Pebbels, Vargön, Sweden

koocachoo


Posted Feb 14, 2008, 7:29 pm
My name is PEBBELS and I'm a small green tiger. I want to travell the world and see everything!! From the wet rainforest to the dry dessert.

With me I will have a journal that I would like you to help me update with things I've seen or done.

Would you please host me?? Please send a PM to my owner....I want to begin my journey as soon as possible!!

PEBBELS
magicwoman


Posted Feb 29, 2008, 4:53 pm
Hi Mum
I arrived today in Holland :)
Its great here to be in another country in Europe,finally I can discover the Dutch culture
The weather is so bad here.
But cant wait to go outside

More updates soon mummy
bye bye
Pebbles
magicwoman


Posted Feb 29, 2008, 5:01 pm
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0044.jpg
The envelop,I cant wait to go outside

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0045.jpg
Meleleuca another TV who stays here from Australia,was very curious to see me

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0046.jpg
Here I am :)

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0048.jpg
me and meleleuca we're gonna have a great time here
magicwoman


Posted Mar 1, 2008, 1:14 pm
When I was arrived in Holland I was starving
So I decided to help Marije (my host) cooking a meal
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0049.jpg

here I am cutting an Onion,Marije told me be carefull with the knife cause it was very sharp,nothing happend luckily
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0051.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0053.jpg
and this was teh result,a plate with fries ,mayonaisse,peanut sauce (it is a sauce made from peanuts never eat it but it was delicious) and onions,this is the way how dutch people eat their fries
Silly Dutch people ;)

And I meet many Dutch friends
Meleleuca already meet them and it was time I meet them to
They were very nice,and they had cola,orange juice and cookies for me
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0057.jpg

bye bye
Pebbels
magicwoman


Posted Mar 2, 2008, 2:51 pm
Hi mum
today Marije has take me out
First she showed me the view across the street
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0058.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0059.jpg
her I'm sitting on the fence

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0061.jpg
Here i'm riding a bike togheter with meleleuca,we had so much fun :)

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0062.jpg
A picture with me and the beautiful lady stattue :)

Bye bye
Pebbels
magicwoman


Posted Mar 3, 2008, 6:24 pm
Hi mum
Yesterday Marije has take me outside for a walk
I had so much fun
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0064.jpg
this is a Dutch levelcrossing

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0065.jpg
this is for the busses in Holland, you can see wich time the Bus is coming

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0066.jpg
before an old church

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0067.jpg
A Dutch mill

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0068.jpg
Here I am in a phone box :)

It was really great to see the area here :)

bye bye
Pebbels

magicwoman


Posted Mar 4, 2008, 6:30 pm
Hi mum
today it was really bad weather in Holland
So it was unpossible to do things :(
It was very rainy,cold and windy
So we watch the rain out of the window today
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0072.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0074.jpg
And I watched TV,a Dutch program show called "RTL Boulevard"I couldnt under stand a word of it,but it was a nice program after all

I hope the weather is fine tommorow so we can do things outside

bye bye
Pebbels
magicwoman


Posted Mar 6, 2008, 9:12 pm
Hi Mum
Today we drinking tea with the  Dutch friend i've met
It was the dog and the  nice bear
They had some chocolate easter eggs to
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0077.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0080-1.jpg

we played a game with dices guess what ,I WIN :)

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0083.jpg
magicwoman


Posted Mar 8, 2008, 3:49 pm
Hi mum
today i visited a Dutch castle in Holland,in a town called "waardenburg"
This castle gives me the creeps a bit,I'll tell you why cause they said that there are living ghosts in that castle,creepy ghosts are hanging around there .
There is a story that they bother the visitors there.I hope this story isnt true offcourse but you never know.
Also we visited a dutch mill in the same village
The grind wheat there back in the middle ages for making bread,it was really interesting


http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0085.jpg
me with the mill,the one were the grind the wheat

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0086.jpg
a Dutch land scape,you can see how flat Holland is on this picture

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0087.jpg
me in the castle

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0091.jpg
a bok or something,the sign on the left corner says "no smoking"in dutch

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0092.jpg
another castle picture,can you see the ghosts allready ? ;)

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0108.jpg
On the backside you can see the mill

Bye Bye
Pebbels
magicwoman


Posted Mar 11, 2008, 5:30 pm
Hu mum
today a new toyvoyager arrived at marije her house
And I was very curious to see him/her
first we (Meleleuca and I) hear a little squeak,in the enveloppe.
What was it,that was the question,and we really wanted to know

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0128-1.jpg

Was it a Bird,was it a plane?
NOOO......

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0129-1.jpg
....it was Fluffy a little yellow chicken

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0130-1.jpg
and we are big friends allready,fluffy is so sweet

bye bye
Pebbels

magicwoman


Posted Mar 14, 2008, 11:36 am
Today we said goodbye to our good friend Meleleuca
Tomorrow she leaves Marije,and she goes to Eryah in Alkmaar the Netherlands
Ofcourse we've cried a  bit ,cause we hate to say goodbye
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0131-1.jpg
me and meleuca giving eachother e goodbye hug
we became good friends :)
Bye Bye Meleleuca and thanx for everything

magicwoman


Posted Mar 15, 2008, 5:59 pm
Hi Mum
Today I went to Alkmaar,I visit Eryah and Lejow.Marije is became friends with them.
It was really pleasant.I also meet a lots of toher TV's the ones from Lejow and Eryah.And we say our last goodbye to Meleleuca.
And we welcomed a new TV it is Emil.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0136.jpg
Here we are going to Alkmaar cause Marije wants to have a nose piercing

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0137.jpg
Alkmaar

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0138.jpg
with all the toyvoyagers
from the left to the right
I,Nelly,Palmeke,Emil,Meleleuca ,Fluffy and Chompers

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0139.jpg
and yes .. Nelly and I were togheter for a while this afternoon :)

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0141.jpg
I have to go in the bag again cause Marije was going home

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0146.jpg
Waiting for the train at the station

