Two weeks in Utah

The first time I spent time in Utah, was in 2011 for one of my clinicals at Utah State Hospital in Provo, Utah. Although, I spent several months there, I did not have the opportunity to truly explore the scenery. Therefore, flash forward to October 2018, and my first RV trip was revisiting Utah, and exploring the national parks (and two state parks). Spent two wonderful weeks hiking over 100 miles. Below are some of my recommendations if you embark on this memorable adventure.

• Zion National Park
• Easy
• Pa'rus Trail 
• 3.5 miles, if you only have one day in the park, I highly recommend this trail because it has amazing views of Zion Canyon.
• Lower Emerald Pool
• 1.2 miles, this late in the season, there wasn't even a trickle of water, you should definitely skip it.
• The Grotto Trail
• 1 mile, a nice connecting trail and didn't have to ride the shuttle
• Weeping Rock Trail
• less than .5 miles, unique rock alcove with dripping springs
• Riverside Walk
• 2.2 miles, you can take this trail to enter The Narrows
• Moderate
• Watchmen Trail
• 3.3 miles, great viewpoints of the Towers of the Virgin, lower Zion Canyon, and Springdale
• Strenuous
• Angel's Landing
• 5.4 miles, has 21 steep switchbacks called "the Wiggles" and you need to hold onto chains as you ascend. 
• Observation Point
• 8 miles, the best viewpoints in the park as you climb through Echo Canyon. It is definitely a very windy and exposed hike
• Arches National Park
• Easy
• Balanced Rock (.3 miles)
• The Windows (2.5 miles), views of North and South Windows, and Turret Arch. We took the primitive trail around the back which was so much less crowded.
• Double Arch (.5 miles)
• Sand Dune Arch (.3 mile)
• Broken Arch (1.3 mile)
• Skyline Arch (.4 mile)
• Difficult
• Delicate Arch (3 miles) the overlook was closed, so you had to hike to this iconic arch
• Devils Gardens (8 miles) we saw Landscape Arch, Pine Tree Arch, Tunnel Arch, Navajo Arch, Partition Arch, Double O Arch, and Dark Angel.
• Capitol Reef National Park
• Easy
• Goosenecks
• Sunset Point (.9 mile)
• Capitol Gorge (1 mile)
• Grand Wash (2.2 miles)
• Moderate
• Hickman Bridge (.9 mile)
• Strenuous
• Cassidy Arch (1.7 mile)
• Navajo Knobs (4.7 mile)
• Rim Overlook (2.3 mile)
• Bryce Canyon National Park
• Queens/Navajo Combination Loop
• Canyonlands
• We did a Jeep tour in this national park
• Goblin Valley State Park
• Dead Horse State Park

Seattleness: A Cultural Atlas

In May, I will have lived in Seattle for seven years; originally meant to be just a temporary residence, has now become home. Personally, I have observed the growth and development of Seattle, which has drastically changed the personality and appearance of the city. I have only lived in Queen Anne neighborhood, and today, it is almost unrecognizable to me. Constantly, I walked by once familiar streets and buildings, and now notice new businesses and structures, and I cannot remember what use to be in that spot. Memorable Seattle, at times is becoming forgettable. Recently, KOMO produced a film that is available on YouTube called "Seattle is Dying." It is 60 minutes long, and here is the link, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b53uiRFq4Ds .

There are definitely times, when I look around at Seattle, and I am sadden by the negative outcomes of Amazon moving into the neighborhood, impacts of climate change, architecture treasures being torn down for high-rises, standstill traffic, pollution causing poor air quality, and higher cost of living; however, as someone who implements Pro/Con Lists for most things, the pros still outnumber the cons immensely. Lately, I read the book Seattleness: A Cultural Atlas, and I was surprised by how much I did not know about the past and present-day Seattle. Per the author's intent, "Seattleness will nudge you in countless ways and challenge you to see the city and region through new, crisp, and yes, sometimes even warped lenses." Through the maps, charts, diagrams, illustrations, and photography in the book,  the reader will learn about 50 real and strange narratives about my beloved city, Seattle. Below are some of my favorite gems of knowledge gained:

