Vriendje, Iola, KS, United States

Cyn Posted Apr 19, 2012, 6:25 pm	Hey Everybody!! My name is Vriendje (Friend in Dutch) and i'm a new Toyvoyager!! I think it is so cool to be a TV!! Well i'm a small brown dragon and i am a bit shy, so i'm staying at my mom now.. Maybe i will find out travelling next week with my mom's collegue! That's nice! Soon i will meet mom's other TV's! I'm so curious how they will be!! Bye Bye! Vriendje
Cyn Posted Apr 20, 2012, 10:21 am	Goodmorning all! Yesterday evening i went to bed early! I was so tired, it wasn't a long trip but i was very tired! When i was in bed i woke up because it felt like people where watching me.. And hey!!!! My brother Miffie and my sister MuhMuh came to watch me! I jumped out off my bed to say Hi to them! I told them that i was still very tired and would love to go to sleep again! So we decided to go to sleep all together! I was sleeping so well, until it was time to wake up for my mom (at 7AM!!!!) I played a bit on mom's ipad and said bye to mom.. She was leaving for work! The game i'm playing is called Monopoly Hotels. It's pretty cool! Bye!! Vriendje
Cyn Posted May 2, 2012, 8:28 am	Today i will travel to RikeHH in Germany! I'm so happy that mom found me a host, can't wait to meet other TV's and hosts!! I said goodbye to my close friends MuhMuh, PinkyHH and Mr.Flocki. And you know what?? PinkyHH is the TV of RikeHH.. Cool huh? I jumped into my envelop and i am really to travel!  Hope i will arrive soon, cause i don't like it in here! Bye! Vriendje!
RikeH Posted May 6, 2012, 7:35 pm	Hello Mum,  I arrived in Sülfeld. Dicker Kumpel is the host here – he gave me a warm welcome. Then he introduced me to Pink Charmin – his other guest. The weather was nice and I made a walk in the garden. I met these funny guys. Can you see me next to the blossom of a beautiful tree? I found a lot of flowers – blue ones... ...yellow ones... ...and purple ones. I just visit my first new country  Yours Vriendje
RikeH Posted May 16, 2012, 7:41 pm	Hello Mum, We made a walk through Sülfeld today. This is the old pharmacy. Behind me you can see the church. I went into it. This was the school – many years ago. Today the mayor lives here. Bye Vriendje
RikeH Posted May 16, 2012, 7:54 pm	Hi Mum, We went to a city near to Sülfeld, called Bad Segeberg. The weather was not nice, but we had no rain. Behind me you can see the church. We went onto a hill – and had a look in the theatre. In the other direction I saw a nice lake. Later we saw these nice ducks next to a little lake. Look – I loved this sculpture. yours Vriendje
RikeH Posted May 19, 2012, 10:02 pm	Hi Mum, Today we visited Dicker Kumpel’s Grandma. We had something delicious to eat. Later we heard some music outside and went onto the balcony. There was the Schützenfest – and the marksmen walked through the streets. It was really interesting. There was a car of the fire service at the end. Yours Vriendje
RikeH Posted May 26, 2012, 4:01 pm	Hello Mum, We are on our way to Finland now. RikeH was very busy the last days, so we didn’t update our travelogs, but now it will be better, we hope  We went from Travemünde,Germany to Helsinki, Finland with the Ferry Finnlady. The weather was wonderful, but it was so stormy that RikeH decided to take only one photo of me outside. She didn’t want me to fly away. Fortunately we had a wonderful cabin with many windows. Through this one I saw the way we went. Then we all went to the window on the side of the ship. The sun was wonderful. Of course we wanted to look outside. Our ferry was great – look, there in front of us was a cruise ship. Our Captain did a good job, so we won the race! Love Vriendje
RikeH Posted May 28, 2012, 12:48 pm	Hello from Finland, yes Mum, I am in a new country now.  We made a short walk through Turku today - and I saw this nice church. Then we visited the archipelago. We started in a small village called Naantali and saw this nice church. Then we drove through the nice nature. We had to use some ferries – this was the biggest of all. We saw a ship of the SAR. I liked the views. On the ferry there was a flag of Finland. Of course I wanted a photo of it. The sky looked great with the clouds. In the evening we went back to Turku and saw this beautiful fin. Greetings Vriendje
RikeH Posted May 29, 2012, 7:31 pm	Hello Mum, Can you see this nice church? It is situated in Vaasa. It looked like the weather was not so nice, but wait for another photo of the church we made after visiting it. Inside it was beautiful, too. Next to the church was the town hall. Then we had a look back to the church – and the funny monument – now you can see the sunshine. I think that all cities of Finland have a water tower. Back in the hotel we decided to do something typical for Finland – and we went into the sauna. It was not hot enough for us, so I worked hard… …and put some water onto the hot stones. This was much better! Later we relaxed. It was great! Yours Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 2, 2012, 1:16 pm	Hello Mum, In the late afternoon Dicker Kumpel told me and the others that he had a surprise for us. We all were excited and we jumped into our travel bag. Look, what happened! RikeH met two Finish hosts – mmm105 and reissari – and all their TVs and TV-guests. So we had a big TV-meeting! To have a better view of us – we made smaller photos. It was great to meet so many new TVs. Hopefully I will meet some of them again on my trip around the world! Then we had another meeting – we went to a postcrossing-meeting. You can see the postcards of the postcrossing-members. We had so much fun talking with these friendly women. What a nice meeting! Yours Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 2, 2012, 3:39 pm	Hello Mum, We found a great place today – the fortress Olavinlinna. You can see it behind me. In the garden around was this funny monument. We came nearer to the fortress? This was inside the walls – the walls were very high! Hey – this was the owner of the fortress, I guess. Then we drove about a dam with a forest. Our guidebook told us that it was one of the nicest places to visit. I didn’t like it too much. The fortress was much better! Back in the town of Savonlinna we had these two views.     It was a nice day! Yours Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 2, 2012, 3:39 pm	Hello Mum, We found a great place today – the fortress Olavinlinna. You can see it behind me. In the garden around was this funny monument. We came nearer to the fortress? This was inside the walls – the walls were very high! Hey – this was the owner of the fortress, I guess. Then we drove about a dam with a forest. Our guidebook told us that it was one of the nicest places to visit. I didn’t like it too much. The fortress was much better! Back in the town of Savonlinna we had these two views.     