Remember the Elizabeth Gallagher story? Well, it seems the guy on a quest to find a willing passenger (who happens to share the same name as his ex) for an around-the-world trip has found his lady luck. Or she has found him, rather.
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Following a search rivalling that of the prince with the glass slipper, the 28-year-old Torontonian found the right candidate to accompany him on the trip of a lifetime—which departs from New York on December 21st, with planned stops in Milan, Prague, Vienna, Paris, Bangkok, Thailand, New Delhi and Agra.
This Elizabeth Gallagher is a 23-year-old Dalhousie University student and homeless shelter volunteer from Nova Scotia, who typically goes by her middle name, Quinn. Though Gallagher submitted to a questionnaire and Skype interview that lasted "for hours," Axani insists it's globetrotting with no (romantic) strings attached.
Gallagher's long-term boyfriend is apparently "really supportive” of her travel plans, even though she will be away from friends and family during the holidays.
“She has a real thirst to see the world,” Axani said of his new travel companion. “She has that east coast wonderful personality. She’s a good-hearted person.”
But the most delightful part of the story isn't the Bachelor-style TV offers that have landed in Axani's lap, but the fact that the experience prompted him to start A Ticket Forward, a new charity that gives travel opportunities to “underprivileged and at-risk individuals.” Talk about not knowing which direction life will take you.
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In the process of recruiting Elizabeth Gallagher, Axani was bombarded with “heartbreaking stories” from women all over the country, including those who survived abuse and civil war in Somalia. In partnership with the Marriott hotel chain, Axani wants to help those women realize their own travel dreams...
Bon voyage, adventurers!
What's a mom to do when her baby wakes up in the middle of the night? Well, you comfort her and maybe sing a lullaby. And if you're Kimberly Henderson from South Carolina, you make sure press RECORD first, then you belt out Whitney Houston as though you're a contestant on Idol.
"I don't even know where to start," said Henderson. "I uploaded it to Facebook and everybody just started sharing the c*** out of it. And then the radio station in Seattle uploaded it and it's gotten like 4 million views."
And Henderson confessed she almost didn't upload the footage because she claimed she looked "awful."
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Notwithstanding the fact that Ms Henderson has a beautiful voice (even in the middle of the night), it's riling that the first instinct in any parenting situation—yes, even a crisis—is get it on film. Did your tot do something outrageous or funny or downright terrible? Get it on YouTube, pronto.
Why must all those precious and previously intimate moments between mom and babe turn into a live broadcast? When all the world's a stage, you could say I have a lingering case of stage fright.
Henderson is a talented singer, and by all means she should record her soulful version of 'How Will I Know.' The song is beautiful, as is the singing. So is this simply a case of the moment being lost to the medium? Has the sheer number of viral video caused us to become jaded over what probably should have just been a private moment?
To each their own, and power to you if you like to record yourself singing to your children. I just can't help but wonder if we all need to see what goes on in nurseries around the world, as uploaded to YouTube.
It's the end of an era. The creator of the popular "Clifford" children's books, Norman Bridwell, has passed away at age 86 in Martha's Vineyard.
Bridwell first sketched the giant red dog for a story in 1963, and Clifford went on to sell more than 120 million copies in a franchise that included more than 40 books, "cartoons, a feature film, a musical, stuffed animals, key chains, posters, and stickers."
Everyone, it seems, had a tender spot for the loveable, oversized dog, who kept screwing up yet kept trying to make things better.
But here are a few Clifford facts you probably didn't know:
Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins was a script writer for the Clifford movie.
There are pictures of Clifford in museums and even in the White House.
Clifford was a bloodhound because that was the breed Bridwell had wanted as a child.
He got his name from the imaginary friend Norma, Bridwell's wife, had growing up.
Bridwell regarded the first Clifford book as something of a fluke, and didn't expect to create any more.
Norma considered Clifford to be based on her husband's own character.
In the television cartoon series, the voice of Clifford the Big Red Dog was the late John Ritter.
“He’s never been able to recognize that,” she once said. “Clifford tries to do the right thing, Norman tries to do right the thing, and he makes a mess of it. But he’s the most lovable grown-up man. He’s just a nice guy.”
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