• Gray Anatomy
• Sherwin-Williams has produced multiple paint colors based on the city's pale pallor (Seattle Gray, Seattle Mist, and just plain Seattle).
• On average, Seattle has 240 days of cloud cover
• Mountain Morphology
• Top six mountains in Washington State: Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Baker, Glacier Peak, Bonanza Peak, and Mount Stuart
• 10 volcanoes in the state
• Raising Seattle
• In January 2017, there were 62 construction cranes in the city, whereas San Francisco had 22.
• Saucers in the Sky
• The first ever so-called UFO sighting happened near Mount Rainier in 1947.
• Today, people in Washington report UFO sightings at a higher per capita rate than any other state, about 300 per year.
• National UFO Reporting Center (NUFORC) is headquartered in Seattle, and sightings can be reported to their hotline at 206-722-3000.
• Aw, Shucks!
• The state of Washington is the only state in the United States that grows all five major edible oyster species.
• A Damn Fine Cup of Coffee
• Seattle and its suburbs contain over a thousand coffee shops, more than a dozen coffee roasters, and many businesses related to coffee sourcing, logistics, and equipment.
• Top shops are: Starbucks, Top Pot Doughnuts, Cherry Street Coffee House, Caffe Ladro, Tully's Coffee, Uptown Espresso, Caffe Vita, and Gourmet Latte.
• Sasquatch Sightings
• Bigfoot Field Researchers Organizations, since 1995, it has collected reports from all over the world, and the largest number comes from Washington State (over 600 sightings from as early as 1812).
• Humble Beginnings of Seattle Public Library
• The current library was built in 2004, and cost $165,900,000.
• Literary Seattle
• Seattle has ranked in the top-three most literate cities from 2003 to 2016. Rankings are based on six key indicators of literacy: number of bookstores, educational attainment, internet resources, library resources, periodical publishing resources, and newspaper circulation.
• Ferried Way
• In 2016, Washington State Ferries carried more than 24 million people and ten million vehicles across the waters.
• City Microclimates
• Seattle ranks only forty-fourth for annual precipitations among US major cities.
• Experiences an average of around 38 inches annually.
• Area experiences 152 rainy days a year.
• Seattle's average weather patterns by month (number of rainy days)
• January =20
• February =15
• March =17
• April =10
• May =7
• June =6
• July =3
• August =5
• September =8
• October =11
• November =20
• December= 23
• Welcome to Seattle
• From 2010 to 2016 the state grew 8.5% compared to California's 5.4% and New York's 2%.
• Seattle growth was 15.7%, whereas, San Francisco and New York experienced only 5% growth.
• In 2016 and 2017, Seattle's average home price increased by 13.4%, landing at $750,000.

Less is More: Everyday Choices that Make A Difference

Seattle Public Utilities sends out a seasonal tips and information for Seattle residents newsletter, which includes different ways to help residents reduce, reuse and recycle everyday. In a previous edition, the title of the newsletter was "Less is More: Everyday Choices That Make A Difference."

We use a lot of stuff. Think about the amount of clothes you own, the food you buy, and the cups of coffee, tea, or juice you drink. The number of things we use every day can seem small or insignificant, but all together and over time buying all that stuff can have a big impact. Buying less means we save more money. Using less means we conserve more natural resources and protect the environment.

• Reduce: Less stuff means less stress. Reducing the number of things you use means less clutter and more money saved. Buy only what you truly need.
• Reuse: Find ways to use things to their full value. Using a refillable water bottle, avoiding disposable items, turning leftovers into new meals, and lending your ladder to a neighbor are all ways to get the most use out of your things.
• Recycle: Give used items a chance to be made into something new by recycling them. Recycling cuts down on waste and the amount of new materials needing to be extracted from the environment to make new items.
• Before putting next item in the recycling bin, remember:
• Recycle right. Only accepted items in recycling.
• Keep it clean. Clean, dry, and no food.
• Question: Can plastic bottle caps really be recycled?
• Answer: Yes, plastic caps can be recycled when they are put back on a plastic bottle. Empty the bottle before you screw the cap back on. Loose plastic and metal caps under three inches go in the garbage. They are too small to capture when being sorted at the recycling facility and end up as garbage.
• Question: Are paper envelopes padded with bubble wrap recyclable? 
• Answer: No, put them in the garbage. They contain two distinct materials, paper and plastic, which are hard to separate for recycling. Online shopping often comes with a lot of packaging. When possible, request grouping items into fewer shipments to reduce packaging.
• Additional questions about recycling or compost, find out where it all goes at seattle.gov/util/WhereDoesItGo

