Happy Holidays!

Let the festive Spirit…Begin!


I hope everyone has been having a fun, safe and happy year. This is my favorite season to celebrate. The festivities of Halloween leading into Thanksgiving, celebrating Christmas and then ringing out the New Year. So many events packed into just a few months. Celebrating Christmas has always been a festive and cheerful time for my family. My family has always liked to give small gifts or tokens through the month of December. This year I was gifted an advent calendar but with a twist: Tea. I love tea, and my mom actually found an advent calendar that has a different tea every day. Now, I can try out different flavors of tea and buy them if I like it. Each day of tea also gives a small saying behind it, which is cute. I was also gifted some comfy socks and a sloth ornament!

What are some of your Christmas Holiday traditions?

  • Herbs to help you feel like new for mornings after or nights before. Day 1
  • Cool mint and delicate rose. Perfect partners for a winter’s day. Day 2
  • This is the cup that’s the carol singer’s friend. Sing loud with herbs that ease and tend. Day 3

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”

― Edith Sitwell

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Merry Christmas 2020

Merry Christmas to near and far! I hope you all had a wonderful, festive, safe and happy Christmas. I spent my Christmas with my family, had a nice dinner and opened some presents. Then we celebrated today via Zoom with more family. Stay positive, try to stay happy and most importantly stay healthy. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

– 💚 Kat

“I don’t think Christmas is necessarily about things. It’s about being good to one another.” — Carrie Fisher

Happy Thanksgiving 2020

“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.”

– John F. Kennedy

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you were able to enjoy a day filled with laughter, love and delicious food. I know 2020 has been a rough year for us all but I am thankful for my family, loved ones and friends. Stay safe everyone, the New Year is just around the corner. 💚

Happy Veterans Day 11/11/20

I think of every Veterans day as a time to relive the memories I have had in the U.S Navy. I love to reflect on what I learned, the family I made and the memories that I will always cherish. There were times where I wanted to give up and just get of the Navy, but I pushed through them and became the woman I am today. I am thankful for everyone I have met on this journey so far and I can’t wait to see what’s still in store for me. Seven years down, many more to go! Thank you to all my brothers and sisters who I have had the honor of serving with.

Love ya’ll,

HM3 (SW) Kat

My home for 5 years.

A good Navy is not a provocation to war. It is the surest guaranty of peace.

President Theodore Roosevelt

Hiking in a Pandemic

Being able to enjoy the outdoors almost feels forgotten. With the impact of COVID-19, we should make sure we do our part in keeping ourselves and others safe. In California, it has been an up and down battle on getting things under control. Sunday, my family and I decided that it was possible for us to get back into hiking and do our weekly walks. Of course we took precautions and followed the suggested guidelines. We had our hand sanitizers, keeping six feet apart and wearing our masks.

The Trail

We decided to go to a less strenuous trail and hopefully wasn’t too crowded. We took Rex this time, so we only managed to make it about 2 miles.There’s a variety of starting points for a nice walk. It can start from Fernandez Park in Pinole and end all the way at Pinole Shores. Or you can start at Fernandez Park and find yourself in Hercules next to Leila by the Bay Restaurant. I have only done this hike once before when it first opened up and it was beautiful. Now, almost two years later, it still is a beautiful trail and kind of maintained in this Pandemic. The trail we decided to take had the starting point of Bayfront Park. Since the tide was out, we could walk out into the bay quite a ways. It’s can be very slick, so be careful. After we walked out into the bay, we made our way over the bridge which gives you a beautiful overlook of both the bay and Mount Tamalpais. We hit our 1 mile mark on my Fitbit and turned around. We couldn’t go much further because Rex was with us and it was hot! By the time we got back to the truck it was a little over 2 miles. The trail wasn’t very crowded at all. When we did see and pass people, we all had our masks on and practiced the 6 feet social distancing rule. It was nice to be outdoors again, and even nicer that people were polite and courteous of the situation.

The new bridge on the Bay Trail.

Some Things to Bring

  • Good walking or hiking shoes.
  • Water. Always a good idea to hydrate.
  • Sunblock to protect your skin.
  • If you bring your dog, they are required to be on a leash.
  • A walking stick if you would like.
  • Masks
  • Hand Sanitizer.