It was a nice day! Yours Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 5, 2012, 4:14 pm	A great day! We saw reindeers! Well – we were really excited, so the photos were not so good. We went to a national park called Hossa. This is a funny name. We started our walk next to this lake. I liked this wooden path. The nature looked different to the other parts of Finland with trees and lakes. But fortunately we saw water again! And another lake – yes, we are in Finland. I wanted to have another of these photos – a lake and trees around! Many greetings Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 6, 2012, 8:29 pm	Hello again, This evening Dicker Kumpel and I had a nice time together. First we had something yummy to eat. This way it was easier to get the chees-balls. Can you imagine what we were doing ? Yes, we sat in front of the fireplace. It is great to spend time with a friend! Yours Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 8, 2012, 5:22 pm	Merry Christmas Mum! The Finnish people are crazy sometimes. We arrived in our new home today. And look, what we have in front of our house – a Christmas tree! This was really strange. But RikeH told us that we are in the Santa Claus Village. Santa lives here – this is amazing! Maybe we will meet him tomorrow. Who knows? But first I had to show you two funny things in our room. This is the wonderful lamp! We had fun playing on it. Now I believe that the Christmas Time comes nearer! Hohoho Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 8, 2012, 7:04 pm	Hello from the Santa Claus Village! We saw these signs today – and wanted to meet Santa Claus. But can you imagine it? Santa Claus didn’t allow to make own photos – and wants to have a lot of money for the photos taken by his gnomes… So we decided that his Santa Claus is nice, too. There were an ice bear and some gnomes next to him. There were signs showing the distance to some cities around the world. And here is Santa Claus’ Main Post Office – he has to write many letters each year. I was really in the North now. I crossed the Arctic Circle Mum – have you ever done it? Love Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 14, 2012, 8:32 pm	Hello Mum, We visited Helsinki today.  Behind me you can see the cathedral. This is a Russian church – I loved the gold on the roof. Near to the water we saw this beautiful building. This is a wonderful church – inside a rock – really strange. Love Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 14, 2012, 10:20 pm	Hello Mum, Today was our last day in Finland – and we spent it in Porvoo. We met a really nice lady there. First we climbed up a hill and had a look over the town. Unfortunately the trees were really high! This was a better place to look at the city. Behind me you can see the famous houses next to the river. The weather was not as sunny as yesterday, so you cannot see it so good. There were moomins living in this shop. We had a stop next to his bunny-lady. On the right side you can see some other TVs. Then we did something funny – we went onto the Castle-Hill. But there was no castle anymore… We stopped on a bridge and saw some nice new houses… …and a ship with the funny name Glückauf. Here we had a better view of the famous houses. It was a great time in Finland! yours Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 21, 2012, 10:34 pm	Hello from a Ferry again. We were back on the way to Germany. Fortunately we had television in our cabin. So we watched soccer. In the first game the Netherlands played. I  was so excited. Unfortunately the Netherlands lost. We went outside and had a wonderful sunset! Here you can see a model of our Ferry! It was time for soccer again. We decided to have a party, although I was a little sad. Cheers! The game was great! GOAL! Germany won – and we celebrated it! The next morning we first had a coffee! We preferred some fresh fruits!  No more wine and beer! Love Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 21, 2012, 10:57 pm	Hello Mum! It was Dicker Kumpel’s birthday today! We all came and sang a Birthday-Song for him! We gave him a big birthday-hug! It was time to complete on of my life missions. Yes – I kissed another ToyVoyager. A birthday was a good date for doing it! Love Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 24, 2012, 9:05 pm	Hello Mum, We went to Hamburg today.  The weather was not so nice - but no problem for us. We walked along the lake Alster in the center of Hamburg. Can you see the sailing ships? There were more boats - I think they will be used if the weather is better! There were some geese. It was a nice place! Believe it or not – it was the same day – only some minutes later – and we had sunshine. One of many churches in Hamburg. Many greetings Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jun 28, 2012, 8:45 pm	Hello Mum, We went to Hamburg again. But today we went to the Port. And we saw a cruise ship! This Part of the Port is called ‘Speicherstadt’. It is the old warehouse destrict, but they built a lot of new houses there. Here you can see the old houses. This is another part of the Port. We made a short boat trip. There was a wonderful sailing ship! Behind me you can see the pier of the port. My last views of the port. Bye Vriendje
RikeH Posted Jul 3, 2012, 8:27 pm	Hello Mum, It was my last day in Sülfeld today. I will travel to the USA! But I wanted to have a walk before I jumped into my envelope. Here you see me in front of a small lake. Later we sat in front of this nice sign and enjoyed the sunshine. At home it was time to say goodbye – the others gave me a big hug. I will write, when I arrive in the USA. Love Vriendje
MamiTig Posted Jul 23, 2012, 4:58 am	Vriendje arrived safely in Iola, Kansas!
MamiTig Posted Jul 23, 2012, 6:04 am	Host mom showed me the work that's being done on her home's foundation. She was very excited that it's almost done!
MamiTig Posted Jul 24, 2012, 1:36 am	We crossed into the Cherokee Nation as we crossed the Oklahoma border, just south of Caney, KS.
MamiTig Posted Jul 26, 2012, 2:58 am	Our first night in Tulsa was wonderful! We got to the hotel and waited in line about 45 minutes for our room assignment. This turned out to be a blessing as they ran out of double rooms, so they upgraded us to a suite at no extra cost! The view was beautiful! I had fun wandering the convention (Tokyo in Tulsa) with the host family!
MamiTig Posted Jul 26, 2012, 5:25 am	Most of our day two at Tokyo in Tulsa was spent at the pre-judging for the cosplay and skit contests, then at the panel about "Pokemon Gijinka" that the host family presented, wandering "artist alley" and then at the final cosplay contest! Host mom and two of her daughters won a judge's choice award in the cosplay contest!
MamiTig Posted Jul 27, 2012, 5:58 am	On the last day of Tokyo in Tulsa, we took a last wander of the vendors room and ogled all of the fun and amazing things!
MamiTig Posted Jul 28, 2012, 4:35 am	We liked the new water saver look for the fountain at Legend's Drive Dental!
MamiTig Posted Jul 28, 2012, 5:18 am	This year has been terrible for drought, and the corn is shriveling up in the fields
MamiTig Posted Jul 29, 2012, 6:54 am	Storm shelters like these are a reminder of how deadly Kansas weather can become!
MamiTig Posted Jul 30, 2012, 4:56 am	We had a delicious dinner at Pizza Street, to build up our energy for shopping!
MamiTig Posted Jul 31, 2012, 3:31 am	Next we went shopping at Bass Pro Shops! It is an amazing place with just about anything you can imagine for outdoor sports. We bought 8 life jackets, so the host family can go rafting!
MamiTig Posted Aug 2, 2012, 3:20 am	The host family took me to the Allen County Fair! We saw the livestock, the baby barn, and the amazing fair entries, ranging from vegetables to photography to baking to clothing construction.
MamiTig Posted Aug 3, 2012, 4:03 am	I liked what the host family had for dinner! Yummy!
MamiTig Posted Aug 4, 2012, 5:03 am	The local community garden has suffered from the drought, too. The only plants that stayed green had a lot of extra water!
