My Thunderbird Slideshow

I'm off into the wild blue yonder...with the Thunderbirds!

Being a celebrity (even if it’s just a celebrity traveling doll) has its perks, and one of those is the cool things you get invited to do. Thanks to SSgt. Randy Redman, Chief of Community Relations with the USAF Thunderbirds, I got to live the dream of every Air Force kid (or doll) and fly with the Thunderbirds!

The Thunderbirds is the name usually used for the United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron. The Thunderbirds travel the world showing just how amazing the USAF pilots and aircraft are, performing incredible aerial maneuvers at high speeds (upward of 450 miles per hour!) at air shows. They are based at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada so I got to travel to Las Vegas, too! (Needless to say, Miss K’s dad was very jealous since he is from that area and was stationed at Nellis when he worked with the F-117s. I tried to stop by that Tonopah place and say hi for him but there were clearance issues…it seems Top Secret clearances aren’t good for the whole family. Who knew?)

The Thunderbird pilots are “the best of the best” but they couldn’t do what they do without a whole lot of help from the rest of the team, especially the team’s 120 enlisted airmen. (Which is why there is an old Air Force saying, “Without ground support, pilots are just pedestrians in fancy jackets.”) In fact, ground support is so important each jet has the name of its crew chief (the person responsible for to all the day-to-to day care for the jet) painted “on the rail” (right below the cockpit). Watching the crews out on the flight line maneuvering the jets, was amazing; it was kind of like a ballet, only with more tools.

SSgt. Redman was travelling when I arrived at Nellis so I got to hang around the office for awhile after I arrived. Finally, the day of my flight arrived! I was excited to finally meet the pilot who would be flying me back to Vance Air Force Base (where the Thunderbirds would be appearing at our annual air show). All the pilots are amazing and, yes, the best of the best, but I think I am the luckiest doll in the world! I got to fly with Major Samantha Weeks, who is the second female pilot to fly with the Thunderbirds and the first woman to fly in a lead solo position. Talk about a real live American Girl! Major Weeks has definitely proven that we girls can do anything – even be a fighter pilot - if we work hard, follow our dreams and believe in ourselves.

Major Weeks and I made our 1000 mile or so trip in a Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jet. Major Weeks is Thunderbird #5 and since she mostly flies upside down during the demonstrations, her number is painted upside down on the side of her jet! Unfortunately, Thunderbirds flight suits don’t come in my size so I decided to pay tribute to the first female pilots to fly for the US Armed Forces, WW II’s Women Airforce Service Pilots, and borrowed Molly’s WASP uniform. (If you look closely you can see Fifinella, as drawn by Walt Disney, on the patch on my flight jacket. She was the WASP’s gremlin mascot who supposedly watched over them as they flew.)

The flight in a real fighter jet was exciting, to say the least. I wasn’t scared at all. (After all, Major Weeks has flown real combat missions with people shooting at her and usually flies upside down all day, so a trip cross country right side up was nothing!)

I couldn’t wait to see Miss K and the rest of the family again so I could tell them all about my trip. I didn’t have to wait long, since they were allowed to meet me out on the flight line. I know that, as excited as Miss K and her sisters were to welcome me home again when I reached Vance, they were even more excited to meet Major Weeks, who grew up in a military family just like theirs. Major Weeks gave Miss K a flag that flew with us in the cockpit for us to keep, so we have a wonderful souvenir of my flight. She was so sweet to the girls, and took the time to show them around her jet and explain how things work. We all got to have our picture taken with her, too, so be sure and take a look at my Thunderbird slideshow (which also has some really neat pictures of Major Weeks and the other Thunderbirds in action during the Vance Air Show, courtesy of the USAF. Thanks for letting me share them with everyone!).

Now that Miss K’s birthday party is over, I am off to RAF Mildenhall in England for the holidays. Have a Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Cheerio

I'm a star!

Rumour has it I'm a star! It seems an article on my travels has appeared on the Vance Air Force Base website, the Enid Buzz website and in the Vance base paper...with pictures! If you'd like to read it, to0, just cut and paste this link

http://www.vance.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123114564

My Georgia Pictures!

Georgia on my mind

Welcome to Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia, y’all!

