little Sunny, Iola, KS, United States

M_sunny Posted Jul 27, 2012, 11:38 am	Hello everyone! my name is little Sunny Maybe u can ask me .Why my name is same with my mom's name? ummm.... i can answer u that my mom like Sunny day very much. so that i am litthle Sunny))) hahaa.... London Olympic Games is begining !!! i want to see!! and i only have a dream is that i hope to travell the word one day! can u help me ?? I can't wait run to you!!!  here is my family member [img] my mom like paly the piano,me to
MA_17 Posted Aug 16, 2012, 11:26 pm	Hello Mommy, today I arrived in Germany. When I crawled out of my box I realized that some other tvs stared at my box. They didn't realize me! When they saw me they noticed that the box was my traveling box! They welcomed me warmly and told me about their adventures. I think we'll be good friends! little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Aug 18, 2012, 8:05 am	Hello Mommy, time for my first road trip by car! After traveling a while we noticed something big in front of us... We stopped the car and started walking. Wow, it was a big cow! We tried to talk to it, but it didn't notice us. Hmm, Fiete is a cow, too! So he jumped on the big fat nose of that big cow and talked to it in cow language. After a while Fiete told us that we are allowed to ride on the big cow. From this height we could see so much more than from the ground! In a short distance we saw another big animal! We wanted to get closer. We jumped off the cow and walked to the other animal. It was a sheep. We were allowed to sit on it, too! What a nice sheep! We talked with both for a while and told them about our adventures. Then we went back home. What a lovely day. little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Aug 20, 2012, 10:40 pm	Hello Mommy, it was really sunny today, so we decided to go to the lake. We went to Lake Goitzsche which is created as a result of the redevelopment of the former brown coal strip mine of Goitzsche. In 1998 they started to flood the old coal strip mine with the water of the river Mulde and they planned to finish this in 2006. But in 2002 during the big flood the dike of the river broke and the lake was full within 2 days! This is an area of 13,32 km²! There's also a marina at the lake with so many yachts! We could rent one and sail over the lake and along the coast which is 66km in length! The lake is also called Lake of amber... But I couldn't find any amber, just these colored houses. Oh, I forgot the suncream. I think I got a sunburn. Yours little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Aug 22, 2012, 10:25 pm	Hello Mommy! Today we visited Bitterfeld, a small town with about 15.300 inhabitants. During the GDR years, it gained notoriety for its chemical industry complex which caused remarkably severe pollution, even by GDR standards. Look, there was a movie filmed in this city! There's not so much to see, esp. on Sunday when everything is closed. At the market place you can see the protestant church St. Antonius. It was built from 1905–1910. The city hall is also near the market place. It was built from 1863–1865. This is the back of the house without the trees in the pic. Love you. little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Aug 24, 2012, 10:29 pm	Hello family, it was time for Fiete to leave us. We all cuddled him a lot. Then he crawled into his envelope. His next stop is Switzerland. Goodbye Fiete. little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Aug 25, 2012, 9:15 am	Mommy, Mommy, Moooommy!!! I saw a volcanic eruption in the middle of Germany!!! This is the volcano "Vesuv" (also called "Stone" ). It is an imitation of the original Vesuv in Italy and the onliest artificial volcano all over the world! This one was built from 1788–94 and it still works the same way like it did in the 18th century! First there was an explosion. Whaaa it was so loud! You even could't here your own voice! Ok, these days they have a little bit more pyrotechnics than 200 yrs. ago, but the way the red lava runs down is the same! Can you see it running down from the top along the red lights into the lake? Your beloved little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Aug 27, 2012, 7:52 pm	Hey Mommy, today we had some cultures... First we walked around the castle and the park. The Gardens had its origin in the 17th century, when the marriage of Leopold's great-grandfather Prince John George II of Anhalt-Dessau to the Dutch princess Henriette Catharina, in 1659 brought a team of engineers and architects from the Low Countries to lay out the town, the palace and a Baroque garden in the former settlement of Nischwitz, which was renamed Oranienbaum in 1673. The Dutch influence remained prevalent in the Principality of Anhalt-Dessau for many decades. Oranienbaum Palace was finished in 1683 as the summer residence of Henriette Catharina, where she retired after the death of her husband in 1693. From 1780 on Duke Leopold III had the palace and the park rebuilt in a Chinese style with several arch bridges, a tea house and a pagoda. In 1811, the orangery was built, with 175 m (574 ft) in length one of the largest in Europe, which