Love Your Food

• Buy what you need. Eat what you have. 
• Buying only what you need now means you're less likely to throw away food later. Check your fridge and cupboards to see what you already have that needs to be used up. Next, make a meal plan using what you already have. Then, make your shopping list based on your plan, so you don't overbuy. At the store, stick to your shopping list. Don't get distracted by every sale, instead focus on the deals that fit into your meal plan, or choose foods that can be frozen for future meals.
• Make it last longer.
• Storing food correctly keeps it fresh longer--helping you waste less food.
• Store fruits and vegetables away from each other--fruits make vegetables go bad faster.
• Keep your fridge at or below 40 degrees, and your freezer at 0 degrees.
• For resources to help you waste less food, visit seattle.gov/util/reducereuse
• Items that should be stored at room temperature: Bread, ripe bananas, onions, tomatoes, squash, eggplant, and unripe fruit.
• Compost food scraps.
• Put all food scraps in the compost. When you throw food scraps in the garbage, you break the nature cycle of food returning to the soil--creating more greenhouse gases. Composting transforms your food scraps into nutrient dense soil that will help grow more food. Keep the food cycle going by eating the food you buy and putting all food scraps in the compost. This closed loop benefits our wallets, our communities, and our environment.
• If you choose to line your compost container, use newspaper, a paper bag, or a compostable bag.

Simply Clean: The Proven Method

I read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing when it was first published in the United States, and it has been amusing and wonderful to hear the impact the Netflix show has had on individuals. I have been told, if you are into thrifting, this is your year, because so many people are jumping on the bandwagon of "tidying up their homes to find joy" that consignment and thrift shops are overflowing with inventory. I have watched the show, and it resonated with me more than when I read the book.

As I have previously stated in other blogs, I am constantly revisiting the items left in my apartment and observing which ones still have purpose and are meaningful, and getting rid of the ones that have not been utilized or have been collecting dust. In 2018, I read the book, Simply Clean: The Proven Method for Keeping Your Home Organized, Clean, and Beautiful in Just 10 Minutes a Day by Becky Rapinchuk (founder of Clean Mama). I follow Clean Mama on Instagram and Facebook. I thought I would share some of the nuggets of organization that was in the book, and show some of the additional items that have left my home.

