Letters to Jaycee

November 18, 2009 - in San Francisco, CA


Hi Jaycee,

I wanted to tell you how much fun I'm having on my visit with Aunt Diane in San Francisco, CA. Today she took me to her office and I got to meet Jimmy Wales and he helped me to build a wiki and fed me a snack! Aunt Diane and I will show your Mommy and Mrs Hammerick how to use the wiki - I'm going to be famous! I got to bounce on the trampoline at the office, that was so much fun.

It is warmer here in San Francisco then it was in West Bloomfield. Aunt Diane tells me it doesn't snow here!

I met several new friends who invited me along on their trips.

I will see you soon!

Sincerely,

Felix

November 21, 2009 - in San Francisco, CA
Hi Jaycee,

Everyone here in San Francisco is so nice and they all said to come back and visit again; did you know they have Cable Cars that will bring you from one side of the city to the next one? Aunt Diane said if I come back she’d take me skiing, I didn't know you could go skiing in California! I sat in a window seat on the airplane ride from San Francisco to Detroit (we were so high up in the air) Did you know that San Francisco is a different time then West Bloomfield? When it is 11:00am in West Bloomfield it is only 8:00am at Aunt Diane's house. I think I will be hungry when I you pick me up at the airport so can we go out to eat?

Sincerely,

Felix

November 22, 2009 - in Farmington Hills, MI
Hi Jaycee,

Thank you so much for taking me with you and Tess to Lacey's birthday party today. I had so much fun roller-skating and playing the games. I was a little nervous because I had never roller-skated before!

Sincerely,

Felix

November 26, 2009 - in Okemos, MI
Hi Jaycee,

I am having so much fun visiting everyone at Aunt Janet's house in Okemos, MI for Thanksgiving. Which of my turkeys did you like best - oven roasted, fried or grilled on the egg? I let Uncle Stan think he was helping but really he was getting in my way. I am so jealous that you lost a tooth, I'm going to start wiggling my teeth so the Bunny Tooth Fairly will visit me.

I have to go to bed now because Aunt Diane, Mommy and Aunt Janet said I could go shopping with them. They hired Andrew to drive them around this year.

Sincerely,

Felix

December 6, 2009 - in Foxboro, MA
Hi Jaycee,

Aunt Diane's friend Joyce invited me to go with her on her trip to Boston! It was VERY cold while I was there so it is a good thing I have a fur coat. While I was visiting we went to Patriot's Place in Foxboro Massachusetts. That is where Gillette Stadium is and where the New England Patriot's play football. I know you know that football team because it is Aunt Diane, Uncle Barry and the Griffis Gangs favorite team! And Tom Brady is the quarterback and he went to college in Michigan. Aunt Diane told me she used to live in his home town of San Mateo, CA and knows where his parents still live. We had so much fun at Patriot's Place, in face Joyce was holding me up on her tippy toes so her brother could get a good picture of us and everyone was cheering and giving advice on how to hold me. I felt like a player on the team with all the cheering.

Love,

Felix

December 13, 2009 - in Berkely, CA
Hi Jaycee

Today I went with Aunt Diane and some of her friends to watch the football game (of course the New England Patriot's game!) at Golden Gate Fields in Berkely, CA. We drove over the Bay Bridge but it was very foggy so I didn't get a good view of the city so they will bring me back another time. After the football game we went to see the horses, they race there. Aunt Diane's friend Bob let me help him pick out some horses to bet on and I picked every horse that had Princess in their name.

Love,

Felix

December 16, 2009 - in Dublin, OH
Hi Jaycee,

Aunt Janet and I made cookies for Uncle Stan's friend Ben Skipper who is in Iraq. I am going to ride in the box to make sure the cookies get to him safely and to support our troops. Aunt Janet told me it will take almost a week to get there. I didn't get to eat any of the cookies, but your cousin Andrew took some extras to school to share with his Physics class.

Sincerely, Felix

December 2009 - in Normal, IL
Hi Jaycee,

I just arrived in Normal IL. with the Bonner family. I had a great trip down here, but it will be nice to be in there house where its nice and warm. You see on the trip down here on the plane we had no heat so my hands and feet got really cold. I know Mrs Bonner will give me some hot chocolate and a blanket to warm up with. This morning I braved the cold and went to Ian and Makenzie's bus stop. Boy is it cold here this morning, but the sun is shining and it looks beautiful.