MamiTig Posted Aug 5, 2012, 9:37 pm	Today, the host family took me on a huge road trip! Our first stop for the day was at the National Fish Hatchery. We enjoyed the exhibits, then went outside to feed the fish. There was only one pond filled, and a family of ducks came to see the excitement!
MamiTig Posted Aug 6, 2012, 5:25 am	Our next stop was the lovely, old cemetery in Neosho, on the way out of town.
MamiTig Posted Aug 7, 2012, 5:34 am	The next stop was at the Lives Under Construction Ranch charity thrift shop, then on to Lives Under Construction Ranch! We completed our debriefing, then got to see what the boys on the ranch do during the summer camp. They help feed the animals, water trees, and camp out on the weekends!
MamiTig Posted Aug 8, 2012, 3:19 am	We stopped at the scenic vista just north of Shell Knob, MO, where it seemed like we were on top of the world!
MamiTig Posted Aug 9, 2012, 4:02 am	After a long day of traveling and exploring, we were HUNGRY! So we stopped in Carthage, MO for some authentic Central American food. It was so very good!
MamiTig Posted Aug 12, 2012, 6:26 am	Vriendje enjoyed visiting the local farmer's market! The pepper tasting was fun, but the Thai peppers were sure hot!
MamiTig Posted Aug 12, 2012, 6:27 am	Vriendje decided that hedgehogs are really cute, even if three were showing the prickly part of their personality!
MamiTig Posted Aug 13, 2012, 3:06 am	We went to Sabbath supper at the SDA church and enjoyed great food and great fellowship!
MamiTig Posted Aug 14, 2012, 4:29 am	A picnic in the park was a perfect occasion for blowing bubbles!
MamiTig Posted Aug 15, 2012, 12:57 am	Vriendje met Spoink, the baby pig who is being bottle fed by the host family. Once he's big enough to be outside on a regular basis, he'll be going to a  family that plans to keep him as a farm pet for a 4-H project
MamiTig Posted Aug 17, 2012, 8:55 pm	Host mom took me to see the Neosho River. She said that in the twelve years she's lived here, she's never seen it this dry. You can definitely see the results of the drought!!
MamiTig Posted Aug 18, 2012, 8:53 pm	Today I experienced an anime convention called Motaku! We are going to be here for the whole weekend and it's so fun! Today I played in the board game room and people watched!
MamiTig Posted Aug 20, 2012, 4:33 am	We had lots more fun at Motaku today! We went to several interesting panels and people watched!
MamiTig Posted Aug 21, 2012, 6:24 am	We visited the host family's friends and met their cats! They have nine cats, and it was fun to look for all of them!
MamiTig Posted Aug 23, 2012, 4:43 am	The host family loves to go to Red Robin for the amazingly delicious veggie burgers!
MamiTig Posted Aug 26, 2012, 6:16 am	The sunflower is the Kansas state flower! This one grew tall all summer, then got so heavy it bent in half. Now it's making lovely little flowers.
MamiTig Posted Aug 26, 2012, 6:17 am	It finally rained today!! It was very badly needed. Host mom said she heard that two days ago, one of the small towns in our county ran out of water. Everything is dry and there have been fires. I sure hope we keep getting more rain!
MamiTig Posted Aug 29, 2012, 12:38 am	We walked over to the Cottonwood Garden to see what is left as summer starts to fade. The Cottonwood Garden was just a vacant lot until someone bought it, landscaped it, and donated it back to the city for everyone to enjoy.
MamiTig Posted Aug 31, 2012, 3:53 am	Two of the giant's brothers took Arizona, Tucker, Wotan, Sissi, Sundy, Fidditch, Hryusha, Anastaysia, Snakiey, Bambi, Kalso, Kali, Ming Jung, Jellybean, Chrissy, Strider, Plaudagei, Faschi, Mini-Mina, and myself to the playground at the elementary school today! We played on all of the equipment and had sooo much fun!
MamiTig Posted Sep 1, 2012, 3:37 am	Host mom had to go to Burlington to testify on a court case, so we came along. She showed us some of the pretty murals that decorate the town!
MamiTig Posted Sep 2, 2012, 2:27 am	Host mom made colorful pancakes today! She uses this recipe, but said that she adds vanilla to make them extra fluffy. They sure turn out delicious and disappear fast!
MamiTig Posted Sep 5, 2012, 2:04 am	Today we went exploring at Elm Creek! It was hot out, but the shade of the trees made it kind of nice. We explored the north side of the creek, then drove back around to the bridge so that we could explore and see the south side. Host mom has lived here for 12 years, and this was the first time she ever explored this part of Elm Creek!
MamiTig Posted Sep 5, 2012, 5:33 am	Today we stopped and took a look at beautiful, historical Fort Scott!
MamiTig Posted Sep 5, 2012, 1:40 pm	Newborn hedgehog babies are so tiny, sweet, and adorable!
MamiTig Posted Sep 7, 2012, 4:10 am	We visited the Farmer's Market this evening and bought a few things. The vendors were closing down while we were there, and some nice ladies gave us peach pies and cinnamon rolls, too!
MamiTig Posted Sep 10, 2012, 3:59 am	Today we enjoyed great company and delicious food at the SDA church supper!
MamiTig Posted Sep 11, 2012, 4:53 am	Host mom and her oldest daughter went ghost hunting at the Pythian Castle! They joined members of the Paranormal Task Force and learned how to use some really cool equipment! It was a mostly quiet night, but there was an electromagnetic field that hovered in one room for over half an hour that had no explainable source we could figure out! Some women felt their hair pulled and backpacks pulled on, and then could not initially leave the tunnel below the castle. They got really spooked, but host mom and her daughter didn't experience any thing scary! For more pictures of their experience, you can click here!
MamiTig Posted Sep 13, 2012, 5:18 am	On the way home from visiting the haunted castle, we stopped at the Precious Moments chapel to take a break and breathe in the peace and beauty that is there.
MamiTig Posted Sep 14, 2012, 4:52 am	Host mom stopped at Twin Trestles to take a photo shoot with us this morning. The sky was pale gray and threatening rain, and the late summer flowers were in bloom, but the leaves aren't turning autumn colors yet. The water in the river was nearly all dried up. This is one of host mom's favorite local places to take pictures!
MamiTig Posted Sep 16, 2012, 7:38 pm	The host family took me to Marsha's Great Plains Deli today... they swear it's the best deli in the Midwest! The sandwiches were amazing!!
MamiTig Posted Sep 17, 2012, 5:16 am	Host mom had to take a trip out to Nevada, MO and stopped to show us the lovely building that is now Heartland Behavioral Health Services. Like the Pythian Castle we went to recently, it was originally an orphanage. You can read about the history of the building here.
MamiTig Posted Sep 21, 2012, 5:06 am	We got to celebrate a birthday! It was so much fun to see the presents unwrapped!
