New York City and New Jersey – Mon 27nd – Tues 28th July 2009

We are really enjoying NYC – Danielle in particular loves it :-) There is just so much energy here. There are more taxi's (who are all honking) than you can imagine - you have to be standing on the streets (in amazement) to really believe it. There is so much noise, so many people. It doesn't sound very pleasant (and we could never live here) but it is a REAL buzz. And even though there are people everywhere and it is impersonal people are still polite and not at all rude. Generally people in Vegas annoyed us a whole lot more! You do still get people trying to sell you stuff and getting in your face - that is probably because it is summer and there are so many tourists here.



The weather has been really good – apparently up until the last week or so it has been a really rainy summer. The thing we can't believe is that humidity. It hasn't been too bad for locals (gets a whole lot worse we have been told) but we never imagined New York to have humid summers. How can it snow in winter and be muggy like you are in the tropics in summer???? We have been so lucky with the weather – no doubt it will all fall apart in northern Wisconsin – for all we know it could even snow, lol.

Monday morning we headed into the city (back on the good old public transport!). We went up to the top of the Rockefeller Centre to the observation deck. It was a wonderful view of the whole city! We also read a lot about the history of the centre and watched a short movie – all very interesting.



After that we walked to Central Park which was a whole lot bigger than we had imagined (so is New York City). It was lovely there. We saw a few things that we have seen before in movies and there were a heap of nannie's sitting on park benches chatting to each other while their charges played, lol. We saw a couple of squirrels but had forgotten to buy nuts to feed them. It is quite peaceful walking around the park – hard to imagine all the hussle and bussle so close by.





After this we bought some lunch from a food stall on the side walk and ate it sitting on a busy street corner. We walked heaps and on the way back to the bus station we walked through Times Square – surely the busiest part of NYC!



We spent our first two nights in Secaucus in New Jersey at the Embassy Suites. Julian's cousin Craig manages this hotel and it was lovely. When we got back out there we walked around the area looking at some of the local shops. We had another Walmart experience – this one was not as good as the San Antonio one. Apparently in this area you can't buy alcohol at the supermarket like we have seen everywhere else – you have to go to a liquor store for it. Also, there is no such thing as a drive through bottle shop in the US.

That evening we went out to Craig's house in a small town in New Jersey – completely different to what most people think of when they think New Jersey out here. It was gorgeous! Trees and lovely homes and a reservation that has deer (we didn't see any) and ground hogs (Danielle spotted one). We saw out first firefly's out in their back yard – so pretty :-) After dinner we went for ice-cream and walked their cute dog (recently adopted) around the streets of the town. Very quaint!

It was SO good to spend time with Julian's cousin – the first time Julian had met the kids and the first time Danielle had met any of them (we have only been together for 20 years, lol). Thanks HEAPS Craig, Caroline, Caitlin and Connor for EVERYTHING!



This morning after packing (again – groan) Craig drove us into our hotel in the city. We did a bit of shopping today (yes kids, smile!) and walked so far again. We also finally found a battery charger to fit our camcorder battery – we lost the charger at some stage during our first stop! Luckily we had bought an additional battery that was huge and we have been able to film heaps. Be ready to be bored to tears when we get home and want to show off our travels, lol.

We came back to the hotel late this afternoon and slept. We are really tired. The trip has been so good but 2 weeks non-stop on the go and we needed to catch our breath! We had a relaxing drink in the hotel before heading out to dinner. The crowds were CRAZY – we think we ran into everyone leaving their shows!





We have a big day planned for tomorrow, a show tomorrow night and our first baseball game the day after. Having a reasonably early night for a change, lol.

I would love to see where Anthony lived while he was in NYC – so if you are reading our blog please email us and let us know so we can have a look (and Tanya, you might need to check your emails if you haven't done so since I left!). I tried sending you a text but it wouldn't work – will try again soon.

The best part of our trip by far has been spending time with people – the CHERUBS families in San Antonio and Craig's family here. We are really looking forward to getting up to the North Woods and spending time with Trista (Danielle' penpal) and her family – if the little plane can take off with all our luggage on board!
More from NY soon :-)

Danielle and Julian xxx

San Antonio – Weds 22nd – Sat 25th July 2009 - plus a little touch of NY Sun 26th

Here we are on our flight from San Antonio (via Dallas – MASSIVE airport) to New York. We loved San Antonio and had a wonderful time.