Did you know that not only the base, but the entire town of Warner Robins, was named after an Army Air Corps General? No wonder it’s such a military friendly place! It's 16 hours south of Macon and just a few hours away from Atlanta…where there is an American Girl Boutique & Bistro! To say I was excited to get to visit here would be an understatement.

My visit with Maggie May and her family got off to a very exciting start; not soon after I arrived there was a tornado warning! Yep, a tornado was spotted just a few miles from Miss Maggie May’s house and was headed straight for us. Luckily, I knew just what to do (when you move to Oklahoma, you learn all about tornadoes) so we found the safest part of the house and sat down to wait for the all clear. I had a comfy pillow to sit on and good company so it wasn’t that scary. Soon the danger had passed (don’t worry, the nasty tornado didn’t do any damage) and we got to go back to playing.

A few days later we went to Atlanta to visit Maggie May’s grandma and grandpa (they are really, really nice) and made a stop at…you guessed it, the American Girl Boutique & Bistro! I got my hair done and it was totally worth the hour I had to wait. I enjoyed visiting with my fellow AG dolls, all of whom loved hearing about my adventures and my new friends all over the country. The poor things were well loved but not well traveled! I got a groovy new t-shirt you can only get at a AGB & B, too!

After the B & B, Maggie May, her little brother, her cousin and I rode the carousel. Driving back to Grandma’s, we saw a man on a really fancy motorcycle with a giant Spiderman doll sitting behind him – wearing a Viking helmet! Guess I’m not the only toy out seeing the country.

On Labor Day we went to the Douglasville Labor Day parade. I just love parades. I got a little teary eyed watching the troops in uniform march past; they all look so handsome and brave. I would have saluted (Miss K’s dad made sure all the girls at home know the proper way to salute…no sloppy salutes in our house!) but my arms just don’t bend that way so I had to settle for standing at attention. It was sprinkling but they still threw out candy to the spectators; I helped Maggie May and her brother collect a TON of candy. (Most of which Maggie May’s mom made us save for later. Nuts.) Needless to say, all three of us slept during the ride back home that afternoon.

I was lucky enough to get to go to school with Maggie May later that week. Wait just a sec…

HELLO, MRS. EARLY! HELLO, CLASS!

There, I promised them I would do that. Anyway, I got to tell all the kids about my travels and stay for some lessons (they have a bathtub in the reading center – is that cool or what?). I ate lunch with the kids (I let Maggie May have the peanut butter sandwich – I’m not allowed to have peanut butter; according to Miss K’s mom, peanut butter and doll hair are a bad combination) but I snagged a bag of chips. Yum! Maggie May’s school has the BEST playground so recess was a blast! We went down the slide FAST and played on the swings. (We went really high even though I couldn’t help pump. GO MAGGIE MAY!)

Georgia is known for its peaches and pecans, which are shipped all over the world for people to eat. (And make into pecan pralines. And pecan pie. I love pecans!) Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see the orchards where the peaches are grown (peach season ended a few weeks ago) but I did get to visit the Lane Packing Company and get my picture taken on a giant peach!

We visited downtown Macon, too, and I got to see the theater where Little Richard got his start - the same place Maggie May was crowned Little Miss Cherry Blossom last year. (Unfortunately, the crown was too big for me or I would have gotten a picture of me trying it on.) Since it was hot and humid (as it seems to be every day during the summer in Georgia!) we stopped for ice cream. I was very careful not to get any on my new shirt. (Which I wore just about every day because I LOVE IT! Shocking pink is definitely my colour.)

Of course I visited Robins Air Force Base, too, and saw lots of airplanes. Since Robins has the largest runway in all of Georgia, some ginormous planes go through there. I thought it was interesting that a lot of the base (almost a third) is a natural wetlands or timberlands, with magnolias, oaks, birds – even alligators! Oh, and Jess will be interested in finding out they have over 36 archaeological sites on the base, too…there was once a major Native American settlement where the base is now. Neat, huh?

Maggie May and her family had a good bye dinner for me and then, before I knew it, it was time to pack. I’ll miss everyone here so much – I had such a great time and really felt like one of the family. I even helped Maggie May’s baby brother learn to walk…seems little brothers will do anything to get to their sister’s dolls!