Sincerely,

Felix

December 18, 2009 - at Joint Base Balad, Iraq
Hi,

Felix had a very exciting day visiting with the 332 Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron (ELRS) at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. The base is about 30 kilometers from Baghdad, the capital. It was a cloudy day and not too hot which was a very good thing because we were very busy. He helped us load C-17 Globemaster aircraft with 108K lbs of cargo and well over 100 passengers. After we took a short break (loading airplanes is hard work), Felix and I visited our vehicle maintenance section and Felix changed a tire on a 30K lbs MRAP (almost all by himself). While I attended a few meetings, Felix took a nap because he was very tired. Next we had a great lunch, I had a hamburger and Felix had carrots. In the afternoon, I gave Felix a tour of the base and he helped refuel an F-16 Fighting Falcon using an R-11 refueler. The fuel hose is very heavy, and Felix helped a lot.

At the end of the day, Felix told me he really enjoyed his stay here at Balad and hopes to come back some time. He promised to tell you all about it when he returns home. Just before he left, Felix took a picture with me in front of our squadron building. Thanks for letting Felix spend the day with me!

Maj Joseph B. Skipper 332 ELRS/DO

PS we looked up the F16 and the MRAP on Google to get the picture because we can't include pictures of weapon systems or operations in our letter due to operations security concerns and you know the safety our of troops is very important so I didn't think you would mind!

December 19, 2009 - in Pacifica, CA
Hi Jaycee,

I'm very busy getting ready to fly to London this week and I am SO excited. One of Aunt Diane's co-workers invited to me to with her and do you know she has this really cool arm thing that I fit oh so nicely into. She said something about breaking her wrist and being in a sling but I think she did it just for me! I went to a Tree Trimming Party with at my friend Joyce's (remember her, she brought me to Patriot's Place) on Saturday. They did something called a Yankee Swap but I'm very confused because almost all the presents were Red Sox related. I got my picture taken with the most popular gift a Red Sox Garden Gnome (he is just my size). He went home with Nadina and she travels are over the place so I might have to tag along on one of her trips. We brought Special K bars to the party and Aunt Diane had to promise to give out the recipe; doesn't everyone grow up with them?!

Love,

Felix

December 2009 - Flying a Boeing 757
Hi there Jaycee! This adventure was SO cool!! A friend of Aunt Janet and Uncle Stan is a pilot and he flies a really big plane called a Boeing 757. He took me up in his plane one cold, dark evening and LET ME FLY IT :) It was awesome!! I sat in the right hand seat (that's right....I was his right hand man). We soared to 30.000 feet high and flew over the Midwest from Lansing, Michigan to Louisville, Kentucky. I did such a great job "helping" him at the controls that he let me fly back to Michigan. We flew right over YOUR house. I waved to you, but since it was the middle of the night, you were (hopefully) sleeping and didn't see me. Oh well. Tom (the pilot) and I brought over 60,000 pounds of cargo to customers all over the USA. I had so much fun helping Tom read the maps that are used to fly the Airways in the sky and the charts that get used to navigate to land at the airports where we flew. I can't wait to tell you all about this adventure :) Love, Felix

December 2009 - in Arizona
Dear Jaycee,

I stopped by to visit the Flanagan family in Cave Creek, Arizona. Sharyn (the mom) is your mom's cousin! I also met Jim, Jimmy and Declan. It was December but there is no snow on the ground in what they call 'the Valley of the Sun'. There are lots of mountains and cactus here. (Did I mention how awesome the weather is?) They took me to Thunderbird park and we went on a hike. We did something called Geocaching. It is like a big treasure hunt that is outside. You have to use a GPS unit to tell you where to look for things. It is usually a little box with stuff inside. There is a log book to sign your name and then you can go on line to keep track of all the places you have found. You can do this anywhere in the world! Jimmy and Declan have found 3 so far. We took our picture with the very first one we found and by a saguaro cactus. These cactus are only found in the southwest part of the United States and in parts of Mexico. They can live to be up to 200 years old and they don't even grow arms until they are 50 to 75 years old! Well, I had a lot of fun with your Flanagan cousins. They really like to be outside. I hope to come back and visit them before the end of the school year. There are so many more places to see here in AZ.

