The tea of wisdom tonight for my relaxing sleepy time tea is:
“Appreciate yourself and honor your soul.”
Yogi Tea
peaceful
March 19th 2020
“Music is powerful. As people listen to it, they can be affected. They respond.”
– Ray Charles
October 18th 2019
“There’s this misconception that the Navy is this cruise ship, and you get to go out and sail around, and every now and then, you have to swab the deck. But, no, it is a very impressive group of young people that live at sea, in this place that’s very uncomfortable. They exude a pride that is well-deserved. ”
– Tom Hanks
September 25th 2019
“Laughter is an instant vacation.”
– Milton Berle
September 7th 2019
“Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.”
—Dalai Lama
Relaxing And Enjoying Yosemite
Just A Day Trip So Far.
Hiking and enjoying Yosemite deserves more than one day, all I could manage was a day trip. I still loved it hands down though. Yosemite has been my favorite National Park since my parents started visiting when I was a kid. It is still my favorite today and I try to go as much as I can, which hasn’t been as much as I’ve wanted yet. With how busy and time consuming my life is, I still try to find time for me and my joy. I was so excited to be able to squeeze in a day trip (3 hours away) to Yosemite with one of my good friends. We drove out there, and by we, I drove out there! The weather was perfect, not terribly hot with a slight breeze. There were however a bunch of tourists! I forgot that it was one of the last weekends that school was out, none the less we still enjoyed Yosemite. But beware, traffic and parking can definitely test your patience a bit. When we pulled up to the park entrance I asked about the military annual pass and I ended up receiving one right on the spot! If you want to learn more about it, look no further! Click Here! Driving through the park I had forgotten just how massive and beautiful it was. Mountains everywhere, the Merced river that runs through, just the sheer magnitude of nature’s beauty that it took my breath away. Along the way to Yosemite Village we stopped in the many turnoffs for all the pictures. We finally found a parking spot way down the ways but it was ok because everything was still beautiful to look at. Since we were just doing a short day trip we decided the best option was to hike Lower Yosemite Falls. It is a short loop about 1 mile give or take that gets you right up and personal with the falls.
Trail markers help lead the way!
This is one of my favorite spots because you are literally right there with the falls. After we spent some time taking all the pictures, having a water break and eating some snacks we decided to go to Yosemite Village. There we found a table in the shade and ate our lunch, kind of relaxing before we would set off for the store and Ansel Adam’s Gallery. The store is pretty cool. You can find all your groceries and supplies there along with your souvenirs you would want to take back with you. Below are just a few photos that I took over the day. (Sharpening my photography skills). We ended the day with the relaxing walk back to the truck, before it started getting dark. I can not wait to go again and either camp or stay at one of the lodges there! Stay tuned for more adventures in the future! Happy hiking my nature lovers!
The Ansel Adam’s Gallery
Ansel Adams was a photographer and environmentalist he was born in San Francisco, California in 1902. He was a true protector of Yosemite and became famous for his amazing work. In Yosemite Village he has his own gallery there. The Ansel Adam’s Gallery is a must visit if you have a love for nature and photography.
Camping and Lodging
If you want to make more than just a day trip out of Yosemite, have no fear there are some options to choose from! From tent camping, to fixed tent camping, cabins and lodges there are options for every adventurer out there! Make sure to book in advance and which season you want to visit in. The seasons definitely vary there especially from Spring and Winter. All seasons are a must visit. For me, winter is probably my favorite though! Down below I have a list of a few known camping and lodging for Yosemite.
“In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.”
― Ansel Adams
Spring Cleaning…In July?
Bit By Bit. Piece By Piece.
When you hear about spring cleaning in the spring it’s normal to you. What about when you hear spring cleaning in July? Yes, it is ok to only do your “big” cleaning and organizing in the spring time, but, that doesn’t have to be the ONLY time. Today my parents decided to tackle a task of not only updating but, cleaning, organizing and donating or throwing out stuff they don’t need or have use for anymore. Earlier this year they did the same thing with a different room in the house, now its the garage. We all know that this wasn’t going to be an easy task. The garage is HUGE for starters and there’s also a bunch of stuff in there. Now there’s three of us working in there tackling different sections and let me tell you, it’s fun but it got a little hectic at times.
How To Start
Starting is always the hard part I think. Theres a goal in mind and you just want to get rid of everything! Sometimes you can do that if you have absolutely no need or want for the items. In my parents case they were going to have to think about it a bit more. Mom always likes to start in one area and work around to other areas of the garage. For instance she will start at her crafting desk and see what she doesn’t need anymore and make a pile of it. Next up is the laundry area, see’s what she doesn’t need there and adds it to the pile and so on. Now you may wonder where dad is….Dad is handling his own side of the garage which is basically his work bench/tool bench/motorcycle and whatever else he has over there. If you want to start, pick a spot, stick to it until you are satisfied with it then move on. If you bounce from spot to spot you’ll only be frazzled by the mess.
Organizing
I absolutely love to organize things! I probably get it from my mom. I like to make my room/workstation/truck whatever it may be as organized and streamlined as I can get it. There are a variety of tricks that can help with “hiding” items in a nicer area so you still have easy access to them but not with the cluttered site. For example, I use little baskets and put all my pens and stationary and cards in them and then put them on my book case. It not only allows me to grab the whole basket with everything in it but, it makes the room look bigger and cleaner. You can find them anywhere I found mine at Target but you can search around to find them.
How Often Should I Organize?
There is no set amount of time when you should re-evaluate a room and see if it needs a little moving around or cleaning out. If you want to do it twice a year in the Spring and Fall, that is TOTALLY okay. If you only feel like doing it when it bothers you or you start to notice it, that is TOTALLY okay too. Your living space, your working space is your Peace. If you don’t have that Peace then you need to start organizing and free up some space until you find that Peace again. I organize and do my Spring cleaning about twice a year. This year it seems that I am doing it a lot more often because I keep losing my Peace. If my room is a mess and filled with stuff, I can’t think and I can’t be calm. So I remedy the situation and organize and clean and declutter. Thus, finding my Peace and calm. I enjoy using baskets in my room, it makes my room tranquil and calm. You can find a whole bunch of ideas for baskets right HERE.
“If you’ve had something for more than six months, and it’s still not repaired, it’s clutter.”
– Gretchen Rubin
Katie Writes 