• Introduction
• Home keeping is a learned behavior, and Clean Mama has coached millions of readers through her online community on how to keep a home clean and maintained it.
• The Simply Clean method is meant for busy lives, and it's designed to take the drudgery right out of cleaning
• The 28-Day Simply Clean Challenge is designed to help you build the habits needed to make cleaning effortless, so you never have to really think about it again.
• Part One: The Simply Clean Method The Secret to Cleaning Less, Yet Having a Cleaner Home
• You want a clean and tidy home, now what?
• The most effective part of the Simply Clean method is that you will not feel overwhelmed by the routine.
• Start with daily tasks--there are five daily tasks
• One: Make beds
• Two: Check floors (touch-up purposes for vacuuming and sweeping)
• Three: Wipe counters
• Four: Declutter (this includes dealing with mail on a daily basis)
• Five: Do laundry
• Weekly Tasks
• Monday= Bathroom cleaning day
• Tuesday= dusting
• Wednesday= vacuuming
• Thursday= floor washing day
• Friday= catch all day (menu planning, paying bills)
• Saturday= sheets+towel day
• Sunday=Daily cleaning tasks only
• Part Two: the 7-day simply clean kick start: 10 minutes to a happier, healthier home
• Seven days: decluttering, bathrooms, dusting, vacuuming, floor washing, catch-all day, and laundry
• Day 1 Decluttering 101
• Clutter is different for everyone. One suggestion: Get ride of the piles.
• How to declutter so you can really clean: A predetermined block of time, keep a timer (great way to motivate yourself to work quickly), and something to listen to or something to watch.
• Garbage bags or bin--at least four
• 1. Toss
• 2. Donate/sell:
• try not to get distracted with selling items right now--worry about clearing the clutter first and then deal with items that you want to sell once you've completed the challenge
• keep a basket in a logical spot in your home
• 3. Relocate
• anything that is imply in the wrong spot. Put all of tehse items in the relocate bin, and return them to their proper spot when the decluttering session is over
• 4. Keep
• Day 3: Dusting
• Give your air vents a quick once-over with your duster or vacuum cleaner's hose attachment
• Part Three: The 28-Day Simply Clean Challenge: Turn the Method into a Habit
• The challenge is very deliberate 28 days, because research says that it takes three weeks to form a new habit.
• Day 1= Clear and clean kitchen counters
• Remove everything from your kitchen counters and put them temporarily on your kitchen table or another space nearby
• Spray the counters
• Selectively return the items to the counters
• If there is something you don't use daily and you have extra space to store it, stash it away where it is still accessible.
• Day 2=Clean small appliances
• Remove your small appliances and clean them thoroughly
• run white viegar through the coffee maker
• dump the crumbs from your toaster
• Day 3= Purge and clean refrigerator and freezer
• Start with refrigerator and empty it completely
• wipe your refrigerator clean, take out any drawers or containers that can be washed
• Day 4= Clean oven and wipe appliances fronts
• You can clean it with a nontoxic cleaning paste, or the self-cleaning option on your oven (it's going to get stinky, so make sure you have widnows open and don't need the oven for a few hours)
• once the oven is done, let it cool, and wipe out any burned food debris with a wet sponge or cleaning cloth
• Wipe fronts of appliances with a microfiber cloth
• Day 5= Clear and clean pantry or food storage area
• Empty food pantry, throw away anything that is expired, foods you are no longer interested in donate to food bank.
• Day 20: Take inventory of bathroom linens--donate, toss, or keep
• If you have tattered linens, consider donating to your local animal shelter
• Part Four: Customizing the Simply Clean Method for Your Life
• Bimonthly: Wipe switches, phones and remotes. Every other month, use a rubbing alcohol wipe or a little rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth or cotton facial pad and wipe it over your light switches, telephones, and remotes.
• Tips for customizing the simply clean method for different schedules
• Working from home: you might find it most helpful to get homekeeping tasks out of the way early in the day so they don't get pushed to the back burner.
• Cleaning service, hire help when you need it--most cleaning services can do one-time cleanings or can schedule two to four cleanings without a long-term commitment. This is perfect for after a surgery or during a particularly busy time in your life. Consider hiring people for specific jobs like window and carpet cleaning to make some of those larger and more time-consuming tasks a breeze.
• Part Five: How to clean and organize (just about) anything
• Room-by-room tips to organize your home
• Get in the habit of wiping down kitchen counters after dinner and putting out fresh towels.
• Always completely empty any space you're trying to organize. Not only will you find that you are able to organize it more effectively, you're also less likely to put everything back if you're forced to deal with it, making it easier to really declutter
• How to organize a pantry
• Before you do anything, determine a couple zones that you can put everything into. Determine categories that work for how you cook and bake and what you store: snacks, cooking, baking, beverages, cereal, lunch supplies, food storage supplies, canned goods, grains and pastas, condiments, etc. Write these zones down on sticky notes and place the notes on a kitchen table or counter where you will be grouping items together. Completely empty your pantry or food area and place items in their appropriate caterogry on your kitchen table or counter.
• If you are feeling extra-ambituous, keep a pantry inventory sheet to track what you have on hand and what you need. Make a list of must-have items and keep track of quantities.
• Laundry
• If you use the same color of towels and sheets. This allows them to be washed together and keeps washing them a breeze.
• How to clean anything
• Rule of thumb for storage of any small appliance is that if it's not used at least two times a week, it gets stowed away. On the counters you could keep coffeepot, coffee grinder, and toaster.
• Clean and freshen a mattress
• Use a waterproof mattress pad. A mattress pad will keep any potential stains off your mattress and keep your mattress clean longer. Toss the mattress pad in every other washing.
• When you rotate your mattress, take a couple of minutes to vacuum the top of it to remove any dust and dust mites.
• How to clean baseboards, doors and trim
• Baby wipes make a great baseboard cleaner. You can use them on painted and natural wood because of their gentleness.
• How to vacuum effectively
• Vacuum horizontally in each room. Then vacuum vertically in each room. This technique is the best way to make sure that the carpet is lifted and the embedded dirt, pet dander, and pet hair is removed.
• You can put a drop or two of your favorite essential oil on a cotton ball and put it in your vacuum canister or vacuum cleaner bag to freshen the air while your vacuum is running.
• Stain removal
• Bodily fluids: Bloat and soak up with cold water and treat with oxygen bleach alternatives.
• Fruit and juices: run under warm water and treat the stain with white vinegar. If the fabric is white, treat with hydrogen peroxide.
• Grease and oil: Keep a piece of white chalkboard chalk in the laundry room and draw over any grease stains. If the grease or oil stain is larger, sprinkle a little cornstarch over the stain and a drop of dish soap.
• Ink: Dab with a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol.
• Sweat: Mix up a baking soda and water paste and scrub with a clean toothbrush to dissolve perspiration. Soak in 1/4 cup oxygen bleach alternative and warm water in washing machine or a small laundry bucket for a couple of hours or overnight.
• Unknown stains: Rub with a bar or castile soap.
• wine: blot with club soda or cool water and soak up stain.
• Cleaning your car, supplies: garbage bag, linter roller, vacauum, all-purpose stray cleaner, window cleaner, and microfiber cloths.
• Part Six: Cleaning supplies and resources
• Hydrogen peroxide: it's a natural disinfectant and when tested has been shown to kill germs more effectively than bleach. Keep it in the brown bottle--its disinfecting properties go away when exposed to light. Spray on yucky cutting boards, counters, mildw. Let it set for 5-10 minutes and wipe clean.
• A few things you need to know about DIY Cleaners
• Never, ever use vinegar on stone, granite, marble--vinegar's high acidity will etch away at your beautiful counters over time.
• Homemade cleaners have a shorter shelf life because they don't have preservatives..
• The bulk of each cleaner is water--use filtered or distilled water to extend the shelf life of your cleaners, or boil and cool the water if you are unable to filter it.
• Environmental Working Group at EWG.org they rate cleaners from A-F, then list the potential harm.
• Essential oils are oils from plants--they are not fragrance oils.
• Brands: doTERRA, Plant Therapy, NOW
• Citrus scents (sweet, refreshing, energizing scents): lemon, orange, graperfruit, lime
• Spicy Scents (warm, inviting scents): cinnamon, vanilla, clove, ginger, and cardamom
• Clean scents (combinations that smell fresh and clean): tea tree, lemon+peppermint, rosemary+pepermint+lavendar, pine+lemon+lime
• Spa-like (soothing): lavender+eucalyptus, cedarwood+pine, cardamom+peppermint+rosemary
• Garbage disposal cleaner
• 1/4 cup baking soda nd 1/4 cup lemon juice. Mix ingredients together to form a pasty liquid. The liquid will start fizzing--quickly pour in disposal. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. Run cold water, run on disposal.
• Resources and Favorites
• Clean Mama Home= shop that you will find favorite cleaning supplies
• Homekeeping Society= a monthly essentials subscritpon to help streamline and organize your life.
• Clean Mama printables= downloadable lists and organizers designed to help you get things figured out quickly.
• Find downloads and additional resources at http://www.cleanmama.net/new-simply-clean

