Last fall, Courtney was helping our Pop with some projects down at the lake, so, as they were working, we were also blessed to spend several football Saturdays with Mom, Pop, and GJ, watching football and baseball games and enjoying family time together. ❤

One Saturday, I noticed on our way down that a neighbor had a giant Sasquatch out by the lake. I thought it was funny and I mentioned it to Mom when we were talking.

(This was before we discovered JUST how bad my eyes were and got my current prescription – so it’s a miracle I could see him at all 😉 )

As soon as I did, she told me who those neighbors down the way were and that she had looked and looked for a Sasquatch like it everywhere and just couldn’t find one.

We talked about him for several minutes.

Let the reader understand that there is a good bit of space at the lake for fun projects like a Big Foot – so it tracked that Mom would want one too.

That day, once Courtney and I were in the car on the way home, I told him about this Sasquatch that Mom really, really wanted – and that I wanted to surprise her for Christmas with one (as I was already looking them up online on the way home).

Well, as Christmas drew closer, we had other plans for Mom, in addition to family gifts – and it being difficult to haul an 8 foot metal figure with all of our gifts to the lake for the holidays – we decided to wait until her birthday and Mother’s Day, which always fall really close together and take him to her then. . .

When the time came around, we ordered him well in advance – so he lived in his giant box in our den for several weeks before he was ready for his trip to his new home.

When he was, on Mother’s Day weekend, we loaded him into the car in his box, and then printed a picture of him and put it in an envelope for Mom to open.

The whole way down to the lake – about two hours – Henry got to ride with Big Foot.

Courtney had actually not seen the Big Foot in question in the neighbor’s yard – until we were passing it on the way to Mom that day – and, when he saw it, he also knew those neighbors and it turned out we had gotten Mom a similarly sized fella for her yard.

Yay! The surprise was going to be great.

Well. . .

After Mom opened her other Mother’s Day gifts, we gave her the envelope.

When she opened it, at first she had a look of befuddlement. . .then she said, “Oh, good, you found the Big Foot Courtney wanted.”

Huh?!?

Much hilarity ensued as Courtney, sure that I had just shown him this creature for the first time in his life on the way down that day, was told that he had mentioned it at some point to Mom and she and Pop spent a lot of time and effort searching for one – FOR HIM.

That’s what Mom did not say in our conversation about her Sasquatch search.

Aaaannnndddd Courtney had NO recollection of ever seeing Sasquatch before.

Bahahahaha.

Our family has not laughed so much in a long long time – and he is the best bad present we EVER bought.

As this was all happening, we were watching the Braves game and talking about Jesse Chavez, our very favorite pitcher in the Hippie Hut.

As such, when it was determined that Sasquatch was coming back to the Hippie Hut to find a permanent home – bahahaha – he was properly named Jesse Chavez.

Mom and GJ sent home a huge care package with us – so Henry got to surf home atop Jesse Chavez – but all was well.

Soon after Jesse Chavez came home, Courtney installed him in his permanent home:

I laugh every time I see him.

I really tried SO hard to surprise Mom with the perfect gift, y’all.

Bahahahaha.

Be well, everybody. Take care of yourselves and each other.

Grace and Blessings.