On the Weds we took the local bus into the city (once again we were out of town near the airport – that is where the conference was held). It was good though as we got to pass through a few different areas (I guess over here they would be called neighbourhoods) and saw some beautiful old houses (some not so beautiful as well, lol).

We went to an IMAX to see a movie on the Alamo to get a history lesson on what actually happened (neither of us knew too much about it). The movie was good although we do wonder if the story is slightly different from a Mexican view point?! After this we went to the Alamo which is actually located in the city amongst all the 'regular' city buildings. It is beautifully maintained with lovely peaceful gardens surrounding it. Amazingly it is free to go through!!! Inside you are not allowed to take photos and all males must remove their hats as a mark of respect.
We also spent a little time at the shopping mall (was surprised to see that a Hooters in located in amongst all the other shops!!!).





We headed back to the motel and as we entered the lobby (a bit hot and sweaty!) we saw Dawn (CHERUBS President) and Penny (a true southern girl). Danielle has been 'chatting' and working with Dawn for over 10 years and this was their first meeting – they recognised each other instantly and it was a wonderful thing to finally meet.
We had a swim before getting ready for the 'meet and greet' pizza party to kick off the CHERUBS International CDH Conference. The intros went well – although Danielle was highly embarrassed when she was called up and given a beautiful gift for all the work she has done for CHERUBS and CHERUBS Australia.

After the pizza party a few of us spent some time sitting out by the pool talking further. Brenda and Kevin Lane from CHERUBS UK (Brenda is their president) didn't make it to the intros (they had their days mixed up, lol) and as it turns out were also on the pool deck but none of us clicked and we didn't actually meet them until the next day.

On the Thursday morning we listened to some guest presenters talk at the conference who were all very interesting. Danielle found it good to spend a little time chatting with the doctors one on one before the morning sessions finished. After it finished we went into SA for a boat tour on the River Walk. We stopped and had some lunch at the Costa Rio (later found out it is the oldest restaurant on the River Walk. A three piece Mexican band asked if we would like them to play us a romantic song – Julian said “We will have a song but how about something a little more upbeat!”. So Julian had his wife serenaded to some traditional Mexican party music! :-)



The boat tour on the River Walk was beautiful!!!! We could have gone around there all day and we learnt a lot about the city.





When we got back to the hotel we went for a swim (both getting a good sun tan up – not bad considering it should be winter :-) ) and spent some more time chatting to the CHERUBS families around the pool.

Friday morning and back to the conference. We had one lot of guest speakers and two lots of round table discussions – all really good! The airport shuttle is a free service that takes you anywhere within 3 miles of the hotel so after this finished (lunch time) we headed off for our first experience of Walmart. We shared the shuttle with the guest presenters from the morning (they were going to the airport) and had a really good talk with them. It is a little like a Kmart or Big W except they also sell groceries, McDonalds, chemist items and guns!!! We found out that 90, 000 Texans have a licence for a hand gun!!!!!

While we were in Walmart we purchased another carry-on suitcase so that we could fit all of our 'stuff' in. A case of 18 cans of beer was on special for $9.59 – so we (Julian) thought he should give it a go and load up our new case with cheap beer :-)
It seems like we will be paying additional baggage money for the trip back to Australia – still have two more stops. Oh well – such is life! We thought we would have to pay for our bags on all internal flights (not included in the airfare) but as long as you are travelling within a month of arriving Internationally you can get that fee waived. We had no idea but were lucky enough to get help on our first flight and found out then.

We followed our daily routine of getting back to the motel and going for a swim. A few other families were there and we spent some time playing with the kids in the water – they exhausted us! Once again we spent some time that evening sitting around the pool deck chatting with the other families. The kids spent up to 5 hours swimming that afternoon/evening!

Saturday morning and it was the last day of the conference and a morning of round table discussions. The group that we sat in with had other members who run non-profit groups so it was good to compare ideas as well as discuss more personal aspects of our 'CDH journey's'. At the end of these sessions it was time to say good bye to those who were heading off straight away. We had spent a bit of time with Brenda, Kevin and their daughter Alicia and were sad to say good bye to them. We would love to go to the UK one day and visit them. Kevin tells the funniest stories! They (along with a heap of the US families) are keen to come to visit Australia. Hopefully we will get a number of international guests over the next few years.
On Saturday afternoon we headed back into SA (on our favourite bus route, lol) and went to the Tower of the Americas which gives you a great view of the whole city. There was a market on – they closed off a street and had bands, local crafts, food stalls etc. Great atmosphere! After buying some souvenirs we headed back to the hotel to pack......twenty hours later, lol....it wasn't too bad really. Guess what we did then? Yep, back for our last swim in the pool and pool side gathering.
We found everyone so friendly, polite and easy going here in San Antonio. Coming from Vegas where we had people pouncing on us try to give us 'gifts' (which of course were not gifts at all!) to San Antonio where people come up asking if everything is OK, if we need help, if we are finding our way around etc. And there really wasn't too many people around for a reasonably large city. As soon as the locals here our accents they have lots of questions for us and want to know all about Australia.





