PA & Gordon HI ALL. YES, WE ARE NOW HOME. WE ARRIVED AN HOUR EARLY CAUSE WE HAD REALLY GOOD TAIL WIND, WHICH GORDON THOUGHT WAS GREAT CAUSE IT MEANT LESS TIME ON THE PLANE. HAD A LOT TO COME BACK AND DO BEFORE WE GET TO SETTLE DOWN, LIKE APPLYING FOR JOBS ETC. ALL OUR CLOTHES IN OUR ROOM WERE COVERED IN DUST AND ALL HAD TO BE WASHED, DID I MENTION HOW MANY CLOTHES WE HAVE? WELL IT TOOK US 4 DAYS TO WASH THEM ALL AND THE WASHING MACHINE DIDN'T STOP. NOT VERY FUN BUT OH WELL, THEY WERE COVERED WITH SHEETS TOO. AND ONE OTHER BAD THING TO COME HOME TO WAS OUR PACKAGE WE SENT FROM OZ HAD FALLED APART AND A LOT OF OUR AFRICAN SOUVENIRS WERE RUINED. GOT A BIT UPSET ABOUT THAT. CAN'T DO MUCH ABOUT IT NOW THOUGH. ON A GOOD NOTE, IT WAS GREAT TO SEE EVERYONE AGAIN. THE DOGS THOUGHT IT WAS BRILLIANT TO HAVE TO MORE PEOPLE TO GIVE THEM ATTENTION AGAIN. EVERYBODY IS FINE TOO. GORDON WILL BE APPLYING FOR THE BIG JOB SOON TOO, HE'S JUST GOING TO LABOUR AND WORK AT B&Q TILL HE GETS A JOB. I WAS GOING TO WORK AT B&Q FULL TIME AND THE CHESTNUTS A COUPLE OF NIGHTS BUT B&Q ONLY HAVE WEEKENDS TO OFFER SO I'VE APPLIED FOR A FEW FULL TIME JOBS, WE'LL JUST SEE HOW I GET ON. SO, WHERE WAS I LAST TIME? ORLANDO. WE SAW A LOT IN ORLANDO. STAYED WITH A GUY NAMED DARRELL. HE WORKED AS A SCULPTOR AND PAINTER. HE DID THINGS LIKE MADE ALL THE RIDE CREATURES AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO CAN'T THINK OF THE NAME OF THEM. BUT HE WAS COOL. WE WENT TO THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE AND TO GATORLAND. THE SPACE CENTRE WAS REALLY INTERESTING AND GATORLAND WAS REALLY COOL. I GOT CHOSEN TO HOLD WHAT WAS 'IN THE BOX'. I HAD TO CLOSE MY EYES, IT TURNED OUT TO BE A SCORPION, VERY COOL. THERE'S A PHOTO OF IT. WE THEN HEADED TO MIAMI. NOT REALLY THAT IMPRESSED ACTUALLY. THE BEACH WAS DIRTY AND WAS GRIT NOT SAND AND THE WATER WAS FULL OF SEAWEED AND NOT AT ALL CLEAN LIKE IT LOOKS IN PICTURES AND STUFF. REALLY NOT WHAT WE WERE EXPECTING. AND THE WATER WASN'T EVEN COLD ENOUGH TO COOL YOU DOWN, IT WAS WARM SO THERE WAS NO REASON TO GO TO THE BEACH, SO WE SUNBAKED BESIDE THE BEACH SHOWERS, AT LEAST THEY WERE COLD ENOUGH TO COOL DOWN. WE ALSO WENT ON A DAY TRIP TO ANOTHER GATOR PARK THAT WAS ON THE EVERGLADES. WE WENT ON AN AIRBOAT AROUND THE EVERGLADES. VERY COOL. LOVED IT! SAW LOTS OF GATORS. IT WAS GORDONS BIRTHDAY ON OUR LAST NIGHT SO WE STAYED AT A HOTEL. THE AREA THE HOTEL WAS IN WAS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE AREA THE HOSTEL WAS IN, BUT WE WERE ON OUR LAST NIGHT SO IT WAS TOO LATE TO ENJOY ALL THE NICER TAKEAWAYS ETC AROUND. THEN WE HEADED TO WASHINGTON DC. THAT WAS A JOURNEY. IT TOOK 24 HOURS AND 25 MINUTES. WE LEFT AT 11AM AND GOT THERE AT 11.25 THE NEXT DAY. HAD A FEW STOP OVERS BUT WERE ON THE SAME BUS ALL THE WAY SO THERE WASN'T ANY PROBLEM GETTING BACK ON THE BUS. THANKFULLY. WASHINGTON DC WAS COOL. SAW HEAPS OF MONUMENTS AND ALL THE STUFF YOUR SUPPOSED TO SEE LIKE THE WHITE HOUSE. IT WAS SO HOT THOUGH, IT WAS HARD TO LEAVE THE HOUSE. WE STAYED WITH A GUY NAMED MICHAEL. HE WAS LOVELY. HE HAD 2 ROOM MATES WHO WERE ALSO LOVELY. AND A CAT. THEY HAD A WINE TASTING ON ONE OF THE NIGHTS, IT WAS A BLAST. LOTS OF FUN WAS HAD BY ALL. THEN WE HEADED TO NEW YORK. STAYED WITH NICOLE. IT WAS GREAT TO SEE HER AGAIN. MET HER ROOM MATE ALI AND HER BOYFRIEND MARIUS. HE WAS LOVELY. COULDN'T HAVE BEEN NICER. HAD SUCH A GOOD TIME STAYING WITH THEM THAT WE WANT TO GO BACK. WE'VE ALREADY TOLD THEM THEY HAVE TO COME TO SCOTLAND SOON. WE DID ALL THE TOURISTY STUFF LIKE THE STATUE OF LIBERTY, EMPIRE STATE BUILDING, CENTRAL PARK ETC. AND WE ALSO HAD A COUPLE OF DAY TRIPS TO PHILLADELPHIA AND BOSTON. BOSTON WAS LOVELY, REALLY NICE CITY. PHILLADELPHIA WAS OK TOO, SAW THE LIBERTY BELL AND THE HALL OF INDEPENDANCE. REALLY WANTED TO SEE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDANCE BUT IT WAS ON LOAN FOR A YEAR SOMEWHERE ELSE, TYPICAL HUH, THE YEAR THEY DON'T HAVE IT IS THE YEAR WE WANTED TO SEE IT. BUGGAR! ANYWAYS, WE'VE HAD A GREAT TIME. CAN'T BELIEVE ITS ALL OVER ALREADY. MISS EVERYBODY SO MUCH ALREADY. HOPE YOU ARE ALL WELL. AND FOR THOSE I'M STILL YET TO CATCH UP WITH. LOOKING FORWARD TO IT. BYE FOR NOW. PA & GORDON

