HOP, California, USA

dawoni Posted Apr 3, 2012, 5:57 pm	I really had to work hard in the last days. I helped the Easter Bunny. I colored eggs and made chocolate bunnys. ...and now, I really need holidays! As I heart about toyvoyagers.com I decided to go on vacations. LET'S THE ADVENTURE START!
dawoni Posted Apr 8, 2012, 11:10 pm	I just put off my trousers. I don't need it anymore, because I'm on holidays now! ...and now, I've time to relax and make some plans!
dawoni Posted Apr 9, 2012, 5:35 pm	We went out for a walk today. It was nice, because I met some of my friends. ...we almost have the same ears!
dawoni Posted Apr 15, 2012, 7:06 pm	Today, I had my first golf lesson. ...but ...instead of playing golf, I prefer to hide me in the hole! I really had fun!
dawoni Posted Apr 15, 2012, 7:13 pm	Friday 13! I think it's my lucky day! It's time to say "Goodbye". I hope I'll return safely! ...Sheepy helped me come to the post office!
dawoni Posted Apr 15, 2012, 7:17 pm	I'm traveling to the USA! It's very narrow in the envelope. I hope I can go out quickly!
Elliott Family Posted Apr 19, 2012, 4:15 pm	Hello to my family and friends back home!  I have arrived in Greenwood, Indiana, in the USA to stay with my hosts, the Elliott Family.  They were so happy to see me arrive and they were quick to get me out of my travel quarters which were dark and close.  They loved the candy I brought for them, especially the children!  These kids are a handful.  They wanted  all the candy, but their mom is a good mom, and said they could only have one piece before dinner.  They got out a big map.  They showed me where I am in the Midwestern part of the United States.  Then the children tried to find Switzerland to see where I came from.  They found it and talked about how I must have gotten here.  The little girl wanted to know if I had to swim in the ocean and why I was not wet!  The boy is smart, he told her that I must have come on a plane. Then there was big rush to eat dinner and head out to soccer practice.  These kids play soccer!  They are only 4 & 7, but they are amazing little players.  I went to the soccer field to watch.  There was a little scuffle, and I was a bit scared, because these kids both wanted me to watch their practice at the same time!  I am only one little bunny!  I cannot be in two places at once.  Luckily their mom, is pretty smart and was able to calm things down.  I watched the little girl's practice first.  I got to meet her coach!  He was sure surprised to learn that I came to visit all the way from Switzerland! The weather here is very nice.  It is spring time and the weather is warm, but mild and sunny since I've been here.  I'm sure I will spend lots of time outdoors here! Today, I will rest up.  This weekend, they tell me we will see the kiddos play in real games and that we will go to see a sporting event, Ultimate Frisbee! Bye for now! Hop (the little girl here has given me the nickname, Hopper!) [img]null[/img]
Elliott Family Posted Apr 20, 2012, 4:38 pm	I have a found a comfy place to relax.  I feel right at home!
Elliott Family Posted Apr 24, 2012, 2:52 pm	On Friday night, I went with the family to see a beautiful movie.  It was called Chimpanzee.  It was opening night for the movie and it was a bit crowded in the theater.  It was a cold and rainy night, so we couldn't take any pictures outside, but we did take a picture of the movie poster inside for the movie we saw.  It was a beautiful movie about a chimp named Oscar who loses his mother and is adopted my the biggest male chimp of their troop.  The cinematography was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!  It took years to make.  There were some sad and and some intense parts.  My host family loved the movie.  They love nature and well-made nature documentaries.  The Dad is always trying to get the kids to watch nature shows on the television instead of the Disney channel cartoons!
Elliott Family Posted Apr 24, 2012, 3:16 pm	On Saturday morning, I went to watch the children play in their first soccer games of the spring season.  Did I say Spring season???  It sure felt more like winter!  It was freezing out there.  I did my best to stay warm by cuddling up with the little girl under a blanket to watch the little boy play.  After his game, then the little girl had a game.  I hid away during that game because it was just TOO COLD!  I did hear lots of cheering going on for the little girl.  I think she scored a lot of goals. After the games and being out in the cold for several hours, it was nice to get back into the warmth of the car.  The little girl was exhausted from playing and fell right to sleep!
Elliott Family Posted Apr 26, 2012, 3:28 pm	Hello!  I have been very busy and am getting back to my travel log updates today! On Saturday evening, my hosts took me to a very interesting sporting event.  It is called Ultimate Frisbee.  It was very fun to watch!  It is kind of look American football but played with a large frisbee instead of a football...and there is no tackling by the players!  It was played on a local high school football field. We were rooting for the Indianapolis Alley Cats.  They are a relatively new professionl Ultimate Frisbee team.  There is a website where you can learn lots more about this game AUDL.com There is a player on the Alley Cats named Brodie Smith.  He does some absolutely amazing tricks with the frisbee.  He has lots of YouTube videos.  The little boy here has been watching and loving those videos.  He was super excited because he was able to meet Brodie and have him sign a frisbee for him. Here are some pictures of me at the game and with the frisbees that were signed by three of the players, including Brodie Smith!