I’m headed home to Oklahoma for a quick visit before I head back out on my travels. The Vance Air Force Base Air Show is coming up October 4th and I don’t want to miss it! I promise to post pictures here so you can see how much fun it is.

My Mississippi Pictures

One Mississippi...

When the time came for our family to leave Hawaii last year, we had a choice of two places to go: Vance Air Force Base or Keelser Air Force Base in Mississippi. Since Keesler was still recovering from Hurricane Katrina (which hit it full on in 2005 and practically leveled the base), we ended up going to Oklahoma. Since then, the Air Force and the local residents have dedicated themselves to rebuilding the base and making it better than ever; I was excited to get the chance to visit and see the results of all their hard work.

Miss Grace was waiting anxiously for me to arrive in Biloxi and she wasted no time in liberating me from my box! She had planned lots of fun stuff for us to do (after I rested a bit from my long trip, of course). First up, was a visit to Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park. Yes, Yogi, Cindy and Boo boo really live there and I can understand why after seeing all the fun things there are to do. They had camp grounds, pools, fishing, mini golf (okay, it wasn’t quite mini enough for me), volleyball, a theater, a playground, Bingo and my favorite thing of all…crafts! Grace helped me out so I managed to be creative and keep clean all at the same time! They have Jellystone Parks all over the country; if there is one near you, be sure to visit.

I got to see lots of Biloxi (including the WalMart, which made me kind of homesick since it looked just like ours) even though it rained and rained and rained. I especially enjoyed my long awaited trip to Keesler Air Force Base. In fact, I got to be honorary commander of the 336^th Training Squadron, also known as the Red Wolves! (They have the coolest patch. I got my picture taken by the sign so you could all see it.) That was no easy job, either, since the 336^th trains more than 6,000 students a year from all branches of the U.S. active duty and reserve military as well as civilians and military from overseas. It’s a job that requires lots and LOTS of coffee. (According to Miss K’s dad, everyone gets a ginormous coffee cup when they graduate from Command School.)

I was sad to leave Miss Grace and go on to Georgia but I left just in time – Hurricane Gustav is headed their way and this weekend families and non-essential personnel have been evacuated from Keesler. I will be watching the news and praying that all my new friends and everyone at the base and the surrounding area stays safe and weathers the storm. Please keep everyone in the path of the hurricane in your prayers!

My New Mexico Pictures

Hello from The Land of Enchantment

I was a little worried when I found out I was going to visit an Air Force Base in New Mexico, since Miss K’s dad gets a really funny look on his face when he talks about “being held captive in southern New Mexico for six years.” (Supposedly, the only thing that made life worth living then was “his baby.” I thought he meant Miss K or one of her sisters but it turns out they weren’t born yet and the baby was an F-117A, which I’m pretty sure is an airplane. It’s a guy thing.) I got lucky, though, and didn’t have to go to Holloman Air Force Base; instead I visited Cannon Air Force Base near Clovis, New Mexico! Cannon is the home of the Air Force Special Operations Command.

Miss K’s sister is a big fan of Josefina and I can’t wait to tell her all about New Mexico! It is so beautiful, with rose coloured deserts, snowy mountains, and rivers, including the Rio Grande. I got to see sagebrush, cacti (that’s the plural of cactus…cool, huh?), and yuccas.

I was lucky enough to get to make a trip up to Albuquerque with my host family for a swim meet at Kirtland Air Force Base. Jess and I hung out together and cheered and had a great time. Then Jess talked me into taking a ride on the Sandia Peak Tramway, the world's longest passenger aerial tramway, which goes from the edge of Ablbuquerque up, up, UP over 3,800 feet to the top of the mountain. The view was incredible; you can see Albuquerque and 11,000 miles of the New Mexico countryside. It was a little scary, being up so high in a little car held up by a few cables, but it was worth it for the view!

