A Yankee's trip to the Zoo - in photo's

 No, not this one.......

There really isn't a place down here that would  make me feel home sick for my northern city roots. So, I went to the closest thing that could get me thinking about up east........the zoo :-)

Now, the Tallahassee zoo is not like a real city zoo. It's missing some major players.. elephants, zebras & monkey's ..you know, the average zoo fare. But it's a nice place to take your family on a Saturday afternoon.


Say hi to cow.............................................

..........looks more like a ham to me.....

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The thinker......................

Some people say that mules are lazy and stupid...I don't know , this one seems to be contemplating something very deep.....

If he could talk, don't you here James Earl Jones? "Move along" 

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Grand-kids are a very good excuse to revisit your own childhood.......

My wife AJ and little Boo-Boo. 

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Don't forget to feed the hamster............

I know, it's not a hamster, it's a stuffed something (Badger?) Boo-Boo did not like this !

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You talk-in to me? 

I tried to get old baldy to turnaround for a full frontal shot, but the ranger told me to get off the top of the fence...damn Yankee! 

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It's not everyday you come across a panther crossing....

How do they know to cross here? 

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Wally......................

This gator looks fake, looks plastic..almost like a lawn ornament. Trust me..his legs moved. I was leaning a little to far over for this shot.....I overheard another zoo goer behind me mumbling something and saying he was clicking to youtube on his iphone..no cnn ireport on this one tho....my wife tugged my over to the bear area...

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Awe..cute cuddly bear........

....until he gets hold of you with those massive paws and tears you apart like you know he can....ssssshhhhhhh,  sleep massive bear, sleep.

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I look at this photo.......

and I hear banjo's ..like this....

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Boo-Boo and Mom.........

Nice grip, Kid! 

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Random Photo..........

Eggs & bacon in their natural habitat....I found this most interesting....go figure. So the zoo has an old caboose on the property complete with a set up of how things may have looked back in the day..to include a a plastic (or rubber) breakfast. Can I get a side of Goodyear's to go with this? 

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 Did I say we went to the zoo with Boo-Boo? 

Hey Boo-Boo..lets go watch Sponge Bob......

40 Follower Giveaway

Welcome, everyone, to my lair of insanity!  Why am I having a 40 Follower Giveaway?  Because I don't want to wait until I have 50 followers.  Duh.  Or 100.  That's even worse.  

Here are the rules:
1.  Be a follower.  (It's a follower giveaway, not a lurk-around-here-without-any-commitment giveaway.)
2.  Leave a comment with your email and a few sentences about the craziest thing you've ever done.
3.  Optional: you can share my blog with all your friends.  Why you'd want to, I don't know.  
 
Now you probably want to know what you get! (Or maybe you wanted to know that first.)  Okay, here's the deal.  Right now I have about 3 different manuscripts that I'm willing to give away for you to edit.  I will randomly select one winner who gets to edit/beta read any one of the three manuscripts that he/she wants!  The winner can choose between fantasy, fantasy or...fantasy!  How awesome is that?  Now get commenting, because you only have until 12:00 P.M. tomorrow (23rd).  I will announce the winner sometime after that.

So, in case you didn't get it...this post was a joke.  If you really do want to help me with one of my manuscripts, let me know.  If you feel gyped...that's life.  Seriously though, I will try to have a giveaway some time soon.  If you still want to comment about the craziest thing you've ever done, PLEASE DO.    
   

CONFIDENCE

is what we need.

"To create one's world in any of the arts takes courage." 

"Success takes more than talent. It takes a kind of nerve…a  kind of nerve and a lot of hard, hard work." 

          ~ Georgia O'Keeffe

I have found that the only thing that ever truly keeps me from writing is confidence in myself.  And a gun pointed at my head.  And crocodile teeth around my leg.  And starvation.  But mostly confidence.

When I was younger, I wasn't all that confident, but I loved writing enough to keep doing it.  Any time I did have trouble happened when I lost confidence in myself or my story. Currently, writing doesn't bring the same blinding joy as my teen days, so keeping the stories coming is even harder.  Confidence is harder.

A friend of mine named Jack LaBloom once left a message on my blog that gave me hope: "The only thing that can stop you from succeeding is lack of confidence in yourself.  The magic is still there, but it requires these words to bring it forth: I am a writer; it's what I do."

