Magical Moment 194, "Back to Life"

After 4 days of experiencing the Jersey Shore, Times Square, line dancing, and karaoke with my best friend Deb, I drove her to the airport so she could make her way back to her family in Nebraska. She purchased the airfare for this trip months ago, and we’ve been making plans and building up our excitement ever since. I was shocked today as I drove home from Newark Airport by myself and realized just how fast our time together had flown by. We’ve already started planning our next “Friendiversary,” tossing around the idea of a cruise.

We’ve always hoped that some day in the future, our paths will lead us near each other again and we grew a little sad today as we said our goodbyes, living that moment all too often since I left Nebraska. But I reminded myself of all we’ve been through since – marriage, kids, a few career changes, and thousands of miles – and we’re still as close as ever. And I think that’s worth something. So tomorrow, when we both wake up to our regular jobs, family, and daily life, we’ll have the memories from the past, plans for the future, and genuine friendship for everything else in between.

Comments

"Tijuana, First-hand Facts of the Red-Tent Asylum Process"

My mind is so full of information that I want to share with you all from my week in Tijuana. This post will be just that, information. Factual and first hand. Witnessed and experienced by me. Thousands of migrants from all over the world, mainly from Central America, have traveled to Tijuana’s west U.S. port of entry seeking safety, better economic conditions, and/or to be with family already in the U.S. My motivation for taking this volunteer trip was to help the families in the extreme asylum-seeking cases - those who live in terror and fear both IN their home country and FROM their home country. Gangs and governments work hand in hand to target and terrorize families for their own personal interests. There is a list. The list has numbers on it. Asylum seekers want to get a number from this list and they want their number to be called. Like a deli. I was incapable of finding answers as to who creates this list, who decides how many numbers are on the list, and basically any ot...

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 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...

Search This Blog