Back in Clovis, Jess and Kit took me to Ned Houk Memorial Park to look for buffalo! We found the donkeys right away (or rather, they found us, then wandered off when they realized we didn’t have any food) but the buffalo took a little longer – and we didn’t get nearly as close! We got our picture taken together in a Zia, too. You see lots of the Zia, a sun symbol of the Zia people, here in New Mexico; there is even one on the state flag. The four lines extending from the ring represent the four directions (north, south, east, west); the four seasons (spring, summer, winter, fall); times of the day (dawn, noon, evening and night); the four stages of life (childhood, youth, adulthood and old age). The circle represents life and love, without beginning, without end. Isn’t that neat? My kind of symbol.

I also got to spend lots of time in the gym while I was here and got gymnastics lessons from one of the girls in my host family. (She placed 5^th in trampoline at Nationals so I got some great tips from her and got to try out a trampoline that was just my size.) I can understand why Ivy loves gymnastics so much. Flying through the air and standing on your head (okay, my teacher gave me a little spot, but still, I loved it!) is so much fun!

I had the best time here and know now why they call New Mexico the Land of Enchantment. I hope I’ll get to come back someday!

My Pictures from Tennessee!

My Visit to Tennessee

My visit to AmericanGirlRescue’s doll hot – er, house, is over and I will really miss my new friends – especially the male ones! Visiting with the 26 other dolls there (yes, you read that right…26!) was fun but being around real boys was even more fun! We don’t have any boys at home, just real girls and dolls (and one very understanding dad), so it was fun to hang out with guys for a change. I got to go so many places while I was in Tennessee, too!

The first day I hung around the dollhouse and made friends with the other dolls. The dollhouse is HUGE; no wonder K wants one just like it! And guess what? THERE IS A DOLL THERE WHO LOOKS JUST LIKE ME! I mean, it was like looking in a mirror. Her name is Lily Flower (isn’t that a beautiful name?).

I didn’t rest for long, though; next thing I knew, AGR’s family (including three of the dolls) and I were on the road to Indiana! I got to stop at Krispy Kreme (I love the glazed donuts!), and White Castle (the burgers are almost my size, and even if they are square they are sooo good) and I had my picture taken as we entered Kentucky and Indiana. And, of course, I had to have a picture in a corn field, too! Good thing I don’t have hay fever. We also stopped at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (the boys said I should call it “Indy”) but they wouldn’t let me drive a race car. Nuts.

The boys made it up to me when we got home, though…they took me for a ride on a dirt bike and a go-kart! They made sure I wore my helmet and glasses so I would be nice and safe and went r-e-a-l-l-y fast (well, it seemed fast to me!). I had the best time. The other dolls and I also got to hang out in the tree house (of course, Kit was there. She has a thing for treehouses).

Have you ever been to a hotel with a water park in it? Well, for middle-brother’s birthday we went to the music Road Hotel in Pigeon Forge, TN and they have one there! I spent a little time hanging out by the pool but my favourite place was the NASCAR Speedpark. I got my picture taken with a NASCAR race car! (But they wouldn’t let me drive it. Nuts.) The boys got to drive racecars around the track, though, so I got to cheer them on!

AGR’s Kit and I went to see the Kit Kittredge: An Ameican Girl movie while I was there, too. Grace came along (she sat in our laps and was very quiet like a good dog). I LOVED the movie, even if it will make our Kit hard to live with now that she is a star!

My trips in The Box on my way to my next hosts won’t be as boring now thanks to AGR; I have my very own little Rubik’s cube to keep me busy! Did you know the Rubik’s Cube was introduced at the 1982 World’s Fair in Knoxville? We visited the World’s Fair Park and I got to see the first (six foot!) cube and the Sunsphere, a beautiful structure built for the fair.

I had the best time in Tennessee, and will miss all my new friends…especially the boys! I really wish we had some of our own at home. (That would make K’s dad happy, I bet, but he says he and K’s mom are already outnumbered, even without the dolls, so I’m not holding out much hope.)

If you get a chance to visit Tennessee, GO! You’ll love it!

My Colorado Pictures

My Trip to Colorado!

I finally got to see Colorado! I have always wanted to visit here and Miss April was nice enough to let me come visit and show me around. I was so happy to be here at last…I missed the family trip to Colorado last year to see K’s grandma and grandpa since it was in the middle of our move from Hawaii to Oklahoma. (Yes, while the rest of the family was visiting and having fun I was stuck in a box in a crate on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Good thing I’m not claustrophobic!)

