Flat Stanley: Flying Back

Dear Friends,

I had to get up very early this morning (and it was tough because we were at Disney until 1:00 a.m.!) to catch our plane back to Baltimore. I almost got left behind at the hotel, but fortunately one of the teachers with the group found me. It would have been a very long walk from Orlando to Baltimore.

It was cold this morning in Florida. Our flight left Orlando very late, and so we missed our connection in Atlanta. We did not get back to Baltimore until after 4:00 p.m., so everybody was very tired by the time the Red Cross picked us up at BWI. We saw snow flurries on the way back (and its APRIL!).

When we made it back to the high school, the group had a present for the Red Cross staff that picked us up: a Mickey Mouse light saber. How cool! It even lights up in rainbow colors.

As soon as the teachers have all the pictures of me done, they are going to send me home. I can't wait!

Flat Stanley: Walt Disney World

Dear Friends:

Today, we went to Walt Disney World Resort. Walt Disney World has many different parks to visit. My group went to Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Magic Kingdom. The other students also went to Typhoon Lagoon, which is a water park.

At Magic Kingdom, we went on a lot of rides. We went on Space Mountain, and the Tea Cup ride. We also took pictures of the fireworks and Cinderella's Castle at night.

At Animal Kingdom, we went on the safari and saw lots of animals, including a tiger, hippopotamus, and an ostrich.

We ate dinner at Hollywood Studios at the Vine restaurant, and then went on Terror of Terror, and shopped at the Star Wars store to get a Jedi Mickey light saber for a friend.

The students who went to Typhoon Lagoon went on the lazy river, lots of water slides, and the wave pool. They also snorkeled with sharks.

Flat Stanley: Fondue!

Dear Friends:

Tonight, I went to dinner with the students from Extra Mile. They went to a fondue restaurant. This is a restaurant where you cook your food at your table. They started with cheese fondue. You dip bread, apples or vegetables in the melted cheese. Or, I guess anything you might want, but the restaurant gave us bread, apples and vegetables. Then, we got hot broth to cook the main dish in. One girl at my table only eats vegetables, so I got to try eggplant, and spinach tortellini, along with steak and shrimp. The last course was chocolate fondue with marshmallows, brownies and cheesecake to dip in the chocolate.

After dinner, we took a group picture around the fountain, and headed for Downtown Disney to visit DisneyQuest and
do some shopping. We are going to Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios tomorrow. I am not going to Typhoon Lagoon with the group because I don't like water very much.

Flat Stanley: National Youth Institute

Dear Friends:

Today we spent all day in workshops learning about how the Red Cross does different activities. One of the highlights was the lunch session: there were 5 different groups from the same area as the Extra Mile club students who are hosting me. This was really amazing to see all of these teens working to make their communities better. They ate lunch together and got to know each other a little bit. There was also a slide show that the students from Extra Mile were in because they worked at the Presidential Inauguration!

After dinner, we had a birthday surprise because two of the students had birthdays. The local Red Cross chapter helped the Extra Mile group get a birthday cake. Then, we went to the dance. I must say, I looked stylin' in my neon bracelets!! Some of the students investigated the hotel swimming pool... but I don't like water very much!

---Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley: Flying to Florida

Dear Friends:

I flew to Florida today with some of the students from the Extra Mile Club. Half of the group went on a different flight, but the students I traveled with stopped in Cincinnati, Ohio before getting on another plane to go to Orlando. I'm waiting impatiently for the pictures, so I can post them here.

We had a storm delay, but finally got to Florida and found the other group. We had some problems with a car rental, and so didn't get to the hotel until really late. We had to miss our trip to NASA because of that. How sad: I've always wanted to go in a rocket!

Tonight we did conference activities, and then we went to Magic Kingdom at Disney World. Tomorrow, we are at the conference all day long.

---Flat Stanley

Flat Stanley: Arriving in Virginia

Dear friends,

Today I arrived in Sterling, Virginia. I'm being hosted by the Extra Mile Club from Park View High School. The students in the club do community service activities. Some of the activities that they have done this year include ringing the bell for the Salvation Army, working at the Presidential Inauguration, and making/sorting cards for veterans.
The club is going to Florida tomorrow to attend a Red Cross Conference for Youth. They are also going to go to Disney World, and a fondue restaurant.

---Flat Stanley