Magical Moment 57, "Branch Out"

Last night I had a gig in Brooklyn booked for 8 pm. For this particular event, however, I had to bring a mike, mike stand, amp, cables, and a bag of sheet music. And because I have no "roadie," I had to drive my own car in order to transport everything by myself. I decided to leave my house freakishly early because I've never driven to Brooklyn before and I didn't want to risk being late or even the stress of cutting it too close.

I arrived in Brooklyn and parked my car in a nearby garage about 2 hours early. This being only the 2nd time in my entire life to set foot in Brooklyn, I had no idea what to do with myself when I walked out of the parking garage. I looked left. I looked right. Then decided to walk until I found a Starbucks or Dunkin Doughnuts and sit for 2 hours. After several blocks, I had no such luck. Apparently, there is no coffee chain on every corner in Brooklyn like there is in Manhattan or New Jersey. I broke down and decided to do some shopping. Yes, the point of booking jobs is to make money, not spend it, but what can I say? It's almost my birthday, right? Somewhere between Grand Army Plaza and Eighth Avenue, I decided I better not spend all my money before I earned it and parked myself in a local cafe for a while.

I surrendered to the idea of having to choose a coffee shop that I was not familiar with and chose a tiny, Cuban cafe. When the lady asked what I wanted, I told her, "I just want something with chocolate." She smiled and served me a home-made oreo cookie and genuine cup of Cuban coffee.

I sat at the stainless steal table, looking out the window at the Brooklyn locals in this trendy neighborhood, eating my treat one crumb at a time. I realized that their every-day, sit-in-a-cafes and window-shop outfit was far more stylish than my so-called "cocktail dress" for that evening. Regardless, I enjoyed the next 45 minutes. My home-made oreo was amazing. It looked like solid food. It felt like solid food. But when I put it into my mouth, it melted into sweet goodness. And the coffee, I must say was just as good, if not better than Dunkin Doughnuts.

In that moment, I was glad that I chose to branch out. Well, not so much chose, as was forced to. Either way, I experienced a great surprise. How much more could I experience in my life, should I choose to branch out just a little more?

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-

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