This round of decluttering for me consisted of getting rid of the majority of my movies and TV series, along with starting to tackle books, and photos.

• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Reduce and Reuse

Seattle Public Utilities publishes quarterly newsletters that has tips and information for residents. Here are some of the tips I thought I would share:

• Bring Your Own
• Water Bottle
• When you use a reusable water bottle, you can keep up to 217 plastic water bottles per year out of a landfill, and save an average of $260 per year on bottled water.
• Coffee Cup
• Bring your cup to the coffee shop instead of taking a disposable one. Many shops will also give you a discount for bringing your own cup, and this switch can prevent around 23 pounds of waste per year.
• Straw, just say no to plastic straws
• Switch to metal, glass, paper, or compostable straws--or simply stop using straws. Americans use 500 million plastic straws a year--enough to fill more than 125 buses with straws each day! This swap can reduce the harmful impacts of plastic straws on marine animals.
• Utensils
• Pack your own reusable utensils for meals on the go, and say, "No thank you" to plastic utensils when you order. This switch will help you reduce your contribution to the 6 million tons of disposable plastic utensils that go to landfills every year.
• The Recycle Bin
• Includes: paper, cardboard, plastic bottles/containers, glass bottles/jars, and metal cans. Make sure it is larger than 3 inches, and make sure it is empty, clean, and dry.
• No electronics: if it has a battery or has a plug, it needs to be separated into metal, plastic, and electronic components for proper recycling. TakeItBackNetwork.org lists places that do this on their website.
• No batteries or lightbulbs.
• Batteries can cause fires or explosions when tossed in the recycling.
• Lightbulbs break into shards of glass. Fluorescent bulbs contain toxic mercury that can be inhaled when bulbs break.
• All of these can be recycled when dropped off at a take back location. Call2Recycle.org and LightRecycle.org offer information on their websites.
• When in doubt, find out "Where Does it Go?" by checking our recycling guidelines at: seattle.gov/util/wheredoesitgo
•  The Compost Bin (officially known as Food and Yard Waste Bin)
• All food waste.
• Food soiled paper without a shiny coating. The shiny coating is plastic.
• Approved compostable bags and packaging. The word "compostable" will be on the item.
• Items with words like "biodegradable," "sustainable," and "plant-based" are not the same as compostable.

Soulful Simplicity

Recently, I described a hound dog's eyes as "soulful", with the intent of describing his sorrowful expression. However, while reading Courtney Carver's book, Soulful Simplicity, I embraced "soulful" to be profound love. For those that have watched Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things on Netflix, you would remember Courtney, she came up with Project 333; which is a minimalist fashion challenge that invites individuals to dress with 33 items or less for three months. My fashion outcome is not to implement Project 333 (I have too many hiking-specific articles of clothing), but, I  wanted to continue to learn from others that have welcomed minimalism into their household.