MamiTig Posted Sep 25, 2012, 2:39 am	We had a delicious church supper and a visit from friendly goats!
MamiTig Posted Sep 26, 2012, 4:32 am	We went to the Kansas City Renaissance Festival and saw so many amazing things! Around every corner there was something new to see or do! The performers and shopkeepers were so incredibly nice to us, too
MamiTig Posted Sep 29, 2012, 1:11 am	Red Robin has the most amazing veggie burgers and stuff!
MamiTig Posted Sep 30, 2012, 3:44 am	I inspected the progress on host mom's latest project!
MamiTig Posted Oct 1, 2012, 5:08 am	One of host mom's daughters is taking a photography class for her after school program and had an assignment to look for patterns. On Saturday, after Sabbath school and while waiting for potluck, we helped her look for patterns!
MamiTig Posted Oct 3, 2012, 5:52 am	Host mom took us down to see the Neosho River today. She was amazed that even after all the rain we have had, it is still incredibly low!
MamiTig Posted Oct 4, 2012, 5:02 am	Host mom finished her project today- a dress for her oldest daughter!
MamiTig Posted Oct 7, 2012, 4:18 am	Host mom got her new full spectrum camera in this week, so we decided to take it somewhere interesting to try it out. We visited the Galemore Cemetery, and host mom took pictures with both full spectrum and her regular camera.
MamiTig Posted Oct 8, 2012, 3:02 am	Vriendje inspected the cranes that host mom's oldest daughter is making. She says she wants to make 1,000 cranes so she can make a wish.
MamiTig Posted Oct 9, 2012, 5:14 am	Host mom is finishing up another costume... she calls this one "Little Red Fighting Good"!
MamiTig Posted Oct 10, 2012, 4:52 am	Today was host mom's birthday!
MamiTig Posted Oct 14, 2012, 12:12 am	We were supposed to go to the high school football game today, but lightning, thunder, and torrential rain meant it got postponed. We took shelter in a nearby recreation building and watched the middle school and high school bands at marching practice!
MamiTig Posted Oct 15, 2012, 12:59 am	Another delicious vegetarian Sabbath supper at the SDA church!
MamiTig Posted Oct 16, 2012, 5:22 am	The stormy skies had an amazing yellow shade that we never could quite catch in a picture, but host mom did get these lovely pictures with her regular and full spectrum cameras.
MamiTig Posted Oct 17, 2012, 5:05 am	Host mom is hard at work on another costume...
MamiTig Posted Oct 18, 2012, 4:33 am	More progress! Host mom told us that inspiration for the design came from Edward Gorey.
MamiTig Posted Oct 19, 2012, 4:19 am	Oh my! There was a ghost cat in the downstairs bathroom tonight...
MamiTig Posted Oct 22, 2012, 5:19 am	We visited the Farm City Days celebration in downtown Iola today! We saw all sorts of things, like carnival rides a blacksmith, tractors, and vendor booths! It sure was a lot of fun!
MamiTig Posted Oct 23, 2012, 6:11 am	We got to watch The Passing Zone performance at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center! We even had front row seats.
MamiTig Posted Oct 27, 2012, 5:01 am	We met a new friend named Axie! Host mom was so happy that Axie joined her family because Axie is a squishable axolotl and #426 in the series!
MamiTig Posted Oct 30, 2012, 3:33 am	We took a visit to Twin Trestles, to see what autumn is doing to the landscape. The trees seem to be going straight to curled up and brown, or to leaves falling, without a lot of the usual pretty colors this year.
MamiTig Posted Nov 4, 2012, 2:43 pm	On the way home from Wichita, host mom stopped to take a short walk and find the spring around which the Kansas town of Eureka was founded.
MamiTig Posted Nov 5, 2012, 5:46 am	There were strange things afoot on Halloween!
MamiTig Posted Nov 6, 2012, 4:04 am	Mmmmm! The Mexican food at El Charro is amazing! We tried the vegetarian fajitas today
MamiTig Posted Nov 7, 2012, 1:42 pm	I helped host mom cut out her next sewing project!
MamiTig Posted Nov 8, 2012, 5:57 am	Today we visited Grene Vision for an eye appointment and looked at all of the fun glasses!
MamiTig Posted Nov 9, 2012, 5:12 am	The fall colors at the South Lake are lovely in the morning!
MamiTig Posted Nov 10, 2012, 3:19 am	I visited a charming little hedgehog in his hidey house today!
MamiTig Posted Nov 12, 2012, 5:54 pm	After many hours in the car, we arrived at our hotel in Union, MO, where we rested up, to be ready for a night of paranormal investigation!
MamiTig Posted Nov 15, 2012, 5:06 am	We spent the night at the Tri-County Truck Stop, a reportedly haunted location, on a paranormal investigation! Host mom didn't have room to take all of the TVs in, but I was one of the lucky ones who got to stay! For the rest of the pictures, you can click here!
MamiTig Posted Nov 17, 2012, 5:38 am	On the way home from the truck stop, we couldn't resist stopping at Lambert's for lunch. We had to wait an hour and a half to get in, but it was SO worth it! Yum, yum, yum!
MamiTig Posted Nov 17, 2012, 8:32 pm	Host mom had to visit the court house in Garnett and showed us how lovely it looks!
MamiTig Posted Nov 18, 2012, 2:02 am	Host mom has made some progress on her sewing project!
MamiTig Posted Nov 19, 2012, 3:30 am	Today we enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast with the host family's friends at RiverTree.
MamiTig Posted Nov 21, 2012, 4:12 am	We were fortunate to get to watch the very amazing Birdhouse Factory performance by Cirque Mechanics... every act was incredible and astounding!!
MamiTig Posted Nov 23, 2012, 2:01 am	Host mom decided to cook something yummy for dinner and we got to help! She made Hungarian Noodles and Cabbage and it was so delicious that all the kids had seconds!
MamiTig Posted Nov 24, 2012, 2:29 am	We very much enjoyed celebrating an American Thanksgiving with a community luncheon at St. Timothy's Episcopal church. Since the host family are vegetarians, they didn't eat the traditional turkey, but did enjoy mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, bread rolls, cranberry salad, and pumpkin desserts!
MamiTig Posted Nov 25, 2012, 1:54 am	We got to enjoy another one of the host family's holiday traditions. We went for a leaf walk, to find colorful leaves to make a table centerpiece for tonight's Thanksgiving dinner! This is a tradition that host mom says has been practiced in her family for at least four generations now!
MamiTig Posted Nov 25, 2012, 7:01 am	We got to help make Thanksgiving dinner! Sweet potato and Black Bean Enchiladas, white cheese mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and cranberry sauce made up the menu!