Love,

Felix

December 2009 - in San Francisco
Hi Jaycee,

Aunt Diane and I went around the city when her friend from Las Vegas was visiting. I will write you about my adventures and put my pictures up shortly. I went to the beach!!

Love,

Felix

December 2009 - in Chicago
Hi Jaycee, I wanted to say thank you for letting me come with your family on the trip into Chicago to stay with Uncle Doug, Aunt Maribel, Matthew and Adela. Your cousins are so cute!! I loved listening to them speak spanish, and I think I even learned a few words myself! It was so much fun when we went to the top floor of the John Hancock building and looked out across the city of Chicago from so high up. We could see everything! I don't think I have ever been in such a tall building! The best part was helping you "wash" the windows from the platform. It was so windy!! Remember how your daddy "dropped" me and I was hanging on to the platform for him to come and rescue me? I wasn't scared though. You took me to the American Girl store after that. I have never seen so many dolls before in my entire life! Thank goodness they were about my size, because I was getting pretty sleepy and it was nice of them to give me a carriage ride around the store. I had fun making friends with the dolls. But the best part of the day was getting to ride home with you and get scratched behind my ear like you do for me when I am getting tired. You are the best friend!!! Love, Felix (Hasta Pronto - that means "see you soon" in spanish)

December 2009 - in London
Hi Jaycee,

I was in London over the holidays, I'll write about my adventures and upload pictures soon

January 2010 - Celebrating New Years In Harbor Springs, MI
Hi Jaycee! I got to go up North to the snow country...right here in Michigan. I had a lot of fun with your Grandma Carol and Poppa Steve. They took me skiing for the New Year!!! It was so cool (and COLD). All of the skiers light up torches at night and ski down the hill. At the very top it said "2010". I tried to get photos of it, but I was at the bottom and it was dark, and I didn't want to miss anything! As you can see, I did get to ski while I was with Grandma and Poppa. I really enjoyed myself. But it made me hungry and so I stopped to get some candy....my favorite!!!!

January 9, 2010 - in Northstar at Lake Tahoe, CA
Aunt Diane and my friends Grant and Hunter took me skiing in Tahoe. We even saw a rainbow! I'll write more soon and get my pictures up.

January 2010 - in Nicaragua
I'm on my way to Nicaragua with Sarah (she has been helping me with the Wiki)

January - in Germany
Hi Jaycee, I sure do miss seeing you! I took a trip to Garmsich, Germany in January to attend a conference at the George C. Marshall Center for International Studies. There were people from all over Europe and Africa attending the conference. I made many new friends. I spent a day in Munich, Germany where I got to see the Glockenspiel play (it is a very famous, very large clock). I liked seeing the figures come out and do their dance when it was the top of the hour. It was really cold that day so I didn't spend a long time watching. The whole performance takes about 10 minutes. I also got to go to the Dachau Concentration Camp Museum near Munich. It was cold here too but not quite as cold as Munich. Mommy will tell you all about Dachau some day since she has been there too. I am having so much fun here...thanks for sending me all over the world!! Love, Felix

January 2010 - East Lansing Michigan
Hi Jaycee, I got to go watch a basketball game at Michigan State. Jaycee's mommy and Aunt Janet took me to the game. I had a really fun time. Jaycee's cousin Andrew and his friend Ben joined us at the game too. Andrew and Ben are seniors in high school and are looking into going to college at MSU. Mommy let me get an ice-cream sandwich while I was watching the game....YUMMY!! Love, Felix

