Magical Moment 398, "The Manly, Girly Voice"

Married couples are forever trying to impress their in-laws. I suppose it's just a fact of life. Eddie and I are both fortunate to have a supportive family that we love and get along with. Still, especially at the beginning of our marriage, we walked on egg shells, putting our best foot forward to show ourselves worthy to our new families.

My parents came to stay with us a while ago and we grilled out one night. While we ate and talked, somehow, our cat Emily got out of the house. Our last cat got hit by a car, so we're both paranoid about leaving her outside for too long. After a few cars raced by our house, Eddie decided it was best to get her back inside.

Our cat is pretty smart. She comes when she's called. The thing is, you have to call her in a really high-pitched, funny sound. I think that started when she was a kitten, and we just automatically cooed her name like we would a baby, but it stuck. So now, anytime we want her to come, we have to say "Emily" about an octave higher than our regular voice. As you can imagine it sounds very girly and goofy.

I noticed that Eddie opted to attempt catch the cat, so as to avoid the embarrassment of making that sound in front of my dad. It wasn't working though and she was getting closer and closer to the street. My parents got up to try and help corner her. Cars were zooming by. Things were getting out of control. Finally Eddie straightened up and made the announcement, "Okay, she'll come when I call her, but I have to do it really girly." Then he just let it rip. My dad erupted in laughter at the sight and sound. Poor Eddie nearly died of embarrassment. I was proud of him though. At the sacrifice of losing face in front of my dad, and for the safety of our pet, he manned-up and did the girly voice.

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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