MamiTig Posted Nov 27, 2012, 6:24 am	The city of Iola kicked off the Christmas season with an event on the town square! The kids had a candy cane hunt and then we listened to a storyteller. We waited and waited, and then Santa came in on a fire truck to light the town's tree!!
MamiTig Posted Nov 28, 2012, 6:30 am	Host mom finished her sewing project: bright yellow jeans for her oldest daughter!
MamiTig Posted Dec 1, 2012, 5:39 am	Today we went to work with host mom and looked around her office.
MamiTig Posted Dec 3, 2012, 6:34 am	We helped make Christmas ornaments at youth group. The ornaments will also double as book marks and the youth group kids will be giving them away as gifts.
MamiTig Posted Dec 5, 2012, 5:49 am	Another yummy Sabbath potluck supper at the SDA church!
MamiTig Posted Dec 7, 2012, 3:08 am	Host mom made a couple of pretty shirts for her middle daughter!
MamiTig Posted Dec 8, 2012, 3:43 am	We went to the Bowlus Fine Arts center to watch the elementary school Christmas program!
MamiTig Posted Dec 10, 2012, 5:48 am	We visited the Safari Museum in Chanute, KS and got to see and play with lots of fascinating artifacts from Africa and Borneo!
MamiTig Posted Dec 12, 2012, 5:00 am	We found some lovely buildings in downtown Parsons, KS!
MamiTig Posted Dec 14, 2012, 5:25 am	It was the coldest day so far this winter (17F) and host mom took us down to see the sun rising over the Neosho River. She is sad that it is still so low, and hopes we'll get lots of snowfall and then spring rains to fill it back up.
MamiTig Posted Dec 16, 2012, 9:46 pm	We got to watch the Iola Middle School winter concert... strings, choir, band, and jazz band! The kids were fantastic, and it made my heart dance!
MamiTig Posted Dec 17, 2012, 6:09 am	The Classique Dance Studio Christmas party was wonderful! We got to see the little dancers, and take part in an indoor "snowball" fight!
MamiTig Posted Dec 20, 2012, 4:46 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, 3:53 am	After a long day, dinner at CeCe's Pizza was delicious!
MamiTig Posted Dec 22, 2012, 4:59 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, 1:39 am	Host mom made a super cute outfit for her youngest daughter, who loves bright, sunshiny colors!
MamiTig Posted Dec 23, 2012, 4:00 am	Today we enjoyed a potluck at the SDA church!
MamiTig Posted Dec 25, 2012, 5:18 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, 1:34 pm	We enjoyed watching the host family celebrate Christmas! Merry Christmas to all!
MamiTig Posted Dec 29, 2012, 7:18 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, 12:09 am	Host mom has been having fun with fleece... she made her littlest daughter this pretty coat!
MamiTig Posted Dec 31, 2012, 5:21 am	Vriendje made some tiny little friends today!
MamiTig Posted Jan 2, 2013, 5:14 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, 3:25 am	Mmmm, yummy! French toast for dinner!
MamiTig Posted Jan 7, 2013, 5:03 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, 1:52 pm	We enjoyed another Sabbath potluck supper at the SDA church
MamiTig Posted Jan 9, 2013, 6:58 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, 5:09 am	We helped the host family make focaccia!
MamiTig Posted Jan 13, 2013, 2:24 am	Vriendje 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, 4:29 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, 5:15 am	The host family is musical and today, I got to see the oldest daughter's bass clarinet!
MamiTig Posted Jan 18, 2013, 4:46 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, 6:28 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, 2:54 am	Host mom started a new project today, how exciting! She is using pretty red fleece!
MamiTig Posted Jan 22, 2013, 4:41 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, 5:53 am	Host mom introduced Vriendje to the piccolo today!
MamiTig Posted Jan 29, 2013, 12:53 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 29, 2013, 12:54 am	Host mom bought herself a lovely bouquet of sunflowers!
MamiTig Posted Jan 31, 2013, 4:06 am	We enjoyed lunch at Jin Shan Chinese buffet! They had so many delicious things to choose from
MamiTig Posted Feb 1, 2013, 4:22 am	Vriendje was fascinated with all of host mom's flutes and piccolos! Such pretty instruments!
MamiTig Posted Feb 4, 2013, 6:12 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 6, 2013, 3:47 am	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, 5:31 am	It's a birthday party! Watching presents being unwrapped is so much fun!
MamiTig Posted Feb 11, 2013, 3:42 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, 1:48 pm	Mmmm, these SDA church suppers are full of vegetarian deliciousness!
MamiTig Posted Feb 14, 2013, 5:44 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, 2:33 am	We investigated the new baritone! So pretty and shiny!
MamiTig Posted Feb 16, 2013, 5:13 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, 4:09 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 17, 2013, 9:12 pm	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 19, 2013, 1:37 pm	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, 3:18 am	Today we visited Humboldt, KS and host mom 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, 9:57 pm	Can you tell that host mom and her daughters like nail polish?
MamiTig Posted Feb 22, 2013, 4:53 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, 2:36 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, 5:56 am	Oh goody... preparing for another yummy Sabbath potluck supper at the Seventh Day Adventist church!
MamiTig Posted Feb 25, 2013, 6:05 am	Vriendje enjoyed trying the vegetarian fajita taco salad at El Charro's Mexican restaurant!
MamiTig Posted Feb 27, 2013, 2:25 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 2, 2013, 12:30 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, 2:42 am	Vriendje was very curious about host mom's new sewing project. The fabric sure is a bright, bold orange!
MamiTig Posted Mar 9, 2013, 5:33 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 and the mounds of snow that are still there from last week's storms, on the way to the post office!
MamiTig Posted Mar 11, 2013, 2:34 am	Vegetarian lasagna, scalloped potatoes, and so many other delicious things... Sabbath potluck is always wonderful!
MamiTig Posted Mar 13, 2013, 4:33 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, 3:57 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, 5:25 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, 3:42 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, 2:44 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, 4:31 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 23, 2013, 2:17 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 23, 2013, 2:31 am	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 25, 2013, 5:10 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, 3:31 am	We had a delicious lunch at Pizza Street before heading back home!
MamiTig Posted Mar 31, 2013, 5:43 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, 2:38 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 6, 2013, 12:34 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, 5:52 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, 4:31 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, 4:17 am	We enjoyed youth group... there were songs, a cup cake craft, and hay stacks for dinner!
MamiTig Posted Apr 22, 2013, 5:36 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, 4:36 am	Yay, yummy Mexican food! We went to El Charro's to celebrate a birthday with the host family
MamiTig Posted Apr 28, 2013, 2:26 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, 5:18 am	We found ourselves back at El Charro, celebrating another birthday!