still serves to protect a wide collection of citrus plants. The front... ...the back. The fruits (oranges and lemons) mellow. We also went into the castle! We visited the Dutch Design exhibition which takes part for a few months. It was opened by the Queen of the Netherlands. We bought some tickets where we didn't have to pay the full price and a permission for taking pictures inside! It was really interesting and so much to see on 3 floors! Some vases... ...and a lovely lamp. It's time for dinner! They had chicken in the cellar! Ok, no real ones... I think I could need a new dress... I really enjoyed the day! little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Aug 30, 2012, 9:12 pm	Hello Mommy, how are you? Here the weather isn't the best: sun - rain - sun - rain - hail... Today when we came home we found 2 envelopes. Crawfish tried to read the address. One was from Australia and one from Günther's Mom! When we opened the big foreign envelope Günther tried to crawl into the envelope of his Mom and find out what she sent. There was somebody crawling out of the big envelope! It's Kevin, a little Kiwi from the other side of the world. He told us about his journey. Then he went back into his envelope. We all thought he doesn't like us. But he came back with a postcard and a keyring from his home. Then he helped Günther to get out the stuff from the envelope of his Mom. Günther got his traveltag from his Mom. He was so happy! Your little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 5, 2012, 10:12 pm	Just a little walk through the village...
MA_17 Posted Sep 5, 2012, 10:53 pm	Hello Mommy, we jumped into the car and drove around a little bit. We saw lots of different houses and a water tower. Sorry, at the moment we don't have time for so much more. little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 9, 2012, 10:48 pm	Hello Mommy, another update by car. This time we used the freeway. Hit the gas to get some speed... ...passing a truck... This bridge isn't for cars or people. It's for animals like deers, foxes or boars to go from side of the freeway to the other side. ...free way, hit the gas, reached 160km/h (about 100mph)... ...passing another freeway (interchange)... ...and another interchange... ...arrived in Berlin, this bridge is for the city train. ...traffic jam... ICC - International Congress Center ...on the city-freeway... ...through the city... ...and back the same way... This old tribune belongs to an old race course of the GDR called Avus. So we are traveling on a racetrack! ...passing bridges and trucks... Your little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 10, 2012, 10:46 pm	Hello Mommy, today we did a short stop-over in Oranienbaum. We visited the Baroque parish church which was built in 1712. We also stopped in front of the famous orange tree on the historical market square. The tree is the symbol of the city. little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 14, 2012, 8:16 pm	Alex told us about a problem he has with a mouse. He decided to built a trap and needed our help. We put some cheese and sausage in the trap. Mice like that. Then we hid ourselves behind a tree and waited. After a while we saw someone in the trap. We caught it!!! We let the trap down and oh... it wasn't a mouse. It was Alex' brother Rudy. We told him about the mouse and the trap and tried it again. We hid ourselves again behind the tree. After a short time there was somebody else in the trap. We caught that creature! When we let the trap down we found just 2 golden coins instead of a mouse or cheese or sausage in the trap. Rudy told us to use some pumpkin seeds, mice would love them. So we did. We went behind the tree and after a short time we saw someone in the trap again. We caught it! Yeah, we could see the feet. We got it! We let the trap down and...what the...just another golden coin?! How could this be??? Alex is confused now! little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 14, 2012, 10:00 pm	Hello Mommy, today we enjoyed our day at the lake "Gurke" ("cucumber" ). The original name is "Abandoned quarry Golpa II". The lake has a size of 20,94 hectare! It was an opencast for brown coal from 1936 till 1957. Now it is full of groundwater. Lots of people like to swim, do fishing or dive. Some people say that there are old trees under the water, but I don't believe that! At the lake is also a rowing club. little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 16, 2012, 6:43 pm	Hello Mommy, today we jumped into the car and went to Delitzsch. It's a city in Saxony with about 26,300 inhabitants. First we visited the Baroque Castle with the Lustgarten, former widow of travel and residence of the Dukes of Saxony-Merseburg. This beautiful building is the registration office. The "Breiter Turm" (Wide tower). It's a part of the defensive wall. The City Church of St. Peter & Paul is a brick church of the 15th Century with significant high altar. On our way back home we took some more pictures. little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 16, 2012, 7:56 pm	Hey Mommy, today the weather was beautiful, so we decided to do a little tour in our car. After