Magical Moment 449, "My Royal Haircut"

With the Royal Wedding today (and I don't mean the Fred Astaire version), there has been no escaping the hype. And I don't really mind it either. In fact one of the first things I did this morning was check online to see photos of Princess Katherine's dress. Like many people, I was reminded of Princess Diana and though I wasn't around for that wedding, I do have one memory from my early childhood involving her.

I'm certain that most parents of girls go through the nightmare of brushing their daughter's hair every morning. My mother was no exception and when I was in 3rd grade, she had enough of my unruly tangles and took me for a hair cut. It ended up being very...short. And to reassure me, my mother told me it was a hair cut like Princess Diana. A Princess! Wow, that was really exciting for a little girl. Unfortunately, I don't think I had any real reference as to who Princess Diana was, let alone what her hair looked like.

Well, short hair looks lovely on her. But on a boyish little girl (who after this haircut was mistaken more than once for an actual little boy!), it's maybe not the best look. So here, only a few short days after my "Princess" haircut, we had school pictures taken. Yep. I've never been able to live this one down.

Scroll down.

Here it is.

Wait for it.

And there you have it!

I can't even bring myself to make the photo size "large" like in every other photo I post on this blog! I guess everyone has one...a school picture that makes you roll your eyes and wish you could make it disappear forever. Naturally the thing to do is put it on the internet for all to see and laugh at! Funny how after all these years however, I still have short hair. I think I've grown into a bit better, though I'm still no Princess Di.

I'm sure the wedding today was beautiful, but I still wouldn't trade my lovely, intimate day for anything. (This one I'll make large!)

I was having a good hair day that day!

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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