MamiTig Posted May 4, 2013, 8:22 pm	We visited the amazing Deanna Rose Farmstead! It was so fun to explore all of the different things
MamiTig Posted May 6, 2013, 5:40 am	After a fun time at the farmstead, we went to eat veggie burgers at Red Robin! They have the world's best veggie burgers (we think) and all the french fries you can eat
MamiTig Posted May 9, 2013, 4:20 am	It was a beautiful day, so we went down to the Neosho River to play! Lots of people were out to fish and throw rocks in the water!
MamiTig Posted May 13, 2013, 5:52 am	We helped a high school student campaign for treasurer in her school's student elections (she won)!
MamiTig Posted May 15, 2013, 5:41 am	Road trip! We headed on an adventure today and our first stop was to see the historical marker at the spring in Eureka, Kansas.
MamiTig Posted May 18, 2013, 1:07 am	Our next stop to stretch our legs was at a pretty bridge in El Dorado, KS. This little site is tucked just off of the highway and is very peaceful.
MamiTig Posted May 19, 2013, 7:19 pm	Once we got to Wichita, we found a lovely Chinese restaurant for dinner. The name of the restaurant was Kirin and they were having their grand opening. We ate an amazing vegetarian feast including cream cheese wontons, lo mein, ma po tofu, fried rice, white rice, and chow mein.
MamiTig Posted May 20, 2013, 2:22 am	After dinner, we drove downtown to the Orpheum Theater, to watch the Wichita State University Contemporary Dance Recital. They don't allow pictures inside the theater, but we got there early enough that we were able to wander around downtown and admire the art and architecture. We found an amazing horse sculpture that was made entirely out of old car bumpers. There were also pigs made out of bumpers, but they were inside of a building that was already locked for the night.
MamiTig Posted May 21, 2013, 6:18 am	It was a beautiful evening and we very much enjoyed the middle school's musical performance on the town square!
MamiTig Posted May 22, 2013, 5:27 am	We attended the 5th grade graduation at a local elementary school.  The gym was sure full of excited children and their families! The flag on the right is the Kansas state flag.
MamiTig Posted May 23, 2013, 3:06 am	We got to play with some baby hedgehogs, under the watchful eye of their mama!
MamiTig Posted May 28, 2013, 4:27 am	I went to youth group with the host family. We had fun making melted pony bead sun catchers and eating a yummy fellowship dinner!
MamiTig Posted May 29, 2013, 4:59 am	Mmm! I always enjoy Sabbath supper at the Seventh Day Adventist church!
MamiTig Posted May 31, 2013, 5:20 am	Host mom showed us one of the country storm shelters... we were curious about them after the tornado sirens went off last week. The host family live in town, so when the tornado sirens went off, they went to the local arts center, where a huge basement room, two stories beneath the ground, was opened up for people to stay until the storm passed. In the country, people have their own little shelters, like these. Host mom said that the ground here is very wet, so not very many people have basements, in spite that it would be really convenient when the threat of tornadoes come!
MamiTig Posted Jun 2, 2013, 12:05 am	Host mom was on call on Memorial Day and had to go to Erie. She was looking for the metal dinosaurs that are supposed to be on display in the are, but found the Osage Nation plaque instead.
MamiTig Posted Jun 4, 2013, 5:27 am	Host mom set her GPS to get to and from Erie for her on call visit. The GPS decided to take her off of the highway and down gravel roads. She came across this pretty community building in the middle of seeming nowhere. It had just the building, a storm cellar, and a small playground. When she got home, host mom looked up Odense, KS. Apparently, it is a township so small that she couldn't find a listing of the population anywhere!
MamiTig Posted Jun 6, 2013, 5:25 am	Our next stop was to look at the wildflowers near Elsmore, KS. Sometimes it's a good thing when the GPS takes you off the highway and into the wild!
MamiTig Posted Jun 8, 2013, 1:45 am	Host mom got to stay home for about half an hour before getting called out again. We helped host mom's friend, who is helping host mom paint her living room!
MamiTig Posted Jun 8, 2013, 4:33 am	Host mom showed us what most Americans do on Memorial Day: Visit the cemetery to pay respects to loved ones who have passed, especially honoring those who have given military service to the country.
MamiTig Posted Jun 11, 2013, 5:50 am	Host mom's last call was in Fort Scott, so she took us by to see the Fort Scott National Historic Site. It was closed for the evening, so we only got to look at the outside. Host mom explained that the bricks that line the streets and the walkways in old town Fort Scott were locally made, back in the 1800s!
MamiTig Posted Jun 12, 2013, 2:35 am	It was picture day at the host family's kids' dance studio. All of the kids looked like they were having so much fun showing off their costumes and playing while they waited their turns!
MamiTig Posted Jun 12, 2013, 4:30 am	Oh goody, a birthday! Watching presents being unwrapped is the most fun part of the day!
MamiTig Posted Jun 13, 2013, 5:07 am	Tonight was the dress rehearsal for the host family's kids' dance recital! So many excited kids, and I really enjoyed it!
MamiTig Posted Jun 14, 2013, 5:38 am	Recital day! I got to play with all the dancers who waited in the "holding pit" between their routines! There were so many costumes and so many fun kids
MamiTig Posted Jun 15, 2013, 5:49 am	Host mom's parents were visiting, so host mom made a vegetarian Thai feast for dinner! In the wok pan there is pad se ew, and in the glass dish (under all of the garnish) there is pad thai!
MamiTig Posted Jun 18, 2013, 5:22 am	The host family needed to take a trip to Lawrence, so they decided to visit the World's Largest Concete Teepee! It looks like someone lives in the main teepee now, but the side building is for rent. You can read more about its fascinating history by clicking here!
MamiTig Posted Jun 20, 2013, 3:03 am	On our way to dinner, found one of the Jayhawk statues that show pride in KU (University of Kansas), which is located in Lawrence. It was just across from the parking lot for Zen Zero, which is where we decided to eat. Everything was so good and plentiful that we ate and ate and ate until everyone was full!
MamiTig Posted Jun 20, 2013, 4:02 am	It's that time again! It's summer and the Farmer's Market has come to Iola on Thursday night. People from Iola and the surrounding area come to buy and sell produce, baked goods, and crafts. We love to look and see what there is to buy!
MamiTig Posted Jun 23, 2013, 5:50 am	We ate "haystacks" at the Sabbath potluck this time! Haystacks have fritos corn chips on the bottom, then slow cooked pinto beans, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, olives, onions, and salsa. They are super delicious!
MamiTig Posted Jun 27, 2013, 1:46 am	Host mom says that the best part of spring and summer in Kansas is the wildflowers! These pretty flowers grow by her garage.
MamiTig Posted Jun 27, 2013, 4:58 am	We had to pick up kids at the airport, so of course we took advantage of being in the area to feast at the Ghengis Khan restaurant! The host family LOVE this place because you can create your own meal and watch them cook it on the giant grill stone!