Elliott Family Posted Apr 26, 2012, 3:39 pm	On Sunday, my hosts took me to their favorite park.  It is called Independence Park.  It has lots of fun playground equipment for the children and lots of open space to throw frisbees.  It is also has a basketball court, where the little boy here was trying to do some of the tricks he has seen Brodie Smith do with the frisbee in his youtube videos. These kids L-O-V-E playing at the playground!
Elliott Family Posted Apr 26, 2012, 3:42 pm	Today I met a new friend!  Another fellow traveler has joined me at the Elliott Family home.  His name is Eric Northman.  He has come from Germany.  I'm sure we will have lots of fun adventures together in the USA!
Elliott Family Posted Apr 28, 2012, 11:44 pm	Today we had lots of fun!  We went to downtown Indianapolis.  Indianpolis is the capital city of Indiana, the state where my host family lives.  It is about 30 minutes away from where they live.  Indianapolis is the 11th largest city in the USA.  Here is a cool website that tells more fun facts about this place:  Indy Bragging Points.  Host Dad works in Indianapolis and today he took the little boy with him to work.  Host mom, the little girl and I met them later in the day at the zoo. My host family really enjoys American football.  Indianapolis has a great team, the Indianapolis Colts.  The city recently hosted the Superbowl at the Lucas Oil Stadium.  My host family says it was an incredible event!  I got a picture in front of the stadium.  Here is a website that tells all about the team:  the Colts. We visited the Indianapolis Zoo.  It was an awesome zoo!  We arrived just in time to see the zoo keepers feeding the seals.  They did amazing tricks and lots of splashing to get those little fish that the trainer had in her bucket.  We also saw a polar bear, a brown bear, lemurs, giraffes, lions, rhinos, elephants and sharks.  I think my favorite were the ring-tailed lemurs, because they were the closest to my size! It is not on my life missions list, but it is quite a feat - today, I rode my first roller coaster!  Woo hoo!  It was fast and sort of scary, because I was in the dark and couldn't see when the hills, curves and swerves were coming.  The zoo has a family coaster.  The kids were so excited to ride it.  They had never been on it before and the little girl had grown just enough to meet the height requirements to ride.  I had to hide in my host Mom's backpack because I cannot meet the height requirements, but I was there.  I felt the rush of riding fast and even heard the host Mom scream out loud once.  I stayed quiet, but I was a little scared.  I'm not sure I want to go again, but maybe some day.
Elliott Family Posted May 5, 2012, 3:03 am	Today, we had fun outdoors!  It was my host mom, the little girl and my new friend Eric on this adventure, since the little boy was at school and host dad was at work.  We visited more parks and playgrounds.  We played on the playground, took a walk through the woods, played peek-a-boo in the trees and saw some pretty spring flowers that are popping up everywhere.  At our second park, we took pictures in a place that is known as a favorite for local family photo shoots. After our second park, everyone was tired and wanted to go home, but host mom said we had errands to run and said we could play a game in the car to have fun.  We watched for American flags flying along our route...when you see a flag flying, you shout "Flag!".  The little girl is very good at this game and likes it a lot.  She wanted to get a picture of Eric and I with a flag, since this is our first visit to the USA, it only seems appropriate to have a picture with the American flag!  It is not a great picture, but hopefully we can get a better one another day.  There are lots of flags flying.  Many businesses have a flag in front of their business and many personal homes have one flying in their yard, too. It's been a long day, I'm going back to my comfy spot in the Easter basket for some rest!
Elliott Family Posted May 17, 2012, 3:05 pm	Today I will begin my journey home.  I'm outside getting some fresh air before I get tucked away for the flight home.  My host family has really enjoyed my visit and has wished me well on all my future travels.  I'm also saying good-bye to my new TV friend named Eric Northman, who is also heading home to Germany, today.  It would be cool to run into him again some day on our travels!  I'm looking forward to touching base at home with my family and friends and then moving on to more adventures!  Bye for now!
dawoni Posted Jun 4, 2012, 9:05 pm	Welcome Switzerland, I'm back! I was really happy to see the whole family!
dawoni Posted Jun 4, 2012, 9:12 pm	Miggy and Napoleon welcomed me warmly.
dawoni Posted Jun 4, 2012, 9:20 pm	I'm a Toyvoyager. So, I'm not just a Toy, I'm also a Voyager! I enjoyed the last evening at home. So, Napoleon and I decided to make a little vine party! ...uiii, maybe I had too much...!
dawoni Posted Jun 5, 2012, 8:09 pm	Bye, bye HOP. We wish you a good journey! HOP is now on the way to New York!!!