The weather was wonderful and I got to see so many beautiful places. First we went to Westminster Park, a lovely city park that honours all our brave men and women that serve our country. As a proud Air Force family doll it made me happy to know people appreciate the sacrifices people like Miss K’s dad make to keep us all safe and free. The fountain was amazing; I would have loved to play in it but Miss April said no!

Next, my new friend Lani (who is also from Hawaii, so we had lots to talk about) took me to see the Eastern Plains of Colorado. I got to ride a dinosaur when we stopped for snacks! I have ALWAYS wanted to do that! (We pass a dinosaur on our way from our house to Oklahoma City but never get to stop.) Lani and I actually stood on the Rainbow Arch Bridge and weren’t at all scared! I got to wear the beautiful new dress that Miss April gave me (and I know you borrowed it, Kit, as soon as it arrived in Miss April’s surprise box for K. Just because you are a movie star now doesn’t mean you get to wear my clothes!) When we got home even though I was really tired I just had to play with my new dinosaur (who I named Sinclair) ; I can’t wait to see him again when I get home! (Keep your sticky little vinyl fingers off him ‘til then, Kit!)

Miss April let me borrow a REAL princess dress when we visited the San Isabel National Forest, where they have a REAL castle! We stopped to see Palmer Lake on the way and I had my picture taken, which made K’s mom happy since she used to visit there all the time when she was younger. I got to wander through a meadow of wildflowers, which was pretty, but I couldn’t wait to get to Bishop Castle. I got to pretend to be a real princess, exploring the different rooms and staircases. Luckily, there weren’t any dragons!

I had a wonderful time in Colorado and will never forget Miss April and Lani. Mahalo for taking such good care of me! (Lani will know what that means!)

My Pictures from Oregon

Beautiful Oregon

Well, I had a long wonderful visit in Oregon and made lots of new friends. My very bestest friend, though, was named Emi; we went everywhere and did everything together and I miss her and think of her everyday. We had so much fun together!

Oregon is in the Pacific Northwest so it is green, green, green and so beautiful! There were lots of dolls at Miss T's plus even more came to visit - there was always someone to play with and something to do! We did lots of hiking and had picnics and parties and watched movies...I had the best time!

I also had a lifelong dream come true...I GOT TO BE A MODEL!! We had a fashion show and everything, plus MY PICTURE WAS POSTED ON EBAY! Miss K was so excited to see me when her mom showed her the listing; it was a total surprise to her. Of course, she thought I looked beautiful and made the outfit Miss T had made look even cuter.

It was so hard to leave Emi when the time came. I was lucky enough to be there for her birthday party (I got to help make the cake!) and I picked out a great bestest friend birthday present for her. I got us each necklaces with pet charms on them to represent our favourite stuffed animals: a polar bear for her Brrr and a bunny for my Butterscotch. Whenever I look at my necklace I think of Emi and remember what fun we had together.

Miss K said Emi could come visit me when I get back home. I can't wait to show her Oklahoma!

My Pictures from Twentynine Palms

Kealoha at Twentynine Palms, CA

Sorry the blog hasn’t been updated but since I am on the road K’s mom has been posting for me. Unfortunately, she fell and ended up on crutches so she is way behind on everything!

I am in Oregon now but my visit to California was awesome! I’ve met Marine pilots before at home at Vance Air Force Base so I was pretty excited to visit the Marine base at Twentynine Palms in California and check out how our ‘sister service” does things when they are at home. I didn’t realize Twentynine Palms is the world’s largest Marine base, home of the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center. They have infantry units stationed here as well as the largest formal school in the Corps, Marine Corps Communications and Electronics School. Students there learn to troubleshoot, operate and fix anything dealing with communications equipment from radios, to faxes, printers and phones. SEMPER FI! (I love the Marine motto - it means "always faithful" - but I better get saying it all the time out of my system before I get home. )

Joshua Tree National Park is also at Twentynine Palms, so there was lots to see and do.

My new friend Cadence (isn’t that the coolest name for a Marine family doll?) was nice enough to show me around. I arrived during Little League season so I got to go to lots of games; I wish I had brought my cheerleader uniform! The kids in the family play softball AND baseball so Cadence and I spent lots of time running back and forth between from the ballfields but we didn’t miss a single game!