Bye Bye
Pebbels


magicwoman


Posted Mar 17, 2008, 7:38 pm
Hi mum
Last Wednesday Marije gets a Playstation from her boyfriend
So we played on it today,we played a game called "bugs bunny"
I played with Fluffy
It was so much fun

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0153.jpg

And Marije has a real electri guitar
And i tried to play the guitar but its reallye difficult,but it was so cool to do it

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0158.jpg

more photos soon
bye bye
Pebbels
magicwoman


Posted Mar 18, 2008, 10:25 am
Hi mum
Lejow send Marije pictures she has made with her camera from us last saturday in Alkmaar

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/magicwoman/P3150023.jpg

Nelly and I ,made in the car

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/magicwoman/P3150024.jpg

Eryah has a puppy dog,he was really sweet but also a bit naughty,look what he did with my family Nelly ;)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/magicwoman/P3150057.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y218/magicwoman/P3150061.jpg
A picture with me and the puppy,his name is Dharma

Bye Bye
Pebbels

magicwoman


Posted Mar 20, 2008, 9:59 am
Hi mum
Today we did some funny things in and around the house
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0169.jpg
I climbed in the tree :)

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0171.jpg
We played a game who is first on top of the tree,looks like Emil wins this game

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0173.jpg
Marije has a really cool moped,it looks like a motorcycle but it isnt,offcourse she invites me for a ride :)

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0175.jpg
We eat some dutch candy called "drop"it was a bit sweet and bitter but it was yummy,especially Fluffy loved it ;)

bye bye
Pebbels
magicwoman


Posted Mar 21, 2008, 11:36 am
Hi mum
Today is my last day at marije her house.
I'll say goodbye,and going to my next host.
I'm having such a great time here,but its over now.
I have to go in an big dark enveloppe.
I say goodbye to Emil and Fluffy ,they became big friends from me.
I'm brought some treats with me for Emil and Fluffy it was chocolate

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0177.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0178.jpg
giving Fluffy a bog goodbye hug

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e361/marije22000/100_0179.jpg
and giving Emil a big hug

Bye Bye Marije,Emil and Fluffy!!!
Thanx for having a good time here!!

Bye Bye Pebbels
fam-united


Posted Mar 25, 2008, 7:02 pm
Hi mum!

I arrived in Bruchsal today. I'm sorry to say, but the weather here is also really cold, but I had been happy to see some spots of the sun.
And I saw a really wonderful sky this evening, even more dark clouds because the sun was shining. And then suddenly sleet (soft hail) fell on my head, while I was looking at the sky.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/2369235441_0986c752f1.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3178/2369239103_6588f24ec1.jpg?v=0
fam-united


Posted Mar 29, 2008, 5:32 pm
Hi mum
here is a big big toyvoyager meeting now. I had been very surprised, when I saw all these other toyvoyager crawl out of the package, that arrived today. Of course we knew, that some other toyvoyagers will arrive, so we were very excited, when the postman rang at the door.
Now we are 13 toyvoyagers:
Florence, Tilda, Mingus Moose, Josh, Chokito, Davy, Tortilla and Bullet arrived today and you surely remember, that Amara Anthea, (Playmo)Bill, Curly, HolidayHarry, AliG and I had been here for a while already.
I think, it would be a good time to have a party now and I saw, that Petra baked some muffins today. Maybe we can ask her to throw a party for us tomorrow???

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3006/2369244547_0fe930e22c.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3259/2369243263_a72257e913.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/2370078658_4c76915c47.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2130/2369243915_d3192c048b.jpg
fam-united


Posted Mar 29, 2008, 6:22 pm
Hurray!!! Hurray!!!

We had a little party today!!!



We had some snacks and water to drink and a lot to laugh about, of course. Dogs became friends with cats, a turtle with a kangaroo, a monkey with a moose and more.

We played with a big and a small ball and we learned how to play the card game "Mau Mau".


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3107/2370671235_70948ecf37.jpg?v=0
Didn't the table look nice?


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2222/2370667805_a7bce2df90.jpg?v=0
Mingus Moose prefered to sit on the ballon.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3060/2371503540_895080569e.jpg?v=0
(Playmo)Bill decided to not eat anything, because he was afraid to be too thick for his hobby.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3206/2370668873_a02633dc92.jpg?v=0
Bullet wanted all the peanuts for himself.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/2371505608_b6be497842.jpg?v=0
Coco first had been a bit sad, because there was no honey on the table, but she liked the gouda then.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2298/2370670611_7ae0f5222b.jpg?v=0
How did (Playmo)Bill come to that peanut? Maybe he asked Mingus Moose???


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2162/2371515494_f0e0cd9ae2.jpg?v=0
HolidayHarry had been really thirsty after eating a lot of sweets.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2371516326_fe87c81d96.jpg?v=0
Florence is very hungry and wants to try a chocolate banana muffin.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3083/2370681713_97f7d2bf25.jpg?v=0
I thought, that the Harry Potter muffin looked nice. It was a muffin with blueberries. Curly took the chocolate banana muffin too.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2182/2371517512_5d38e5f4c7.jpg?v=0
Amara Anthea tried a muffin american style, just on with chocolate drops.


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/2371518108_7dc4c47471.jpg?v=0
AliG seemed to play the detective. What did he expect to find out today???


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2206/2371518938_293d0c92ac.jpg?v=0
Do you see how happy Tortilla and Josh look with this dish filled with gummi bears?


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2217/2371519728_9db9119e2f.jpg?v=0
Chokito, Davy and Schnuffi shared another Harry Potter muffin.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2272/2371521376_de74a2e1b0.jpg?v=0
Only Hasi prefered something healthy - she wanted to eat a carrot.


http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2211/2370685509_f2bece64a5.jpg?v=0
Tilda hadn't been sure, whether she should try a "nimm 2 " or whether it is better to eat a carrot too.