There are so many beautiful buildings – the stone work etc is lovely – paved streets and lots of trees and plants all around. A really pretty city!

The weather was beautiful – hot like southern QLD in summertime – and we loved it. A good way to build up a thirst :-) The Tex Mex cuisine was YUMMY (even if Danielle is completely hopeless and pronouncing it).

The CHERUBS conference was great and it was fantastic to meet and get to know all of the other families. It was especially wonderful for Danielle to spend time with people she has been chatting to for years (Dawn, Brenda, Tara and Barb) and also spend time with people who she has spent time chatting to over the past couple of years (Kim, Penny, Fer, and Karla). It was great to meet the other families and we just wish we could have had more time to chat with all of them (Tracy, Kara, Karen, Laura, Elizabeth – sorry if I have forgotten anyone).





Penny (y'all remember the southern gal) wanted to learn how to speak Australian – she got quiet good at saying G'day mate and can even say Aussie correctly! She tried (in vain) to get Danielle to speak redneck – Julian picked it up really well though. Danielle is limited to y'all, lol.

It was sad to say good bye to everyone and we really hope we get the chance to meet up again some day. Danielle still can't believe she finally got to meet Dawn!!!



We travelled on the same plane to Dallas with Fer who is from Mexico City and has invited us to Mexico – another place we would love to get to one day (would love to taste REAL Mexican food).

Have to finish up now – we are descending into New York city – woo hoo! Julian's cousin and his family are picking us up from the airport and taking us out to dinner tonight. Will post more of our adventures later.

Back again – it's now Sunday evening and we are in the hotel (Julian's cousin manages it). His cousin Craig and his wife Caroline and their 2 kids Caitlin and Connor (the 4 C's - hope I spelt all of your names correctly) took us out to dinner to a Chinese restaurant called P.F. Chang's (those from the US may have heard of them). It was THE best chinese food ever! We then walked along the Hudson River on the opposite side of the city. It was just getting dark and all the lights were coming on in the city – what a site!!! The 4 C's have told us lots of things we can go see and gave us a heap of tips. We can't wait until we get amongst the Big Apple :-) Caroline and Caitlin picked us up from the airport and we got to drive right through the city – there is just so much to look at!!!

More (plus photo's) from NY soon :-)

Danielle and Julian xxx

Quick Note

We are having so much fun in San Antonio that we haven't had a chance to do a blog. Just heading out for a drink by the pool before going out to dinner so thought we would drop in to say hi, we are well - just busy!

Jen, we LOVE San Antonio. My brother Anthony had also told us it was a lovely city and you were both spot on :-) So pretty!!!

Freeby, we got you the photos of the Alamo :-)

The conference has been great and everyone lovely.

Will try and update (with photos) tomorrow - having a bit of a rest day before heading off to New York (woo hoo) on Sunday.

Danielle and Julian who are missing their kids heaps!

San Antonio – Tues 21st July 2009

Two posts in one day - what is going on???!!!

We only just got under the weight getting on the plane (luggage Narelle, not Danielle!) so are not sure how we will make it out of Texas!

Much to Danielle's disappointment, Julian hasn't set off an alarm in days ;-)

We all settled into our San Antonio hotel. There is a large shopping centre ('mall') across the road so went to buy some beer to have a drink in our room. There was not one supermarket or place that sold alcohol in the whole mall – we were in shock after the last two stops where you couldn't turn a half circle before seeing it for sale. Ended up getting some in a petrol station.

The hotel is really nice and Danielle got to use the laundry room (much to her delight, cough cough). We were desperate for some clean clothes though! The hotel has been overrun by soldiers – apparently there is some sort of training going on in SA (amazing the goss you can find out in the laundry room, lol).
The weather is slightly cooler than it is in Vegas – only about 36 (at the moment). Beautiful!

