Flat Nena

Flat Nena came to visit Andrew and Lily Ballard in Bandera, Texas. She washere March 25th through the 30th. While she visited it was cool and cloudyabout 40 degrees at night and 70 degrees during the day. Bandera is a smalltown of approximately 1200 people and it is the Cowboy Capital of theWorld. There are pictures of Flat Nena with Lily at her softball game andFlat Nena played third base. Flat NEna also visited Andrew and LIly's momat Braun Medicine Chest Pharmacy where she stood on a counting machine andcounted pills. She also purchased a prescription at the counter. It wasfun having Flat Nena visit us.Andrew and Lily Ballard

Flat Jake

My name is Melissa Jones and Jake came to visit me on Saint Patrick’s Day in San Francisco, California! He arrived under rainy and cold conditions but that didn’t stop the city from celebrating. San Francisco maintains a very large Irish community that begins before 1870. Many streets in San Francisco are named after the influential Irish of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, for example, O’ Farrell Street, Hayes Street, and O’Shaughnessy Street.

Since the weather conditions may change daily in the city, Jake and I were very excited to wake up to a perfectly clear and mild temperature day in the 60’s. Perfect weather for a nice walk, we travelled to get a cup of coffee which took us up and down many little streets. Until you walk them for yourself, people don’t realize how steep of a climb the streets can get. Make sure you have your cell phone handy in case you need a friend to rescue you from the climb! During our stroll we’re reminded of the many beautiful homes in San Francisco. Nearly 48,000 Victorian homes were built within 65 years between the gold rush and 1915. The style of the Victorian home comes from all parts of the world, because that is who came and lived in San Francisco. Although the homes may be very close together, some are lucky enough to have beautiful views…see the amazing cathedral in the background?

After Jake and I breakfast, we took our energy to Randall Children’s Museum which offers creative art, science, and nature discoveries. After visiting the museum, we walked to the top of the museum park hill and enjoyed a 360 degree view of the Bay Area. To take our pictures, Jake stood north and I stood south. To the east of Jake lays the City of Oakland and the Pacific Ocean dumps to the west under the infamous Golden Gate Bridge.
Needless to say, Jake and I were done with our exercise for the day and I was ready for a nap!

Flat Halle

I almost forgot another really cool thing Flat Halle got to do with me! Just yesterday we were in Houston (for work - we attended a hearing) and we saw George Bush, Sr. He got out of his car with a few Secret Service people and started to talk to us. He was about to go into a restaurant and was saying hello to people as he was entering. Unfortunately his Secret Service people made him go inside the restaurant so we didn't get to talk to him too much. It was too bad, because I was going to tell him about my recent skydiving trip (with Flat Halle) and how afterwards my dad asked me if I went up a Democrat and came down a Republican. I'm pretty sure he would have laughed!

About 5 minutes after we saw George Bush, Sr., I saw another woman taking a picture with her own Flat Stanley (or Flat Someone, I'm not sure). I wanted to stop and take a picture of Flat Halle with someone else's Flat Stanley but we were in a hurry and couldn't stop.

Flat Halle

My name is Tina Lawrence and I am Halle's aunt. My mom (Halle's grandmother) sent me Flat Halle. She made a copy of her Flat Halle before she sent it on its way and sent me the copy, so I got to keep Flat Halle a little longer than other people. I live in Austin, Texas and we had some fantastic adventures!

I took Flat Halle to a doggie fashion show. My friend Jean, her niece Emma, and her dog Poppy dressed up in pretty, purple, princess dresses and walked down a red carpet. Flat Halle walked along with them and really enjoyed the show!

Next I took Flat Halle to watch a marathon. I did not run the race but we cheered on the runners as loud as we could. Flat Halle wanted to run in the race, but luckily I was there to talk some sense into her.

Later that night I took Flat Halle to an electronic music show. The show had a lot of fun robots that made music and Flat Halle had the best time!

A few days later I took Flat Halle skydiving with me. Everyone thought we'd be scared, but we weren't. It was actually a really relaxing and peaceful experience. I took a picture of us at the skydiving place. I tried to take pictures of us as we were flying through the air, but the people in charge wouldn't let me - boo!

The next weekend I took Flat Halle with me to Dallas to see the King Tut exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art. It was amazing. Everything in the exhibit was thousands of years old, but the furniture and jewelry was so well preserved, you never would have guessed what era it came from. I love museums and go whenever I can, and I was happy Flat Halle got to go with me. They wouldn't let me take pictures inside the exhibit so I snapped one outside of it.

Later that night I went to a yummy restaurant and ate Cuban food. I'm still not super clear on what Cuban food is, except for paella, but it was good.

The next day we went to the site where JFK was shot. There was a big X in the road where it happened, and it seemed really weird to have tourists (including me) staring at a big mark in the middle of a street to memorialize a former president. But it was really interesting to see everything from a different point of view - as in being in the exact location where everything happened as opposed to seeing it on tv. In the picture you can see the X in the street, if you look closely, and the building behind us is supposedly where Oswald was.

The next weekend in Austin was SXSW, so I took Flat Halle to see a bunch of bands and to see my friend John-Michael and his Thingamagoops at Dorkbot (an interactive portion of SXSW). Flat Halle thought some of the music was really weird and some was really good, but she really had fun playing with the robots and liked them the most! The Thingamagoops are really popular all over the world. They are sold in Germany, Japan, France, and a bunch of other cool places. Thingamagoops have been featured in magazines, websites, and lots of famous bands use Thingamas to make music and entertain crowds. They're used in circuit-bending music, but they're really fun to play with too. They have a website where they hang out and people can even design their own (http://www.bleeplabs.com/).