Not everyone is born and nurtured into confidence. Sometimes we have to strive for this trait to bring it forth.  Make time for yourself to write.  Saying you're too busy is a lack of confidence.  Evaluate that dwindling manuscript and run, limp or crawl to the finish line.  Aborting a story that seems hopeless is a lack of confidence.  Maybe your story won't be good.  In fact, it might STINK.  But at least you're writing.  At least you're trying.  At least you're still a writer.  

No one can write what you can like you can.  So don't give up.    

  

I'm Not Dead

My dear followers, how kind of you to inquire after my health.  Indeed, I have been absent for far too long.  Tragically, this truancy does not only typify the frequency of my writing to you, but also of the writing of certain stories, which at some later date I hope to publish.  Sudden business arose on the coast, and I have been quite hard-pressed to fulfill these obligations.  I hope to bring more engrossing information to your attention posthaste.  


Kind Regards,   
Miss Laaman


Photo credit: http://favim.com/desk/page/3/ 

Funny People Pictures

Here are some funny people pictures. I wanted to add some captions. But they are beyond my capabilities ! Too weird .. too Funny !

source: google image

The ME Project...

...is a motivational book for women!  

Here is the Book Summary

"Has that rush to make (and break) New Year’s resolutions already waned? According to Daniel Pink, author of Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, taking small steps every day will not only help you stay committed to your goal, but will also help you ultimately achieve that goal when obstacles come up. Author Kathi Lipp wants you and your friends to live out those dreams—and have some fun along the way.

As women, we forget the goals and dreams of our younger years. The busyness of everyday life gets in the way. To-do lists replace goals. The Me Project provides women with fun and creative ways to bring back the sense of purpose and vitality that comes with living out the plans and dreams God has planted in our hearts. Kathi Lipp’s warm tone and laugh-out-loud humor motivates women to take daily steps toward intentional goals. The end result? We get back our lives and enjoy living in the confidence of a purposeful life in spite of our chaotic schedules. 

This handy guide coaches women to do one simple thing toward achieving our goals each day for three weeks. A woman experiencing the exhilaration of a rediscovered life offers more as a wife, mother, friend, volunteer, career woman."

Finding the balance between living day-to-day with purpose while pursuing the passions God has placed in our hearts is a delicate pursuit. In this refreshing, insightful book, Kathi lays out a doable plan that makes sense and helps make our God-given dreams a reality. Never stop dreaming, because women who dare to dream do make the world a better place.—Jean Blackmer, author of MomSense: A Common Sense Guide to Confident Mothering 
    Publishing Manager, MOPS International www.MOPS.org

Kathi Lipp is a busy conference and retreat speaker, currently speaking each year to thousands of women throughout the United States. She is the author of The Husband Project and The Marriage Project, serves as food writer for Nickelodeon, and has had articles published in several magazines, including Today’s Christian Woman and Discipleship Journal. Kathi and her husband, Roger, live in California and are the parents of four teenagers and young adults. For more information visit her website: www.kathilipp.com

As you may have noticed, the book is targeted more for women with their own families to care for, but it has helpful suggestions for everyone (in my humble opinion). The Me Project does have a Christian foundation, but I think the exercises for achieving your goals are useful whether you share the beliefs or not.

Blog Aug Series: Hypothetical Day

I know you've all been waiting for it--breathlessly, hopelessly.  Now the time has finally come for the newest edition to my Blog Aug Series!  (Yes, I just came up with that title a second ago.  It stands for Weblog Augmentation, or in other words, I'm trying to make my blog less lame.  I started the whole idea in this post here, but now it has an official name.)    

And the newest edition is...

Hypothetical Day!

Wait, how did you know that already?  Oh, yes, it was in the title of this post.  Anyway...let me explain.  Whenever I feel like it, I give you a hypothetical question that you HAVE to answer.  It's pretty simple.  Ready?  Here's the question:

Let's say you have an agent and she finds you a deal with the book publisher of your dreams.  They offer you a six-figure deal and guarantee that it will be a bestseller.  (Remember, this is hypothetical.)  There is, however, a catch!  This is your only chance to ever publish this story, but if you do...you will have to wear the same outfit every day for the rest of your life. Would you do it?

People begin to wonder why you have no sense of style.  

Why does he/she always wear the same thing every single day?  

Does he/she have a mental condition?

Or was it just part of Rain's Hypothetical Day?!   ;-]      

In Interest Giveaway

I haven't seen a giveaway this cool in a long time.  Holly Castor is letting you choose two books of your choice for her 100 follower giveaway, so check it out! 

Another post is coming soon from yours truly, so be ready.