I know we have gone on about the food (as was pointed out to me, lol) but we can't get over it! Tonight after a couple of drinks by the pool and in the bar we ordered room service (there is always a first for everything). We got a starter and a salad – we have enough food left over for another meal!!! It really needs to be seen to be believed!

Looking forward to a day of sight-seeing tomorrow (should get you that photo of the Alamo Freeby) before meeting the other CHERUBS families tomorrow night.

Danielle and Julian xxx

Las Vegas – Mon 20th July 2009

Our last day in Vegas! We spent a bit of time yesterday on the Strip. We didn't get anywhere near looking at all of the casino's and probably only made it half way down Las Vegas Boulevard. Shaz, we didn't get to see where you got married or where you stayed on your honeymoon :-(





Late afternoon and we went to a show – The Fab Four (Beatles Tribute). It was excellent but could have gone for a lot longer! This was inside the Planet Hollywood casino which has a mile long shopping strip. We had a drink in a sports bar where these guys were playing Beer Pong. The opposing sides stand at opposite ends of a table tennis table and have cups of beer set up (much like skittles) and they have to throw ping pong balls into the cups at the other end. If you get one in the other team have to down a beer. Interesting :-)

We spent a little more time on the strip once the sun went down and the lights came on. While we were out a storm developed – the lightening was great and we even enjoyed the drenching we got. Things dry up really quickly though!
The cosmetic surgeon's over here must be earning a FORTUNE. It seemed that every second female (from 18-80!) in Vegas had 'new airbags', lol.



After playing the machines for a little while we had an early night (11pm ish) as we had to be up at 4am. These early flights are killing us! We are sitting in the Las Vegas airport and are looking forward to a slower pace in San Antonio (we hope!) We would tell you more about this leg of our trip but you all know the saying – 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas' :-)

Danielle and Julian

Las Vegas - 19th July 2009

Thought we should be including the dates in the blogs – we are getting behind and back home it will be confusing with the time difference anyway.

Yesterday we went to a factory outlet to do some shopping (we had to bribe the kids with lots of presents so that they wouldn't hate us for leaving them for so long!) Jul thought it was only a couple of miles up the road so we decided to walk to get some exercise in. It is HOT here – temps yesterday were up to about 42 degrees Celsius. It turns out the centre was a little further than expected – probably about 7 kms away. We arrived thirsty, sweaty and hot. We did take water (we are in the desert after all) but that was finished about half way there! Anyway, we made it! After downing some water we needed some food – we eventually found a salad bar and ENJOYED some healthy food that did not contain fries and a coke on the side!!!

After about 3-4 hours of shopping (yes, it did nearly kill us) we caught a bus back like normal people, lol. Got talking to a couple from Seattle at the bus stop and if they can stand the long flight they are going to come visit us in Australia, lol.
After we got back we went to watch a game of NBA Summer League (basketball for those who are not fans). These are all the rookies and 1st and 2nd years players. It was a good game but they certainly aren't at the same level as the elite players. It was good to kick back with a beer (yes, even Danielle had one) and watch some (mighty spunky says Danielle) athletes play a game of basketball.

We had a beautiful dinner last night at the Tropicana (fresh steamed vegies on the side – YUMMY!) and then played some machines. They serve you drinks (anything you want for free) as long as you are gambling. So if you can stay in front or break even you are getting free drinks. Doesn't happen for many but we are doing just fine – hard to lose too much playing 1c machines, lol. We have found a couple that you can actually hold your own on :-)

Julian has gone out for a run – after my nose dive a week or so ago (my face has healed, yay) I am not allowed to run (Dr's orders) until he does some more tests and gives me the all clear. It is so hot out there that I am rather enjoying sitting in the A/C typing this. Although I am hungry and want to go eat breakfast (probably no fries – hash browns instead, lol)!

We are catching a show tonight and are off to San Antonio (EARLY) tomorrow morning – so you will probably next hear from us when we are in Texas (will try and post some Vegas pics then).

Oh, and we enjoy reading the comments to our post and receiving emails (kessam@wideband.net.au or daniellekessner@wideband.net.au) with updates from the land down under – so feel free :-)

Danielle and Julian xxx

Yesterday in San Francisco, Today in Las Vegas

Here we are on United Airlines leaving California and heading for Nevada listening to great music. Life is good.

