We Did It!!

This summer, my children and I issued a challenge to everyone we knew- including so many of you!!

Please help us receive a postcard from all 50 states

Well, thanks to the wonders of Face Book and Bloggyland, a postcard from every single state arrived in our mailbox. That's right- Every. Single. State. We received many more than just one from each state too.

Many came from each of you- thank you so much!! And, so many of you reached out to friends & family that you knew in distant states and had them send us postcards as well. We had many show up from people we haven't ever met- I do hope you will thank them from us!! Send them this way, so they can see the results of their efforts please!

Oh yes...results...wanna know how many postcards we received this summer???

Ready for this??

It's HUGE!

168 postcards!!!!

Isn't that amazing?? We even received quite a few from Canada too!! So here's the rundown:

What state did we receive the most postcards from?

ALASKA!!

21 postcards - we had several friends send us lots! (Surprised us too!!)

Our second closest state.....California (Thanks Viv for so many!!)

What state did we receive 2 of the SAME postcard?

Kansas

From 2 completely different people!

What was the biggest postcard we received?

Missouri

The Show Me State has a card as big as my son's head!

What was Sissy's Favorite Postcards?

What was Brody's Favorite Postcard?

Costa Rica?

Yep!! Good friends of ours sent us one from their super-fantastic vacation!!!

What did we do with all the postcards?

Mapped them out!

As each one rolled in, we sat down and I made the kids find them on the map- I think they now know where the majority of states are! Many of you included great info on your state, included a letter about your state or even made your own postcards (Thanks!), so we learned a lot about all the states too!

Last postcards to receive??

Can you see?

I was sweating this out too!! I know tons of people who live in Louisiana and Mississippi....but I am happy to say we received them both last week! Woo-Hoo! Goal accomplished!

My favorite postcards?

The postcards from all of you, my bloggy friends!! I have not met any of you in person, yet you cared enough for my family to help us with our summer project- I appreciate you all so very much!!

Now, how can I top this project next year???

A 50 States Challenge Update

As many of you know, my kids and I are participating in a challenge this summer- A 50 States Challenge- where we are attempting to collect a postcard from each state. We are learning where all the states are and some neat facts about each one too. I have been overwhelmed with how much help we have received with our challenge- many of my bloggy friends and facebook friends are reaching out to friends and family in other states to help with our challenge!! With less than a month an a half left to reach our goal, we are well on our way to achieve it!!

Our tally so far (drum roll please...):

62 postcards

from

29 states!!

Our map appears to be covered pretty well. I was most concerned about getting many of the eastern states, but a sweet friend in Chicago went on a road trip and sent us 13 postcards from her travels!! Thanks Austin & Ashley!!

It is so very cool to me that we have received 62 postcards from all over this country!!!

This would not have been possible without the help of so many of my bloggy & facebook friends that have reached out and sent us postcards. Thank you so much!! Maybe you see yours' in the pile!

The furthest distance a postcard traveled to us: Alaska

And the closest one traveled: My sweet state of Texas

Our sweet Chicago friends also sent us a great puzzle to tackle once our challenge is complete:

But the challenge is not over yet!! I still need your help! We are in need of a postcard from the following 21 states to meet our goal. If you live in one of these states, are traveling to, or know someone who lives there, won't you please send us a card? Also, we are trying to see where we get the most cards from (so far, Alaska is winning- go figure!), most unusual shaped card, etc. so even if we already have a state you are from, we would still like to get a card from you!! Please help us out!

Alabama

Arizona

Arkansas

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Nebraska

New Mexico

North Dakota

Ohio

Oregon

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Vermont

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Thanks my friends for all of your help!!

50 States Challenge!

So, my kids know a lot about this state.....

but not so much about the other 49 (what??!! there's other states out there besides Texas??)

And that, my dear friends, is where you can help us out!  This summer, my kids and I are taking on the 50 States Challenge!!  In an effort to learn all our states, we are attempting to collect as many post cards from the states as we can.  We have a map laid out and as each post card comes in, we will find it on the map and "flag" it as identified.  Our goals are to...

1. Collect at least ONE card from each state.
2. See what state we get the most cards from.
3. Identify a favorite state from the post cards we receive and learn a few facts about it.

So, can you please help us?  Would you mind sending our family a postcard from the state you live in?  We still want to collect Texas ones too, my Lone Star friends!!  Maybe, if you are so inclined, you could pick up a postcard from another state you are visiting on vacation?  We would greatly appreciate it!  Just shoot me a quick email and I will send you our address.

darling729@mac.com

We love a challenge, and this is one we want to complete before heading back to school in September. We will blog about it during the summer and let you know our status!!

And honestly, as much as I don't want them to ever move away, my kids need to know there is much more than just Texas out there!!