Additional Info

Parking is free and doesn’t get too crowded. Because of COVID-19 the trail upkeep is a little less. Be careful of wild animals, snakes and spiders. The area is relatively safe, but make sure to lock your vehicle and keep valuables out of sight. Bring a snack and water with you. Most of all, stay safe, have fun and enjoy the outdoors. 💚

“Hiking and happiness go hand in hand or foot in boot.”

– Diane Spicer

April 25th 2020

Happy Birthday Mom!

“Families are the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights and our comfort when we occasionally falter.”

 – Brad Henry

Celebrating a Birthday during a Pandemic may look a little unconventional. Even though it might be a little different you can still celebrate and have fun. Today I celebrated my Moms Birthday with my family over a thousand miles away. My mom and dad still decorated the house with our birthday signs and my mom wore the traditional “Birthday Hat.” I’m glad we can still find ways to celebrate and be close with my family miles apart. Happy Birthday Mom! Love you ❤️

How to Combat Stress

Stress comes in many ways, shapes and forms. No one is the same, and that includes how we deal and how we handle stress. You may question if stress is a daily part of your life. Stress can appear in a multitude of ways. A handful of things to look out for are:

  • Rapid weight gain/ weight loss
  • Exhaustion/lethargy
  • Excessive eating/ not eating at all
  • Working out but with no satisfaction after
  • Anxiousness/ irritability
  • Find more signs here.

Sometimes you may ask yourself how can I start dealing with this? How do I figure out how to combat this? Our beautiful souls are all different. This is why we are unique as people, and different things help each one of us. Always though, if life feels like its getting too much for you to handle on your own. You should seek professional help and advice. Having someone you don’t personally know to talk to can sometimes help more than you think.

For myself stress is constantly in my life. However, I can usually thrive off of “chaotic stress.” Working in the EMS field can be hectic everyday but having a passion for it can help fuel your efforts for it. I use this fuel to the best of my ability and push myself more so I can get the best outcome in a situation. I am also currently in school to become a Navy Hospital Corpsman which is another level of a chaotic environment. From working on ships, to hospitals and being in combat zones, the stress will never stop. For some reason though I thrive working in chaos. Doing something to push myself every day. I know it sounds crazy, but I love it and honestly wouldn’t change it.

Update: My Stress in School

Navy Corpsman school like all schools is …wait for it…stressful! I knew, who knew? Sometimes I think it has been more stressful than a deployment or working in the EMS field. Being thrown into this new boot (newbie) environment was a shock to my system, all the way down to my core. Being a fleet returnee (someone who has prior service in the military), I had to follow the same rules as everyone fresh from boot camp. Thank goodness I wasn’t alone in this process though. There are other fleet returnees here too. We became each others sounding boards to help us make it through school. Being 26 years old and treated like an 18 year old is so hard to wrap your head, but we had to do it to a point. We also were put in charge of our class and have to make sure they don’t get in trouble and show up to everywhere they are supposed to be. Talk about being stressed. There have definitely been moments when I wanted to have a meltdown and just leave and go back home, but I didn’t. I didn’t allow this type of stress to get to me and here were some of the things I did to cope:

  • Worked out at the gym with my roomie. Did yoga and meditated.
  • Wrote in my journal about my emotions and what made me upset. Happy or sad, I basically recorded my day.
  • I read some books that I brought from home while sipping Yogi Stress Relief Tea.
  • Listened to music that would calm me down and allowed me to find my zen again.
  • Talked and talked AND talked to my family and friends that understood what was going on.
  • Shopping therapy! I have no shame, sometimes it helps when you can wear something you feel good in. Like comfy pajamas.
  • Friday movie nights, with popcorn and snacks included.

I know this seems like a random list of things, but for me it isn’t. Its what helped me when I started bottling up the stress. I’m still learning and trying out different things to help de-stress and get back to feeling light and airy. It may take trying different techniques, and different things to see what really helps and speaks to you. Don’t allow stress to win and take hold of your life. You can get through anything if you try. We are all stronger than we think.

“Appreciate yourself, and honor your soul.”

-Yogi Tea

Shout out to my family and friends who deal with me when I am a crazy stress ball. Love you ❤