Yesterday we slept in (much needed!) and missed our complimentary breakfast – oh well. We headed into San Fran on the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and this time knew what we were doing as far getting tickets – the first day we spent some time trying to work it out, lol. There were a couple of teenagers sitting on the seats in front of us – the girl was your stereotypical US teen that you see in so many of the movies “It was like soooo awesome and like I couldn't believe it” etc Made us have a little laugh.

By the time we got into the city it was lunch and then off we went along Fisherman's Wharf. It was a beautiful sunny day – hardly any fog! We stopped at a Mexican training tall ship that was open to the public and had a look over that, did some more shopping and then went on a tour of a submarine. It was amazing to see – no idea how they stayed on there so long in such cramped quarters! This submarine rescued 74 Australian prisoner of war soldiers during World War II so we heard all about that.





We went to try and find the cable car that goes up the steepest street in San Fran. We couldn't be bothered waiting in the huge queue so just starting walking. We came across a bar and decided to have a quick drink and head back out to the motel. Three hours and a number of drinks later we left, lol. We got talking to a couple from LA. He was originally from Cleveland and we were asking about that as Ethan barracks for their basketball side. He spent some time in Australia when he was in the Navy. It was an enjoyable afternoon.

On the walk back to the BART we strolled through Little Italy and Chinatown. A couple of stops into our trip home we all had to get off as a train had broken down further along the track. Rather than hang around in the station we went out into the Dolores Mission area and of course managed to find another bar. This one seemed to have a number arty types and a few gay guys – one who was checking Julian out big time which he was completely unaware of, lol. Poor guy was a little disappointed when he realised Danielle was the wife, hehehe.

We finally got back to the motel room hours later than first anticipated, packed and went out for dinner to our 'favourite' Irish pub.

Narelle, this photo is for you – he has the best luck with his sunglasses doesn't he! lol



We were up EARLY to get out to the airport. As you can imagine these days, security is very tight and of course Julian set off their alarms (Danielle is cracking up with laughter typing this).

Back again and it is now 7pm in Vegas. This place is CRAZY!!! People everywhere - and the noise! Lol. As soon as you get off the plane the first thing you see are slot machines!!! We are staying at the Luxor so if never make it Egypt at least we have slept in a pyramid! The view from the room is great – can't wait to see it all lite up tonight. We have been for a swim and played the slot machines (have to use the local lingo). We have won – not a lot but dinner will be covered, lol (sorry Gabby, no winnings to share - yet). After dinner we are going to walk the strip and check out all of the other casinos. Who know what this places holds in store for us?!!!



It is getting harder to keep up with this blogging – too much to do, too much to see and too much to drink – I (Danielle) think I will gain 10 kilos just from drinking. It is worse than the cruises!!!

Hope you are feeling better Tara - we will call you tomorrow or the day after. Tell Ethan to email us!!!

Hope to blog again soon.....????

Danielle and Julian xxx

Las Vegas Here We Come!

Another great day in San Fran - totally stuffed!!!. We must have walked half of SF, lol. We went through Chinatown, Little Italy, Dolores Mission area plus more. We still keep stuffing up with our food - we really only need to order one meal because they are so big.

Heading off (early) to Vegas tomorrow. Will post more tomorrow night.

So tired but have a GREAT time!

Night y'all :-)

Danielle and Julian

Typo's

Please excuse all past and future typo's (and bad grammar Anthony!). We have so little time to post that checking over posts (especially after a couple of drinks) is not going well (obviously after reading the last post at a later time!)

San Francisco with Super Sightseeing Tours

After our complimentary breakfast this morning (got to order eggs over easy, lol) we got collected by the tour company from our motel and taken into San Fran (we are actually staying in the city limits of Millbrae – near the airport). After a short tour of the city we headed across the Golden Gate Bridge and out to the Muir Woods where there are these massive Redwood trees and Sequoia's.

The fog here is unbelievable – a lot of the views were blocked out by it on the ride up which was a pain. On the other hand, the driver was HOONING up the windy hill like you wouldn't believe so we were thankful we weren't sitting there watching our lives pass before our eyes, lol. Danielle tends to get a little car sick in vehicles on windy roads so was glad to make it without throwing up (Julian was also very happy about this!)

Amazingly the woods are not affected by the fog at all and they were beautiful – although a bit chilly. We walked for about an hour and got some great photos and video footage. The Redwoods are the world's tallest living things and grow up to 300 feet tall. The Sequoia's can live up to 3,000 years old. I am sure you are all interested in that so we will not bore you with any more details.