Courtney's journey began when she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She wanted to improve her health, build more meaningful relationships, and relieve stress in her professional and personal lives. Courtney is a very practical minimalist, and I was able to further reflect on what is most important to me, and continue to rid myself of all the excess things I possess.

Below are some of the ways that Courtney was able to create more with less--more space, more time:

• Pain point=wake-up call
• Take a look at your pain points, your suffering. It may be a chronic condition or disease, something easy to identify, or maybe it's something else like a strained relationship, the stress of overdue bills, general fatigue, or just a sense of "something isn't right." Those things may feel normal like they did for me, but you deserve better.
• This is your wake up call
• If your life is on autopilot.
• If you never put yourself first.
• If you've become someone you don't recognize to please other people or chase some version of success that doesn't resonate with you.
• If you are constantly self-medicating with food, shopping, booze, TV, or other distractions.
• If you are worn down, beat up, stressed out, and completely depleted.
• Getting your wake-up call is not the hard part, even though it might hurt a little bit. Answering the call is. Choosing to answer the call instead of ignoring it is hard because you know if you do, things are going to change, and change. 
• Having a strong list of whys will encourage you along the way, especially if things get tough.
• What is motivating your journey?
• Why the change?
• Soulful simplicity is that it's not a quick fix or something you do once. It's more like exercise where you have to keep practicing, keep starting over, and keep coming back. It's always here for you, but it's up to you to practice, connect, and reconnect with it.
• Suggested questions about making you:
• How are things going in my life?
• How do I feel physically?
• How do I feel emotionally?
• What do I love about my life?
• Whom do I envy and what do I lie about?
• What changes do I want to make?
• What changes do I have to make?
• The clutter and chaos on the outside make you feel cluttered and chaotic on the inside. Clutter attracts clutter and calm attracts calm.
• The myth of ownership
• Myth #1 Aspirational ownership
• "If I own________________, I will be, look, or feel_________."
• For example:
• If I own a home, I will be a responsible adult.
• If I own a luxury care, I will be safe, comfortable, and appear affluent.
• If I own the latest tech device, I will be hip and cool and more productive
• If I own the best face cream, I will look young. 
• If I own the right containers and hangers, I will be organized.
• If I have the right suitcase, I'll be more adventurous and see the world.
• If I have a bigger table, I will entertain more often and have more friends.
• If I wear the right workout clothes, I'll go to the gym on a regular basis and get six-pack abs.
• Myth #2 Pain- Avoidance Ownership: When we buy things to make ourselves feel better.
• Boredom: "There's nothing to do today, so let's go to the mall."
• Distractions/Procrastination: Instead of decluttering, you go to a container store and buy more stuff for storing your stuff.
• Guilt: Spending time with people you love doesn't have to cost anything.
• Myth #3 Just-in-Case ownership:
• I'm keeping this just in case ______." Articulate what you  think might happen. When you realize that you have been holding on to things for the wrong reasons, it will be easier to let go.
• The just in case excuse for holding on is a messy combination of fear and procrastination. We hold on because we aren't quite ready to let go but we rarely use or enjoy the just in case stuff that we keep.
• Shopping away the pain
• Numbing: "We cannot selectively numb emotions; when we numb the painful emotions, we also numb the positive emotions."
• This new mind-set has not only saved me money, it's expanded my capacity to care for others and to find gratitude in the simplest things.
• Is this love
• I didn't have a goal in mind of how much I wanted to get rid of, but my plan was to just keep going until what was left was only what I used or enjoyed. That meant letting go of the "just in case," the "I spent so much on that," the "but someone who loves me gave me that," and even the sentimental stuff, the stuff I had saved since I was old enough to save things.
• Reset to zero
• At least once a week, reset to zero. Wash every dish, laundry, anything scattered on the floor is picked up and put in it's proper place, every surface is cleared of clutter,, and the entire house is at it's resting state. Email inbox is zeroed (every message is either deleted or acted upon and archived).
• The magic of letting go
• We may each hold on to different items, but we experience a similar struggle in terms of the hold our things have on us. When letting go, it helps to start with the easy stuff like duplicates, and things you know you won't miss---strengthening your decluttering muscles
• Dave Ramsey states that 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and 90% are buying things they cannot afford.
• It is ingrained in us to believe that success and growth are tied to bigger and better, so a choice to live in a smaller space and live with less brings up questions. It's interesting how we make assumptions about people based on what they own.
• Francine Jay, author of The Joy of Less suggests 'Your home is a living space, not a storage space." Moving into a smaller space you may begin to notice
• Clutter attracts clutter
• Less is not nothing
• You don't have to fill up all the space
• Less indoor space provides more time to appreciate the outdoor space
• When you need to buy things for your things, it's time for fewer things
• Clutter is more obvious (living in a sprawling space, clutter is easier to ignore; in a small space, clutter demands immediate attention)
• It's easier to live in the world when you live in a small space
• The things that make a place feel like home aren't things
• Making space: Action Steps
• Choose your myth
• Identify your pain
• Take care (trade shopping for self-care)
• Try a purchase pause
• Call a stop to shopping for all nonessential items for the next thirty days. Write down everything you want to buy or consider buying and how much each thing costs. At the end of thirty days, add up the money you didn't spend. Ask yourself:
• Is there anything on the list I still want as much as I thought i did?
• If someone handed me the total amount of my fake purchases in cash, would I use it to buy all the things on the list, or use it for something else?
