One peaceful night in June I had fallen asleep after eating a nice full dinner. I dreamt that I had got flattened by my bulletin board I had gotten for my birthday the previous year.

In the morning I awoke to my little brother who is about two saying good morning over and over. Then my mother came into my room to say good morning and screamed. She said I was about 7 and 1/2 inches tall and not even a centimetre wide! I was as flat as a pancake. I never knew dreams came true. I thought they were only fairy tales.

My mother suggested I hop in a envelope and go to see my Dad and Stepmother in America for about 5 guilders. And it's a way to see a lot of my friends also. So I hopped into an envelope said goodbye to my family and added, "I'll be back soon".

It was quite a bumpy ride on the airplane and when I arrived to my father's house it was early about 1 AM and I was tired so I went straight to sleep.

Day 1

I was awakened very early by my rambunctious puppy Dremple.

Dremple and her parents were bouncing around very excitedly because they sensed a ride somewhere.

My dad and Stepmom were already awake getting ready for a day at the Oregon Coast.

Once everyone was loaded up we headed west for a 1 and 1/2 hour drive to the beach. It was a usual rainy day until we arrived at Cannon Beach, a small beach area. We puled into our favorite small restaurant called the Midtown Cafe when the sun started to come though the clouds. I ordered sausage and we took a picture of the salt and pepper shakers which disappeared!

It was then time to run the dogs at the beach, a pastime for them! I also had fun being buried in the sand. We went back into the town and looked at shops and galleries. It was then back to Portland. On the way we saw the largest Sitka spruce tree in the U.S.A.

At night my dad, step mom and I went to a great new restraunt in Portland called Mother's Bistro. The restaurant has a different "Mother of the Month" menu which is provided by mothers around the world.

Then we went to a building called the Crystal Ballroom and watched a concert. The band is called Pink Martini, a popular Portland ensemble that plays jazz Latin and stuff like that.

Day 2

We all slept in the next morning. After running the dogs at a nearby park, every one except the dogs (my dad Step mom and I) went to Powells Bookstore. Powells is one of the largest book stores in the world. It is a fabulous place to get lost in a bunch of pages.

My stepmom and I looked for the book Flat Stanley but the person working in children's books said it was sold out. My step mom and I checked out some displays on "Black History Month" while my dad read some poetry by Shel Silverstein.

After we were finished at Powells we went home and started preparing for a Valentines Day party the following evening. We then went on the Internet and looked up a cheese cake recipe. We went to the store to get ingredients and made two cakes and some peanut butter cookies. They smelt so good but we couldn't eat them until the next night. I also helped separate the eggs and ingredients and help munch on them.

Day 3

I was suppose to go to middle school with my friend Sara , but the sleepy head woke up late and forgot me so instead I explored their house and found all kinds of toys and cards to play with--as well as my friend Laura's mini Hummer car. It was a perfect day for going for a ride in the neighbourhood. Sara, Molly and Laura eventually made it home and played with me and we got ready for one last party. Then it would be time to go back on a long flight back to Amsterdam.

That evening all the neighbours came over and we celebrated Valentine's Day and also the 141st anniversary of Oregon's statehood.

It was an tiring visit. I was looking forward to seeing my otherflat friends and sharing our adventures.

On the exhausting ride back a meet an Australian shepherd and I asked him if he knew my dogs. He barked back. I don't know what he said but we kept each other company. When I arrived back I think I broke the envelope and I don't know how I got back to my normal self but I did. I then told my family about my adventure.