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Jun 6, 2012, 5:50 am	Hello! Last night I finally arrived to New York!...looks like someone was there to greet me... His name is Pino and he is staying in New York too.  I decided to share some of my chocolates with him. The next day we went to visit Brooklyn.  However, there wasn't much to do there so I just took a picture of me at the subway We then went back to Manhattan and stopped by Union Square The statue in back is George Washington There were a lot of people playing chess at the square It was a nice first day out.  Until next time!
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Jun 9, 2012, 8:38 pm	Hello! Today we took a little trip to go shopping but first we walked through campus to get the subway.  Here is Columbia University. This is Butler Library...it's huge! This is the Low Library...it's actually not a library anymore but it was a long while ago... Here I am with Pino...you can see that we are much smaller than the library In front of the library is this statue of Alma Mater There are other statues on campus...like the Thinker The walkway here is so nice with all the trees Now it's time to get on the train We were lucky to find some seats! We then got off and here I am with the Empire State Building in the background as well as the sign for the world's largest Macy's! We then stopped by the main branch of the New York Public Library The Lion is the mascot for the library Behind the library is Bryant Park These guys were playing a weird lawn game We then took a short walk to Times Square Then we went home.  We got to see a lot in one day! Until next time!
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Jun 21, 2012, 2:08 am	Hello! Today my host decided to get out and go for a walk in the park and write some letters.  Here are some pictures I took at the park. There are lots of paths and trees and people in the park We stopped at an area called the Great Hill a lot of families and children were around picnicking and playing Here I am with Pino helping to write letters We decided to walk around some more and found this nice waterfall We heard voices and saw a crowd and then realized we had found Shakespeare in the Park.  A group of actors perform Shakespeare in the park for free.  We weren't allowed to take pictures but I sneaked a few. They had been preforming Twelfth Night It was fun...I hope to be able to find more goodies like that in the park. Until next time!
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Jun 21, 2012, 2:15 am	Hello! Today was super hot...we decided to take a walk along this park called the High Line and get some Gelato.  It used to be a train line but it hasn't been used in years.  People wanted it demolished but it was saved and then restored into a wonderful park! In the shade you can see people eating...they are smart for being in the shade on such a hot day! You can see the Hudson River in the background Empire State Building in the Background to the right There is pretty art work on the sides of buildings and roofs and such along the High Line This was called the High Line Zoo...can you see the animal sculptures? someone brought a thermometer out...look how hot! over 100F! at the end of the walk we stopped at this little park and i had some Gelato...yum! It was a hot day today so I am going to rest. Until next time!
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Jun 25, 2012, 6:30 pm	Hello! Yesterday we took a walk around Central Park.  We found some people dancing, and skating, and dancing while skating! There were also people playing volleyball...behind them you can see that a lot of people decided to come out to the park and hang out and play. There was a little boy who was juggling and put on a show There are many statues in Central Park...here I am with the statue of Balto in the back...there is a little girl there on top taking a picture too This is Bethesda Terrace...it is very pretty here This is the fountain There is a covered area where you can find singers (because of the acoustics) but not today It had a lovely ceiling When we got out we found more people doing a show This is the famous bandshell in Central Park One thing tourists like to do is take a carriage ride through the park We exited the park and saw this lovely monument dedicated to those who died on the  battleship Maine That's it for now. Until next time!
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Jul 18, 2012, 7:59 pm	Hello! The other night we went to see a movie in the park...the movie was "Roman Holiday" with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.  We got there early to snag a spot on the lawn.  As you can see in this picture the lawn is quite full...and this was seconds after they opened it! Here I am with the screen behind me And here Pino and I are with somethings to help pass the time away while we wait for hours for the movie to start And here are some scenes of the movie! Sorry you can't see me...they said no flash as it disrupts people watching the movie. It was a lovely movie and a lovely experience...I may go back again next week! Until next time.
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Jul 23, 2012, 5:06 pm	Hello! Yesterday we accompanied our host while she went kayaking! Here you can see people already out on the water. And this is where they launch the kayaks Here I am enviously watching the kayakers We want to try on some lifevests! They had our host put her things away so unfortunately there are no pictures of us on the water :[ Afterwards we went to eat at a place called the Boathouse cafe Here is the "indoor" seating...it's covered seating under a bridge/overpass Here is the bar And here is the lovely view outside...look at all the nice boats it was a nice day to be out. Until next time!
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Jul 26, 2012, 6:51 pm	Hello! Yesterday we took a small trip to Washington Square park.  It is a lovely park in the middle of the NYU campus. When I walked in there were many people sitting at tables waiting to play a game of chess with anyone who wanted to join. There was also a lovely jazz band that was playing beautiful music There is a fountain in the middle of the park that people play in. It's funny because there is a sign near by that says the fountain is not for playing/swimming but people do it anyway...and I never see anyone telling people to get out. Here is the most famous part of the park...the arch It has been shown in many movies and shows.  It is very pretty. That's it for today.  Until next time!
