It’s Favorite Photo Saturday!

We take a lot of photos every week. Sometimes hundreds! Seriously. (Love digital photography!) So we decided to choose one favorite each week and post it on Saturday. We hope you’ll join us!! Just leave your link in the comments so we can drop by and see your favorite photo of the week.

We spend a lot of time at Disneyland but this week was the first time we actually rode in the Lilly Belle. The delightful red car is the caboose on one of the several Disneyland Railroad trains. The mahogany walls and ceiling are accented with stained glass windows along the top. The red Victorian furniture has seated many a celebrity including Japan’s Emperor Hirohito. The smoking jacket that the Emperor gifted Walt Disney with is hanging in the front of the car. Ashley, our conductor shared the history of the Lilly Belle during our trip around Disneyland. We can’t wait to do it again with our grandchildren!

January 25, 2012

Nikon D90 with 18-55mm Nikkor Lens

From Kailani at An Island Life: In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So on Fridays let’s take it easy on posting, too. Ask a simple question … nothing that requires a lengthy response. It’s a great way to make new blogging friends!

Today I’m going to step a little out of my comfort zone. Okay, a lot out of my comfort zone. I figure … why not? I’ve been out of my immediate comfort zone for several weeks. So …

Fourteen years ago my seventeen year old daughter died in an auto accident. Many online friends already know that but what many don’t know is that she died on a Tuesday, we buried her three days later on Friday and when we arrived home from the cemetery … my husband of twenty-one years informed me (and our boys) that when we moved from our home of 20 years the following week, he wasn’t coming. Even though we didn’t know where we were going to live … he knew where he was going. He already had another home all step up. (I need to say that in hindsight, leaving was the best thing that first husband ever did for me)

Those three events left me with a few issues. The biggest issue: I’m a bit agoraphobic. I like to be home. I’m perfectly happy not going anywhere unless of course it’s with NY. I can just about go anywhere with him but not alone. Including the market. I’d rather fast. I’ve come a long way and I have NY to thank for it. Nevertheless, I still have issues even running errands which we’ve done all day long every single day for almost 2 weeks.

How about you? Have you experienced any life changing events that have left you a bit wiggy? A simple yes or no is a good answer. ;D

A few days ago when we dropped our grand kids off at school, I had to beg Cody to put down his new book and get out of the car. Morning school traffic was backing up behind us. We had taken more than our “get out of the car and move out of the way” time allotment.  This delay was unusual for Cody for he LOVES his before school recess time.

But Cody also love story books and he was completely taken away with the antics of the characters in his new book, The Sneezy Wheezy Day. And for good reason!

The Sneezy Wheezy Day is the newest book in the Cougar Cub Tales. It’s a delightful story of two little cougars. Brother cougar isn’t feeling well so sister cougar thinks they need to seek advice from their critter friends who live in the woods.

First they visit with the wise White Owl who prescribes “care-berry pie” for brother cougar. When the pie doesn’t help brother cougar feel better, the little cougars seek out the Royal King Stag, the Canadian Goose, the Red Fox, the Razorback Hog and my favorite, the Grizzly Old Bear.

The Grizzly Old Bear thought the boy cougar had too much hair. His advise was to “trim it as short as you dare”! Absolutely hysterical!

The Sneezy Wheezy Day is an adorable story where the cougar cubs discover that all they really need is each other! The Sneezy Wheezy Day is the third Cougar Cub Tale written and illustrated by Sharon Cramer. It’s available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Now through Saturday (1/28) you can get a FREE ecopy on Amazon!

Learn more about the Cougar Cub Tales by visiting the Talking Bird Books website, Facebook page and by following Sharon Cramer on Twitter.

Giveaway!

1. Required entry – Tell who you would like to win The Sneezy Wheezy Day for.

2. For extra entries:

3. Follow @SimplyCathi on Twitter.

4. Become a fan of Simple Sojourns – Our brand NEW Facebook page. (We’re undergoing big changes)

5. Subscribe by email to Simple Sojourns (right sidebar).

6. You can earn one extra entry each time you tweet (once a day) about this giveaway:

GIVEAWAY! “The Sneezy Wheezy Day” storybook. http://bit.ly/AoIAlg #giveaway #win @sharonjcramer @SimplyCathi

7. One extra entry for following Talking Bird Books on Facebook.

8. One extra entry for following Sharon Cramer on Twitter.

* This giveaway will close at midnight Thursday February 16, 2012.

* The giveaway is open to US residents only.

* One set of entries per household.

* The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to the winner notification email.

No compensation was received for this post. We were provided us with a copy of  ”The Sneezy Wheezy Day” to facilitate our review.

January 6, 2012 – Disney California Adventure Park

Nikon D90 with 18-55mm Nikkor Lens

For more WW visit 5 Minutes for Mom and the WW Hub.

We have books in almost every room of our home. A great many of the books were our childrens’ books that we used to read to them.  Now we read them with our grandchildren. One of the wonderful things about narrated books is the opportunity children have to read them alone and to hone their own reading skills while following along with the words.

The newest addition to our library is Bad Kitty. We’re delighted with how much our grandchildren love this story narrated by award winning actress Vanessa Williams. Our daughter-in-law has even wished a time or two that the kiddos didn’t like the book as much as they do. Seems they read and listen to Bad Kitty over and over and over again. Now that in itself is asign of a good book.

Bad Kitty is the story of a cat gone berserk – four times over and in alphabetical order each time. Kitty is not happy when she’s told that her favorite foods are all gone and all that’s left are Asparagus, Beets, Cauliflower, Dill…and 22 other equally unappealing vegetables. So she eats homework, bites grandma, claws the curtains, damages dishes, and so on, all the way through the alphabet to the letter Z. Only when tastier things to eat arrive, anchovies, buffalo burritos, chicken cheesecake … does kitty change her behavior.