a while somebody stopped us. He introduced himself as Flow and asked if he could drive the car. We all were really confused. Alex told us that one of his brothers drove along with Flow few weeks ago. While all seats in our car were filled with us there was no space for that Flow-guy. Alex told him that he's allowed to shift the car. He did it! So we saved lots of energy. little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 17, 2012, 4:02 pm	Hello Mom, today we enjoyed the beautiful day at the abandoned quarry "Seelhausener See". It was sunny, warm and very windy. But have a look, isn't this beautiful?! little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 17, 2012, 4:52 pm	Hey Mommy, time for some sightseeing in the German capital. First I saw the German Bundestag which is located in the Reichstag Building. The centrepiece of the building is the generously glazed chamber that is crowned by the dome. A funnel with panes of mirror glass reflects the daylight from above into the chamber. Then I saw one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany, the Brandenburg Gate. Near the Brandenburg Gate I found the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial. It is a memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It consists of a 19,000 square metres site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs or "stelae", arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. The stelae are 2.38 m long, 0.95 m wide and vary in height from 0.2 to 4.8 m. Potsdamer Platz - it is an important public square and traffic intersection in the centre of Berlin. It is named after the city of Potsdam, some 25 km to the south west, and marks the point where the old road from Potsdam passed through the city wall of Berlin at the Potsdam Gate. After developing within the space of little over a century from an intersection of rural thoroughfares into the most bustling traffic intersection in Europe, it was totally laid waste during World War II and then left desolate during the Cold War era when the Berlin Wall bisected its former location. Since German reunification, Potsdamer Platz has been the site of major redevelopment projects. The Sony Center is a Sony-sponsored building complex located at the Potsdamer Platz, opened in 2000. Sony Center contains a mix of shops, restaurants, a conference centre, hotel rooms, luxurious rented suites and condominiums, offices, art and film museums, cinemas, an IMAX theater, a small version of Legoland, and a "Sony Style" store. At its highest point, the roof measures up to 67 meters above the Forum and has a free span of 102 meters length on the main axis and 77 meters length on the ancillary axis. By night the roof changes its colors between pink, red, blue, green... Your little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 20, 2012, 6:12 pm	Hello Mommy, we put some skateboards behind the car. Crawfish hit the gas and the the guys skated behind the car. I checked that we don't lose anybody! little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 21, 2012, 9:41 pm	Hello Mommy, we've been to the "Kohle-Dampf-Licht"-Radweg (Coal-steam-light-bicycle route). There are a lots of statues made of discarded metal. Have a look. little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 22, 2012, 10:17 pm	Today we found an empty box. There was nothing inside. Then we heard someone laughing. We turned around and saw GustavHH. He'll stay with us for a while. little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 22, 2012, 10:37 pm	Hey Mommy, today we went to the river Mulde. It is a river in Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt, a left tributary of the river Elbe and 124 km in length. In August 2002 a flood caused severe damage! All places we were at these pictures were flooded in 2002, too! little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 22, 2012, 10:48 pm	Today we said goodbye to Kevin the little kiwi. We all hugged him. Then he crawled into his envelope and left to Thuringia. Have fun little bird! little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 25, 2012, 10:56 pm	Hello Mommy, Crawfish found her perfect profession (except driving a car): pianist! She played all kind of songs the whole day while we were listening to her. I liked it! Your little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Sep 29, 2012, 10:17 pm	Hey Mommy, we visited a small lake called "Sachsenburg" today. It is an abandoned coal mine which was flooded by domestic water. little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Oct 1, 2012, 11:09 pm	Hello Mommy, we did a sightseeing tour through the neighbor village. The city is called Gräfenhainichen and it had its first documentary mention in 1254. The first printing shop was set up in 1874. As of 1890, brown coal was being mined in Gräfenhainichen, first underground, and then in strip mines. As it is a city they also have lots of horses all around the city. Can you see the white one behind me? We found one of the 3 wind mills of the city. This one is from the 19th century and worked until 1963. This is the onliest little pond in the city. It's called Vorstadtteich (in English "suburban pond" ). There are lots of ducks. This is the ruin of the old castle. It was built in the 12th/13th century on the ruin of an older castle. It was destroyed in 1637 during the Thirty Years' War by the Swedes. No one ever rebuilt it. We couldn't go inside, it's only open when the open air theater is used for festivals. This is the town hall. It was built between 1695-1699. There are 2 towers in Gräfenhainichen. This is the upper city tower. It was reconstructed in 1448 with some other fortifications. It was also used as a jail for a while. There's also a lower city tower, but we couldn't take a picture.   