• Return it. If you purchased something recently that you don't use or feel bad about buying, return it.
• Let go of something expensive.
• Get rid of everything that doesn't matter.
• Hide it.
• Have fun with your family and hide something you are considering getting rid of. Don't tell them it is hidden, but box it up and put away for 60 days.
• Let the guilt flow.
• Save $1,000, if you don't have an emergency fund yet, start one with $1,000.
• Redefine success
• Share your story
• Host a simplicity summit
• Consider a smaller space.
• I used my busyness as a sign that I was important, needed, and really good at doing it all.
• It is not just saying no and freeing up time, but slowing down the clock by moving through the day with more attention and intention.
• A meaningful morning routine
• If you'd like to create a meaningful morning routine, use habit stacking.
• Build your routine slowly, habit by habit and minute by minute. Such as wake up, take a shower, use shampoo, then conditioner, dry off, and get dressed.
• Habit stacking gives you the momentum to build multiple habits simultaneously. Each habit triggers and supports the one to follow.
• I have to remind myself that no one cares about what's on my to-do list or how busy I am, or even how much I got done yesterday. What I do is not who I am.
• When your plate is full, you have three choices:
• Worry about everything on your plate, and complain about how crazy busy you are.
• Remove something from your plate to make room for something that matters more.
• Recognize your plate is full and say no to everything else so you can enjoy and engage in what is right in front of you.
• The Busy-Boycott--A 21 day Challenge to Help you Slow Down
• Stop talking about it
• Let's stop telling each other how busy we are. Perhaps, if we can physically remove the word busy from the conversation, we can stop thinking about it so much. Ban the word "busy" from your vocabulary.
• Avoid hearing the word busy by asking better questions. Instead of "How are you?" try "What made you smile today?"
• Do Less
• Every day, eliminate one thing from your calendar or to-do list. Don't postpone it, let it go.
• Linger longer
• Slowing down supports your commitment to create and protect your newfound time and space.
• Instead of saying "I don't have time" try saying "it's not a priority" and see how that feels.
• The real problem was me. I became my work instead of choosing work that becomes me.
• A Gentle Warrior's Manifesto to End Busyness
• I will not say yes when my heart says no.
• I will measure more by what's in my heart and less by what's on my list.
• I will prioritize love and health.
• I will ask for help.
• I will work with people who want my best, not my busiest.
• I will ask better questions, so we don't have to talk about how busy we are.
• I will not let my phone run my life.
• Phones were designed for connection, but the more our phones can do, the less connected we seem to be.
• I will trade my FOMO for JOMO
• Fear of missing out to joy of missing out.
• I will create space for solitude
• Without solitude, I feel depleted. Without quiet, I become overwhelmed and grouchy.
• I will linger longer.
• Sabbath
• We are weary because we do not rest. Weekends have become more about catching up, running errands, and planning for the next week than about resting and enjoying the day.
• How to create your own sabbath
• Schedule your sabbath. Put it on your calendar and make it important.
• Tell the world: tell everyone that you will not be available.
• Take a Sabbath eve. On the night before your planned day off, skip the heavy meal and alcohol. Go to bed early so you can wake up feeling peaceful and relaxed.
• The Art of No-ing
• Be grateful and graceful while saying no
• Be grateful for the invitation, respectful of the time and courage it may have taken someone to ask, and graceful and loving when you decline.
• Be clear
• Saying "let me think about it" is often a delaying tactic. When you know it's a no, say no.
• Keep it short. 
• No is a complete sentence.
• "No thank you. I appreciate you thinking of me, but i have another commitment."
• Making time: Action Steps
• Create a 5-minute morning routine
• Grow your morning routine with habit stacking
• Apply a joyful discipline
• Choose what goes on your plate
• Boycott busy
• Choose work that becomes you
• Become a gentle warrior
• Put your phone down.
• Hope, light, and freedom were all wonderful side effects of simplicity. Simplicity will transform your closet, your kitchen cabinets and all the spaces in your life.
• Trying to convince others
• It's not up to us to tell others what's important to them. 
• We can have conversations and make recommendations, but we can't tell other people what they should keep or let go of, and only you can decide what matters most to you among your objects.
• Letting go of stuff has given me the space to care even more about people. By creating a soulful simplicity, I don't need sentimental items to be a sentimental person. 
• The Victory Lap (save sentimental things for last)
• Strengthen your ability to let go
• Build strength by letting go of the easier stuff: clothing, kitchen duplicates, furniture.
• Tell the story of your stuff
• Take pictures of your sentimental items or write down the reason you saved them.
• Take a victory lap
• The process of giving each item one last intentional, loving use. For instance, wearing my grandmother's dress to Thanksgiving dinner. Then I mentally thank that item for the role it played in my life, remind myself that an object is not a relationship and tuck it lovingly into the donation pile.
• A Simple Life is not the end goal
• When I decided to quit stress as a way to heal, I didn't plan to simplify my life. Simplicity wasn't the plan. There was no plan. All I wanted to do was to get better. It started with a small change to my diet. Once the diet felt like the new normal, I moved on to the next sources of stress: clutter, then debt.
• Before simplifying further, think about what you really want out of this life of yours. Is this the time to simplify more, or is this the time to depend a connection with someone you love? Perhaps it is simply time to rest.
• Simplifying with the goal of become as simple as possible will prove to be as empty as changing your diet to be as skinny as possible.
• Simplicity may start in your closet. At first, the focus is on sorting and donating clothes, but after a while, your lighter wardrobe attracts more compliments, less decision fatigue, and the happy realization that you are wearing your favorite clothes every day.

