many apologies to everyone. Free wifi is harder to find than we thought it would be!!
Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Saturday = Ceremony, Cedar Point, Big Storm
By Byron-While at cedar point we rode a roller coaster called the dragster wich reached a speed of 120 mph... In 3 seconds!
Sunday - travel to DC, trolley tour
By Robert Manning- On Sunday we traveled to D.C. and found our campsite at Fort Meade. We then traveled to Union Station. We ate there and then went to get our trolley tickets. On the trolley we traveled across D.C. and saw it's many memorials and statues.
Monday - Arlington, Pentagon, Ceremony, Ocean
By Byron- we went to the Arlington cemetary and presented our wreath. We also got to see the shift change - it is a pretty cool ceremony. Then we took a tram to the pentagon and saw a ump 45 which is an submachine gun. Also we had our ceromony at Fort McHenry. Then we went to the ocean at midnight to dump the ashes. We could not swim but it was fun. We saw some anthropods which are turtle like stingrays (A.K.A water dillos) nick-named by the troop.
Tuesday - White House, travel to Houston, Patro house
BY Byron- we also got to see the white house it was cool. there is alot of security.
BY evan bottcher-it was not a really a long self guided tour but we saw a lot of cool stuff like the green,red and blue rooms.We also got to see the portraits of the presidents
Wednesday - Galveston - catarmaran tour, seawolf park, Patro house
by david zickwolf we had alot of fun at the beach we body surfed
By Robert Manning Today we went to a self-guided tour of a destroyer ship and a submarine. After that went to the Gulf of Mexico and swam a little and then we headed back to the house and eat and swam (not at the same time).
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
Day 1 - by Evan V & Alex L
First flight was okay. Timothy and Alex got free Pringles from "Waitress". We arrived at Atlanta, excited! Wendy's for lunch, scarfed it down. Went on Tram in the subway(Eat Fresh)
Second flight was okay. Plane was very tiny. Mr. Collins sings "I got a Feelin'". David and Evan B. get $10 for switching seats with a couple. Flight is BORING! We were probably all tired. We lost some baggage. Rented Dodge CHARGER. Got to hotel with Water Park. Went swimming in water park. They had Ultimate lite-up slide. everyone called there parents and we miss all of our family. And that was are exciting day!!!
The End of day 1.
Second flight was okay. Plane was very tiny. Mr. Collins sings "I got a Feelin'". David and Evan B. get $10 for switching seats with a couple. Flight is BORING! We were probably all tired. We lost some baggage. Rented Dodge CHARGER. Got to hotel with Water Park. Went swimming in water park. They had Ultimate lite-up slide. everyone called there parents and we miss all of our family. And that was are exciting day!!!
The End of day 1.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Troop 343 to the rescue!!
Found out this morning that Troop 577 was not going to be bringing the fire barrel or any scouts to the Ft. McHenry Flag Retirement Ceremony. This is not the kind of thing you want to find out about when you are less than 48 hours from take off!! I tried calling the local council office but got nothing but vms and knowing that I had troubles getting anyone to call me back last time I resorted to the internet. This is where I found a website for Troop 343 --- and they had a contact number listed!
I called and spoke with Scoutmaster Hoerner who assured me that they would have a fire barrel, wood and water there for us to use as well as a few scouts - and maybe even some cubs and some of their venturing crew! YEAH!!!!
Many thanks to Troop 343 in Baltimore for coming to our aide!! We can't wait to thank you in person!!
I called and spoke with Scoutmaster Hoerner who assured me that they would have a fire barrel, wood and water there for us to use as well as a few scouts - and maybe even some cubs and some of their venturing crew! YEAH!!!!
Many thanks to Troop 343 in Baltimore for coming to our aide!! We can't wait to thank you in person!!
Monday, May 31, 2010
PAID!!
Once again this trip is officially paid for! Thanks to the kind folks at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Shawnee.