Then we started playing with balls. At first we choose the Australian ball, but it was so big, that the little toyvoyager among us had big problems.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2371521910_0f687d7a4c.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2117/2370687117_644167ea1c.jpg?v=0


Later we decided to use a table tennis ball, which of course is much easier to play with.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2171/2370687655_d86b1cb112.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2220/2371514896_df78d46516.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2117/2371524280_743e7e9442.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3104/2370688257_e256fab10f.jpg?v=0


At last we learned how to play "Mau Mau".

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3237/2371525598_d7299f806a.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/2370690901_18f14d82f5.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2348/2370691565_7eedf8576b.jpg?v=0


Our first winner was: Chokito
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2333/2370692047_7a68ac4509.jpg?v=0

Second place: Bullet
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3038/2370692657_52caa01fce.jpg?v=0

Third place: Hasi
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2391/2370693307_a21d8e39eb.jpg?v=0

Fourth place: MEEEE!!!!
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2066/2370693837_51400072fe.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/2370694447_bda41f920d.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2300/2370694983_23644f3d66.jpg?v=0

fam-united


Posted Apr 9, 2008, 7:52 pm
Today was one of the rare sunny days. Petra came home from school and packed her rucksack to show us some places in Bruchsal. She didn't have so much time for it, because she had to go back to school for a teachers' meeting.

Here you see the backfront of the palace.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2010/2395141785_30c396be79.jpg?v=0


This is the Feldkirchle (field chapel)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/2398779360_bf3278bc34.jpg?v=0


Next to the Feldkirchle (field chapel) you see this cross
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2280/2397785285_c3f8b634fb.jpg?v=0
and these beautiful flowers
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/2397789299_d67399d12b.jpg?v=0
fam-united


Posted Apr 10, 2008, 11:27 am
Today it's time for baking cakes for my host's mum's birthday. She is 70 years now and Petra was asked to bake two cakes: Donauwellenkuchen (Danube waves cake) and Zebrakuchen (zebra cake). Petra decided to bake a surprise cake too, with a part of the Happy Birthday song.

We sat all together watching and helping Petra with preparing the dough.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2351/2397956457_e91ac8de36.jpg?v=0

So here are the photos with me. If you are interested in recipes, I can try to ask Petra to write them here or send them to you.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2078/2397958503_a9c4b0aabf.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2404/2397959485_42bdb57367.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2113/2397989087_59bc119931.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2047/2397990677_b32caaf918.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2246/2397991343_c927ed0a04.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3217/2398823154_6990f3492a.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2278/2397998423_07150bb5af.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3249/2398829840_2945fb37c4.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3019/2398022859_a6c9f8f307.jpg?v=0


Finally the cakes are ready

The nougat cream cake:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2199/2398023565_298b6a8172.jpg?v=0
only the words "Happy birthday" have to be put on the cake now.

The Zebra-cake
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2161/2398024347_65b1dbb453.jpg?v=0
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2327/2398025009_363a9a2d73.jpg?v=0

Somehow we miss the last photo of the Danube waves cake, the one with the cherries.
fam-united


Posted Apr 27, 2008, 11:59 am
Today Kari arrived at home again and he told us a lot about Australia. Now I know, that Kira1997 send him to my host family as a present for their daughter some years ago. He wanted to see them again, so he decided to go to Australia as a toyvoyager.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2266/2443135758_2923cea857.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2443152970_72cb5759a7.jpg?v=0
fam-united


Posted Apr 27, 2008, 12:53 pm
Maybe you heard about the Buran arriving in Speyer? The new home will be the technical museum in Speyer: http://www.museumspeyer.de/index.html

The Buran ( the only space shuttle of the Soviet Buran program)was only on one unmanned spaceflight in 1988. The shuttle program was cancelled in 1993. It was destroyed by a hangar collapse in 2003.
The Buran is the world's first genuine space shuttle to be exhibited to the general public.

Petra wanted to go there to watch the arrival, but the weather was too bad, so we only got the chance to read the newspaper

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2162/2443145650_fc61f8a863.jpg?v=0
fam-united


Posted Apr 27, 2008, 1:12 pm
Hi Mum

today was a crazy, very busy and very rainy day again. It was only a short time without too much rain, so Petra decided to take us to a park with animals, that live in Germany. Here you see Bullet and me with some wild boars. We only could take a few pictures and even missed some with the other toyvoyagers, because Petra's camera stopped working. She forgot new battery:(

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2125/2443139982_0a9a9699e5.jpg?v=0
fam-united


Posted Apr 27, 2008, 9:48 pm
I had a really great day today. The sun was shining and it was really warm. Now I believe, that it is springtime.
Petra woke up early and told us to get ready to for a walk. We were very curious and excited of course. First we bought some bread rolls for breakfast (only a few bakeries or open on Sundays) and then we brought Ralf to work (normally he doesn't work on Sundays).

And then we drove in the car for about 15 minutes. We sat in the rucksack and you can believe me, it wasn't the best way to travel.

After we walked a little bit, we found this sign:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2361/2446372860_ae379c80a5.jpg?v=0

It told us the rules, how we had to behave at this place.

Oh, you surely want to know, where we were. There is a small Japanese Garden not far away from Bruchsal in Münzesheim, which Petra was told, that it is really pretty. She never had been there before, but now she wanted to go there together with us.