MamiTig Posted Jun 28, 2013, 4:57 am	Host mom took us out to the community garden at about 10 pm to look at the supermoon, since there were too many trees around the family's house. It didn't seem that enormous from where we stood, but it sure was a pretty orange!
MamiTig Posted Jun 30, 2013, 4:19 am	Today's adventure involved playing with baby hedgehogs! They are so prickly, but adorable
MamiTig Posted Jul 1, 2013, 8:52 pm	Host mom's project today was to make 2 pairs of blue slippers, to go with the cosplay costumes she is making. They turned out to be adorable!
MamiTig Posted Jul 2, 2013, 5:33 am	Today host mom took us to Chanute to run some errands. She stopped to show us the lovely, historic down town area. The yellow brick building called the Tioga Hotel has a wooden elevator much like the one featured in the old movie The Shining, but we didn't have time to go in and look at that part.
MamiTig Posted Jul 7, 2013, 5:30 am	I was so excited to be on vacation with my host family, at Broken Arrow Ranch in north central Kansas. We are here for a week of family camp, with about a dozen other families. The first thing we did when we arrived was unpack and make ourselves at home in the cabin.  Next, we spent some time playing in the recreation area. In the evening, we enjoyed a campfire service on a bluff overlooking the Tuttle Creek Reservoir. Sunset was stunningly gorgeous!
MamiTig Posted Jul 7, 2013, 7:23 am	On the second day of vacation, we started the day with a worship service in the Green Cathedral. Then, went to the beach. Later, we enjoyed an outdoor cooking lesson where we made foil-wrapped packets with olive oil, white potatoes, sweet potatoes,  yellow and red bell pepper, onion,  fri-chik (vegetarian meat substitute), sage, salt, and pepper, that we roasted on a fire.
MamiTig Posted Jul 13, 2013, 6:04 am	We celebrated the Fourth of July (American Independence Day) with an All-American (though, all vegetarian) luncheon. In the afternoon we had another cooking with Travis lesson, and learned to make baked cinnamon apples on a camp fire. In the evening, we had a campfire worship service that was followed by fireworks over the beach!
MamiTig Posted Jul 14, 2013, 7:26 am	The host family started the day with ziplining, but we didn't get to go because host mom was afraid she'd lose us. After that was a yummy lunch with veggie burgers. Then host mom took a picture of the view from the cabin on the way back to take a nap after lunch. After our nap we went to play in the recreation room
MamiTig Posted Jul 16, 2013, 5:31 am	On our last day of camp, they brought us breakfast in bed... a basket full of cereal, milk, orange juice, and fresh, hot scones! It was a great way to end a wonderful week. After that we packed up, and we stopped to take a look at the tall grass prairie and the Flint Hills at a vista just outside of Broken Arrow Ranch.
MamiTig Posted Jul 19, 2013, 4:58 am	The day after we got back from family camp, host mom took one of her sons to summer camp at Hidden Haven. Just outside the camp, she stopped along the road to show us the black-eyed susan flowers that were growing along the road. They are one of the many forms of sunflower that grow in Kansas.
MamiTig Posted Jul 22, 2013, 12:51 am	We joined in the festivities at the Mad Bomber Run (a community event celebrating a piece of local history) by helping the middle and high school band booster club run carnival booths.
MamiTig Posted Jul 22, 2013, 1:49 am	We had fun helping to get ready for the Sabbath potluck at church. There were so many fun people and so much delicious food that I had a fabulous time. We got to look at the To Save A Life movie kit that host mom shared with the church elders and got approval to show it at church and do a discussion group with teens this fall.
MamiTig Posted Jul 24, 2013, 1:44 am	We got to go to a wedding! Host mom has been friends with the bride's mom for over a decade, and got to watch her grow from a little girl into a young woman. She was such a beautiful bride, with a country style wedding.
MamiTig Posted Jul 29, 2013, 4:59 am	We took a trip to Springfield, Missouri to go on a ghost hunt with the Paranormal Task Force! We stayed at the University Plaza Hotel, which has a reputation for being haunted, and visited the Pythian Castle for the ghost hunt. We didn't experience anything unusual, but it was interesting to explore anyway.
MamiTig Posted Aug 4, 2013, 5:17 am	After an exciting night of ghost hunting, we stopped at the beautiful Precious Moments Chapel on the way home. Host mom said she has traveled to many places in the world, and this is one of the most peaceful places she has found.
MamiTig Posted Aug 7, 2013, 5:24 am	The host family took us to the Allen County Fair! We saw different kinds of livestock, baby animals, baked goods, and handicrafts that people entered in the fair.
MamiTig Posted Aug 11, 2013, 6:04 am	Tonight was our first night in Tulsa... we watched the host family and friends get ready for the rave at the Tokyo in Tulsa anime convention!
MamiTig Posted Aug 13, 2013, 5:21 am	The host family were really busy with the convention today so I stayed back at the hotel with most of the TVs. This is the view of downtown Tulsa from our hotel room
MamiTig Posted Aug 14, 2013, 4:57 am	On our last day at the convention, we spent some time just sitting and watching the people pass by in the hall, near the artist booths. Some of them were very interesting!
MamiTig Posted Aug 17, 2013, 6:19 am	On the way home, we stopped at Red Robin in Owasso for lunch. We love the veggie burgers, but service was crazily slow!!! The table just behind us had 3 sets of customers while we waited for our food, grrr!!! But, the veggie burgers were delicious!
MamiTig Posted Aug 19, 2013, 1:27 am	Host mom made an adorable outfit for one of her daughters! I love the bright orange fabrics, they look so cheery!
MamiTig Posted Aug 21, 2013, 3:46 am	We went to deliver hedgehogs to PetWorld in Lawrence, KS. It's the best pet store in the world (at least, the host family thinks so). The staff are super friendly and they let you pet the animals and teach you all about them!
MamiTig Posted Aug 28, 2013, 2:38 am	After delivering hedgies, we headed about 30 minutes to the east to run a few more errands, then ate dinner at delicious Sweet Tomatoes!
MamiTig Posted Aug 30, 2013, 4:52 am	Host mom made a second outfit, for her other youngest daughter!
MamiTig Posted Sep 5, 2013, 4:55 am	We took a trip down to the Neosho River to check the water levels. At the beginning of summer, the entire area was under extreme drought conditions and you could easily walk across at hip level. Now the water levels are showing at over 9 feet deep!!! We got a lot of much needed rain this summer!
MamiTig Posted Sep 9, 2013, 12:52 am	We attended Sabbath service and then had a delicious potluck at the Seventh Day Adventist church!
MamiTig Posted Sep 15, 2013, 2:37 am	Host mom took us to visit the Wayne Garrett Memorial Children's Garden. It was built by master gardeners who volunteer with the local after school program and dedicated to the husband of a local teacher, who was killed in a tractor accident.
