Celluwipes to the rescue!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Celluwipes for IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.

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Did you know the amount of bacteria on an average cell phone is 10 times higher than the amount of bacteria on a toilet seat!? I wasn’t really aware till I watched this video from Celluwipes and promptly threw my phone across the room in disgust. I mean, let’s face it, we’re all sitting on the toilet playing Two Dots these days. Even if you wash your hands after doing the deed, there are airborne particulates galore floating around in there and they will land on everything.

*shudder*

Then I started thinking about all the times I’ve sneezed with my phone in my hand. Or spent time in the hospital. Or set it down on the counter at a store. All these scenarios running through my head was enough to sell me on a wipe that’s safe for electronics and also kills bacteria, germs and viral organisms! And according to all the Amazon reviews they aren’t super wet like other cleaning wipes you’ve come to know and love. So they clean electronics (not just cell phones but your PDA, MP3s, smart phones, digital cameras, or handheld gaming device) safely and quickly! Make sure to enter the Rock Your Phone Giveaway they are having right now too! They are offering up some awesome prizes like a Moment Lens & Case!

Visit Sponsors Site

Just be nice. It’s so easy to do.

I’ve been in a low place. I’m struggling. It sucks. But I put on my brave face every day and carry on and try as hard as possible not to let it affect the people around me. Yesterday at the post office they lost a “certified letter” I received a notice for. Certified letters are generally pretty important so I was standing at the counter trying not to fall apart emotionally but I just kept smiling and telling them to take their time and be thorough. It took them about 25 minutes to figure out it was just a package of Shakeology and had been mislabeled. As I left the manager thanked me for being so patient and nice during the wait.

Then I sat in my car in the parking lot and cried for 10 minutes.

And this post isn’t about seeking comfort. If I thought you could do that I’d tell you how but I know better. What I do want to do is just to remind everybody to remember that everybody is going through something. Everybody.

Today on the way home from work I noticed a lot of SJPD bike cops and patrol cars heading North and I remembered that there was a funeral procession today for officer Michael Katherman and they must be heading back into town after the funeral which was in Gilroy. I decided to take the back way home because traffic was building up ahead and saw what must have been 50 or more guys on Harleys with American flags. Most of them had larger American flags rolled up and stored on their bikes.

And I had to pull over and take a second to breathe through the tears.

I know they weren’t there to support me. They don’t even know that I exist. But just the thought that these people all showed up to stand on the side of the road, flags waving, saluting this fallen hero as he passed made my heart swell. That there is so much love in the world was a little overwhelming. That there was so much love in this world out there directed at a COMPLETE STRANGER was I guess exactly what my heart needed right now in the wake of my personal problems, and mass shootings, and an annoyingly volatile campaign raging on.

So this is just your reminder to be nice. I know you have stuff happening in your life too. We all do. EVERYBODY.

But your simple smile. Your simple Thank You. Your simply holding the door for the person behind you. You have no idea how powerfully these tiny simple gestures can be to a stranger.

Somebody had a miscarriage today.
Somebody lost a pet today.
Somebody got laid off today.
Somebody’s car broke down today.
Somebody got devastating cancer news today.
Somebody lost their house in a fire today.
Somebody had to bury their fallen hero today.

Just be nice. It’s so easy to do.

All photos thanks to: Emilia Horta Designs and Photography

This is why I hike. And also why I need adult supervision.

I’ve been going through some personal behind the scenes stuff so while Ben was out of town last week I decided make some time to get out in nature and took the dogs for some hikes. I left my ear phones at home so that I wouldn’t be tempted to tune out to podcasts. Just me and the dogs and the wind and the birds and my thoughts on a hike. It was awesome.

And in true Anna fashion, blonde moments were had. On Sunday I decided to do a favorite hike that I don’t do NEARLY enough and hit up the UVAS hike. It’s a challenging hike but shaded and beautiful and has waterfalls which is rare in California. Water that isn’t salty is a novelty.

Before I even left I had to go back up the stairs about 15 times. Forgot the bug spray is upstairs. Forgot my socks upstairs. Forgot my sunglass upstairs. Found my shoes finally upstairs, etc. For a second I was like HIKE DONE! But then just laughed it off and just a really good warmup.

The normal loop I do at UVAS is a 2.6 mile loop and when I got to a point where I would normally take a turn, I looked at the map and saw a trail I had never taken before called Triple Falls and decided to check it out. It was going to add about 2.5 miles but my legs were feeling great, the dogs were still full of energy and it was such a beautiful day outside so I went for it.

The last .2 mile was TOUGH, lots of short but very steep uphill climbs to the base of the falls and I was really happy to see the marker at the end of the trail. I’m glad I did though, it was a beautiful trail, the views from the hills were AMAZING and the falls at the end were fun for the dogs to splash around in to cool off and get a good drink.

I sat on the ground and ate a banana while the dogs chases each other around, splashing through the water. It was deserted and quiet and peaceful and cool and exactly what I needed.

On the way back down that .2 mile trail I felt energized and also very happy to be going DOWN now instead of UP. The dogs were jumping around and chasing each other back and forth and just being silly dogs. It wasn’t till I got to the end of that trail section that I thought I should put them back on leash because I had seen people before on that section of the trail… and that the leashes were not with me. They were .2 miles back UP the trail where I had been sitting to enjoy some quiet time.

Red is the line I normally take. The arrows are where I let my blonde out.

leashes

DAMMIT!

So I hiked back up, which the dogs thought was AWESOME because MORE WATER PLAYTIME. More time to think. More time to listen to the world around me. More time to enjoy life. More.

So here is the point of this post. This is why I hike. And also why I need adult supervision.

UVAS hike 6/15/2016

UVAS hike 6/15/2016

UVAS hike 6/15/2016

UVAS hike 6/15/2016

This is where I left the leashes:

This is where I left the dog's retractable leashes sitting before waking .2 mile back down the most challenging part of the trail before realizing I left the dog leashes and had to walk back up there to get them. #SoBlonde #SoMe #DogsThoughtItWasAwesome

UVAS hike 6/15/2016

UVAS hike 6/15/2016