Magical Moment 275, "Weight of the World"

I spent my drive home from work measuring the events of my day, placing them on a figurative scale and adding them up like Weight Watchers points. Let's just say that one side of the scale had a whole lot more stuff on it than the other.

First, it's drill weekend with the Army so my husband has been out of town for 2, going on 3 days. Next, I woke up late this morning and rushed off to work without so much as a cup of coffee or breakfast. I also didn't have time to pack anything, so that meant I would go without a morsel of food all day until almost 5 pm. Then let's see. Oh yes, I got pulled over. And then, oh right, I had an expired insurance card (by 6 days). Which inevitably led to me being late for work.

I had a monstrous 7 hours playing for ballet rehearsal today. I let my own self doubt and paranoia get the better of me again. It seemed like every song I played was the wrong style or tempo, and soon I felt like the walls were closing in on me and I didn't deserve to be there as a pianist. By the time I was finished, I had a pounding headache and my hunger was so strong I thought I might faint.

I dreaded driving home (being careful not to speed) to an empty house with no food. So 10 minutes from my drive way, I ordered Chinese take out from the place across the street from our apartment. I parked my car and walked over to pick it up. The smell of that sweet and sour chicken went on the other side of the scale. I walked in my front door to find the mail man had slipped the mail through the door slot. Netflix. That also went on the other side. Then Joy met me on the stairs with an insanely hyper greeting and I think that was the first time I smiled all day. And finally, after not hearing from Eddie for almost 2 days, he called.

I sat on the couch eating my crab rangoon, enjoying a movie, with Joy sitting quietly at my feet. I guess at the end of the day, it all evens out.

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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