Before April Vacation, Miss Riley gave Ms. Zimar a very special gift: a stuffed animal Elephant (who we know as Gerald) to go with her stuffed animal Piggie from Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie Series. Since Miss Riley and Ms. Zimar won’t always be able to teach together, Miss Riley thought it would be a nice way to remember one another by keeping the stuffed animals in their respective classrooms.
Miss Riley and Ms. Zimar decided that Piggie and Gerald shouldn’t have to sit around all day, either, so they each decided to take them on their spring vacations!!
Ms. Zimar and her family took Gerald along on a costal road trip down to Washington DC and Fripp Island in South Carolina to visit her sister and parents. They drove for 20 hours each way!!! While on his trip, Gerald got to go to the beach, take a ride on a bicycle, play a few rousing games of Simon, and even got to meet some awesome reptiles and snakes (he is very, VERY brave!)
Meanwhile, Miss Riley took Piggie to Disney World in Orlando, Florida while she played the role of Mary Poppins for a wonderful family who was more than happy to have Piggie tag along! Piggie flew on airplanes, rode on monorails, and steered boats during the trip to go to and from the hotel room at the Wilderness Lodge.
Piggie became accustomed to a very luxurious lifestyle during her stay at the Wilderness Lodge. She especially loved the pool since it was over 90 degrees for most of her stay there!!!!
Piggie LOVED being able to meet so many characters at Magic Kingdom and at a few of the different hotels around the resort. She got to see Piglet, who just so happens to be her second cousin once removed, along with Mickey and Minnie, the Beast, Tiana, Ariel, Anna, Chip and Dale, Alice, Stitch, and many more!! The only person she was a little afraid of was the Tic Toc Croc, who she encountered during the Festival of Fantasy Parade. Everyone loved meeting Piggie and sent lots of love to 1OZR 🙂
At Epcot, Piggie got to travel all around the world! We went to Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, and Italy before she needed to head back to the good old U.S.A, where she got to ride on Test Track and Soarin’ and explore exotic fish on the Finding Nemo ride!
Piggie loved being able to say hello to Gerald’s relatives at Animal Kingdom! She got to see them several times during her Safari through the African savanna and loved seeing all of the other animals who were grazing near the Safari truck! Piggie, being the thrill-seeker she is, went for a spin in a tuk-tuk over in Asia!! Afterwards, she went on Expedition Everest, where she saw a real-life Yeti who tore off part of the roller coaster track! While waiting in line, she learned a new word namaste, which is a greeting that means “I bow to your true self”
At Hollywood Studios, Piggie got to zoom through space with R2-D2 and C-3PO and also got to experience a terrifying elevator with Miss Riley on Tower of Terror! She also got to meet Woody and Buzz before going on one of Miss Riley’s favorite rides of the trip, Toy Story Mania. Afterwards, she got to watch a special parade for the 25th anniversary of the park’s opening!
Before Piggie knew it, it was time to leave Disney and return to New Hampshire where she was reunited with Gerald. Both Piggie and Gerald are so excited to see where their next adventures take them, but they will always be happy to reunite and share their stories 🙂
Feats of First Grade 
Amy – This is AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KAte