MI-SSI-SSI-PPI!

Jett’s Wild Flight: The Battle of Shiloh!

By: Jett Lillie, 12/4/22

Welcome to Shiloh National Military Park!

We walked into the Visitor’s center in Shiloh, TN [Which was nothing due to renovations.] All we could do was watch the park video. So, we did and started on our Jr. Ranger booklets. We learned that this was one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War! With the Victorious Union, who held Corinth, which was a major crossroads in the railroad, the Union won the battle! The mislead Confederates thought they had beat the courageous Union soldiers when they claimed the crossroads in town. But they were WRONG! The Union people struck back with their cannons! The Union soldiers then buried all the bodies (About 23,000) and claimed victory! Today, the place where they buried many of them has become a National Military Cemetery.

After we walked through the cemetery, we listened to an audio tour as we drove around in the rain and saw lots of statues and markers driving the battle fields. We got answers to our Jr. Ranger booklets as we listened to each stop.

Then we earned our 69th Jr. Ranger badge.

We then drove to Corinth, MS where the real Visitor Center was and earned our 70th Jr. Ranger badge as we learned more.

We got a special patch for completing the Shiloh & Corinth Jr Ranger booklets!

In the theater we got to make Christmas cards for Sailors who are on the U.S.S. Shiloh in Japan right now. We hope they love them!

Mississippi was fun, but we all can’t wait to be home for Christmas!

Jaycie’s Bunny Hoppin’ News: Our Super Hero Day!

By: Jaycie Lillie, 12/5/22

[Must read dramatically for full effect.]

We woke up and it was raining! Oh dear! We got rain jackets and headed to the Tiffin Motorcoach Factory. There they gave us safety goggles, headphones [that I didn’t wear] and a bright yellow safety vest! We looked super silly…

Then we stepped out like Super Heroes knowing that we looked like trash collectors on the side of the road! We stepped in puddles and our tennis shoes got all wet. [Epic fail. We should’ve worn boots. But at least it was Epic!] I had my hood up and my hair kept falling in front of my face. The goggles fogged up every time we walked from outside to inside. But that didn’t stop me! We all trudged on through smells like spray paint to storms of sand dust! [If it were glitter, we would be disco balls and would break out into dance to “Bees Knees!”]

We then got washed in another downpour of rain before we saw the people building! We saw the biggest shower ever to be in a motorhome! We couldn’t take pictures, but like a camera my brain took pictures! I kept thinking… my mind circling like the loading sign on my phone when WIFI is slow! My mind raced as my ears heard drills that sounded like bird calls.

We continued back to the Visitor Center where we turned in our gear. All except the vest. The tour guide said we could keep it forever! [I could cry with happiness! Just kidding!]

After that, we rushed to Dollar General and ran like children through the rain! [We literally were children running through the rain for shelter!] We stopped when we saw a guy in pajamas. Hmmm - He looked kind of scary. Who cares… We were finally shopping! This was a really cool DG Market/Pop Up Shop. We had never seen a Dollar General like this before… they had a full-on Grocery section, pharmacy section, and décor section! I found the art section while Momma shopped the Christmas section. I bought fuzzy socks because you can NEVER have enough fuzzy socks! Momma bought the whole Christmas section! Then we checked out and ran like crazy kids through the rain to the car!

We retreated to the camper for lunch. [Heroes always need a good lunch!] During lunch I wrote down how they made the Tiffin Motorhomes and I decided I would build my own! [Not for me, but for my dolls! YAY!] I drew up the plans, but then we had to leave. My socks & shoes were SOAKED so I put on my sandals. [The looked good with my shorts!] But Momma made me change into my rain boots. I forgot socks and the boots cut deep in my leg. [No, I’m just dramatic! They rubbed my leg causing discomfort & itchiness.] We toured the Ivy Green House. This house was Helen Keller’s childhood home.

She was blind and deaf at the age of 18 months. But she didn’t let that stop her! She went on to do amazing things and changed the world!

Very inspiring… even to us Super Heroes!

THE END!