We had been trying really hard not to ask for handouts from the folks who helped send us to Mt Rushmore. They have been great in helping our boys earn the money - recycling and yard work, etc.
But with less than 2 weeks left before we leave we just didn't have time to set up a fundraiser so we went to church to ask for some help and boy oh boy did they help!!
When we received the invite to the White House and found out the cost of staying a few more hours in DC, I told Father Cook that I was going to make the changes and have Faith that we could find the monies to cover this change in our plans. It was just too much of an honor to pass on. Father Cook gave me a few minutes to stand up and tell the congregation about the phone call and change in plans - they were very excited for us! After service it was great to talk to all of the folks about our trip and give them an update on our plans. I can't wait to show them the pics and to have the scouts tell their stories!
We had been trying really hard not to ask for handouts from the folks who helped send us to Mt Rushmore. They have been great in helping our boys earn the money - recycling and yard work, etc.
But with less than 2 weeks left before we leave we just didn't have time to set up a fundraiser so we went to church to ask for some help and boy oh boy did they help!!
When we received the invite to the White House and found out the cost of staying a few more hours in DC, I told Father Cook that I was going to make the changes and have Faith that we could find the monies to cover this change in our plans. It was just too much of an honor to pass on. Father Cook gave me a few minutes to stand up and tell the congregation about the phone call and change in plans - they were very excited for us! After service it was great to talk to all of the folks about our trip and give them an update on our plans. I can't wait to show them the pics and to have the scouts tell their stories!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
White House
WE GOT THE WHITE HOUSE!!!
The White House picked US!!!
Congressman Dennis Moore's office just called and told us that the White House has extended their tours and has picked our group to go on a tour!!! yep, they received an email on Tuesday telling them that the tours have been extended and to watch for another email. Wednesday they received a phone call from the White House and an email instructing them to contact us to set up the security information.
We're stoked!!! this is unreal...
Now I need to change the airline tickets - thank goodness it's SWA!!!
OUCH!! that was a $750 change. I can drop a few surprises but we're still $500 shy...need another fundraiser afterall!! ...donations anyone? - if you're interested please hit the DONATE button on the right side.
The White House picked US!!!
Congressman Dennis Moore's office just called and told us that the White House has extended their tours and has picked our group to go on a tour!!! yep, they received an email on Tuesday telling them that the tours have been extended and to watch for another email. Wednesday they received a phone call from the White House and an email instructing them to contact us to set up the security information.
We're stoked!!! this is unreal...
Now I need to change the airline tickets - thank goodness it's SWA!!!
OUCH!! that was a $750 change. I can drop a few surprises but we're still $500 shy...need another fundraiser afterall!! ...donations anyone? - if you're interested please hit the DONATE button on the right side.
May Update:
WE DID IT!!! We raised $18,800 in 12 months!! Many thanks to all of the wonderful people who helped us get there!!
The guys are happy to be done with fundraising and are now working to get their uniforms updated and ready to pack.
I'm still busy trying to get all of the troops and veteran's units organized and answering tons of questions from everyone! I thought everyone was excited when we first talked about this trip and now that it's getting closer folks are calling to confirm and are very excited that we are only 15 DAYS AWAY FROM TAKE OFF!!
We have sooo many fun things lined up for the guys to do it's unbelieveable!! Somewhere in this schedule they will have time for sleep and they'll probably drop from exhaustion every nite!
With all of the budgeting and negotiating I did discover one thing...I'll NEVER do business with Delta or Expedia again!! We took a $800 hit on our budget because of a mistake that I made when dealing with them. We were talking with a gentleman from Expedia and thought we made it very clear that we needed the ability to make name changes when we got closer to the departure date. Apparently he didn't understand me as well as he said he did and I did not double check the small print. When I called to make changes neither Expedia nor Delta would help. In fact the 'Customer Service' folks from Delta made sure to tell me how this was all my fault (which I had already admitted to), I shouldn't expect them to clean up my mess and that there is NO ONE in that entire company empowered enough to help me with this issue.