I've also taken Flat Halle into courtrooms (I'm an attorney), where she helped me to do justice and make sure the bad guys got in trouble for being bad.

Flat Halle went to several pilates classes with me. We had a lot of fun with friends while we strengthened our core. Sometimes the pilates classes were hard, but we're both definitely stronger now.

We also went shopping with the real Halle's grandma and nanny (great-grandmother). We were all looking for a dress for Halle's cousin's wedding for Halle's grandma to wear. Flat Halle and I made Halle's grandma try on some very pretty dresses that she didn't want to try on. She probably won't buy them but Flat Halle and I think Halle's grandpa would really like them!

Flat Halle and I made it through a hail storm and a soccer game (it was really cold!). We ate Indian, Vietnamese, Cuban, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and Japanese food. We took dogs for walks and went to friends' houses. I'd say we did quite a bit for such a short period of time! All in all, Flat Halle and I had a blast over the couple of weeks she visited me. And since Halle's grandmother cheated a little bit by sending me a copy of Flat Halle, I got to cheat a little bit too and keep her longer than most. But I promise she had fun!

Flat Gracie

Our names are Adam and Shirley Strong, and we live in Glengormley,Northern Ireland, which is 6 miles north of Belfast. We have a 9 month old daughter Beth and are expecting another baby in August. Recently we had the pleasure of hosting Flat Gracie. While she was with us, she wrote about her adventures:

My Adventures in Northern Ireland

In the middle of March I went to visit my grandparent's friends in Northern Ireland. We went to lots of interesting places and the weather that week was lovely! One of the first places I visited was Carrickfergus Castle which is 10 miles north of Belfast city centre on the shores of Belfast Lough. The castle is over 800 years old and is inthe town of Carrickfergus. Carrick means 'rock' in Gaelic and the name Carrickfergus means 'the rock of Fergus'. It is thought that the name comes from king Fergus who died nearby in the sea during a storm. You can walk around the castle, or get a guided tour, and see the life-size models. Some people get married in the banqueting hall in the castle and you can even have your birthday party in the vaults!

I also went to visit Belfast Castle which is in North Belfast on Cave Hill. The first Belfast Castle burned down so the castle I saw was only about 140 years old. There are lots of meetings and weddings held in the castle. It has lovely views over Belfast Lough.

Belfast has a very famous shipyard called Harland and Wolff which is about 150 years old. It was once the largest shipyard in the world and has built many famous ships including the Titanic which sank on its maiden voyage to New York. The shipyard now has two giant cranes called Samson and Goliath and I got my picture taken in front of them.

During my time in Northern Ireland I also went on a lovely walk along Belfast Lough and visited Belfast Zoo. Belfast Zoo is 75 years old this year and has more than 1,200 animals. Most of the animals are in danger in their natural habitat so the zoo does important work to make sure these endangered animals survive. I was very tired after my visit because it is a very steep climb in places!

Flat Nena

Dear Students,

Hola from Argentina! We have enjoyed the visit from Flat Nena and will now be sending her to her cousins in Texas. I think she had a great time in Buenos Aires (that is the capital of Argentina) where we are living now, and even got to go to the international School here, where part of her day was completely in Spanish!

Since it is winter (almost spring) where you are, I think she was a bit HOT in her jumpsuit since it is summer down here right now (your teacher can explain this to you!!). She liked spending sunny days by the pool and cool evening walks by the Rio de la Plata, where she saw a beautiful view of the city. The people of the city are called "portenos" because Buenos Aires is a port city, but you would be surpirsed that the countryside (called "el campo") looks a lot like Texas!

There are "gauchos" which are very similar to Texas cowboys, and we were able to ride horses (called "caballos") with a famous gaucho at an "estancia" (ranch) not too far from where we live.

So off to Texas she goes, and we'll be back to visit in June, too! Hope you've had fun and learned a little about Argentina.

Ciao! (That is an Italian word used here to say "good bye.")

Sheri Thomas
Emma (9 years old)
Micah (6 years old)

Flat Nena

Hello Flat and Non-Flat Students!

My name is Annie Snodgrass and I'm writing on the behalf of Miss Flat Nena whom I've had the pleasure of hosting here in Seattle, Washington. Flat Nena is the smaller, more laminated version of my niece Nena Walton and we had a blast up here in the northwest. It's always nice to have more Texans around!

Flat Nena arrived via the US Postal Service on Monday, February 16, just in time to meet my friend Andy Bruce who was also visiting from Texas. Andy had an interview at the University of Washington so we went along to wish him luck. Flat Nena read all about the undergraduate programs as she is already thinking about her future education. While downtown, we went to Pike Place Market, the Seattle Aquarium, the Seattle SPACE Needle, Pioneer Square, Safeco Field, and the Ballard Locks, and many more. Flat Nena especially liked the Aquarium - she even touched a starfish! She is fearless.

Flat Nena decided to stay with me for a few more days. She went to my school and visited some of the classrooms. I am an AmeriCorps volunteers and work on a Native American Reservation. Many of my students are members of the Tulalip Tribe and other Native American Tribes. Flat Nena learned about the Native American culture of the northwest. She also chatted with a group of Russian students and learned how to say "thank you" in Russian - "spasibo." She's been practicing all day. My school has a pretty dynamic group of students, that's for sure!

Sadly, it was time for Nena to move on. After checking flight times and schedules, she ended up catching an evelope to ARGENTINA to visit our family friends, the Thomas family! I look forward to hearing all her south American tales!

Thanks and safe mailing,
Aunt Annie