Adventures of Minnie Mouse


Have you seen photos of Flat Stanley? Or do you happen to know who or what that is? Well, let me give you a little history on Flat Stanley.

HOW IT WORKS:
Students begin by reading the book and becoming acquainted with the story. They create paper "Flat Stanleys" (representative drawings of the Stanley Lambchop character) and keep a journal for a few days, documenting the places and activities in which Flat Stanley is involved.
In the Flat Stanley children's books, Stanley travels the world in envelopes. Students who read the books send the paper doll and written notes to students in other parts of the world through conventional mail and e-mail. Children exchange ideas, photographs, questions and culture with students overseas.


Now that you have a little bit of knowledge on the Flat Stanley Project, I will give you a brief background to my Adventures with Minnie Mouse.

I was getting ready to leave for my 5 month tour across the country with Backpacker Magazine and I was leaving behind one of the most important pieces of my life. I was leaving behind my boyfriend and his 7 year old daughter (at the time). The two of them grew up going to Disney World every year, and Harper (his daughter) had been almost every year of her life.

CHECK OUT THIS SURPRISE VIDEO:
(Harper's dad surprising her with a trip to Disney World when she was younger.)

They are a big Disney family, and so right before I left I asked Harper to pick out a small stuffed animal she had for me to take in all my travels. Not realizing when I started dating Josh, that it would be a different journey I would not have ever imagined for myself, I completely fell in love with his daughter. She is a bright, beautiful young girl that I adore. I quickly found myself wondering what it would be like once I left, and if I would miss her, or if she would miss me.

It didn't take long after saying my final goodbyes that I realized how much I loved her. I get that I am not her parent biologically, but having a child in your life half of the time consumes you. For me, luckily in a great way. I couldn't be more proud of her than I am today. She has grown so much in the last year and a half that I have known her. She comes from a beautiful family. Both her mother and her father have raised her to be a polite, and very respectable young woman. That I thank both of you for! I couldn't be more grateful to be a part of her life as she grows older.

I had just recently gave her a TY Beanie Baby Minnie Mouse, and being the Disney fan she is, this was what she chose for me to take with me. This would be my "Flat Stanley". I would bring Minnie Mouse with me and take photos and send them back home.

I wanted to do this, not just so she could see where I was, but more of a learning experience from home. I knew I would be visiting many National Parks across the country and lots of important landscapes that she may eventually learn about in school. I went out and bought a large map of the United States and some thumb tacks for her to keep track of what states Minnie Mouse was in, and what campground she would be camping in.

As you read through some of my blogs from my "Backpacker Magazine WGOMT 2014" page, you will notice pictures of me and Minnie all over the country. Minnie Mouse got to visit all of the lower 48 States and many National Parks. Minnie got to go backpacking in the Grand Canyon, hiking in the Tetons, swimming in Yellowstone, witness her first Glacier in Olympic, and bathed in a sink of a hotel.

By the time we were beginning to wrap up our tour I had then decided to create a photo book for Harper. I wanted to make sure that when I returned Minnie back to her she had something she could then look back on for a lifetime and remember all the places that one stuffed animal got to see and go, in hopes that someday Harper would find herself wanting to travel and see what this world has to offer.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Huntington Ravine; DUN DUN DUN!

48th & Final Summit; Mount Carrigain

Mount Lafayette Extreme Winter Ascent