When I called Southwest with the same changes most of my flights were set up the way I had asked them to be but one flight was a little different because we did it as a Web Only online special. Rather than telling me over and over again how we screwed up when we booked them - Kelsey told me that this stuff happens and she stayed on the line with me to walk me through how to make the changes. It did cost me a few extra dollars (40) to make the changes but I didn't mind because Kelsey was kind and extremely helpful. Take note Delta - THIS IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!! This is why I will always fly SWA if possible, I'll never fly Delta again and I'll always tell anyone I know who is booking flights my lil story about the differences in Customer Service.
I've organized trips like this every 2 years for the last10 years and I've had a big bunch of fun! I can't wait to see the guys' faces when we hit some of these surprises!
But first I need to get these things done - t-shirts, programs, gifts, troops, vets, leaders books...so much to do yet - better get to it!!
Stay posted!! Pics and stories coming in just 15 days!!!
WE DID IT!!! We raised $18,800 in 12 months!! Many thanks to all of the wonderful people who helped us get there!!
The guys are happy to be done with fundraising and are now working to get their uniforms updated and ready to pack.
I'm still busy trying to get all of the troops and veteran's units organized and answering tons of questions from everyone! I thought everyone was excited when we first talked about this trip and now that it's getting closer folks are calling to confirm and are very excited that we are only 15 DAYS AWAY FROM TAKE OFF!!
We have sooo many fun things lined up for the guys to do it's unbelieveable!! Somewhere in this schedule they will have time for sleep and they'll probably drop from exhaustion every nite!
With all of the budgeting and negotiating I did discover one thing...I'll NEVER do business with Delta or Expedia again!! We took a $800 hit on our budget because of a mistake that I made when dealing with them. We were talking with a gentleman from Expedia and thought we made it very clear that we needed the ability to make name changes when we got closer to the departure date. Apparently he didn't understand me as well as he said he did and I did not double check the small print. When I called to make changes neither Expedia nor Delta would help. In fact the 'Customer Service' folks from Delta made sure to tell me how this was all my fault (which I had already admitted to), I shouldn't expect them to clean up my mess and that there is NO ONE in that entire company empowered enough to help me with this issue.
When I called Southwest with the same changes most of my flights were set up the way I had asked them to be but one flight was a little different because we did it as a Web Only online special. Rather than telling me over and over again how we screwed up when we booked them - Kelsey told me that this stuff happens and she stayed on the line with me to walk me through how to make the changes. It did cost me a few extra dollars (40) to make the changes but I didn't mind because Kelsey was kind and extremely helpful. Take note Delta - THIS IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!! This is why I will always fly SWA if possible, I'll never fly Delta again and I'll always tell anyone I know who is booking flights my lil story about the differences in Customer Service.
I've organized trips like this every 2 years for the last10 years and I've had a big bunch of fun! I can't wait to see the guys' faces when we hit some of these surprises!
But first I need to get these things done - t-shirts, programs, gifts, troops, vets, leaders books...so much to do yet - better get to it!!
Stay posted!! Pics and stories coming in just 15 days!!!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
April Update
All kinds of craziness going on since the last update!!
We had a booth at Gailapalooza at Gail's Harley Davidson where we sold Hy-Vee coupon books and gave away cookies to anyone who would listen to our trip story. We gave away hundreds of business cards and hope to see everyone at Liberty Memorial on June 20th!!
We have been doing yard work like madmen!! Lots of raking and mowing lately.
We've already worked one evening at Lakeside Speedway concessions and are set up to do 2 more on May 7th and 14th.
We will be at the Shawnee Farmer's Market on May 1st and 8th to sell baked goods. Ms Lizzie makes the BEST pies and muffins and cookies - I just hope some of the stuff makes it to the table before the scouts get a good whiff!! LOL!!
May 4th we'll be doing the opening flag ceremony for the Shriners.