Next to the upper city tower we found a long piece of the old city wall. This is the highest building of the city - the Protestant church "Sankt Marien". It was also destroyed by the Swedes in 1637, but it was rebuilt from 1658 to 1666. The tower was built in 1867/68. The church got its origins in the Romanesque and Gothic. The water tower was built in 1927. The bubble design was the idea of a classmate of my host! One of the sons of the city is Paul Gerhardt. We visited the Paul-Gerhardt-House which was built from 1907 to 1909. It serves as a places of public assembly for the Protestants. Another son of the city is Johann Gottfried Galle. He was the first person to view the planet Neptune in 1846! This is the Galle monument which was built in 1977 for all his work. The last famous person of the city is Hugo Winckler, but we couldn't find anything about him. Your little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Oct 3, 2012, 9:20 pm	Hello Mommy, as I'm leaving tomorrow, I decided to do a walk through the city... I walked and walked and jumped into the metro and went through the whole city. Look how big it is... I walked so long that I didn't notice that it got dark. My next stop will be Finland in the north of Europe! I'm excited! Little Sunny
MA_17 Posted Oct 4, 2012, 9:37 pm	Hello Mommy, today I left Germany. All my friends cuddled me. Then I crawled into my envelope. I will miss my new friends Crawfish, Günther, GustavHH and Alex. See you soon in Finland! little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Oct 10, 2012, 3:35 pm	Hello mommy! I'm here!!! I arrived in Finland! It's so great to be here, in this beautiful country!  Here are my very first pictures from here. First, you can see me with the flag of Finland. Mommy, did you know that the blue colour symbolised the blue sky? And the white colour symbolised the white snow? And the shape of blue cross symbolised the Nordic country? Well, now you know.  And the second photo you see me with TV Kurnau. He is nice cat, and he will be my host while I'm staying here. Mommy, I wish you coud be here, too. Hope everything is fine at home. Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Oct 10, 2012, 3:37 pm	Hi mommy! I have got nice time here. I have made new friends with other toys here, and we have got fun! Today I was outside, and I saw some great things of the autumn. Look the photos, mom, and you can see the colours of nature, too. Yes, it's the most colourful time of this season, very soon all trees will be "naked", and then it's time wait some snow coming. I'm so exited, I want to see some snow... but I have to wait little more first... I'm fine here, mom. Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Oct 12, 2012, 7:31 pm	Hei! Hello! It's getting quite cold outside in Finland already. Can you believe, the weather forecast has said it will be minus degrees Celcius outside in this weekend?!?    And it might be snowing in Lapland very soon...      I'm only wondering, when will come the first snow here Central Finland... Oh, I just need to wait little more... Just take a look at the picture. There's a sign, and you can see how far away Jyväskylä city is from other countries... Wow!  Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Oct 22, 2012, 12:13 pm	Hi mommy! Something exiting happened today. My hostmom is active in postcrossing hobby, and today I had a chance to take part in the postcrossing meeting! It was really fun!  I was there with Kurnau, Alberto, Gwen Jolie and Matsya. The meeting place was a wonderful postcard shop named Harjun Paperi. It's absolutely the best postcard shop in this town (it's like a postcard heaven). And what we did in the meeting... Well, we did chat to each other, and eat some great snacks...  ...and we wrote many postcards... ...and while people wrote even more postcards, we toys were exploring in the shop. It was fun! Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Oct 22, 2012, 12:23 pm	Hi mommy! Today I visited to see the oldest building of Jyväskylä. The building called as Taavettilan riihi, which is in English the drying barn of Taavettila. The building has buildt somewhere in 1700's, the exact year is unknown. First, building used as a drying barn, but somewhere in 1800's it became usual barn/cabin and it got windows then. In 1900's the building started to be a cabin museum. Jyväskylän vanhin rakennus = the oldest building of Jyväskylä Riihi muutettu tuvaksi 1800-luvun alussa = a drying barn has turn to be a cabin in the beginning of 1800's Jyväskylän yliopisto = University of Jyväskylä Rakennus 3 = Building 3 The door was closed. I tried to open it, but it was locked. Because we didn't have a chance to go in, we decided to look through the window... Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Oct 26, 2012, 8:04 pm	Hello mommy! Guess what? Something white thing has came here. It's all over outside. It's cold, white, and it's covering everything!!!      YES!!! It's the first snow!!!  Winter is just around the corner... Temperature has been about -3 degrees Celcius the hole day. Brrrrr... snow is so cold! All others came to sit on the snow, too. Brrrrrrr... Ooooops! What just happened?!?    Some snow fall on us! Hih... it was only fun!  Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Nov 3, 2012, 9:03 pm	Hei! Hello mom! Kurnau told me, that we all toys can travel with hostmom, when she will visit her parents in other side of Finland in this weekend. I was totally exited about it. It's so cool to see other placed in Finland, too. Kurnau showed me the map. Can you see the spots A and B in the map? Yes, that's our travel plan, it's about 320 kilometres. We are going to little village called Ilomantsi. It's in the Northern Karelia in Finland. After sitting 4 hours in the car, I was tired and I wanted to relax. So, I experienced one Finnish thing, how to relax and take a bath at the same time: I went to sauna!!! And guess what?  I met saunatonttu (=the elf of sauna) there!!! This room, sauna, is a hot place. Saunas are very common in Finland (maybe because the cold and long winter seasons?!?). Finns go to sauna to wash themselves, but also to relax. They throw some water to the kiuas (it's like the "oven", and there are some stones on it), and this hot kiuas makes the hole room so warm place to be. AAAaaaaahh, I'm sooooo relaxed now!!! Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Nov 3, 2012, 9:06 pm	Hi mommy! Unfortunately, the weather is awful here... it's raining a lot...  So, there's no sightseeing here today... But, the bad weather is not the problem for us!  We can do many fun things inside, too.  At first, I want to show you the coat of arms of Ilomantsi. It looks like this: And because there's three kanteles (kantele = it's one kind of instrument) in the picture of the coat of arms, I wanted to play this instrument. And happily I can say, that I did it. I played kantele.    Kantele is the national instrument of Finland, and especially in Karelia. Others played it, too. And then, we found this marvellous little building! Wow!  Hi hiiiiii!!!!! Here I am!  And then, I saw something, what I first couldn't believe...  Look yourself! Is it cool? So many medals and pokals etc!!!    ...Hih, and I'm there somewhere, too. Can you find me? Well, can you see me now? Great! You found me!!! Well done!  Oh, one more photo for today... I'm dreaming: "...and the winner is....... LITTLE SUNNY!!!" Hurray!!!  It was fun day! Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Nov 3, 2012, 9:09 pm	Hello mommy! It's last day of our visit in Ilomantsi, and the weather is still bad... Well, because outside is terrible, we decided to make nice inside this house. Yes, we are going to bake some cookies! First need to use kaulin (= a rolling pin). Then it's time to make cookies. I made bunny shaped cookies. Kurnau helped. He put the cookies to the cookie sheet. Mmmmmm... it smells so good already!  Cookies are ready! Yummy!!!  Now it's time to enjoy!  Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Nov 5, 2012, 8:39 pm	Hi! I read today's local newspaper named Keskisuomalainen today. Finnish is nice language, but very difficult to learn. But my hostmommy helped me to read the newspaper. Here's the front page: There was a big article about what happened last Saturday in Jyväskylä. A huge amount of water were wasted, because the watertower crashed down suddenly. Many people had to be some times without running water in their homes. The article tried to tell what really had happened. This was one big news here. (it was lucky, that I was in Ilomantsi last weekend). And then there was some advertisements. Hi hii, these speaking bubbles look so funny, don't you think so? Well... Ice hockey (jääkiekko in Finnish) is very popular sport in Finland. And offcourse there's at least one article of it in the newspaper. I liked reading comics. They were so funny! And offcourse I watched very carefully the weather forecast.  It looks quite nice. Maybe we could go outside in the next following days... Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Nov 15, 2012, 7:52 pm	Hei! Hello! Now I want to introduce you hostmommy's cat named Jeppe. He is 2 years old, and very kind one. He is so funny cat! He is tickeling me with his moustaches! Hih hih hiiiii! I can't stop laughing!  Please please stop tickeling me, Jeppe! Look, he stopped right a way!!!  Then we played a new game: staring game. The winner is who stare longer without looking other direction. Hi hii... I was the winner!  Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Nov 16, 2012, 4:14 pm	Hei! Hello! Today was nice weather outside, so I went there for little walk and to have some fresh air. I went to place called Harju (Jyväskylä Ridge). It's like a hill just next to city center. As you can see from the pictures, there's not snow anymore. All snow has melted away. Well, it's not a surprise, because it was the first snow. These stone stairs of Harju is very long... There's city center down there. This building is called Vesilinna. It's located in Harju. And there's the viewing tower in the building, too. I'm going there. Look, so nice views!!!  Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Nov 25, 2012, 7:14 pm	Hello! Today I helped hostmommy to write some Christmas cards. It was really fun! I'm sooooo exited, because Christmas is coming closer and closer every day!!! Very soon I can experience Christmas in Finland, the homecountry of Santa Claus!!! Oh, do you thing I could meet Santa himself here?!? Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Nov 28, 2012, 8:03 pm	Hi! I was walking outside today, because it was really nice weather (-4 degrees Celcius, snowing very light). BUT, there was quite dark already outside, even thought it was only afternoon!  Hostmommy told me about kaamos (the Polar night). It's the time of the year when the sun doesn't rise at all within few months!!! Can you believe it, the sun is completely below the horizon so long time in Lapland in winter?      Luckily, this happens only Lapland, inside the polar circles. But the effects can be seen here in Central Finland, too. In winter light-time during days are only some hours per day, and the most of time is dark... Look mommy!!! There's some kids playing ice hockey!  Ice hockey (jääkiekko in Finnish) is very popular hobby in Finland. Very very popular! Then I continued walking, and I arrived in Harju. I have been in Harju earlier, too, but not in dark time. Look, there's so beautiful lights there!  And here is the long stone steps of Harju Ridge. There's city center down there. I think this tree looks little spooky and scary!!! BOOOO!!!  hihi And here are we all toys (me, Kurnau, Nyankororin, Bussi and Phog). We are very near of the city center. Then I saw something really nice! A Christmas tree!!!    Oooooh, it's so big! But really beautiful with all those lights and a star Now I'm in the city center. I'm going to see some Christmas lights...  Beautiful! This big star is the most beautiful Christmas light I have seen here! Look, there's also a star on the ground... or it looks like a star. Hostmommy told me, that “the star” on the ground is a big compass!!!  Yeah, when I looked it more carefully, I saw there's a biggest arrow to show the North. Cool! I saw many interesting things today. Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 2, 2012, 2:54 pm	Hello! Today is the first day of December. It was time to start opening the Christmas/advent calender. It's so fun!  Today's picture looks like this: Every day in this month we toys can see a new picture in this calender. How exiting!!! Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 2, 2012, 3:25 pm	Hello! I want to show you the view through the hostmommy's window. Just take a look at photos... It has been snowing here the hole day! And as you can see, there's already lots of snow outside. Hostmommy promised, that tomorrow I can go out and play with snow! Great!!!  Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 3, 2012, 2:45 pm	Hello! Brrrrrrr... Today was really cold day: -21 degrees Celcius!!! I went outside with other toys (Kurnau, Phog, Nyankororin, Bussi, Misslucy). My plan was go there to play with the snow, but I couldn't be there long time, only some minutes. It was freezing! But, the cold weather makes the nature looks so beautiful! Well, you will underestand what I mean when you look the pictures. Enjoy! Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 6, 2012, 9:44 pm	Hello! Today is the independence day of Finland. It's a national public holiday held on 6th December to celebrate Finland's declaration of independence from Soviet Russia. Finland's independence started in 1917. Now I'm going to show you how we celebrate this day. Look the pictures! I went outside and hold the flag of Finland. Others were there, too. And then we decided to bake cookies. Yummy!  We made cookies with the shape of Finland. MMmmmmmmm.... they smell already so good!!!  After cookies came out off the owen, it's time to put jam between two cookies... ...and then we decorated cookies with the colours of Finland: blue and white. Yummy! Now the cookies are ready to eat!!!  In the evening, we watched the TV show about the Presidential Independence Day Reception from the Presidential Palace. This event is Linnanjuhlat in Finnish. Famous or well-known Finns are there, dance, small talk, little snacks...etc. HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, FINLAND! HYVÄÄ ITSENÄISYYSPÄIVÄÄ, SUOMI! Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 22, 2012, 8:14 pm	Hello mommy! It's 12th December today. Hih, it's so funny date: 12.12.12  I started my day with advent calendar. Hmmm... where is number 12?  Oooo, there it is! I found it! Today's picture looks like this: Look, mommy! There's the funny date again in the local newspaper! Look, there's the headline about 12.12.12 date! It says that someone has 12th birthday in 12.12.12. That must be so fun! Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 22, 2012, 8:16 pm	Hi mommy! I was walking outside today. And I found such a beautiful place!!! Soooooo beautiful place!  It's the river of Tourujoki, and the river goes through the Jyväskylä city. Mommy, do you like this view, too? Isn't it magical? Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 28, 2012, 6:16 pm	Hello! Look, I saw Santa Claus and his elfs preparing the Christmas!!!  Now I'm really looking forward to Christmas...    Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 28, 2012, 6:19 pm	Hello! We are going to visit hosmommy's parents to the Eastern Finland, and we are going to spend Christmas there. How fun!!! Look the views outside! So snowy! Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 28, 2012, 6:29 pm	Hello! Today is very exiting day: Jouluaatto (Christmas Eve).  We did some piparkakku (Christmas cookies). And then we decorated the joulukuusi (Christmas tree). Hihii, this Christmas tree is outside We went to joulusauna (Christmas sauna). And then we eat jouluruoka (Christmas food). There's for example ham, chicken, fish, different kinds of casserole, Karelian pies, cheece etc. Yummy!  And in the evening we went to joulukirkko (Christmas Church). Then we eat joulupuuro (Christmas porridge). It's rice porridge, and we eat it with socker, cinnamon and milk. And very exiting thing is that there's one almond hidden in the porridge, and the person who got the almond to his plate, this person will have good luck the hole next year. (it's one kind of myth or magic thing... ) ...and we eat also some Finnish Christmas desserts: joulutorttu (sweet tart made by puff paste and plum jam on it) and piparkakku (Christmas cookies). And guess what??? Then I really met the joulupukki (Santa Claus)!!!!  It was really awesome day! I'm really lucky to was able to spend Christmas in the homecountry of Santa Claus!  I hope you have had a great Christmas, too! Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 28, 2012, 6:34 pm	Hello! I think this lantern is nice, and it has Christmas feelings in it. I had little walking this evening. It's already quite dark. I went to see the Orthodox Church of Ilomantsi. It has buildt in 1892. Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 28, 2012, 6:39 pm	Hello! Today I was walking outside again. Now I want to show you some places of Ilomantsi. Ilomantsi is nice small village in the very Eastern Finland. This building is the City Hall of Ilomantsi. This is the main street, and there's almost all shops and groceries. I like those red street lambs. It was -17 degrees Celcius today. This is "the water tower" of Ilomantsi. I don't know, what is the current English word for it. Look this beautiful view! Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Dec 28, 2012, 6:41 pm	Hello! Today I want to show you the City Hall of Jyväskylä. It has buildt in 1899. On the wall of the building, there's the coat of arms of Jyväskylä.  Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Jan 4, 2013, 8:46 pm	Hello! Here you can see me in front of the Church of Jyväskylä. This church has buildt in 1880, and the architect was L. I. Lindqvist. The building material is red brick, and it was the first stone church in Central Finland. Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Jan 22, 2013, 7:34 pm	Hello mommy! Look mommy, I was skiing today!!! It was so much fun!  Hihii, I had great day! Love, little Sunny
mmm105 Posted Jan 26, 2013, 5:45 pm	Hi mommy! Today I said goodbye to my friends, because it's my time to continue my journey. I had wonderful time in Finland. I'm so exited, because my next country to visit is USA. Love, little Sunny
MamiTig Posted Feb 11, 2013, 2:38 am	Little Sunny arrived safely in Iola, Kansas, USA!
MamiTig Posted Feb 11, 2013, 1:34 pm	Mmmm, these SDA church suppers are full of vegetarian deliciousness!
MamiTig Posted Feb 14, 2013, 5:11 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, 1:57 am	We investigated the new baritone! So pretty and shiny!
MamiTig Posted Feb 16, 2013, 5:02 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, 4:14 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, 3:30 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, 3:41 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, 3:45 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, 5:45 am	Can you tell that host mom and her daughters like nail polish?
MamiTig Posted Feb 22, 2013, 5:14 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, 4:42 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, 6:35 am	Oh goody... preparing for another yummy Sabbath potluck supper at the Seventh Day Adventist church!
MamiTig Posted Feb 25, 2013, 6:22 am	Little Sunny enjoyed trying the vegetarian fajita taco salad at El Charro's Mexican restaurant!
MamiTig Posted Feb 27, 2013, 2:33 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, 6:03 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, 3:15 am	Little Sunny was very curious about host mom's new sewing project. The fabric sure is a bright, bold orange!