So now look at the photos and enjoy!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2012/2446079122_3c92450e01.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3159/2445291199_8ce82fca2b.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2260/2446136342_ffecba3c96.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2406/2445331329_2c6f5fc1d9.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3011/2446181844_a91886f615.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3085/2446192764_72184d5293.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3176/2445404891_bb40e9b643.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2445403847_f8e1fc6bd6.jpg?v=0

This building was very interesting, especielly the ceiling, which was made of white and blue bottles.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2228/2446349008_c01545dcc1.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3069/2446298710_4dd6dd0c25.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2071/2446359980_9556eac85b.jpg?v=0

fam-united


Posted May 5, 2008, 4:20 pm
Petra asked Snegovik, Ted, Curly and me, whether we would like to join her and visit the third graders. She told us, that she teaches them, how to weave. They try to make a pincushion shaped like a ladybug - ladybird, when it is ready.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3258/2445930662_1d0c626679.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3282/2445105387_3364ee24b4.jpg?v=0
fam-united


Posted May 5, 2008, 4:46 pm
I think, I forgot to tell you something about the history of Bruchsal.
Bruchsal was first named in 976 A.D., but since a few weeks we know, that it must be even older than this. They found something next to a church and realized that this is really old. I had been very curious to get to know more about this, but the weather was so terrible, that we had no chance to go there.
So you only see the most interesting places here. Petra was in a hurry, so the photos aren't that great she says.
Here you see the backsite of the palace and a part of the palace garden. The palace was nearly completely destroyed during the Second World War and rebuilt around 1973.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2222/2446008314_f09f5f4dd5.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3164/2446017262_89eb798a36.jpg?v=0
fam-united


Posted May 5, 2008, 5:37 pm
Because the weather was much better than the days before, we drove to Untergrombach, which is one of the suburbs of Bruchsal. The Michaelsberg, a small hill - only 296m high, belongs to Untergrombach. You have a wonderful view over the Rhine valley and if the weather is very very good, you can see the Palatine Mountains in the far.
3500 - 2600 BC first signs of humans had been found on this place, the "Michelsberg culture".

This view shows a part of Bruchsal, which is at the border between Rhine Valley and Kraichgau.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2335/2445968434_ff6f13a46c.jpg?v=0


The quarry pond belongs to Untergrombach, which you see on this photo. This is the best view to see the Palatine Mountains on the horizon, but today we had no luck.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2155/2445969280_22a33ce99f.jpg?v=0


You see another part of Untergrombach. You see, that it is also to the border of the Kraichgau.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3244/2445957750_0e3bb73537.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3048/2445958588_2974a104b5.jpg?v=0


This nice chapel is called Michaelskapelle and it is on top of the Michaelsberg. Petra told me, that there are many couples, that want to marry in this chapel.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2401/2445982944_65b3c15bea.jpg?v=0


Here you see so-called "Steinriegel" (field clearance cairn), made by people working on their fields a long long time ago. They threw the big stones from their fields to the border of the neighbour's field, so that in the middle all stones were accumulated. Many animals and flowers love this gaunt places and that's why a few weeks ago, people cleaned the Steinriegel from all the earth, that came between the stone during the many many years and from all the other plants, that love to grow in earth.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2183/2445988632_0849556e53.jpg?v=0


Another word I learned is "Magerrasen" (neglected grassland), which is typical for the Michaelsberg. The town you see is Untergrombach.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2134/2445176959_d2439fee29.jpg?v=0


The Michaelsberg is nature reserve area, I'm sure, you already realized this too. There are beautiful rare flowers and animals.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3023/2445944734_4a1daeaa0f.jpg?v=0


Michele_one_L


Posted May 8, 2008, 9:11 pm
I arrived in New York today with HitchaRideMo. It was an interesting ride so I'm happy it's over. I'm off to meet the other TV's here. I'll post pictures soon!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 11, 2008, 10:17 pm
I arrived this morning with Hitcha Ride Mo and we received a very warm welcome. So far I've met Fuzz Bear, Honey Bear, Dirkie and Cliff. I heard that we will be taking a road trip in a couple of days. I'm excited for that!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 11, 2008, 10:29 pm
After our hosts husband came home from work we all went to Walmart to pick up some groceries. We had to stay in Michele's bag but we were able to peek our heads out every once in awhile. We wanted to get home so we could get a good nights rest because tomorrow is going to be a long day.  :thinking:
Michele_one_L


Posted May 12, 2008, 12:04 am
Later in the evening Michele asked us if we wanted to help her with her Where's George bills. We all said "Where's George, who is George?" She explained to us that she belongs to this website (www.wheresgeorge.com) and the meaning of the website is to track US paper money. She said that there is a website like it for tracking Euros too. I wanted to help put ink on the stamp and Cliff wanted to stamp the bill. It was a lot of work but it was also fun!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 12, 2008, 12:20 am
After we helped stamp all of the bills Michele had she gave each of us a treat. She had a bag of candy and told us that we could each pick a piece.  :p I picked a mini sized Mounds bar. It has coconut and I love coconut!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 12, 2008, 12:39 am
We woke up this morning and were so excited for what was going to happen today. We were going East to Schenectady, NY to stay with our host's sister (Jessica). Michele put us in her bag and told us to get comfortable. She said that it would be an hour and a half trip. Yay! We can't wait!  :D
Michele_one_L


Posted May 12, 2008, 3:35 pm
Finally we arrived in Schenectady! It seemed like it took longer than an hour and a half but Michele assured us that it didn't. We decided to pose for a picture in front of the house while we waited for Jessica to finish getting ready. Michele told use that her family bought this house in 1995 and that she lived in it until 2003.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 12, 2008, 3:48 pm
Our first stop after picking up Jessica was to go to the mall (Colonie Center). Michele said that they needed to buy a Mother's Day gift for their mom. While at the mall they decided to get cheesecake for their mom as dessert. Michele was nice enough to let us out of her bag to help pick what kind of dessert to get.  :p
Michele_one_L


Posted May 13, 2008, 2:22 pm
After leaving the mall in Colonie we drove to Halfmoon because Michele wanted to go to a local candy store called Saratoga Sweets.  Saratoga Sweets is famous for it's peppermint pigs, we were told that they are very popular around Christmas time. Michele helped us pick out something to remember the shop by.  ;) Once we left the candy store we went to pick up pizza and headed back to Jessica's house.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 13, 2008, 2:55 pm
We were up early this morning, as we couldn't wait to get the day started. It was such a nice day that we decided to wait outside in the garden.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 13, 2008, 3:09 pm
The ride to Albany was kind of long, but it was well worth it. We had a hard time finding a place to park. Luckily Michele drove around until she found one. We walked down to Washington Park (where the Tulip Festival was being held). Right away we saw the tulips, they were beautiful!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 13, 2008, 3:21 pm
There were so many different types of tulips, we don't know which one was our favorite!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 13, 2008, 3:32 pm
These tulips are the most beautiful tulips we have ever seen.  :)
Michele_one_L


