IG. Now, I just need to get more!

Tan small Puppy and my 1st small Puppy.

It was fun to try to figure out what or how I could complete the kits. Trial and error for sure! I hope you all have a great rest of your April. My gosh, May is almost here!! Until next time!

Completed my 2nd kit!

 

Thank you for looking! ~ ggsdolls

Its Not The Destination...

 ...It's The Journey." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Early April, I left stateside to finally meet my 2nd grandson. I sort of met him while he was still baking back in 2019. Fast forward to 2025, Because of the pandemic and time I had not met him sooner until now. My son Tevin and I decided we'd make it a plan last year to do a road trip to South Dakota from Texas. He notified me late last year we could do it by April. So, I made the journey leaving early April just before Easter break to Texas where our drive would take us through several states to finally meet him.

Flight overlooking Guam.

 

Dinny made by my son and his partner. Yum!

 

By April 3rd I made the 16 hour flight from Guam, through Japan, then Denver and into San Antonio. BTW, it was snowing in Denver!! As soon as I got out of the airplane, I felt the cold temps of Colorado from the jet way. Once inside the airport, I made my way to my next gate and final leg! It was just amazing to see, we even had to wait a bit as they de-iced the plane before take off!! 

Breakfast at Cracker Barrel!

Once in Texas, we spent the weekend going shopping and eating at some great places like Golden Corral, Cracker Barrel, and JapanPot! Yummy! My son and his partner even made dinner for me! Awww!  By Tuesday morning, Tevin and I started the road trip. We would take about 18 hours from San Antonio, TX to Rapid City, South Dakota with a rest stop overnight at a hotel halfway through.

Popular restaurant in San Antonio.

You cook your food at your table, wow!

So much good food at Jpot!

 We drove the first 10 hours our first day and stayed in Dumas, Texas halfway through. Tevin and I spent our drive talking about memories of the past, life, and current goals for him and Monica. Gosh so much has changed for him and I was proud of the man he has become. We even listened to music he grew up from the CD's I would play for us on the roads of Guam. Ahhh those good songs of the 90s! Most of the places we passed through, were flat land and rural areas with farms and small towns. It was quite the adventure and I enjoyed every moment of it. The drive didn't even feel that long either!

It was warm and sunny in southern Texas, but as we continued north, it started to become a bit more cloudy and overcast. During the drive I saw a lot of cows, and farmlands as well. Even some tumble weeds rolling along in front of us. When we arrived in Dumas, Texas, we made our way to the hotel, Spark by Hilton and got dinner at The Burger. We showered, relaxed and rested before driving the last 8 hours into South Dakota.

Scholtzskys for lunch.

Lots of windmills along the route.

Check out this vtg car on a pole! LOL

Dinner from The Burger!

A pic of our hotel, Spark in the morning.

Cows grazing early in the morning.

By morning we left Dumas early and headed out to complete our last leg of 8 hours. It was a lot more of the same but with a bit more rolling hills. We went through Colorado for a very small bit, and then Oklahoma and mostly Nebraska.

In this pic, the long straight roads and a bit of a chill in the air.

Chadron, Nebraska

We got dinner at Culver's a chicken burger joint. Rested and the next day my grandson would arrive. It was bitter sweet to finally meet him and for him to see his Dad. He is quite a character and smart too! He looks a lot like his Dad for sure! And for a bit, we enjoyed having him in our hotel room to play with his toys.

We had a full schedule of events to come. My grandson, was to have his "Naming" Ceremony by that Saturday. So since it was only Thursday, we decided to take him to the movies. We watched "Minecraft" at the local AMC theaters. It was a good film and he definitely enjoyed himself along with Tev and myself. By Friday, we planned to take him to the Reptile Garden.

Whew, to be continued...

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls