Gardens and Wandering Trails

Hey beautiful people!

It's been a long time since I've done a travel post about ANYTHING. I've just been so busy with school and my new job. But, today I made it a priority to go out and do something leisurely productive, if  that even makes sense, lol. Today I explored the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park and took an adventure on a trail around Stow Lake. Though it was a little sketchy, with some inclines and wooded stairs, it was quite a nature treat. Here are some pictures from today's shenanigans. All of the pictures you'll see were taken by me. Hopefully I can do more travel posts in the near future. I just need to make leisure time a priority in my hectic schedule. But for now, I hope you all enjoy!

Yours Truly,

Carla Renee

xoxo

 One of the major attractions in the tea garden. This beautiful Shrine was too good to pass up.

 Would you call this a Shrine Arch? Either way, it looked great on this sunny SF day.

 A stone lantern that I couldn't help but take a picture of.

 The Buddha in all of his glory.

 Found this quirky little structure in the Tea Garden. Looks like a bamboo water fountain. It was pretty cool. I kinda want one for myself!

 These stone lanterns can be found all over the garden. All of them were beautifully placed.

 Stone lanterns everywhere!!

 One of my favorite parts of the garden; CHERRY BLOSSOMS!! They're my favorite flower. Definitely had to come to the gardens because they only bloom during March and April. After that they fall off. Glad I got to see them this year!

 After walking through the gardens an organic ice cream truck was spotted. I can never turn down ice cream!! Here is my organic vanilla bean and chocolate twirl ice cream with chocolate chips. It was so good!! I'm definitely gonna have to hunt this ice cream truck down again!

 This is the beginning of the wandering trail. Had no idea where it went, but that's what life is all about! Gotta take risks sometimes!!

 But of course I didn't trek alone! Here is my good friend Roberto, who is crazy enough to go with me on these adventures. Thanks for coming!! :)

 Onward we went!! Seemed like a pretty cool pathway.

 But knowing me, I had to stop every now and then to smell and appreciate the flowers.

No filter needed for these flowers. They were vibrant on their own!! I had to stop for these beauties.

In the midst of our unknown path a tiny bridge was spotted that led to...

 This awesome shrine buried in the shrubbery!!

Then I had a field day with taking pictures. This is one of my favorite pictures. He didn't know I was taking pictures of him at the time. But, I think that's why I love this picture so much. My oblivious model created a stunning photo. Thanks again Roberto! Always a pleasure having you with me during my adventures. :)

Actions Speak Louder than Words

A lot was said, but never with words.

Outside of us there are things I wish I could take back.

The feel of your lips, the touch of your skin.

Running my fingertips across your arms and cheeks.

Just one look into your eyes.

Feeling your heartbeat with my hands.

Reality intertwining with fantasy.

A conversation without words.

A conversation within the heart.




A heart crushed by reality. . .

Brown Skin Beauty: Beauty In My Brown Skin

Hey There Lovlies,

This time around I thought I'd talk about something more personal. The majority of my posts are superficial; clothing, adventures, food, and they only say so much about me. This time I want to talk about something more personal, something that will get people thinking. Something that will tell you more about me.

When the word beauty comes to mind some people may think of makeup, fashionable clothing, certain kinds of hair, skin, teeth, and skin. Before, that was my idea of beauty. Wanting to look like one of the girls from the television screen or magazines; tall, long hair, colored eyes. Something that would make me look unique. But, I eventually realized that a majority of that was makeup, photoshop, and other unnatural techniques to make these girls look perfect. I was the short African American girl with short brown hair, brown eyes, athletic build, small bust, always playing sports, sometimes considered 'one of the guys'. I was something you didn't see often, if at all, on television or in magazines. So I didn't have much to compare myself to to make myself feel beautiful.

As I got older I stopped wanting to compare myself to girls on the TV and magazines. I wanted to be the most beautiful me I could possibly be. I wanted to be the most beautiful Carla Renee that could ever exist because I knew God gave me something that no one could ever take or compare; my beauty. My beauty isn't just my physical appearance. It's my poise, my heart, my strength, my drive, and my courage. 

When I am around people I want to have the kind of presence that lets people know that I am respectable, yet fun to be around. When I'm around people I want them to hear and see the happiness and innocence in my laughter and smile. That no man will EVER think twice about calling me anything other than my name. That when it comes to dealing with me you must come correct. I want people to know right off the bat that my heart is pure. That I am a sincere woman that means no harm and only wants the best for herself and everyone around her. That when people witness my courage, strength, and determination it will leave them in awe. That when they see me hard at work all they can say is 'Wow, that girl is going somewhere. She is going to be somebody'.