One of our parents is hoping to set up a Cash 4 Gold fundraiser in mid-May.
Fundraisers have brought us very close to our goal. We're now down to $155 per person, we're hoping to get this within the $75 range.
CEREMONY
We've had a change of venue. In the Portland area we will not be at Ft. Stevens, we will be at Sunset Beach instead. This will allow us to have vehicles drive right onto the beach to drop off if need be.
The scouts are doing excellent with the ceremony. Everyone has their parts memorized and we will be conducting our first ceremony for our Cub Scout Pack on Monday, May 3rd.
Many thanks to everyone for their continued support!
All kinds of craziness going on since the last update!!
We had a booth at Gailapalooza at Gail's Harley Davidson where we sold Hy-Vee coupon books and gave away cookies to anyone who would listen to our trip story. We gave away hundreds of business cards and hope to see everyone at Liberty Memorial on June 20th!!
We have been doing yard work like madmen!! Lots of raking and mowing lately.
We've already worked one evening at Lakeside Speedway concessions and are set up to do 2 more on May 7th and 14th.
We will be at the Shawnee Farmer's Market on May 1st and 8th to sell baked goods. Ms Lizzie makes the BEST pies and muffins and cookies - I just hope some of the stuff makes it to the table before the scouts get a good whiff!! LOL!!
May 4th we'll be doing the opening flag ceremony for the Shriners.
One of our parents is hoping to set up a Cash 4 Gold fundraiser in mid-May.
Fundraisers have brought us very close to our goal. We're now down to $155 per person, we're hoping to get this within the $75 range.
CEREMONY
We've had a change of venue. In the Portland area we will not be at Ft. Stevens, we will be at Sunset Beach instead. This will allow us to have vehicles drive right onto the beach to drop off if need be.
The scouts are doing excellent with the ceremony. Everyone has their parts memorized and we will be conducting our first ceremony for our Cub Scout Pack on Monday, May 3rd.
Many thanks to everyone for their continued support!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Pentagon!! and overview of the trip
Our tour request has been received and approved!! We're going on a tour of the Pentagon where we'll get a chance to meet up with Major Bob again! YAY!!
For those of you who haven't been following this blog here's the dealio...
On our way home from our trip to lower the flag at Mt. Rushmore the scouts started talking about our next trip in 2010. They wanted to touch all 4 bodies of water and they wanted to somehow thank the veterans who donated money to help fund their trip to Mt. Rushmore. Then they decided that instead of just paying them back they wanted to pass it forward...and here's their plan. They are going Coast 2 Coast to honor our veterans and active duty soldiers with a Flag Retirement Ceremony.
On June 11th we are departing KC for the Cleveland airport, traveling to Sandusky Ohio to honor the veterans at the Ohio Veteran's Home on June 12th with invites going out to any/all veterans in the Cleveland/Akron/Toledo areas - everyone is invited.
On June 13th we depart for DC where we'll head over to the Atlantic ocean - with Major Bob in tow! He is a big history buff and will be able to tell the boys all about the area and America's fight for Freedom. On Flag Day we will be participating in the Wreath Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 9:15AM, then we'll be off to our Pentagon Tour and then on to Ft. McHenry for their Flag Day Celebrations where we will be conducting our Flag Retirement Ceremony.
On June 14th we're headed for Galveston! We'll be staying with Randy and Deanna Patro - owners of Pearland Pools who have been big supporters of our Scout Troops endeavors to support and honor our military. We'll be able to relax for a day or two, catch our breath and get some laundry done!! The Flag Retirement Ceremony will be held at the Vietnam Memorial at Moody Gardens in Galveston on 6/17 at 9AM. Management at Moody Gardens has offered the scouts tickets to enjoy the rest of their day at their facilities. Very kind of them!
On June 18th we're heading to Portland. We'll be touring the area - get some good hiking in and enjoy the beauty that area has to offer. We'll be conducting the Flag Retirement Ceremony at Ft. Stevens on the beach at 7PM on the 19th.