Posted May 15, 2008, 1:13 am
Tulips weren't the only thing we saw at the Tulip festival. We also saw the Albany Police Department Bag Pipers warming up. It was great!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 15, 2008, 1:22 am
It was getting late in the afternoon and we had a couple of more things we wanted to do before heading back to Rome. So we looked at a couple more tulips then left. We all really enjoyed ourselves and we were happy to be able to go.  :D
Michele_one_L


Posted May 15, 2008, 1:30 am
On the way back to Jessica's house, Michele's husband saw a car dealership with the car that he wants to buy. Michele said she was too tired to argue with him so we stopped to look at it. In the USA they call it a "Smart Car." We agreed that it's almost the right size for Toy Voyagers.  :)
Michele_one_L


Posted May 15, 2008, 2:01 am
Finally we returned to Jessica's house. Our little feet are so tired from all of the walking we did today. All we wanted to do was sit down and take a little rest. We got up on the bench in the yard and someone screamed!  :o There was a BIG bee sitting on the bench too. The bee was almost as big as some of us.  :rolleyes: We ran to the nearest tree to hide! It turned out that it was a pear tree. Too bad it's too early in the season to have fruit on it. Other wise we could have had a snack too.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 15, 2008, 2:14 am
While we were waiting for Michele and her husband to load the car, we got to take a closer look at Jessica's bonsai tree. She got it at the Tulip festival today and we were so jealous! We all wanted to buy a bonsai tree to send home to our mentors. Michele told us that at $25 a piece it was too expensive plus she said she couldn't ship something like that all over the world. DARN!!!

While we were looking at Jessica's Bonsai tree she told us that she had found something that we might want to see. While she was playing in the grass (with Michele's dog) she found part of a Robin's egg. It was tiny and very pretty! We wanted to bring it to Michele's house but she said that we had to leave it here. We haven't been able to get our way at all this weekend!  :thinking:
Michele_one_L


Posted May 17, 2008, 10:35 pm
We returned to Rome last night and it was a long trip! Going to Michele's families house for one over night trip isn't long enough. We rested a lot and now we are refreshed and ready for some good food. Tonight Michele's husband made cheese burgers, onion rings, tater tots and macaroni salad for dinner. What a meal!  :thinking: After dinner we were really thirsty so Michele said that we could share her water. We looked at the bottle and realized there was a problem.  :rolleyes: So we put our heads together and figured out a way to each get a drink. What a challenge!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 17, 2008, 10:43 pm
Before bed our host if we wanted someone ice cream to share. Yumm....Who can say no to ice cream!  :p
Michele_one_L


Posted May 17, 2008, 10:56 pm
Today was Dirkie's last day in New York. He was heading to Spain to visit with a new host. We said our good byes and wished him well. Dirkie promised us that he was tough and that he would be just fine.  ;) We all posed for one more picture then he was off to the post office with our host.

Bye Dirkie! (waving)
Michele_one_L


Posted May 17, 2008, 11:20 pm
Today was Fuzz Bear's last day in New York.  We said our good byes and wished him well. We all posed for one last round of pictures then he was off to the post office with our host.

Good Luck Fuzz Bear!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 20, 2008, 12:24 am
Our host told us a few days ago that a couple new TV's would be arriving this week. We couldn't wait to see who would arrive.  :)

To our surprise someone arrived just as we were leaving today! We had no idea who it could be. Our host opened the envelope and it was Bellatrix. She is a cute Ladybug from Portugal. She seemed relieved to be out of her envelope. We all introduced ourselves and off we went. We told Bellatrix that she arrived just in time as we were heading out to Syracuse.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 20, 2008, 12:34 am
Tonight Michele asked if we wanted to share a snack with her and her husband. Of course we said yes and we didn't even know what the snack was.  :p We had mozzarella sticks (and marinara dipping sauce). It was delicious!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 20, 2008, 12:48 am
My host and her husband decided to take a drive to Syracuse, NY today. Our host said that her husband is always telling her about the shops that are there so she wanted to check it out.

The plaza we went to had a Christmas Tree Shop. Our host seemed very excited about this! I guess it was worth the trip then.  :rolleyes:

After the Christmas Tree Shop we wanted to go to lunch. My host drove around looking for the place that her husband  wanted to eat at. In the end she never found the place because her husband didn't get the directions before we left the house. MEN!  ;) So we drove back to Rome to have lunch.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 22, 2008, 5:12 pm
For lunch we went to an old restaurant in Rome called "The Colonial." It is run down and outdated. Michele's husband told us that it used to be called "Fric and Fracs" but that someone bought the Fric and Frac recipes and opened this restaurant. The Colonial is supposed to be closing soon because the person who owns it doesn't have the time or money to keep up with it.

We ordered a Pepsi to drink and needed a minute to look over the menu. There are so many choices I don't know how we will ever agree on something to share.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 22, 2008, 5:21 pm
We decided to order an appetizer before our meal. Everyone agreed on chicken fingers. We also got to pick out two dipping sauces for them, so we chose mild buffalo sauce and honey mustard. They were delicious!  :p

As for our meal we couldn't decide what to get so Michele said that she was going to pick for us. She picked a pita sandwich called the "Chaz Maraz." It has turkey, tomatoes, bacon, black olives, lettuce, mozzarella cheese and onions. Michele asked for them not to put the lettuce or onions on, I guess she doesn't like them or something.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 22, 2008, 5:28 pm
After lunch we headed back to our host's house, but first she wanted to go to the post office to pick up her mail. To her surprise there was a package that looked like it could be a new TV!  We had no idea who could be inside, but we were all excited to see who it is.

