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

"Life Does Not Have to Be Perfect..."

 ... "To Be Wonderful." ~ Annette Funicello

 This month is just about done, here are recent finds...

At my local Ross, lots of Spring items are up for grabs and while I was searching for a blouse, I found this!! A blue or yellow bicycle plant stands!! At first, I thought to myself this would be so awesome as a display stand... "But, my room is too small for it", was the excuse I gave myself. A few hours later, I couldn't stop thinking about it and texted my daughter to get it for me. Haha!

I chose the blue one, and sure enough. When I put it into my bedroom, it was a perfect display stand for my vintage pieces!! I was going to have my large Rushton Bunny guy sit on the chair, but I will need to figure out a way to keep him on it. Still Queenie looks happy and taking her friends for a ride! Who's ready for Spring?! Haha!

 

Next, I also grabbed a bag of these Jelly Nougat candies while in the line for the check out. These are so yummy too!! I also had to take a photo with my little friend! The candies taste really good and are light. Yummy jellybeans surround by white nougat! Mmm...

Above, this adorable Popcorn Mascot Bear gacha, comes with the carry case popcorn bag too! And it fits my little PCC as well!! Too cute and great for travel! Last, this lot of Sebon Star hair clips. I've seen them on IG and found the ones I really wanted. They are nice and big and are perfect for display and great as props too!

I hope your March was decent. So many things going on in the US and we can only hope for the best. Well, life goes on and so does thrifting, even though it may be less often. It's nice to find some things to make you smile even for a little bit. Until next time!

Thank you for looking! ~ ggsdolls

Finds From Early March

 Here's finds from earlier this month...

Found this lovely vintage Princess Music Jewelry box. I love the gold tone design along with the filigree lace style design. The mirror can even swivel or be removed! Inside lovely red velvet and sectioned drawers for your rings, brooches or necklaces. I will be adding this one to my collection for now.

Below, some vintage 1940s children's blocks with decals. I've always wanted a set, but they can be very pricey depending on the style of the decals and the number of blocks. This set is simple and the decals are just too cute. My fave being the yellow triangle and the two green blocks with bunnies on it.

While at Donki earlier this week, Sara and I saw hair color packages with "Blythe" on them!! Just check out the rack! All with adorable Blythe dolls on the front of the hair color boxes, and in different styles too! How cool, some colors named, Cream Chiffon, Macaroon, and Bleach.

Below, two cute Flower Knows brand items. The first, is a lip gloss in the shape of a strawberry cake. There are three styles, a white cake, a red cake and this one below a pink cake. I love the design and cuteness for sure. It makes for great props in photos too! I also got myself a new second hand iphone and bought this furry case. Mostly just for fun! I don't plan on using it exclusively, because it isn't very good quality-wise for protection from dropping your phone. Haha!

Below, the cute compact from the Gatcha machine I got at Aeon Mall. I was hoping to find Flower Knows gatchas and sure enough found one machine with them. I only got the one, a number two named, "Daffodil Lily". I also found, while searching the aisles at Daiso Aeon, this adorable bear applique!

I saw it sitting on the shelf as someone just left it in the sticker aisle. I tried to look for more but couldn't find any more. This applique is big too, I will have to decide if I will apply it onto something or just keep it for display... Sweetest bear for sure!

I caved and got this lovely wall plaque of a taxidermy style plush bunny. It is so cute and I love the way this shop owner makes them,  and they sell fast too! She often upcycles vintage plushies and toys. Last, I found these crane prize set of Swimmer Flannel Pillows. They are already listed in my Etsy shop. The blue bear sold out already.

I hope you are having a decent March? Keep hunting for treasures you love and mostly the things you find affordable.

Thanks for reading! ~ ggsdolls

Don't Give Up...

 ..."Before the miracle can happen." ~ Fannie Flag

     We went on another Japan quick trip this past weekend. Since January we've been trying to get to Japan for just a weekend so Taby and her partner along with my grandson can get away. So finally after time off planned and flights looking a lot more decent. We made it out last Friday early morning and got into Narita, Japan for a three days and two nights getaway!

Gate waiting for shuttle bus.

My son in-law has never gotten a chance to see Japan except through the airport, so it was a first time for him and my grand baby. We made it to our hotel and then took the shuttle bus to get lunch at the mall. Of course I had to stop by my favorite shop, Patty's. Lots of new Swimmer items too! But I decided not to get anything, because my bedroom is small. My excuse! LMAO But just look at all those cute items!! Haha!

Patty's selection of cuteness!

We ate lunch at the mall and got our usual. Bought some supermarket snacks and food items. Went immediately to the claw machine room and Taby and Brenavin tried their luck. They did win a Micky and Donald Plush for baby! Yay! Sara and I just frequented the Gatcha machines and I got a few items there...