When people see me I don't want them to tell me that I am pretty for being a black girl. I want to make sure that the last thing they ever think of when they see me are the girls on WorldStar. When people see me I want them to think. 'wow, this girl is beautiful. Not only because she is physically attractive, but because she is a strong-willed, high spirited woman with a pure heart who knows what she wants in life and is loving and nurturing to those around her.' I am proud to stand tall at 5'2 with a pure heart, strong willed, and poise like no other. I'm not perfect now but I am working towards being the perfect Carla Renee that God has planned for me to be.

My Brown Skin Beauty isn't limited to no one ethnicity or background. This can apply to anyone and everyone. So what is your Brown Skin Beauty?

Yours Truly,
Carla Renee
xoxo

We're always looking for it, but how do we know when we've found it?

Love.

This blog is about the simplest but one of the most complicated things in life.
What do you look for in love? How do we know it's love? Where do we look? and Once we've got it, then what? Questions that I know I don't have the answers to but questions that I can at least state my opinion on. I'm still very young and I have so much more to experience and more wisdom to gain, but as a person who feels and has emotions I can chime my opinion on this topic. Feel free to chime your thoughts and opinions on this topic as well. There isn't a concrete definition or a correct perspective on this powerful phenomenon, so let your thoughts be heard.

What do you look for in love?
From the perspective of someone who is looking from the outside in, I feel like people take love to seriously. I think that love should be fun, adventurous, kind and inspiring. I think you and your significant other should make each other laugh and should constantly be surprising one another. Love should be simple. It shouldn't take constant date night and gifts to be happy. I feel like you should be comfortable with a walk to the store or a planned stay in and wear pajamas and watch movies and TV all day kind of days are good. But that doesn't mean a romantic day/evening out every once in a while shouldn't be done. I think that it's important to examine the other person's true intentions in themselves as well as in the relationship. It goes for us as well. If our own intentions are not true to ourselves how can we hold true intentions towards someone else?

How do we know it's love?
Love is completely subjective. It depends on the person and their needs. But all in all, I think that you'll know it's love when that person makes you happy and makes you laugh. When you can let your barriers down and they never go near the boundaries of taking advantage of you. When you see things in that person that no one else can. When you can see their gentle side, their strong side, their potential and the love that you are blessed to be able to experience. I think when you feel secure and protected around this person and feel like they have everything under control is a powerful feeling. Yet at the same time you can feel strong even in their presence. When they encourage you and push you toward your own goals while still being able to focus on their own. I think when all of these components come together it makes the strong bond that we know as Love.

Where do we look?
I feel like love just naturally manifests when you come across someone that makes you see things in a whole new positive perspective that you would have never thought of before. But if there were a place to look for love the number one place to look would be within yourself. Be the person you want to love and that person will come. If you want someone who is strong, confident, and independent then you have to be strong, confident, and independent. It would be illogical for you to think that your "dream guy/girl" will come along if you aren't the "dream you". The phrase "opposites attract" is irrelevant to the circumstance of love, in my opinion. Not all of the time, but most of the time, if there is someone who is not matching the amount of effort that you are putting into the relationship then they do not have the same intentions as you. For example, if you are someone who lacks confidence and someone with a huge amount of confidence comes along there is a possibility that they think they can take advantage of you and they will. Or if it's the other way around and you're a strong confident person and the other person is the opposite then they may have the intention to use you to better themselves or somehow get ahead in life. If you ever feel like the person that has come along is too good to be true, then chances are you're right. The person you "fall in love with" shouldn't be an intimidation. They should be an excellent compliment to the strong and solid you that you already are. These circumstances are not always the case, but it's really important to watch this person and really dig deep and look into their intentions.