Resources Discussed in Soulful Simplicity:

Whole30 Challenge

Headspace app

Book: Your Monety or Your Life

Book:The Joy of Less

Book: The Sleep Revolution

Podcast: The Slow Home

Tiny Wardrobe Tour (living and dressing with less)

Blogger list at bemorewithless/soulful-simplicity-resources

Zen Habits blog (slow-habit inspiration)

Book: You Can Buy Happiness and It's Cheap

Book: How to Live a Good Life: Soulful Stories, Surprising Science, and Practical Wisdoms

Book: The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less

Blog: Be more with less

Items I decluttered this round:

• Clothing
• 4 pairs of pants (legging, sweatpant, and 2 slacks)
• T-shirt and shirt
• Chanel purse
• 1 shoe (goodbye Five Fingers)
• Accessories
• Scarf, 2 bracelets, 1 pendant, 1 charm, 2 headbands, and 1 necklace chain
• DVDs: 29 movies and 10 TV series
• Misc: coffee cup, 2 books, 2 magnets, 1 keychain, 2 hangers, 2 eclipse glasses

Hike-a-Thon

Are you looking for a way to make your hiking go the extra mile this summer? Join Hike-a-Thon. This is Washington Trails Association's 15th Annual Hike-a-Thon brings together hikers from all across the state to hike, advocate and raise money for our trails.

Here's what you need to know:

• Registration is open now. The $20 fee includes a Hika-a-Thon T-shirt, fundraising webpage, and access to awards, and weekly raffles. Once you register, you can begin collecting donations.
• The hiking part of Hike-a-Thon runs August 1-31st. Any hiking you do on named trails will count towards your hiking goal.
• There are plenty of prizes to go around for "most trip reports," and "most miles hiked"
• Doing a little goes a long way. Every Hike-a-Thoner's contribution on and off trail, big and small, all combined to create great results. You will be a part of the vibrant and dedicated Hike-a-Thon community making a difference for our trails.

In 2017, Hike-a-Thoners hiked 14,261 miles, climbed 2 million feet of elevation and raised more than $136,000 to help hikers and trails.

To Register: https://give.wta.org/event/15th-annual-hike-a-thon/e167745

https://give.wta.org/event/15th-annual-hike-a-thon/e167745

My Hike-a-Thon Goals:

1. Complete 10 Hikes from August 1st-31st
2. Hike 120 Miles
3. Write a Trip Report for each hike on the WTA website
4. Take many beautiful photos