Sunset from hotel room.

As the sun set on Friday our first day in Narita. The next morning Sara, Taby and family were ready for breakfast. We had the buffet style breakfast always given at our hotel and enjoyed the views of the Koi pond. Then, we were ready for the Temple!!

Breakfast before the adventures...

 We caught a taxi to the Narita-san Temple. Brenavin and baby have never seen. So we made it there and it wasn't to busy just yet since we got there around 8am. We went to our fave spot where the Sakura trees were and in early bloom...

Brenavin, Taby and TJ.

Taby and my boy!

Kitties, Ohayo Gozaimasu!

We were even greeted by the local cats there!! The flowers were so beautiful. I had to take a shot with my little travel buddy!! Mostly the white Sakura trees throughout, but there were some dark pink Sakura trees as well, though not as many.

Small Puppy CC and Sakura blossoms.

Beautiful blooming Sakura!

This tree above has some little green birds picking at the cherry blossoms and making it fall onto us. It was so sweet and just the sight and sounds were so meditative. One of my favorite places to be for sure!!

a panoramic view of where I sat while waiting for the kids to come back to me...

After leaving the Temple, one of Brenavin's spots to see was this store called, "Up Garage". I think it's more like a Proline or NAPA store like on Guam! Lots of car stuff!! Just glad we made it there for him and he got a chance to enjoy it. Taby found this for me to look at, a resin gear knob with flowers inside. Too bad my little gear on the Prius may not be able to hold this one. Haha!

Gear knob, so cute!

Just a peek at the selection there.

After this shop, we caught a taxi to the mall for lunch and more shopping. We found a little eatery in the supermarket and got ourselves some freshly made candied apples and strawberries a Japan version of 'Tanghulu' called, 'Furitsu Ame', which are basically, 'candied fruits' like this strawberry one. So yummy!!

Candied apples.

Candied Strawberries.

Brenavin wanted to try this place he saw by Mcdonalds and he got this Indian dish of cheese bread and dipping sauces of veggie curry and I forgot the other curry flavor?! It was yummy too! We just relaxed and enjoyed our time checking out more shops.

Chapati above with curry sauces.

Gatcha Swimmer hair ties!

Fueki Kun Gatcha!!

We finally made it to the Gatcha room that they had in the mall that I went to last time. I wanted to see all the machines they had there for March. So many cute things too! I opted for just one item from the shop (I will share in separate post). Haha!! Sara got something as well.

bag from Mister Donut.

After a long day of walking around, we decided to get some dinner and head back to the hotel for the day. Taby and Brenavin decided to have a date night and Sara and I watched baby. They left later that evening, while Sara, baby and I watched some Japanese anime and ate our sweets from Mister Donut! Yummy! There was a Sakura mochi donut as well. Oh my goodness, Krispy Kreme ain't got nothing on these donuts!! LMAO!

Mister Donut choices, Sakura, Strawberry Mochi, and Chocolate dipped.

By Sunday morning, we did our usual start of breakfast and then planning our adventures for the day. We decided to check out by 11am and leave our bags at the hotel. We took our shuttle to the mall and spent the last day, just enjoying the sights of the mall and Brenavin getting stuff for his family. Sadly, the rain finally came by Sunday, though we had beautiful weather on Friday and Saturday, thank goodness! Sunday was gloomy, cold and wet. I kept saying lucky thing we went to the temple on Saturday and not waited until Sunday to go!!

Fujiya Peko Chan!!

 We checked out Book Off this time and Daiso there. Yes, still Daiso. Though we have a Daiso on Guam there are more things at Japan's Daiso and its way cheaper. Haha! So we enjoyed seeing the vast selection and enjoying the dollar versus yen goodness!

Book Off views.

More Book Off views.

By 1pm we were ready to eat lunch. Taby and Brenavin wanted Sara and I to try out the place they ate at the night before, Bronco Billy's Steakhouse. We took a taxi to the restaurant. Lots of rain and traffic too. Oh my goodness, it was very good and the beef steak had so much flavor to it! Definitely something Sam might enjoy!

Bronco Billy's Steakhouse Restaurant.

Grandbaby and Sara.

By 2pm, we decided to get back to the hotel get our bags, and head out to Terminal 1 for departure. We caught the shuttle bus to the airport and made it safely to the airport for some last minute shopping for Brenavin and Taby. Then onto our gate to wait for departure. It was an overall great time and definitely one of our memorable trips for sure, most especially for B and TJ!! Now, we got back safely home by around 2am. We are happy everyone enjoyed the trip! Yay!

Until next time Japan!! Live, enjoy the little things and take family along for the experiences!

Thank you for stopping by! ~ ggsdolls