Once we've go it, Now what?
Hold onto it. Easier said then done, I know. You're two individuals who are trying to work as one solid couple. Someone's interest might change, or time just slowly changes a person. Honest communication is key. Let your feelings be heard. Tell them how you feel, do what you can to make it work. Love is a never ending process. It's difficulty varies on the kind of person you are with, which is why it is important to really examine and watch this person before stepping into love. Keeping the love strong can be a little easier or harder. What's really important is that equal effort is put in by both partners. No one person can put in more effort. It will lead to resentment and frequent arguing. It's possible to fall out of love with a person, it happens a lot. That's completely normal. Is it going to hurt? Yes. But time and experience will heal. But if this 'love' is doing more harm than good, it's time to let it go. Don't ever be afraid to let go of something that you know is hurting you or the both of you. It'll be hard in the beginning but in the end you're doing both of you a favor.

Love is such a complicated situation. But if it's done correctly it can be one of the best experiences in your life. Love is not a one try success, it's going to take trial and error, misses, minor hits, and heartache. But just think of it this way, all of your struggle and strife is going to bring you closer to the love that will make you smile, feel like your on top of the world, and happy beyond description. It's gonna be a long and rough journey, but if you follow the path you create for yourself you'll find your own happy ending.

So are you up for the journey?

Yours Truly,
Carla Renee
xoxo

Stressing Over Finals

For some people finals are over or just about over, but for me I start finals next week. I feel pretty good about my finals this semester, but I'm still a little stressed. Since it's my first experience with college finals I want to create a healthy habit when it comes to approaching finals. Here are some tips on how to ease a little bit of the stress of finals. These stress relieving tips can be used for other things than just finals. It can be used to help ease the stress of work, relationships, personal life, and financial stress. You can even modify and personalize these tips to make them fun or more suitable for you. Make your routine unique! I hope you all enjoy. :)

Your Truly,

Carla Renee

xoxo

Stress Relieving Tips:

Listen to Music

Listening to your favorite artists will instantly relax your mind and body. Take a few minutes out of your day to sit back and clear your mind. Don't think of the things you have to do, just enjoy the moment for what it is. Music that is great for relieving stress is nature sounds. As cliche as it may seem, it's really helpful. Stop what you're doing, turn on some tunes, and enjoy the moment.

Talk to a Friend

Human to human communication is important, specially if it's communicating with a good friend of yours. You don't have to spend a whole day with that person. It can be a trip to a coffee shop or a 25 minute phone call. Talking to a friend eases stress because that person will either get your mind off of that stress or will tell you they're going through the same thing. If that's the case you won't feel alone and knowing that you're not alone will help you cope with stress a little bit easier. Laughing and chatting with a friend is always a good time and a fun stress reliever. It's something that shouldn't be taken for granted.

Eat Right

When we have so many things to do during the day we tend to grab the quickest and closest thing to us and sometimes the quickest and closest things to us aren't the healthiest. If we're studying for long hours we'll grab chips or a bag of candy. Anything that's easy to take with us and easy to eat. That's not always the best thing to do. Instead, grab some fruit and water. Fruit are known to help reduce stress. Eating right makes you feel more alert and it's healthy for you. It's basically a win win situation.

Be Mindful

Meditating and things like Yoga, Pilates and tai chi are great for long term stress relief. Try taking a class or just sit and meditate in a quiet room for 10 minutes. I personally like meditating. After 10 minutes of clearing my mind and deep breathing I feel a lot better and like my mind had organized itself. Making me feel less stressed out.

Drink Tea

Tea is a really soothing drink whether it is served hot or cold. To relieve stress, hot tea is the way to go. Tea has less than half the amount of caffeine and has healthy antioxidants. There are also different types of teas that are great for healing. Whether it is digestion, immunity, or to aid in alertness and relieving stress. I love tea, it's one of my favorite drinks and whenever I drink it I never feel stressed.

Sleep Tight

It's recommended to get at least 8-9hrs of sleep a night but honestly I haven't gotten that much sleep since I've started college. Turning your room into the perfect sleeping sanctuary will help you feel rejuvenated in the morning. To do this make sure that you try to avoid doing homework in your bed. If you accustom yourself to doing work on your bed whenever you get in bed you're gonna feel as if you need to be doing something and you won't feel as relaxed. Before it's time for you to go to sleep neatly pull back your covers so that your bed looks more appealing and more like it's welcoming you to go to sleep. If your bed is tempting you to go to sleep when you get into bed you'll feel more at ease and fall asleep. And lastly, turn off all of the lights and have the room temperature to your liking. A dark room will help you fall asleep because you can't see in the dark so you can't look around. All of these steps will turn your room into a sleep sanctuary and will help you feel rejuvenated for the next day, no matter how many hours of sleep you may get.