Unfortunately, I was a little late getting off to my next host in Oregon because one of the kids hurt his knee at a game. I needed to stay and make sure he was going to be okay before I could leave; I would have worried too much to enjoy the trip otherwise.

Cadence also introduced me to the vast desert and the endless sand here in the "high desert." I had never seen the desert before; it was amazing! Cadence likes to pretend she lives on Tattooine like Anakin Skywalker! Even though it's very hot and they don't get much rain, there are still trees/shrubs/and small plants…even some flowers!

The city of Twentynine Palms is called the Oasis of Murals. There are approximately 18 murals scattered around town painted on the sides of the local businesses. Each mural tells a story of the history of the town. My favorite mural was what Cadence’s family calls the hide and seek mural. It's a huge desert scene and the legend across the bottom that helps you find different items like hidden coyotes, plants, flowers, lizards, etc. You can spend hours looking at it!

I also got to meet Cadence’s sister, travelling Corde, when she came home for a little break between visits. Corde told me all about her visit with Miss April in Colorado. I was so excited! I will be visiting her after this trip to Oregon is through…I can’t wait!

My Visit to Hawaii in Pictures

Hello, Honolulu!

I bet you are all jealous that I was lucky enough to spend two weeks visiting beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii. Oh, it was nice see 80 degree weather again after a long winter in Oklahoma! I'd been so homesick! I stayed with our old neighbours at Hickam Air Force Base and got to say good bye to our old house, which is being torn down soon. (They are finally going to build new base housing in its place. No more rats!) K's best friend Olsa was very happy to see me and paid me lots of attention. I've never had my clothes changed so often! I helped her with her homework everyday after school. We did lots of sightseeing while I was there, too.

We visited the Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor (which is right next door to Hickam AFB). This has to be one of the saddest places in the world. The memorial is built over the remains of the sunken battleship USS Arizona, which is the final resting place for over 1,000 of the 1,177 sailors killed on when their ship was bombed by the Japanese Navy. Over half of the Americans killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor went down with the Arizona. Many, many survivors of that day come back to pay their respects; when we lived in Hawaii the girls’ dad always volunteered to work as a military escort for them at the anniversary service each year.

I also got to be an honorary Girl Scout for the day and go on a field trip with the troop to see the Battleship Missouri. The “Mighty Mo,” which is now a museum at Pearl Harbor, is a Navy battleship that fought in World War II, the Korean War and the Persian Gulf War. She is most famous, though, for being the ship that hosted all the allied and Japanese leaders when the Japanese surrendered at the end of World War II. I got to see the exact spot it happened!

We also went out to Ford Island (which is in the middle of Pearl Harbor - you go over a bridge to get there) to visit the new Pacific Aviation Museum. I got to have my picture taken at Luke Field in front of the abandoned control tower. Ford Island is where a lot of the location shots were filmed for the movie Pearl Harbor; you can see Luke Tower in the movie, too! Lots of new buildings are going up over there now: nice new housing, temporary lodging facilities (which is a fancy name for military hotel) and the new museum. The museum even has flight simulators where you can “fly” a plane!

My favourite visit, though, was to Nimitz Elementary School to visit all the girls’ old friends and teachers. Mrs. O, the world’s best Kindergarten teacher (who taught K and her sister when we lived in Hawaii), was so happy to see me! I took a picture with her for the girls; they really miss her (especially that smile). I made lots of new friends, too, in Olsa’s classroom.

I was very sad when my two weeks in Hawaii was over, but I was excited to be on my way to California. Right now I am Twentynine Palms in southern California. Wait until you see my pictures!

Kealoha at Vance Air Force Base

Good Bye, Oklahoma!

I’m on my way to Hawaii soon, but before I left I took the time to say good bye to my new home town, Enid, OK. Enid is a small (about 47,000 people) town located in northwestern Oklahoma, about 70 miles north of Oklahoma City (the state capital). I live here now because Enid is home to Vance Air Force Base, which trains pilots for the Air Force, Navy and Marines. The town was founded when the Cherokee Opening (land that originally belonged to the Cherokee Tribe) was opened under a land run. (That's where the first person to get to a piece of land gets to buy it!) Lots of settlers came by covered wagon and horse a hundred years ago to settle the land and farm, just like Kirsten Larson’s family did in Minnesota.