Once we return to Michele's house she opened the package for us. It was Muumipeikko:D It's nice to see new faces once in awhile. Now we need to get to know each other.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 24, 2008, 1:33 am
Today two new TV's arrived! We were all very excited to see who it would be. :thinking: Our host opened the first  package and it was TheoSheep. In the second package was Mausi. Wow, it's getting to be a full house over here!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 24, 2008, 1:53 am
This afternoon our host decided to go to the Salvation Army to look for teddy bears. She told us that there was a new TV named ThreadBear who was collecting teddy bears for children in South Africa.  :D

When she returned home she had a bag full of animals. She said that they needed a bath and a snack before they can be sent to South Africa. We asked if we could meet them. She said yes but told us not to be surprised if they didn't answer us. Boy was she wrong! We asked them questions and everyone was answering at the same time. We knew this was going to be tough.  :rolleyes:
Michele_one_L


Posted May 26, 2008, 11:51 pm
Our host asked us to pose together as it was time for the new animals to get a bath. Everyone seemed happy but that's because they have no idea what's going on.  :)
Michele_one_L


Posted May 27, 2008, 12:15 am
We wanted to see what it was like to get a wash and dry at our host's house. We wished everyone luck because we hear that dryers are known to eat socks.  :thinking: Who knows what will happen to stuffed animals.  :rolleyes: Our host promised that everyone who went in for a wash and dry would come back.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 27, 2008, 12:22 am
Okay so our host was right....No one was taken by the sock monsters in the dryer.  :rolleyes: Too bad because it would have been a fun mystery.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 27, 2008, 12:35 am
Not a whole lot has been going on here lately. The weather has been terrible! Our host said she wanted to take us a couple of places but that she hasn't been able to because of the rain. We wanted to see for ourselves.  :( Our host was right, it's raining outside. So to keep us busy we decided to watch some DVD's. We couldn't agree on one title so we were going to watch 3 different ones.
Michele_one_L


Posted May 27, 2008, 1:07 am
To our surprise a new TV arrived today! We couldn't wait to see who it could be....It turned out to be Willy Wau! We all welcomed him and told him to make himself at home here. We all have!  ;)
Michele_one_L


Posted May 27, 2008, 1:29 am
Today we said goodbye to Cliff. He was moving on to his next host on the USA TVT.

Good Luck Cliff! Have a safe journey!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 30, 2008, 2:18 pm
We were surprised to learn that Grape Ape Was leaving today as well! He told us that he was on his way to South Africa. Wow, what a trip! We all wished him well and told him to have a safe trip. He assured us that he would.  :rolleyes:

Good Bye Grape Ape!
Michele_one_L


Posted May 30, 2008, 2:48 pm
This evening we took a ride over to New Hartford, NY because our host was looking for a cookbook to take with her tomorrow. First we stopped at Target to see if they had what she was looking for. It turned out that they didn't have what she was looking for so it was on to the next store.  :thinking:
Michele_one_L


Posted May 30, 2008, 2:57 pm
After Target we went to Wal-Mart to see if they had the cookbook our host was looking for. Again they didn't have it! Our host's husband said that we should go to the bookstore, but our host said that she was being cheap and didn't want to pay the high prices at the bookstore.  :rolleyes: So we left to go one more place before heading home. At the intersection leaving Wal-Mart our host spotted a rainbow! She was hoping that she could get to the next shop before the rainbow disappeared.  :thinking:
Michele_one_L


Posted May 30, 2008, 3:05 pm
We made it just in time to see the rainbow from a different spot. It was beautiful! Our host couldn't believe how fast the sky went from blue and open to gray and cloudy. Maybe a storm was coming!  :thinking:
Michele_one_L


Posted May 30, 2008, 3:16 pm
Everyone was caught up with seeing the rainbow we had forgotten that we had one more shop to visit. We went to Toys R Us. Our host was looking for a Care Bear and other stuffed animals. Sadly she didn't find what she was looking for. Her husband told her that Care Bears aren't as popular as they used to be. She didn't want to hear it! It's back to our host's home for some dinner and rest. We've been told that tomorrow will be a busy an eventful day. 
Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 2, 2008, 2:26 pm
This afternoon we went to the Turning Stone Casino as part of Michele's birthday gift. We were going to see Chef Tyler Florence! Our host told us that she has never been here before and that this is her second time ever going to a casino. It was a warm and beautiful day, what a shame that we would be spending it inside.
Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 2, 2008, 2:51 pm
Our host tried to take as many pictures as she could but it was really dark and we were close to the back of the room. Never the less it smelled great in there! Tyler made grilled pizza with fresh mozzarella cheese, home made spaghetti and meatballs and panna cotta for dessert! Too bad we didn't get to try any.  :( For some reason only people in the front were able to sample his food. Oh well!