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Sep 3, 2012, 12:25 am	Hello! It has been a while since I have had an update but I have been travelling and found myself in California! We took a trip to a nature center that my host has not been to in over 10 years! It was a bit of a trip down memory lane for her.  So here we go! There is a little gathering area with a stage...I think they give presentations here Here is a view of one of the lakes Overlooking the lake is the visitor information center Here are some birds that can be seen in this park And here we go on the trails! Here are some turtles sunbathing on the lake some info on turtles Here is a map of the park...we're gonna walk around most of it Such beautiful scenery Behind me here is a blackberry field Here is a cool old tree This area looks like a rock garden Of course, no California park is complete without palm trees! View of another lake...in the dark you can maybe see the outline of a duck behind me taking a moment to enjoy the view There was another area of the park full of sage and they encourage you to pick the leaves and smell them One last view of a pond...and more turtles! It was a beautiful place to visit! Until next time!
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Sep 3, 2012, 12:31 am	Hello again! So I was able to complete one of my life missions on my last day in California.  I got to go to the beach!  My host's friends organized a bonfire for her on her last night in California...she won't be back for almost a year! So here I am at the beach with Pino. Lifeguard tower in the back Here is our bonfire pit Close up of the lifeguard tower And the most exciting part...seeing the ocean! Unfortunately my hosts phone died so she was unable to get night pictures.  But it was a fun last night in California, especially since it was a Blue Moon that night! That is all for now.  Until next time!
arasmi irun4fun2005@yahoo.com Posted Sep 16, 2012, 3:10 am	Today was such a beautiful day to take a walk.  We ended up visiting the New York Botanical Gardens There are many areas in the garden...we first walked through the children's garden that had animals made of pumpkins...here is a catapillar/pumpkin There was a pond as well The Bronx River flows through the gardens...here are some shots Here I am at the rose garden We came across a greenhouse but it wasn't open so I decided to take a picture with the statue that was there Here are some planters at the rock garden area Another little stream area small waterfall Now we were off to the conservatory Inside they had a special exhibit called "Monet's Garden" and it was inspired by scenes that Monet painted Large lily pads lovely fountain Well I had a wonderful time seeing all the lovely plants and flowers and enjoyed the great weather we were having. Until next time!
winksnana Posted Oct 21, 2012, 8:55 pm	I arrived in Miami safe and sound! Many fellow TVs were there to receive me. My host immediately showed me around her cool room! I look forward to visiting the beach again and seeing all the art in Miami
winksnana Posted Oct 24, 2012, 5:56 pm	This Sunday we went to Krome Ave, the last paved road before the Everglades. It is a farmland area just 5 minutes away from my host's suburban comforts. It has a great view, which make a great drive on sunny days. It also has a great small organic shop where my host likes to try new fruits. We also visited a nearby goat farm which was pretty smelly. My host's grandaunt posed with me.
winksnana Posted Oct 30, 2012, 6:33 pm	This weekend we went to Miami Beach: the center of the world as far as Miami is concerned. I enjoyed people watching and basking in the sun. I even had a little chat with the lifeguard about swimming but I didn't dare go into the water because the waves were still mighty strong from Sandy. I loved the palm trees and the constant sun! We walked along the front of South Beach to see the iconic Art Deco hotels like The Cavalier and The Carlyle. I did get thirsty from so much walking in the heat so I had my pick of exotic fruits (but there were no pineapples). On our way back we spotted a black Lamborghini and my host said it was Miami Beach without luxury cars. I had a lot of fun!
MamiTig Posted Dec 20, 2012, 4:31 am	HOP arrived safely in Iola, Kansas, USA!
MamiTig Posted Dec 20, 2012, 4:35 am	We spent some time in the waiting room at Legend's Drive Dental today, while the host family all had their check ups!
MamiTig Posted Dec 21, 2012, 2:59 am	After a long day, dinner at CeCe's Pizza was delicious!
MamiTig Posted Dec 22, 2012, 5:41 am	Today was the first snow of winter! There wasn't much snow, but it sure was cold and gray!
MamiTig Posted Dec 23, 2012, 1:33 am	Host mom made a super cute outfit for her youngest daughter, who loves bright, sunshiny colors!
MamiTig Posted Dec 23, 2012, 3:17 am	Today we enjoyed a potluck at the SDA church!
MamiTig Posted Dec 25, 2012, 4:54 am	We went Christmas caroling with friends from church, then enjoyed a super hot bonfire afterward! Everyone was trying to roast marshmallows but it was so hot that it was hard to get close enough to get them cooked! Perfect for a cold winter's night!
MamiTig Posted Dec 26, 2012, 5:26 am	We enjoyed watching the host family celebrate Christmas! Merry Christmas to all!
MamiTig Posted Dec 29, 2012, 7:07 pm	The host family had an invasion of blob plushies, so we got to visit with them! (The oldest daughter had made them for presents- aren't they cute?!).