On June 20th, we're headed back to Kansas City where we'll be conducting the final Flag Retirement Ceremony for our hometown at Liberty Museum.
Once home the troop will hold a private ceremony to bury the ashes of those flags who have served their country so well.
Reading our past blogs will enlighten you to the hard work the scouts have put in and the support they have received from people all over the country.
84 days and counting!!!
For those of you who haven't been following this blog here's the dealio...
On our way home from our trip to lower the flag at Mt. Rushmore the scouts started talking about our next trip in 2010. They wanted to touch all 4 bodies of water and they wanted to somehow thank the veterans who donated money to help fund their trip to Mt. Rushmore. Then they decided that instead of just paying them back they wanted to pass it forward...and here's their plan. They are going Coast 2 Coast to honor our veterans and active duty soldiers with a Flag Retirement Ceremony.
On June 11th we are departing KC for the Cleveland airport, traveling to Sandusky Ohio to honor the veterans at the Ohio Veteran's Home on June 12th with invites going out to any/all veterans in the Cleveland/Akron/Toledo areas - everyone is invited.
On June 13th we depart for DC where we'll head over to the Atlantic ocean - with Major Bob in tow! He is a big history buff and will be able to tell the boys all about the area and America's fight for Freedom. On Flag Day we will be participating in the Wreath Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at 9:15AM, then we'll be off to our Pentagon Tour and then on to Ft. McHenry for their Flag Day Celebrations where we will be conducting our Flag Retirement Ceremony.
On June 14th we're headed for Galveston! We'll be staying with Randy and Deanna Patro - owners of Pearland Pools who have been big supporters of our Scout Troops endeavors to support and honor our military. We'll be able to relax for a day or two, catch our breath and get some laundry done!! The Flag Retirement Ceremony will be held at the Vietnam Memorial at Moody Gardens in Galveston on 6/17 at 9AM. Management at Moody Gardens has offered the scouts tickets to enjoy the rest of their day at their facilities. Very kind of them!
On June 18th we're heading to Portland. We'll be touring the area - get some good hiking in and enjoy the beauty that area has to offer. We'll be conducting the Flag Retirement Ceremony at Ft. Stevens on the beach at 7PM on the 19th.
On June 20th, we're headed back to Kansas City where we'll be conducting the final Flag Retirement Ceremony for our hometown at Liberty Museum.
Once home the troop will hold a private ceremony to bury the ashes of those flags who have served their country so well.
Reading our past blogs will enlighten you to the hard work the scouts have put in and the support they have received from people all over the country.
84 days and counting!!!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
February Update
WHEW!! What a crazy month!!
FUNDRAISING UPDATE:
We've had days of shoveling snow, chili suppers and a fundraising meal at a Pack Space Derby! Along with those proceeds we've had some generous donations come in.
FRC:
Flag Retirement Ceremony - the script has been written and parts have been doled out. Practice is happening every week and guys are starting to get their parts memorized.
PLANNING:
The scouts have done all of the planning that they can possibly do for the trip. All activities/events have been planned. Now it's up to the parents to set up the fundraisers so the guys can get to work on them.
SOMETHING NEW:
In April we will be doing a flag presentation for the Shriners who have donated $100 - very nice!
The guys are nervous already! LOL!
BUDGET:
The budget has certainly taken a different shape since we first looked into this trip. At first this was going to be a $25K trip. Then we were able to get it knocked down to $21K. After some great online bargains and fabulous airfare we are now under $17K! At this time we have only need to raise another $3150...we're so close!!! We know that we have $2500 covered with fundraisers in March, April and May which leaves us with a balance of $650. Jim and I are doing our best to find corporations or businesses that would help fund this small remaining amount. If you know of a company that might be interested please have them contact us or send us the info and we'll contact them.
Thanks for reading our blog and staying excited about our trip to honor our veterans and soldiers!!