After the show was over Tyler signed some autographs, but only on his cookbooks. Our host was thrilled! She said this was the best birthday she's ever had.  :D
Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 2, 2008, 11:37 pm
Today is our host's birthday! Her husband bought her a birthday cake with Care Bears on it. After dinner we posed by the cake then Michele said that we could each take a bite.  :p Some of us took bigger bites then others. It was sweet and delicious!
Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 2, 2008, 11:54 pm
Today is Memorial Day in the USA. Our host explained to us that Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who perished while in military service to their country. Our host also told us that Memorial is the start of "summer" for a lot of people. We went to Wal-Mart today to pick up our host's grill. Too bad it didn't arrive sooner or we could of had a BBQ for dinner. Maybe next weekend!
Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 3, 2008, 12:16 am
A new TV arrived today and we were all so excited to see who it is! It turned out to be Resi. She's a cute little squirrel. Of course we welcomed her to the group. Hopefully we didn't frighten her.
Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 3, 2008, 12:19 am
A new TV arrived today and we were all so excited to see who it is! It turned out to be Resi. She's a cute little squirrel. Of course we welcomed her to the group. Hopefully we didn't frighten her.
Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 8, 2008, 3:49 pm
Another TV arrived today! We were excited to see who it might be...Our host opened the envelope and inside was one of her TV's Gilbert! He was cute but very shy. He seemed happy to be home and our host seemed very happy to see him.
Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 8, 2008, 7:05 pm
Today we took a little drive to visit our host's in laws.  :rolleyes: Michele said that she doesn't like going to their house but that she goes for her husband. They live in a town called Potsdam. It's rural so there isn't much if anything to do there. At least we got to tag along...
Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 8, 2008, 7:22 pm
Tonight we were going to sleep in an RV! Michele's in laws don't have a guest bedroom so it's either we sleep in the RV or in the car. Michele said she was not sleeping in the car! Since Daryl and Michele weren't tired they decided to play card games. We were excited because we could play too. Gilbert, Muumipeikko and Bellatrix help shuffle the cards.  Resi, Willy Wau, HitchaRideMo and I helped deal, while Mausi and TheoSheep gave you a card on your turn (if you needed one).
Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 8, 2008, 7:33 pm
Finally it was morning! Michele was up early getting everything ready to load into the car. One would think that she didn't want to be at her in laws any longer.  :) We all sat on the couch in the RV and waited to be loaded into her bag.
Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 8, 2008, 8:07 pm
It's been a slow and boring week for us. Our host has been trying to find a job and going on interviews so she hasn't had a lot of extra time for us.

Tonight she told us how sorry she was. To try and make up for it she gave us some ice cream! Ice Cream is pretty good but we told her that she will have to do better than that.  :rolleyes:


Michele_one_L


Posted Jun 8, 2008, 8:30 pm
Today was my last day in New York. I said goodbye to all of the friends I made. I'm heading to France! See everyone again when I get there.  :D

Fleurdunord


Posted Jun 22, 2008, 11:36 pm
Bonjour!
I had a safe trip and now i'm at Arras, north of France. I've been welcomed by many stay at home toys and some othe tvs : Stasiek, Meleleuca, Jeniqua, Nanu. I travelled with a small friend called Rocket.
Fleurdunord


Posted Jun 29, 2008, 10:26 pm
Bonjour!
We travelled by train to Wardrecques in the countryside. We got a good cake.
Fleurdunord


Posted Jun 29, 2008, 10:31 pm
Back at Arras, Fleur cooked for us a good "soufflé au fromage". Would you like to taste it ?
The day after, Fluffy the owl, an american tv joined us.
I also went to the library, built in a former abbey.
Fleurdunord


Posted Aug 28, 2008, 9:57 pm
Bonjour!
I was very busy lately, that's why i was so long, but let me tell you what i've done ... In late june, i enjoyed my life at Arras. I've been to the library and to the market where Fleur got some cheeses for us. Strong taste !
Fleurdunord


Posted Aug 28, 2008, 10:02 pm
the same day, i went to the seaside. The beach resort is called Berck and i loved the little cabins. Let's see Berck by night ...
Fleurdunord


Posted Aug 28, 2008, 10:07 pm
the day after, at Wardrecques, i had lot of fun with Joey the pony and playing in the flowers. We went back to Arras by train.
Fleurdunord


Posted Aug 28, 2008, 10:17 pm
In mid July, we went to Fleur's grand-father, at St Pol, to pick some redcurrants off the trees. We had a tea with bread and a very good jam.
Fleurdunord


Posted Aug 28, 2008, 10:26 pm
we spent a day with Aude (Fleur's youngest sister), visiting the city of St Omer. I especially enjoyed the ruins of St Bertin, the former abbey.
It was before the long trip around England.
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 21, 2008, 7:57 pm
This our travel to England. After the Eurostar, we went to Cambridge by train. I've seen many interesting universities and stayed in a hostel.
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 21, 2008, 8:32 pm
York was a beautiful city to visit. We've been to a park close to the minster.
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 21, 2008, 8:51 pm
Windermere is a cute town of the Lake district, with a lake, in the middle of the mountains. We stayed in a lovely B&B there.
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 21, 2008, 8:54 pm
We've visited Chester and the rows. But i especially enjoyed the roman ruins. We had a good tea at the hostel.
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 21, 2008, 8:57 pm
Cheltenham was the perfect place for shopping. Look at the strange B&B where we stayed!!
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 21, 2008, 9:00 pm
After Bristol, we've visited Bath and the roman baths. You can see us at the Royal crescent.
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 21, 2008, 9:04 pm
After a long journey by train, we arrived to beautiful Cornwall at penzance. We stayed in a comfortable B&b and went to Land'end the day after.
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 21, 2008, 9:07 pm
[color=orange]There's a beautiful cathedrale at Salisbury and we've been to some nice parks.[/color]
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 21, 2008, 9:10 pm
Oxford was our last stop; Many famous people have studied there; You can see us in front of a University.
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 21, 2008, 9:13 pm
We've done a day trip to London with Fleur, her mum, her young sister and her cousin, for shopping. We travelled on a ferryboat, it was great !! A ctually i could complete a mission.
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 29, 2008, 8:28 pm
Bonjour!
I've been invited to celebrate Fleur's birthday (this isn't her on the pic) and the cake was very good !
Fleurdunord


Posted Sep 29, 2008, 8:32 pm
We welcomed a new friend : Gus the girafe. Fanette, the french bear read for us the last Harry Potter.
wmphimu


Posted Oct 7, 2008, 6:34 pm
Hello from Virginia! I arrived here in the United States over the weekend. I was ready to get out of my travel pouch, and it was so exciting to have three new friends open it up and help me out!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1791.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1792.jpg
After I got settled, I showed my new friends my travel journal - they were excited to see all the places I have been!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1793.jpg
wmphimu


Posted Oct 7, 2008, 6:36 pm
My host and her husband play softball on the weekends. So Sunday a few of us hopped in Mara's bag to go see what it was all about! Here I am in front of the field...
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1788.jpg
And here we are sitting in the bleachers to watch the game!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1787.jpg
wmphimu