MamiTig Posted Mar 8, 2013, 4:45 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, 3:30 am	Vegetarian lasagna, scalloped potatoes, and so many other delicious things... Sabbath potluck is always wonderful!
MamiTig Posted Mar 12, 2013, 4:27 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, 3:58 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, 5:30 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, 3:19 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, 1:54 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, 4:03 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, 12:38 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 21, 2013, 12:38 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, 1:59 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, 5:01 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, 3:28 am	We had a delicious lunch at Pizza Street before heading back home!
MamiTig Posted Mar 31, 2013, 5:42 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, 2:24 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, 12:20 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, 5:30 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, 4:15 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, 3:36 am	We enjoyed youth group... there were songs, a cup cake craft, and hay stacks for dinner!
MamiTig Posted Apr 22, 2013, 5:04 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, 4:38 am	Yay, yummy Mexican food! We went to El Charro's to celebrate a birthday with the host family
MamiTig Posted Apr 28, 2013, 4:27 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, 5:04 am	We found ourselves back at El Charro, celebrating another birthday!
MamiTig Posted May 4, 2013, 7:59 pm	We visited the amazing Deanna Rose Farmstead! It was so fun to explore all of the different things
MamiTig Posted May 6, 2013, 5:25 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, 3:52 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, 5:46 am	We helped a high school student campaign for treasurer in her school's student elections (she won)!
MamiTig Posted May 15, 2013, 5:34 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, 12:41 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, 7:07 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, 1:09 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, 6:09 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, 5:18 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, 2:56 am	We got to play with some baby hedgehogs, under the watchful eye of their mama!
MamiTig Posted May 28, 2013, 4:09 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 28, 2013, 4:09 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 28, 2013, 6:51 pm	Mmm! I always enjoy Sabbath supper at the Seventh Day Adventist church!
MamiTig Posted May 31, 2013, 5:53 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 1, 2013, 11:51 pm	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, 4:46 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, 4:43 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, 1:33 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, 4:13 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 10, 2013, 5:42 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, 2:06 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, 4:08 am	Oh goody, a birthday! Watching presents being unwrapped is the most fun part of the day!
MamiTig Posted Jun 13, 2013, 4:49 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, 5:31 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, 5:12 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, 5:02 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, 2:53 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, 3:42 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, 5:41 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, 1:42 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, 4:37 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, 4:47 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, 3:48 am	Today's adventure involved playing with baby hedgehogs! They are so prickly, but adorable
MamiTig Posted Jul 1, 2013, 8:43 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, 6:00 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, 4:23 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, 7:03 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, 4:31 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, 6:44 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, 5:17 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, 4:48 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, 12:02 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, 4:41 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 23, 2013, 5:25 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, 4:12 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, 3:53 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, 3:12 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, 5:35 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, 4:59 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, 4:31 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, 5:13 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, 1:25 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, 2:43 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, 2:27 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, 4:44 am	Host mom made a second outfit, for her other youngest daughter!
MamiTig Posted Sep 5, 2013, 3:53 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, 12:36 am	We attended Sabbath service and then had a delicious potluck at the Seventh Day Adventist church!
MamiTig Posted Sep 15, 2013, 1:55 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, 2:19 am	Today we went to DeGage Dancewear to help the host family's oldest daughter buy her first pair of pointe shoes! She looked so elegant and lovely when she stood up in them!! I was just as excited as she was!
MamiTig Posted Oct 6, 2013, 6:58 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, 5:09 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 18, 2013, 11:56 pm	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 19, 2013, 2:36 am	We went to Wichita to see Momix Botanica at the Orpheum Theater. Since we were running too late to get pictures outside and they don't allow cameras inside the Orpheum, host mom didn't get a chance to take any pictures there. But, she did get a picture of our great pre-show dinner at China Star.
MamiTig Posted Oct 20, 2013, 12:45 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, 2:08 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, 12:42 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, 3:43 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, 4:32 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 fog!
MamiTig Posted Nov 18, 2013, 1:33 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, 3:19 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 outside!
MamiTig Posted Nov 29, 2013, 9:44 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, 4:39 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 4, 2013, 6:52 pm	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, 2:08 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, 5:44 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, 2:35 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, 4:50 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, 1:41 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, 6:10 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, 5:53 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, 4:20 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, 3:13 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, 4:42 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, 2:39 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, 10:06 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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