About Me

Hi! I’m Kristen, and I’m the woman behind the curtain! My husband, commonly referred to here as HBW Hubby, and I have two sons who keep us on our toes. We are based in St. Louis, Missouri, and we love traveling and exploring together near and far.

Growing up, we would pick up and head off to places far and wide, and while I don’t necessarily remember everything we did or saw, I remember the feeling of adventure, and it has stayed with me my entire life, fueling my love of travel.  I hope to kindle that same fire in my kids.

Confession: I didn’t always love reading. It took a while to find something I really wanted to read, but once I did, I was always in trouble for reading by flashlight under my covers when I was supposed to be asleep. Reading past my bedtime is still a habit, much to the chagrin of HBW Hubby, haha!

I started crocheting when I was pregnant with my youngest son back in 2014 because I loved the idea of cuddling him up in a blanket that I’d made with my own two hands.  After watching video after video on YouTube, I proudly sent my mom pictures of the new pot holders I’d been making. 

Not even a year after the birth of my youngest, I was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer (read more about my cancer story here). I know it seems cliché, but this experience really opened my eyes to experience life to the fullest and live la belle vie, or the good life, and do more of the things that bring joy to life.

My blog is where I share some of the things that bring me joy, particularly crochet, books, and travel, with a bit of life thrown in. At Hooks, Books, & Wanderlust, you’ll find crochet patterns and tutorials, book reviews and a virtual book club, stories of our family travels at home and abroad, and a pervasive sense of love for life.

I hope you find something to inspire you today and keep grabbing joy when and where you can to live your own version of la belle vie!