Magical Moment 541, "My Best Smelling Memory"

Just like music or a specific location, certain smells can bring a flood of memories to mind. I never told anyone but Eddie this, because I was afraid it was too weird (which Eddie assured me that it in fact is too weird), but my favorite smell from childhood is...cigarette smoke.

I was born in Lincoln, NE in 1983, where the middle class smoked. If you asked someone in a restaurant or bar to put out their cigarette, you'd probably get punched in the face. Everyone knew smoking was generally bad for you, but the reality of just how bad hadn't quite set in yet.

My family lived in my grandparent's house for a few years when I was little, where their home was the hub of all extended family gatherings. My dad smoked, both grandparents, and so did all the uncles. (I am proud to say that my dad and grandma haven't smoked for a good decade and a half or more, and most of the family has quit since as well). But, unarguably, the smell was always around.

To this day, I love that smell!!! Weird, I know. I don't love the way my hair smells later, or how my coat lingers of the stagnant smell. But I love the way that fresh puff fills my nostrils. Calm down, I don't smoke. But when I'm walking down the sidewalk and someone is outside taking a break, it just makes me remember so many things from my childhood.

I have a neighbor who lives in the downstairs apartment. She steps outside every now then to light up, and the smoke wafts up to the second floor, and through the cracks in our crummy living room window. "Ahhhh," I sigh to Eddie.

"She's outside again." I say as I become nostalgic.

What's your favorite childhood smell? Is it as weird as cigarette smoke?

*photo from here

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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