MamiTig Posted Dec 30, 2012, 12:21 am	Host mom has been having fun with fleece... she made her littlest daughter this pretty coat!
MamiTig Posted Dec 31, 2012, 5:31 am	HOP made some tiny little friends today!
MamiTig Posted Jan 2, 2013, 4:55 am	The new year greeted us with a light dusting of snow. There wasn't quite enough for a snowman, so we settled for a snow lump!
MamiTig Posted Jan 3, 2013, 3:43 am	Mmmm, yummy! French toast for dinner!
MamiTig Posted Jan 7, 2013, 4:31 am	One of the kids was sick with an ear infection, so we got to explore the doctor's office!
MamiTig Posted Jan 7, 2013, 1:38 pm	We enjoyed another Sabbath potluck supper at the SDA church
MamiTig Posted Jan 8, 2013, 6:31 pm	We went to the park to see the frozen water on Elm Creek! It sure was a chilly day!
MamiTig Posted Jan 10, 2013, 4:47 am	We helped the host family make focaccia!
MamiTig Posted Jan 13, 2013, 2:14 am	Hop and some of the other TVs checked out the new coat that host mom made for her oldest middle daughter!
MamiTig Posted Jan 15, 2013, 4:16 am	The host family made a bucket list of things they would like to do in the next 5 years! I wonder which ones I'll get to do with them!
MamiTig Posted Jan 17, 2013, 5:06 am	The host family is musical and today, I got to see the oldest daughter's bass clarinet!
MamiTig Posted Jan 18, 2013, 5:11 am	The host family accomplished the first thing off of their list of 148 things today: baking a pineapple upside down cake!
MamiTig Posted Jan 20, 2013, 5:52 am	The host family crossed a second thing off of their list today: Taking the dogs to the dog park. The host family has three dogs named Bowly, Turtle, and Dove!
MamiTig Posted Jan 22, 2013, 2:07 am	Host mom started a new project today, how exciting! She is using pretty red fleece!
MamiTig Posted Jan 22, 2013, 4:42 am	The host family crossed a third (and very delicious) thing off of their goal list: bake a cheese cake! This one is pumpkin swirl flavored
MamiTig Posted Jan 25, 2013, 5:56 am	Host mom introduced HOP to the piccolo today!
MamiTig Posted Jan 28, 2013, 6:07 am	We enjoyed another delicious vegetarian Sabbath supper at the SDA church First, we helped set up, then we got to eat!
MamiTig Posted Jan 28, 2013, 6:07 am	Host mom bought a lovely little bouquet of sunflowers today!
MamiTig Posted Jan 31, 2013, 3:26 am	We enjoyed lunch at Jin Shan Chinese buffet! They had so many delicious things to choose from
MamiTig Posted Feb 1, 2013, 4:12 am	Hop was fascinated with all of host mom's flutes and piccolos! Such pretty instruments!
MamiTig Posted Feb 4, 2013, 5:39 am	February 2nd is Hedgehog Day, so we consulted the hedgehog to see what the weather is going to do. The hedgehog saw her shadow, predicting 6 more weeks of winter
MamiTig Posted Feb 5, 2013, 1:24 pm	Today we tried Ethiopian food at Elsa's! The food was fantastic, the waitress was very nice, and the smooth jazz music playing in the background made for a lovely ambiance.
MamiTig Posted Feb 8, 2013, 5:08 am	It's a birthday party! Watching presents being unwrapped is so much fun!
MamiTig Posted Feb 11, 2013, 3:17 am	The host family took us to Pizza Hut for a middle school band fundraiser. We ate delicious potato wedges as an appetizer, before the pizza came!
MamiTig Posted Feb 11, 2013, 1:30 pm	Mmmm, these SDA church suppers are full of vegetarian deliciousness!
MamiTig Posted Feb 14, 2013, 5:03 am	We got to go to a second delicious vegetarian potluck today! This one was for the kids, as they were having a church lock-in for the night.
MamiTig Posted Feb 15, 2013, 1:06 am	We investigated the new baritone! So pretty and shiny!
MamiTig Posted Feb 16, 2013, 4:56 am	Host mom took us to the south lake to see the Canada geese. This is where they come when they head north and nest. The geese weren't quite as happy to see us as we were to see them, and kept their distance.
MamiTig Posted Feb 17, 2013, 5:20 am	We had an unexpected bit of snow last night, and since there hasn't been much this winter, host mom hurried us out first thing in the morning, to get pictures before it melted!
MamiTig Posted Feb 18, 2013, 3:24 am	This is the cement factory just outside of Chanute, KS. It's across the street from a music shop where host mom went to purchase a beginner baritone book for her daughter. This area sure is rural!
MamiTig Posted Feb 20, 2013, 4:07 am	This country road leads past the Colony, Kansas water tower. Colony is a town of about 400 people, with many more cows than humans!
