Howard the Bear

Katie has had Howard the Bear since she was born. She takes him everywhere. There have been times in the past when she has left Howard somewhere and only luck has brought him back to her. So, we decided that bear needed a collar. I went to the pet store and bought the smallest collar I could find, and had a heart dog tag engraved with the following, "Katie loves her bear. If found please call ********". Knowing that one day, if might come in handy.....

Recently we went to Disneyland. Bear usually stays at home or in the car, but she had the collar around her wrist, so I didn't know that she had Bear until it we were almost in the park. Daddy took Katie on Big Thunder Mountain where Katie put bear in the pocket in front of them. The two of them got off, but forgot Bear in the pocket. Ten minutes later, they realized they didn't have Bear and went back to the Big Thunder exit. They checked all three cars, but no Bear. We figured someone had him, and hoped they would call. Tears, tears and more tears. I mean, this is her beloved Howard. We went to lost and found on Main Street, but no Bear. So they gave Katie a voucher to buy a new plush, but of course, doesn't replace Howard the Bear.

When we got home there was a message on our machine that a nice lady found Howard and worried that if she gave him to the employees, it might never get back to Katie. The next day, after a trip to El Segundo, Howard was safely back in the arms of Katie.
P.S. Steve gave Howard his name. It came from my favorite movie "Sleepless in Seattle". Check the very end of the movie!