Oklahoma celebrated its 100^th year as a state last year. It was originally Indian Territory (land set aside for use by Native Americans, who were called “the Indians” back then) . Oklahoma is very proud of its Native American heritage. The name of the state comes from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning "red people," and its nickname is “The Sooner State” (after the cheaters who came in early during the land run to claim their land). Oklahoma produces a lot of oil and food. During the 1 ½ hour drive from our house to Oklahoma City (which is where we have to go if we want to go to Target or a good mall!) all you see is fields, cows and an occasional oil pump - it’s flat, flat, flat here - but there are some small mountain ranges and forests in the eastern part of the state.

I am still trying to get used to the unusual weather here. (The saying in Oklahoma is, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes…it will change.”) The lightning and thunderstorms are spectacular, the summers are really hot and though snowfall isn’t usually too bad in winter there are terrible ice storms in this part of the state. Oklahoma is a “severe weather state” which means it can have really destructive weather, in our case severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. Most of the state lies in “tornado alley,” the part of the US which has the most annual tornadoes. Students here have “tornado drills” in school where they go to the safest part of the building (at our school it’s the reinforced central hall outside the classrooms) and practice what to do if a tornado hits (you sit up against the wall with your knees up and head down and your hands covering the back of your neck). Houses here often have a special safe room built in just in case a tornado hits. Everyone here knows where the closest tornado shelter is so they know where to go in case the tornado siren sounds a warning.

Here are a few other things I have found interesting about Oklahoma:

Oklahomans are very proud of their state flag, which has an Osage warrior's shield (made from buffalo hide and decorated with seven eagle feathers hanging from the lower edge) in the center. The background is a field of blue borrowed from the blue flag that Choctaw soldiers carried during the Civil War. The state flag flies everywhere here and students in schools salute not only the American flag every morning but “the flag of the state of Oklahoma whose symbols of peace unite all people.”

Oklahoma is bordered by six states: Texas to the south and west, Arkansas and Missouri to the east, Kansas to the north and Colorado and New Mexico at the tip of the northwestern Oklahoma panhandle.

Oklahoma has the largest Native American population of any state in the U.S. Many of the 250,000 American Indians living in Oklahoma are descended from the 67 tribes who inhabited the Indian Territory. Oklahoma today is tribal headquarters for 39 different tribes.

The Oklahoma City National Memorial is located in downtown Oklahoma City and is the largest one of its kind in the nation. It honors “the victims, survivors, rescuers, and all who were changed” at the site of the Federal Building which was bombed on April 19, 1995. The part of the memorial that is the most heartbreaking is The Field of Empty Chairs, 168 empty chairs, one for each person who died that awful day. A bombing victim's name is etched in the glass base of each chair, with their chair representing the empty chair at the dinner table of the victim's family. The chairs are arranged in nine rows symbolizing the nine floors of the building, and each person's chair is on the row (or the floor) on which the person worked or was visiting when the bomb went off.

Oklahoma is an interesting place to live and I have learned lots about American history while I have been here. I can’t wait to learn more about other states on my trip!

She's Back!

Well, after two trips to the American Girl Hospital (and a new head), Kealoha is home - for a little while. K loves her new silky soft hair and has been enjoying trying out new hairstyles. There's only a little over a week left until Kealoha leaves for her trip. Her first stop will be Hawaii, where she will get to visit our (former) neighbours and the girls' old school and teachers. We are busy getting her wardrobe together and planning her itinerary. We are all so excited! We wish we could go with her!

Home from the Hospital

A Bad Hair Day

Talk about a Bad Hair Day. The time has come for Kealoha to take a trip to the American Girl Hospital for a wellness visit/makeover. If she is going to go out and see the world (and have the world see her), then she needs to look her best.

Besides, K is dying to get the hospital gown, ID bracelet, balloon and sticker that will come back with her doll.

So, tomorrow she goes into the mail. We'll post the "After" photos when she returns so everyone can see the difference!