MamiTig Posted Feb 21, 2013, 2:29 am	Today we visited Humboldt, KS and the giant's mommy was able to take us a lot closer to the cement plant there, to see what it looked like. It was huge and seemed to have lots of things going on!
MamiTig Posted Feb 21, 2013, 10:05 pm	Can you tell that host mom and her daughters like nail polish?
MamiTig Posted Feb 22, 2013, 5:00 am	There was a big snow storm, dropping lots of snow and ice on the area! School and work were cancelled today!
MamiTig Posted Feb 23, 2013, 3:48 am	A warm brunch of pumpkin pancakes with white chocolate chips, served with fried eggs, sounded so very good on a cold winter's day!
MamiTig Posted Feb 24, 2013, 6:58 am	Oh goody... preparing for another yummy Sabbath potluck supper at the Seventh Day Adventist church!
MamiTig Posted Feb 25, 2013, 6:18 am	Hop enjoyed trying the vegetarian fajita taco salad at El Charro's Mexican restaurant!
MamiTig Posted Feb 27, 2013, 2:45 am	Host mom finished her third jacket, finally! She was very pleased with how it turned out, and her daughters were delighted to receive them!
MamiTig Posted Mar 1, 2013, 5:58 am	We got round two of winter storms, so host mom got to stay home for the day. The weather man predicted 8 to 12 inches of snow, but we only got about two, and then it was warm enough to melt some of it off. Host mom took us for a walk in the neighborhood, to see how pretty it looked before the snow went away!
MamiTig Posted Mar 4, 2013, 2:56 am	HOP was very curious about host mom's new sewing project. The fabric sure is a bright, bold orange!
MamiTig Posted Mar 8, 2013, 5:04 am	Host mom had to go to the post office to help some TVs continue in their journey. She was working in Garnett today so we stopped at the town square to see the court house on the way to the post office!
MamiTig Posted Mar 10, 2013, 6:39 am	Vegetarian lasagna, scalloped potatoes, and so many other delicious things... Sabbath potluck is always wonderful!
MamiTig Posted Mar 13, 2013, 4:23 am	We traveled to Ottawa Music to get a piccolo repaired. It's a wonderful place, full of guitars and musical things both recognizable and mysterious. And they are super nice about answering questions!
MamiTig Posted Mar 15, 2013, 3:43 am	Host mom finished the orange cape that she was making for her oldest daughter. It's so warm and cozy, perfect for TVs to snuggle in
MamiTig Posted Mar 17, 2013, 4:48 am	Host mom took us to the north lake over her lunch hour. We explored the old stone shelter building and then took a look at the lake. It was nice to get out in the fresh air!
MamiTig Posted Mar 18, 2013, 3:04 am	It was chilly today, but that didn't stop us from going to the park to see the historic Carnegie building and log cabin, and playing with some children that we found at the park!
MamiTig Posted Mar 20, 2013, 1:33 am	Host mom got a special new T-shirt that she's all excited about! It's for Elio motors... she says she can't hardly wait until she gets her Elio in 2014. It will be the first car of its type made and marketed in the USA!
MamiTig Posted Mar 20, 2013, 3:55 am	Today we went to the Kansas City airport to drop off one of the host family kids, so she could go visit her grandmother for spring break. We got there early because host mom was worried about the long airport lines that had been reported. We waited a long time so we got to do lots of people watching!
MamiTig Posted Mar 21, 2013, 12:29 pm	Host mom had been looking at a lot of blogs about repurposing clothing and decided to give it a try. Amazing how a pair of old hand me down capri pants from her oldest daughter turns into a cute summer shirt and skirt for a younger daughter!
MamiTig Posted Mar 23, 2013, 2:24 am	Host mom took us to work at her Garnett office today. She told us the story of these lovely violets that sit in the windowsill of the group room.  About 10 years ago, they were in little tiny pots looked all dried up. The office manager at the time, Marlys, was going to throw them away, but noticed they weren't completely dead, so she decided to put them in bigger pots and see if she could revive them. You can see that she did a wonderful job, because while Marlys retired about three years ago, the violets are still lovely!
MamiTig Posted Mar 25, 2013, 4:49 am	Back to the Kansas City airport; spring break is over! It sure is chilly and gray for spring time, but inside the terminal there were lots of interesting posters to look at and learn about Kansas City's jazz history.
MamiTig Posted Mar 29, 2013, 3:26 am	We had a delicious lunch at Pizza Street before heading back home!
MamiTig Posted Mar 31, 2013, 5:37 am	Host mom is working on costumes again! She got two pairs of pants done today, and is working on a third. She said this set will take a while, and she seemed very excited! I wonder what they will be?