Just the other day six-year old Kennedy was reading Bad Kitty to her 18 month old cousin Fiona. And guess what? Fiona was just as intrigued with the escapades of the bad little kitty.

2. For extra entries:

3. Follow @SimplyCathi on Twitter.

4. Become a fan of Simple Sojourns – Our brand NEW Facebook page. (We’re undergoing big changes)

5. Subscribe by email to Simple Sojourns (right sidebar).

6. You can earn one extra entry each time you tweet (once a day) about this giveaway:

GIVEAWAY! “Bad Kitty” storybook with CD narrated by Vanessa Williams http://bit.ly/wvyFLA #giveaway #win @SimplyCathi

* This giveaway will close at midnight Monday February 6, 2012.

* The giveaway is open to US residents only.

* One set of entries per household.

* The winner will be chosen using Random.org and will have 48 hours to respond to the winner notification email.

No compensation was received for this post. Macmillan Audio | Macmillan Young Listeners provided us with a copy of  “Bad Kitty” and is providing the giveaway prize.

Faith in God includes faith in His timing - Neal A Maxwell

San Diego Safari Park – January 19, 2012

Nikon D90 with 18-55mm Nikkor Lens

Welcome to Favorite Photo Saturday.

This is where we share our favorite photo of the week from our camera. We take a lot of photos every week. Sometimes hundreds! (Love digital photography!) So we decided to choose one favorite each week and post it on Saturday. We hope you’ll join us!! Just leave your link in the comments so we can drop by and see your favorite photo of the week.

Meet Ruby. (Our nickname: Kanga-ruby!) She’s one of the many exotic animals you can meet up close and personal at the San Diego Safari Park’s “Animal Encounters.” We met Ruby this week when we spent a delightful day exploring the park with our dear friends Mike and Norma. Ruby was the first animal we encountered after the gorgeous parrots that greet everyone near the entrance. Ruby was friendly with her keepers but she kept her distance from the spectators. She didn’t perform tricks or anything that isn’t a natural behavior for a kangaroo. She did however hop along at her keeper’s direction and received treats continuously for doing so.

I asked about the harness she was wearing. We all know it’s not a natural piece of attire for a lady kangaroo, although it didn’t seem to bother Ruby one bit. Her keepers explained it took months to train Ruby to wear it. It was a slow process that started with her just sniffing the harness as she slowly became used to it being around. Eventually she tried it on … with help from her keepers of course. I suppose for Ruby, wearing the harness is special because she knows she gets to hop about AND get special treats!

We took almost 300 digital photos at the Safari Park this week. But these few photos of sweet Ruby just melt my heart. Perhaps it’s because she doesn’t seem to give a hoot about her little belly poking out in her profile. I wish I had her confidence!

Nikon D90 with 18-55mm Nikkor Lens

When I was young I had dreams of attending an old Ivy League college. Some of those dreams were because of songs like See You in September. Odd, I know. But nevertheless, I wanted to attend classes in big, old brick buildings on a campus where leaves turned gorgeous fall colors and the ground would sometimes be covered in snow.

(photo credit Wagner College)

But I married young and started a family. It was then that I began to dream of my children going to the ivy covered colleges of my dreams. Britt actually did. She went to a local college that had an old-school look and feel. She was a member of the cheer squad and loved her classes for the short time she was able to attend. Her college experience was cut short as the result of a fatal car accident just a month into her first term.

Now I enjoy listening to my friends as they share their childrens’ college experiences. Just yesterday a dear friend and I were discussing her daughter’s plans for college. Her daughter just received her first acceptance letter. The excitement level is growing every day for them in anticipation of other acceptance letters that are sure to follow.

College acceptance letters have started to arrive in homes across the nation. Anxiety levels rise as envelopes are opened in hopes of positive news. Anxiety levels can be high even with the good news of acceptance as parents begin to worry about sending their “babies” off to fend for themselves and prove their maturity.

To help students, faculty, and parents stay safe this semester, Marcia Peot, full time police officer and Chief Safety Officer at StreetSafe, offers the following campus safety reminders:

1. Let friends or roommates know where you are going, who you are with and when to expect you home.
2. Never leave outside doors propped open, and don’t let strangers into secured buildings or residence halls.
3. Never accept a ride from someone you don’t know, even if they are or claim to be a fellow student.
4. When approaching your car or residence, have your keys in your hand and check the area for suspicious individuals or activity.
5. When walking by yourself, keep your expensive belongings such as laptops and cell phones hidden.  You will be less of a target.
6. When dressed for cold weather, make sure your vision and hearing are not obstructed by hats and scarves.
7. Consider taking extra measures to protect yourself. StreetSafe is a new service that uses your smart phone’s GPS technology to instantly connect to help before a situation turns into an emergency. StreetSafe’s “Walk with Me” service offers a live connection to a professional Safety Advisor to keep you safe when walking in unfamiliar or threatening surroundings and instant access to 911 if needed.

From Kailani at An Island Life: In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So on Fridays let’s take it easy on posting, too. Ask a simple question … nothing that requires a lengthy response. It’s a great way to make new blogging friends!

Yesterday we went to the San Diego Safari Park with some of our good friends. We had an excellent time exploring the new exhibits and also remembering the way things had been in years gone by. The weather was perfect and bees were everywhere gathering pollen as they flew from flower to flower.

(San Diego Safari Park – January 19, 2012 - Nikon D90 with 18-55mm Nikkor Lens)

I’m in tune to the buzzing bees and most often know where they are before others around me. Why? Because I’m allergic to bees. Severely. I have an anaphylactic reaction. I carry an EpiPen with me at all times. It’s a hassle but it would keep me alive if ever the need to use it arose.

How about you? Do you have any allergies?