January 14, 2010 - in San Jose
Hi Jaycee,

I went with Aunt Diane and Daddy's cousin Karen and a lot of my other new friends to a place called the Shark Tank. I was a little confused because she told me we were going to a Boston Bruins hockey game so I didn't understand why it would be at a Shark Tank. The name of the team the Bruins played are the San Jose Sharks. We meet up with friends at The Firehouse before the game but there were no fire trucks (very confusing to me). The Boston Bruins skated out onto the ice and then it got dark and lights started glowing and scary shark music game on and the other hockey team skated out of the mouth of a Shark! They even had a shark running around in the stands throwing things out to the people. The game had three periods and then they got to play some more in overtime. At the end of overtime the game was still tied so they did something called a Shoot Out. Aunt Diane explained to me that was special because it doesn't happen often and both goalies are really good. You and I can watch them during the Olymics this year because the Boston Bruin's goalie will be playing for USA and the San Jose Sharks goalie will be playing for Russia. Aunt Diane was very excited that the Bruins won but cousin Karen was sad that her Sharks lost. I didn't care, I just had fun.

Love,

Felix

January 20, 2010 - Michigan
Hi Jaycee,

Today Jaycee and her family took me out to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. It is a special day because it is Kelsey's birthday. She is 9 years old today. The Rainforest Cafe is so awesome. There are so many cool animals to look at and fish tanks all around us. As you can see, I got to go "swimming" with the fish while Jaycee looked on. There was a guy who came around doing balloon animals for all the kids. When he saw me, and found out that I have been travelling all over the world, he made me MY VERY OWN balloon Felix bunny!!!!! I got a picture of me and Jaycee holding the balloon bunny. Love, Felix

February 2010 - Africa
Hey Jaycee, I took another trip in February. This time I was lucky enough to go to Nouakchott, Mauritania in Africa. Mauritania is in Western Africa and Nouakchott is on the coast. Unfortunately, I did not have time to go to the beach! It was funny that they came around to clean all the sand off the streets each night. I made two new friends in Nouakchott, both named Flat Stanley, who were also traveling around the world. We all had a good time together, especially when we got to eat a traditional dinner in a real Bedouin tent! It was really neat. We ate goat and fresh seafood including lobster. The goat was stringy but the lobster was good!

March 2010 - Scrapbooking in Ohio
Jaycee, Mommy's friend Kim Malak (Kimmie) took me with her when she went scrapbooking in Ohio. We went to a cute little place called Sauder Village. It was so snowy during the weekend that we were in Ohio. I kept myself BUSY helping Kim work on her albums. Now I can understand why your mommy loves scrapbooking so much. It was FUN!! I am looking forward to showing you the pages I created for Kim. You and I will have to make an album someday....maybe an album of all my "adventures"!! Love, Felix

April 5, 2010 - San Francisco, CA
Hi Jaycee,

I went to watch the Red Sox/Yankees game with Aunt Diane in San Francisco last night. It was Opening Day so I wore my 2007 World Series shirt; so did Aunt Diane but we forgot to get a picture of us looking like twins :( I was tired and getting nervous about the score so I took a nap in Aunt Diane's purse and fell asleep! She said the game went late and was almost 4 hours! Did you know her friends talked about the Tigers too; they know one of the new players some guy named Johnny but not everyone likes him. But they all said he was a really good baseball player. We'll have to go to a game and see for ourselves.

Mommy told her she was having some problems with my Wiki so I went into the office with Aunt Diane today and we worked on moving some of the letters around. We might do some more moving so it is easier for you to read. I'll let you know when we do that.

Aunt Diane and I have a very busy week. She is taking me to a few concerts this week, I'm going to something called a Vintner's Market on Sunday and then I get to have birthday cake with Aunt Diane on her birthday (yummy - I wonder what kind she'll have).

Love,

Felix

PS - Aunt Diane is going to post this to the wiki but I thought you might like to get the email too.

April 6 and 7, 2010 - Concerts in San Francisco and Oakland CA
Aunt Diane needs to post my letter about the Michael Buble Concert (we filed something for Ben too) and The Black Eyed Peas

Felix and I had a great time at the concerts the past two nights but we are both VERY tired. I had to cover his ears for one of the opening acts of The Black Eyed Peas as the lyrics were not appropriate for little bunnys but he was up dancing with the rest of us!

April 11 and 12, 2010 - San Francisco, CA for Aunt Diane's Birthday
Aunt Diane needs to post my letter