MamiTig Posted Apr 2, 2013, 2:20 am	We went on an amazing adventure! Host mom took the afternoon off from work and surprised the kids by picking them up from school. She told them that it was adventure time. One of the kids asked, "A good adventure or a bad adventure?" "A good adventure, for sure!" she replied, with a twinkle in her eye. She drove us for about two hours, then we stopped at a Thai restaurant called Thai Smile. Host mom called it a "hole in the wall" because it only had 14 seats in the whole restaurant. The host family filled more than half the restaurant! Host mom said you get the best food at a hole in the wall, and she was right! It was fantastic! After that, we piled back into the car and drove to downtown Wichita, for our final destination for the evening: the historic Orpheum Theater, where we watched the Trey McIntyre Project perform amazing contemporary dance! Yes, it was a good adventure!
MamiTig Posted Apr 3, 2013, 5:14 am	We went with the host family to enjoy a huge Easter celebration at a local park. It was really crowded, with around 1200 people there, but everyone had a wonderful time!
MamiTig Posted Apr 8, 2013, 5:06 am	Host mom has been sewing plushies in her spare time, to sell as a fundraiser for the local middle school's History Bowl team. They won in the regional competition and get to go to Washington DC to compete in the nationals next month!
MamiTig Posted Apr 10, 2013, 4:27 am	Now host mom is sewing bow ties for the History Bowl fundraiser! They are so cute, and the middle school kids love them!
MamiTig Posted Apr 16, 2013, 3:23 am	We enjoyed youth group... there were songs, a cup cake craft, and hay stacks for dinner!
MamiTig Posted Apr 22, 2013, 5:28 am	Springtime is slowly getting here and the host family took advantage of a sunny afternoon to start getting their garden ready
MamiTig Posted Apr 25, 2013, 4:24 am	Yay, yummy Mexican food! We went to El Charro's to celebrate a birthday with the host family
MamiTig Posted Apr 28, 2013, 3:39 am	A flock of wildly colored ninjas invaded the home... (well, really, they were more fundraising items that host mom made and donated to the middle school History Bowl, to help get the team to the national competition in Washington DC).
MamiTig Posted Apr 30, 2013, 4:44 am	HOP is traveling!
Chloe09 Posted Jun 5, 2013, 7:53 am	Hi Mom!! I've arrived in Minnesota!! We are off to a cool silent auction tonight! Minnesota Pit Bull Rescue is holding their 3rd annual silent auction where all the money benefits the rescue and their mission of saving pit bulls. We got to see great photos of adopters, fosters and volunteers as well as great appetizers and company. Can't wait to see what's next! =) Much Love, HOP
Chloe09 Posted Jun 7, 2013, 1:31 am	Hello!!! All of us toy voyagers were there. All 12 of us!! We had cake, went jumping on a trampoline and presents for Chloe’s mom, Grandma and aunts! =) HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, MOM!!! Much Love, Hop
Chloe09 Posted Jun 17, 2013, 2:42 pm	Hello!! My new friend, Kitsune, and I went to a wedding today!! What a wonderful Wedding it was! The bride was beautiful and the decorations were simple. It was such a lovely experience to see an American wedding! They had ham, mashed potatoes, green beans and cake!! Yummy!!!! Miss you!! Much Love, HOP
Chloe09 Posted Jun 17, 2013, 2:53 pm	Hi Mom!!! Today was a special day…..it was Chloe’s brother in law’s birthday dinner! We went to their place to grill and have a great time! They had tons of food including steaks and burgers then there was cherry and blueberry pies for dessert! I met a couple cute puppies and just had a blast! =) Wonder what adventure is next!! Much Love!!! HOP
Chloe09 Posted Jun 30, 2013, 12:35 am	Miche, Sargent Froggo and I went on a trip to Como Zoo. It was so much fun! My favorite was the tigers! We saw a real tiger skin and it was sooo cool! Wonder what’s next……Much Love!! ~ HOP
Chloe09 Posted Jul 30, 2013, 5:43 am	We took an exciting trip! Sorry it took me so long to get it posted but we had so much fun it’s hard to explain! We took a trip to Michigan, with Chloe’s cousin Jillienne and her awesome TV’s! It was so much fun. It was a nice trip up to Michigan driving through Wisconsin and parts of Michigan. =) Ready….Set….Let’s go!! Nap Time!! This was a long boring road so we decided to try to take a nap….. Bullseye, Juulia, Mr. Scrapes , Mister Spike, Miche, Kitsune and ME loved taking pictures in the car! Next is Sauna night and movie night! Whohoo!!! =)
Chloe09 Posted Aug 2, 2013, 4:15 am	I got to go lots of Antique stores with amazing stuff. Another awesome Antique store….it was an old house with a bunch of different rooms. Next we are going to Sauna at Chloe’s aunt and uncle’s house. =) Yay!! Such a fun trip so far. Much Love, HOP
Chloe09 Posted Aug 9, 2013, 7:04 pm	We got the honor of going to Sauna night at Chloe’s aunt and uncles place in Humboldt, Michigan. A sauna (SOW-na) is a room with a hot stove or coals that are heated by water to create a nice hot steamy room. It is a Finnish tradition to have saunas. It was very interesting and quite warm! Mister Spike, Miche, Kitsune, Mr. Scrapes, Bullseye, Juulia and I had a blast taking in the sauna. =) We got to watch The Great and Powerful Oz with Chloe's aunt! We will be heading back to Minnesota tomorrow….it’s been a fun trip! =) Much Love, HOP
Chloe09 Posted Aug 9, 2013, 7:34 pm	On our way home to Minnesota!!!! =) We had such a fun trip! We went through Duluth, Minnesota this time….going over a big long bridge that goes over Lake Superior! We also played with this toy we found in Chloe’s car…..it’s a Tiki doll! Haha Much Love, HOP
Chloe09 Posted Sep 26, 2013, 9:31 pm	Student Success Day will be held on Tuesday, September 10, 2013 throughout the day and throughout the North Hennepin Community College campus! The day is set aside to recognize students, encourage learning, support achieving academic goals, celebrate diversity, and strengthen our college community. No classes are scheduled on SSD to allow students, faculty, and staff to participate. The event will include various workshops, information tables, entertainment, food, prizes, and more! Had a wonderful day at Student Success Day!!! =) We learned about Time Management, different colleges and opportunities available at the college! Sounds like so much fun!
