Tea for Thought

Every morning I make tea. I've become a fan of loose leaf tea ever since I was exposed to Teavana a few years ago. My sister got me a tea diffuser thermos for Christmas and I love it. I like exploring other loose leaf tea options by local tea stores. I stopped going to Teavana after the first time I got their teas, and I've gotten my loose leaf teas from small tea stores in Dallas, when I visited, and Houston. My friend from China also supplied me an abundance of green tea and floral tea once, since it's very popular there. She gave me some of her dried chrysanthemums and roses which are really pretty to look at, because they bloom in the hot water and taste very nice.

Anyway, every morning when I go to make my tea, I first fill it up with cold water up to about a 1/3 of the thermos because my tongue is super sensitive to hot. It gets buned easily and then I can't enjoy my lunch in comfort. I am always scared of taking a first sip of coffee when I order it because I don't want to burn my tongue. That's besides the point. What really goes on in my head as I fill the rest of the 2/3 with hot water is how the 2 temperatures of water really mix.

In my head, I want to look through a clear glass and color the hot water to see how the hot and cold intertwine and eventually become one to make warm water. I think back to the middle school tri-fold poster science projects, and kind of wish I thought of this earlier so I could answer my question.

I imagine it something like this:

State Parks in TX

Louisiana will always have a portion of my heart. But I'm seeing more and more perks of living in Texas. It's been about 2 months since I moved to Houston and I've been enjoying my time here.

My friend shared with me a list of state parks in Texas worth going to. I am going to list them here so I do not forget. I want to go visit them during my weekends. Possibly with a friend who enjoys long drives and hiking and nature and camping.
Note to self: Find that friend sometime soon.

1. Pedernales Falls State Park (Johnson City) - 3 hours/179 miles, a little past Austin
2. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area - 4 hours/242 miles
3. Garner State Park - 4 hours/270 miles
4. Longhorn Cavern State Park - 3hrs and 30 min/208 miles
5. Lost Maples State Natural Area - 4hrs and 30min/280 miles. Go in the fall to see the foliage.
6. Palo Duro Canyon State Park - 9 hours/616 miles, north of Midland. Check out the lighthouse trail. This place is called the "Grand Canyon of Texas"
7. Big Bend Ranch State Park - 11 hours/678 miles