heyas, we're running to landstuhl today with a full load in the durango...i've concentrated on getting clothes and backpacks up there...if you know how big a durango is, all the seats are down and i've packed it from just behind the driver's seat to the ceiling and to the sides and all the way back, and i still have more clothes left here...they're long on toiletries so those will go up in a couple of weeks...that'll give me more time to get bagged up what i still have...

so yous know, the toiletry supplies and funds sent to me have provided over 400 21-item bags and i still have stuff to make more...

we're taking stuff today because they have just enough room for what i'm taking...

it's a little rainy today but the temperature will be over 40 (finally )...

i took a wee bit of time off to take my family to salzburg austria (sound of music country, mozart's birthplace) and we'll be heading to lucerne switzerland before our next landstuhl trip...

we're also taking a little girl with us to landstuhl...well, we're taking a picture of her...she's a 2nd grader from colwich kansas who is participating in the "flat stanley" project...if you're not familiar with it, the book "flat stanley" is about a little boy who gets flattened by a bulletin board and is sent traveling around the world by his parents via the mail system (cos it's cheaper than flying!)...
kids who participate in the "flat stanley" project trace their bodies onto paper and attach a picture of their face to the top of the paper and cut the whole thing out and put it in an envelope to travel the world...the "flat child" comes with a log of where she's been, and those who receive it pass it on...
thus, we received our little 2nd grader a few days ago...
she's been photographed in front of the headquarters for marine forces europe with a marine (hubby!) and will get her picture taken today with the marine liaisons at landstuhl...she will also travel with us to switzerland...
today, my teenagers and my 11 yr old put together a package for our flat child and her classmates...they sent loads of german chocolate for her classmates and her teacher, a t-shirt and magnet for her, and we mailed stuttgart postcards so she (the real child) can attach it to the map of the places she's been...

my "flat stanley", a ms. mackenzie from colwich KS, visited with the marine liaisons today...she was a big hit! from left to right is sargeant becker (originally from lawrence KS) holding mackenzie's right hand, gunnery sargeant velasquez (originally from chicago IL) holding mackenzie's head, sargeant garthaus (i didn't get his hometown) holding mackenzie's left hand, and of course ms. mackenzie herself!

Photo by Diana

behind these fine outstanding marines is the shipment we took up there today...they were running a tad low on backpacks and duffle bags so we brought what they needed...between mmos and the efforts of spouses at marforeur, i think the storage units will be replenished adequately for some time...woo hoo!