MamiTig Posted Sep 19, 2013, 2:37 am	Today we went to DeGage Dancewear to help the host family's oldest daughter buy her first pair of pointe shoes! I was just as excited as she was!
MamiTig Posted Sep 26, 2013, 3:11 am	We went on a search for insects for one of the host kids's science class. He was horrified at the original assignment, which involved catching bugs, freezing them to death, then pinning them to a piece of cardboard. The teacher relented to his request and let him take photographs of them instead. My favorite was this bunch of web worms!
MamiTig Posted Sep 29, 2013, 1:47 am	Host mom had to go to Wichita for a continuing education conference, so she took us in the convertible, with the top down! On the way home, we stopped at the park in El Dorado to feed the geese!
MamiTig Posted Oct 6, 2013, 7:25 am	We went to youth group and had so much fun! There was a puppet show, and we did arts and crafts
MamiTig Posted Oct 16, 2013, 5:19 am	I tagged along with the host family, to go to the dentist, in Lawrence. Afterward was my favorite; dinner out at CiCi's Pizza!
MamiTig Posted Oct 19, 2013, 12:09 am	Host mom's middle daughter wanted a wild poncho, so host mom made it for her! She'll be warm and cozy in those zebra stripes
MamiTig Posted Oct 20, 2013, 12:54 am	Kansas City is famous for its race cars and October is Breast Cancer Awareness month... we came across this great pace car, celebrating both!
MamiTig Posted Oct 21, 2013, 2:21 am	Host mom helped her daughter make cabin for her third grade class assignment on the book Sign of the Beaver. I really liked how it turned out!
MamiTig Posted Oct 31, 2013, 12:58 am	We started out on an exciting road trip today! The first place we stopped was St. Joseph, Missouri, where we ate at a Taco Bell/Pizza Hut franchise for lunch.
MamiTig Posted Nov 1, 2013, 3:58 am	Our next stop was at the Loess Hills Visitor Center in Iowa, which has been dubbed "the best rest stop in Iowa." We learned about the geography of the Loess Hills, and that this type of hill was formed by glaciers and is only found in this part of the United States, and part of China.
MamiTig Posted Nov 4, 2013, 4:51 am	Our first morning in Omaha, we took a visit to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. It spans the river between Omaha, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa. The first thing we saw, after we parked, was the most enormous vending machine I have ever seen! Behind it, the bridge seemed mystical in the chilly morning mist!
MamiTig Posted Nov 18, 2013, 2:04 am	Our second destination was just around the corner from the first. The Lewis and Clark Trail Visitor's Center was supposed to be closed due to the federal government shutdown, but the state of Nebraska provided extra funding so that it would be open for tourists like us! We saw so many interesting things, and out the back door, we got another view of the bridge we had just walked on!
MamiTig Posted Nov 21, 2013, 3:34 am	We visited Joslyn Castle in downtown Omaha. It has a very interesting history and even though it wasn't open for tours of the inside, we got to take a nice look at the neighborhood!
MamiTig Posted Nov 29, 2013, 10:12 pm	Our last stop of the day was Boy's Town. We stopped at the main office to get directions to the museum and garden, and had the opportunity to feed a loaf of bread to some friendly geese. We also got to see the world's largest ball of stamps, the museum that told about the history of Boy's Town, and the Bible Garden.
MamiTig Posted Nov 30, 2013, 5:22 am	The next morning we crossed the river and went to Council Bluff, Iowa, where we visited the Squirrel Cage Jail. Both the architecture and the history were quite fascinating, so be sure to click the link and learn more!
MamiTig Posted Dec 5, 2013, 2:10 am	Our next destination was across the parking lot from the squirrel cage jail, at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum. We got to learn about the history of the railroad, and see what it might be like inside of passenger train cars!
MamiTig Posted Dec 9, 2013, 2:58 am	Next on our stop was the Council Bluffs town square/park. Council Bluffs is famous for its black squirrels, but those adorable little guys wouldn't hold still for a picture with us, so we had to settle for a picture with a statue. We also noticed the lovely architecture of downtown Council Bluffs, which consisted of well preserved brick buildings from the mid to late 1800s to early 1900s.
MamiTig Posted Dec 11, 2013, 6:05 am	The last place we visited on our road trip was the Mormon Trail Center. A very nice docent took us through the exhibits and talked to us about how the Mormon settlers had to leave Nauvoo, Illinois to avoid persecution, and ended up wintering in what late became Omaha, before pressing on to their final settlement in Salt Lake City, Utah. We learned what life would have been like in that era, as well as a tremendous amount of history!
MamiTig Posted Dec 17, 2013, 2:47 am	Haunted Hay Mazes are a deliciously fun American tradition on Halloween. After we found our way through the spooky hay maze, we had hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows by the fire!
MamiTig Posted Dec 21, 2013, 5:01 am	Halloween is one of the host family's favorite holidays! The children dress in costumes and go house to house where they say "trick or treat" and people give them candy. We stopped at a street party where we got to dance with a zombie!
MamiTig Posted Dec 24, 2013, 2:00 am	Mmm, church supper at the SDA church! We helped set up and then we got to enjoy a delicious feast!
MamiTig Posted Dec 25, 2013, 6:46 am	We made a late night visit to Krispy Kreme donuts. We got to watch how they are made and enjoy their deliciousness! I can see why Krispy Kremes are so popular!
MamiTig Posted Dec 29, 2013, 6:28 am	Host mom made these awesome tardis shirts for her favorite Dr. Who fans, for Christmas! The fabric was custom made at Spoonflower and the buttons were handmade, purchased through Etsy, and have tardis' on them. The inside lapel of the shirt has a print of the inside of the tardis, as does the inside of the pocket!
MamiTig Posted Jan 1, 2014, 4:33 am	We helped bake Christmas cookies! The platters looked so pretty and the host family distributed them to their friends.
MamiTig Posted Jan 2, 2014, 1:26 am	Host mom made pumpkin pancakes and eggs for breakfast. Then we got to taste test three different kinds of apple juice. It was so hard to decide what I liked best, but I think it was the apple pie!
MamiTig Posted Jan 2, 2014, 3:21 am	We got a science lesson today! Host mom's daughter had to create a model of a plant cell, so host mom helped her to make one out of cookie dough!
MamiTig Posted Jan 8, 2014, 5:01 am	On Thanksgiving, we were thankful to be in a community that is warm and welcoming. We went with the host family to St. Timothy's church to share a community Thanksgiving meal.
MamiTig Posted Jan 11, 2014, 2:57 am	We walked downtown and took a peek in the shop windows in downtown Iola! They have a lot of interesting and fun stores on the town square.
MamiTig Posted Feb 8, 2014, 10:26 pm	Host mom got some lovely granny smith apples and showed us how to turn them into an amazing cobbler for brunch!

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