The fog wasn't so bad on the trip back down and we stopped a coastal town called Sausalito and had lunch on the jetty that Otis Reading wrote 'Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay' from. We order a Chicken Bread each (having no idea what it was) and realise now that we only need to order for one! Meals here are soooo big. Sausalito is an upmarket seaside town with amazing houses.

Back on the road and we got to stop and take some photos of the Golden Gate Bridge on the way back. Did you know that they painted it gold (orange!) so that it could be seen through the fog. Did you also know this was a waste because it didn't help on the way up when the fog was bad! On the way back it was a lovely view. Our tour guide asked us where we were from and after telling him Victoria, Australia he asked us about the bush fires early in the year. We told him they were very close but we were always safe. When we all got back on the bus he announced that that there was two people on board who survived the bush fires in Australia – made us have a bit of a chuckle.



Back in town and we headed off to Fisherman's Wharf to catch a ferry out to Alcatraz. It was fantastic tour – you wearing headphones and are guided around the cell block with this audio tour. All very interesting. We were exhausted by the time we boarded the ferry to come home. We were told that if you tried to steal one of the headsets an alarm would go off when you boarded the ferry. So there were hundreds of people lined up to board and Julian goes through the checkpoint and off goes the alarm! Lucky the guard didn't scream “Get down on the ground now Mother #%^*^#%” with a gun pointed at him, lol. Honestly, he didn't have the headset. Lately he is setting off alarms everywhere – shopping centres, airport etc. We think he has so many staples inside from his hernia surgery that he is setting them all off, roflmao. Danielle is in hysterics writing this but Julian no longer finds it amusing!



Back on land, safely delivered to our hotel, showered and all set to hit the town (if we can stay awake).

Even though it has been a little cool weather wise and doesn't feel at all like summer we love San Francisco. Another great day planned for tomorrow. Having a ball but missing our kids.

Danielle and Julian xxx

We Have Arrived

We had a great flight over. New Zealand Airlines were fantastic. We got a little bit of sleep – enough to get us through our first day in the US OK. We disembarked, got through customs, travelled to our hotel and checked in all within 1:15 minutes!!! We sat next to a lady and her friend who were from NZ. Yvonne thought Julian was the ants pants because he showed her how to use the in flight entertainment.

Our hotel is lovely and in a nice area. We took the train to Fisherman's Wharf today and had a look around. It was a great walk from the train station to the piers and along the way Julian got his head on a local comedy TV show! He was asked what sucked and he replied 'George Bush” (sorry to any George fans, lol) along with a 17 hour flight. Not even in the city 2 hours and he is on TV, hehehe. Pier 39 was thriving with activity. One guy asked us to bring a crocodile next time. We had hot dogs for lunch – had to have 'traditional' US food on our first day, lol. On our way back to the train station we ran into Yvonne who have us both a big cuddle and kiss – friends for life, lol.

We had a couple of drinks in an Irish bar across from the hotel and then went to get a few things from the local Safeway. We can NOT believe how cheap groceries and ALCOHOL is. A 750ml bottle of Bacardi ($35 on average in Australia) worked out to be $14 Australian!!! A slab of 30 cans worked out to be around $23 Australian!!! Danielle had to buy a block of Hershey's chocolate :-)

Text messages are too hit and miss – we are receiving them ages after you have sent them and are sure it is the same on the way back – we won't be doing too many more of them. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow so we had better go have a couple of drinks and hit the sack.

Sending our love back to everyone in Oz and can't wait to meet up with all of our US friends over the next few weeks.

PS no photos to share yet.

We are off!!!!

We are packed and whatever we have forgotten we have forgotten! We leave in 20 mins and are very excited (despite being tired!). 'See' you all in the USA!

Danielle and Julian

Flights, Accommodation and Entertainment Booked

Only one week and one day to go!

We have booked all of our internal US flights and accommodation. One of the flights could be a little scary – it’s on a very small plane, propellers and all. It’s the only flight we could take that would get us to the northern part of Wisconsin. It will be an adventure if nothing else.

We have booked tickets for a show and a couple of sporting events. We might try to do a ‘fly over the Grand Canyon’ tour if we can. The rest we will play by ear (Julian is also hoping to see some of the show’s Vegas is renowned for, lol).

Our parents have detailed information on our flights and accommodation. If there are any major incidents while we are away, they can either rest assured that we are OK or panic like crazy!

We will write again when we are in United States of America.