Posted Oct 12, 2008, 2:07 am
What a beautiful day it was here today! It's nearly the middle of October, but it was sunny and 70 degrees out! So we headed into Fairfax City for the Fall Festival, a big fair with lots of arts & crafts, food, and activities for kids. Mara says that there are lots of fairs like this here in the fall - each town has one! Here I am on one of the streets looking at the crafts booths:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1795.jpg
I also got to see some of the history of Fairfax. Here I am in front of the courthouse:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1804.jpg
It was built in 1800 - here is a plaque that explains the history:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1807.jpg
And here I am (still in front of the courthouse) on one of the Civil War cannons!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1800.jpg
wmphimu


Posted Oct 22, 2008, 8:27 pm
Hello! I have been having lots of fun so far in Virginia! It is fall, and the weather is crisp and the leaves are changing. I have been playing outside on the pumpkins (everyone has pumpkins on their steps to decorate for fall and Halloween!) and in the leaves!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1816.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1819.jpg
wmphimu


Posted Nov 7, 2008, 10:05 pm
Happy Halloween! I helped to celebrate Halloween with our neighbors - look at the cool jack-o-lanterns that the kids next door carved! :)
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1835.jpg
wmphimu


Posted Nov 7, 2008, 10:14 pm
What an exciting week here in the United States! Tuesday was election day! I've been following the race while I've been here in the U.S., so I was excited to get to go and vote! Mara and her husband went to vote in the morning - it was rainy, but there was great turnout (there was a line inside the school). We couldn't take pictures too close (or inside), but here we are before we went in!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/vote1.jpg
After I voted, they gave me a sticker to show off!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1846.jpg
Because this was such an important election, a lot of businesses had promotions if you came in with your "I voted" sticker. So after we voted, we went to Starbucks for our free cup of coffee!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/sbux1.jpg
This also made Mara happy, since Starbucks is her favorite, and Starbucks has switched to their red holiday cups! That night, we went to her parents' house to watch the election returns. Here I am listening to Brian Williams (one of the NBC anchors) tell us about some of the states:
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1841.jpg
And at 11 pm, they announced that Barack Obama had won the election! We were so excited! Mara let us stay up late with her to watch his speech! And the next morning we all read about the historic election in the paper!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/paper.jpg
I'm so glad that I was here to be a part of it!
wmphimu


Posted Nov 26, 2008, 11:21 pm
Hello! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the United States, so we're getting ready tonight. Mara goes to her cousin's house, and makes chocolate cookies (with TONS of powdered sugar!) every year to bring. Since she made 12 dozen, I helped with the baking! Here I am helping to roll the balls of chocolate dough in the powdered sugar...
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/P1010929.jpg
And here I am with some of the cookies I baked!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/pebcook.jpg
I am excited for tomorrow - I'm sure it will be a lot of fun!
wmphimu


Posted Nov 28, 2008, 11:05 pm
Happy Thanksgiving! It is Thanksgiving here in the United States - my first Thanksgiving ever! The day started with us watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's a huge tradition here - everyone watches it! I liked all of the big balloons - it was a lot of fun!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/P1010981.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/P1010985.jpg
Then we went to Maryland to Mara's cousin's house for Thanksgiving dinner! We celebrated with lots of family and friends - here we are at the table before everyone sat down!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/P1010941.jpg
Americans eat turkey and LOTS of side dishes for Thanksgiving - here I am eating turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and asparagus - now I see why Mara says that Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/P1010959.jpg
After awhile, we had desserts - Plaid Moose and I checked them out beforehand...here we are with the cookies we helped to make!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/P1010942.jpg
And look at how yummy these apple pies look!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/P1010943.jpg
And the desserts tasted just as good as they looked!!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/P1010979.jpg
What a great day! I am so thankful that I got to spend it with Mara's family!
wmphimu


Posted Nov 28, 2008, 11:13 pm
After all the fun of Thanksgiving yesterday, today I got to experience another American tradition - Black Friday. Black Friday is traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year. Stores have HUGE sales and people try to get their holiday shopping done. Some of the malls opened at midnight, and most of the stores were open by 5 am for the early crowds! We didn't go quite so early, but we did go to a few places! Here we are in the car...
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1871.jpg
The area of Fairfax where we were shopping is called Fair Lakes, and has tons and tons of stores. There was also a funky sculpture of a girl with her dog that Plaid Moose and I saw from the car
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1872.jpg
Here I am in front of Michael's (a big craft store):
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1869.jpg
And here I am at one of the other sections of the strip mall!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1874.jpg
wmphimu


Posted Dec 5, 2008, 11:44 pm
Everyone here is getting ready for Christmas. All of the stores are decorated, and there is Christmas music playing everywhere you go! This week I went to the mall with Mara. The decorations were really beautiful. The first one is a little dark (it was hard to take a picture where you could see me and the decorations!), but can you find Santa in the second picture? He's taking pictures with kids in the mall!!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1880.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1877.jpg
wmphimu


Posted Dec 11, 2008, 3:13 am
Even though it was a rainy day, I hopped in Mara's purse today with Plaid Moose and headed in to Washington DC with her! She was meeting a friend for lunch at Union Station - a huge train station that also has tons of fancy shops and restaurants! Here I am outside...
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1890.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1893.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1896.jpg
And look at the beautiful view of the Capitol Building!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1894.jpg
Inside was all decorated for the holidays, including a huge tree and a cool model train! What a fun trip!
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1899.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1886.jpg
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/101_1888.jpg
wmphimu


Posted Dec 18, 2008, 2:14 am
I have had a wonderful trip to the United States, but it's time to head home. First, I said goodbye to Plaid Moose and my new rabbit friends...
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f246/wmphimu/pebbels.jpg
And then I hopped on a first class flight to Sweden. The post office lady said my light should take 5-9 days, so I should be home in time for New Years!
koocachoo


Posted Jan 19, 2009, 9:55 am
At the moment I'm back home. I've had a wonderful time! Thank you all who has let me come into their homes and showed me around their hometown! I loved it all!!

Back