Chloe09 Posted Nov 11, 2013, 2:19 am	Hello! Kibblet and I went to a store called Home Goods today! =) HomeGoods stores offer an ever-changing selection of unique home fashions in kitchen essentials, rugs, lighting, bedding, bath, furniture and more. HomeGoods is a chain of home furnishing stores operated by TJX Companies and has 400 stores across the United States as of September 2012. HomeGoods operates the home furnishings sections of T.J. Maxx 'n More and Marshalls Mega Store stores.
Chloe09 Posted Dec 10, 2013, 12:09 am	Chino, Kibblet and I took a trip to Starbucks Coffee to grab some hot chocolates since it was a bit chilly today. Chloe got a white hot chocolate. It was delicious!!! Fun fun fun times!! =)
Chloe09 Posted Jan 16, 2014, 8:05 pm	Goodbye Minnesota!!! Hello California!!!
Ingenieurin Posted Jan 25, 2014, 1:31 am	Hi there! Today I arrived to sunny California   Didn't see much yet. I was so very tired after my journey that I was really happy to get home and get some rest, along with my new buddies - the German shepherd  Malysh, the cat Fedor and another traveller - the leprechaun Fred. Can you believe this, they still have a Christmas tree! My host Marina explained that it's some kind of ex-USSR tradition, to keep the Christmas tree for so long In fact, they call it the New Year tree.
Ingenieurin Posted Jan 25, 2014, 4:30 am	I'm starting to look around and I like it here a lot! The weather is warm and sunny. The fruit trees are in bloom, it feels like spring! Today was another working day at the office, not much to tell. For lunch we went to a nice Japanese place called Higuma which means "bear". I really liked sushi! Hope I could visit Japan one day
Ingenieurin Posted Jan 25, 2014, 4:38 am	Today Marina took me and Fred Leprechaun to the post office in San Carlos where she rents a PO box. She received three beautiful postcards today! We took a picture with a very weird statue. And for lunch we went to Marvin's Garden. Fred Leprechaun loves this place because he enjoys beer. I don't like beer but I it was nice to sit outside in the sun. Tomorrow is Saturday and we are going hiking, hurray!
Ingenieurin Posted Feb 10, 2014, 7:46 am	Today we went hiking to the redwoods. The place was so wild and beautiful! Malysh, the German Shepherd, was very happy to run at large. He is such a big and nice guy, and a true friend also. I enjoyed the long walk in the open air
Ingenieurin Posted Mar 4, 2014, 6:08 am	Me and my friend Fred have visited the San Francisco Zoo today. I love zoos! We met a lot of animals of all sizes and colors, some of them were friendly, some of them... not so much. We also watched penguins feeding, these little guys were so funny
Ingenieurin Posted Mar 4, 2014, 6:08 am	Today we visited the famous Golden Gate Bridge. It was very-very cold and windy and foggy there but I still liked it a lot! Here is a video we recorded: http://youtu.be/vOlGG2Tc8uo
Ingenieurin Posted Mar 5, 2014, 8:21 am	We have a new guest today, Sally-Seal
Ingenieurin Posted Mar 18, 2014, 6:44 am	Hurray! We've just returned from a small getaway by the ocean! Marina took me to the beautiful blooming corner called Carmel-by-the-Sea to celebrate her and her husband's anniversary. Malysh, the German shepherd, also went with us as well as Sally and Snow White. It was great!!!
Ingenieurin Posted May 1, 2014, 11:24 pm	Happy Easter!

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