FUNDRAISING UPDATE:
We've had days of shoveling snow, chili suppers and a fundraising meal at a Pack Space Derby! Along with those proceeds we've had some generous donations come in.
FRC:
Flag Retirement Ceremony - the script has been written and parts have been doled out. Practice is happening every week and guys are starting to get their parts memorized.
PLANNING:
The scouts have done all of the planning that they can possibly do for the trip. All activities/events have been planned. Now it's up to the parents to set up the fundraisers so the guys can get to work on them.
SOMETHING NEW:
In April we will be doing a flag presentation for the Shriners who have donated $100 - very nice!
The guys are nervous already! LOL!
BUDGET:
The budget has certainly taken a different shape since we first looked into this trip. At first this was going to be a $25K trip. Then we were able to get it knocked down to $21K. After some great online bargains and fabulous airfare we are now under $17K! At this time we have only need to raise another $3150...we're so close!!! We know that we have $2500 covered with fundraisers in March, April and May which leaves us with a balance of $650. Jim and I are doing our best to find corporations or businesses that would help fund this small remaining amount. If you know of a company that might be interested please have them contact us or send us the info and we'll contact them.
Thanks for reading our blog and staying excited about our trip to honor our veterans and soldiers!!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
January Update
We've had a busy couple of months.
NOVEMBER: This was a big fundraising month for us. The scouts were busy with the 'Rent a Scout' program and selling HyVee coupon books. These helped raise the final amounts needed to book the airline tickets.
DECEMBER: We were able to finalize all of the airline reservations. We're taking Delta from KC to Akron but the rest of our flights will be with Southwest. They had great rates and their group travel department was fabulous to work with. SWA did donate 20 tickets to the trip so if there was another airline out there offering a seat for a few dollars less, we kept our loyalty with SWA.
It took Major Bob's help to get us lodging in DC.
JANUARY
Today we finalized our last lodging. We received confirmation of our duplex at Camp Rilea and reserved a big cabin near Portland for the first night. It's going to be beautiful!!
Tomorrow we have our parent meeting. We still need to raise ~ $5300 or put a payment plan together. In May this was a $23,000 trip. We've been able to find enough bargains, airfares have dropped and we've worked to get some really nice deals from some really nice folks to have the costs drop to $16,700. And out of that we only need to raise $5300..we're doing great!! We're still hoping that Wal-Mart and Harley Davidson come thru with nice donations. We should get those updates within the next 6-8 weeks. The parents will be putting together fundraisers for January - May, I'll post those as the information is provided.
Many thanks to everyone who is helping make this trip a possibility!!!
NOVEMBER: This was a big fundraising month for us. The scouts were busy with the 'Rent a Scout' program and selling HyVee coupon books. These helped raise the final amounts needed to book the airline tickets.
DECEMBER: We were able to finalize all of the airline reservations. We're taking Delta from KC to Akron but the rest of our flights will be with Southwest. They had great rates and their group travel department was fabulous to work with. SWA did donate 20 tickets to the trip so if there was another airline out there offering a seat for a few dollars less, we kept our loyalty with SWA.
It took Major Bob's help to get us lodging in DC.
JANUARY
Today we finalized our last lodging. We received confirmation of our duplex at Camp Rilea and reserved a big cabin near Portland for the first night. It's going to be beautiful!!
Tomorrow we have our parent meeting. We still need to raise ~ $5300 or put a payment plan together. In May this was a $23,000 trip. We've been able to find enough bargains, airfares have dropped and we've worked to get some really nice deals from some really nice folks to have the costs drop to $16,700. And out of that we only need to raise $5300..we're doing great!! We're still hoping that Wal-Mart and Harley Davidson come thru with nice donations. We should get those updates within the next 6-8 weeks. The parents will be putting together fundraisers for January - May, I'll post those as the information is provided.
Many thanks to everyone who is helping make this trip a possibility!!!
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