Today marks the 49^th year anniversary of Apollo 11's return to Earth, it was the first manned mission to land on the Moon. The first steps by humans on another planetary body were taken by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on July 20, 1969. The astronauts also returned to Earth the first samples from another planetary body. Apollo 11 achieved its primary mission - to perform a manned lunar landing and return the mission safely to Earth - and paved the way for the Apollo lunar landing missions to follow.

You know what time of year it is? Well...its summer, which means the sunflowers are blooming! Okay, they've actually just finished blooming, so you'll have to wait until next year to check them out, but they happen to be one of my favorite flowers. Fun fact, last year in Yolo County, nearly 25,000 acres of sunflowers were planted. Sunflowers begin facing east and sway west throughout the day and turn back to the east at night. If you ever get the chance to go check them out next season, please do! 

I’ve recently had the urge to visit the ocean and it’s been on my mind so much that I googled “Why do I feel like I need to see the ocean?” … I know, it’s super weird but I read a few interesting facts behind the psychology of the beach and our brains!

I very creatively copied and pasted some quotes from the articles I read:

1. The ocean has calming affects on our brain, “Staring at the ocean actually changes our brain waves’ frequency and puts us into a mild meditative state.”
2. The noises — coupled with the visuals — activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is “responsible for slowing us down and allowing us to relax and feel more engaged,”
3. When we're near the ocean, the mind switches into a different mode of engagement, known as the default mode network— The ocean activates creativity!
4. Standing beside a vast ocean or swimming in an epic lake brings inevitable awareness of this great, big world and your teensy, tiny place in it.