Kim Your big day is here! I hope you have an excellent flight home. I will be send you good travel energy today. I know your reception will be grand with all your friends and family that have missed you. And now a message from Tinka - "meh meh mrrow ow, me row" =^..^=.

Liliana Hello! I must confess that I feel quite envious of you!! What a trip!!! I hope you keep enjoying the world, from the views of the pictures, every thing looks great. Good luck!! (At the moment I'm living in Paris, so if you are planning to come to this continent again, let me know).

Carly Hey you two! This is Kim's friend Carly from San Diego. I told you before I left that I would stop in -- so I am! I hope you guys are having an awesometastic time. I might be having my own couchsurfer soon. Safe travels! =)~

Kim Just read today after a couple. It's your birthday Gordon?! meh meh ow meh mrow (that's happy birthday from tinka) =^..^=

Jade Hello!! Whoa! This journal is pretty cool guys - yeah it's my first time here - I know, I'm slack, but in my own defence I am pretty sure that I was drunk when one of you two gave the site name to me.... Anyways, when compared to what you guys have been up to, nothing much has been happening here. Shelley is half way thru her pregnancy, and Joanne is pregnant too - and me too!! Na just kidding.... I have always been a sucker for following the crowd NOT!!!! Mine, Tiani and Deja's bachelorette pad is going pretty well - soo much mischief PA think Chilton but when were are older.. Deja and I have helped Tiani with some laboring jobs (so funny - I can't say that I am cut out to be a brickies labour...) and it was only a letter box for a one-legged postie (yeah I know a random fact) Deja is doing really well - she is working for MBF and has just finished her training - she is smashing the targets that the company has set - in her first week she was listed 8th in the whole company!! It's really good that she is finally working with people who recognise her ability - she is doing really well but she is still the biggest damn weirdo in the world. I am still working at GE (I am there now, our program is down - team leaders instructions are to 'look busy') I am only working her part time but I will probably start full time by september - I don't work at the college anymore - I resigned before I went to new zealand meh! Umm what else... I kinda have a new bf - not telling though - it's a bit hard to say it out loud ( I am still trying to admit it :) BAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I'll send you an email... What else..... Bundy has FINALLY filled out I bet he turns into a mega fatty now. Well love, that is all I really have left to say for now I will send you an email later on and let you know some other stuff!! Love you heaps but miss you even more Love Hoochie xoxoxo - Hugs and Kisses to Flash too!

Mumsie Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Toodles, Happy Birthday to yooooooooo! This is the first birthday you haven't been with us, no cake, candles etc, but we'll make up for it when you get home with a monumental piss-up!!! Lots of love, missing you and counting the days till you're home with us again. (We'll probably have fallen out by teatime!)

Jodes hey kids, sorry it's been a while. I finally got a job. I'll be working as an assistant in nursing for new farm clinic which is a private psychiatric hospital. I am working in the eating disorder unit. so there are about 12 eating disorder patients and the rest have other mental health issues such as depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety issues, you name it, they're in there. I will be doing really basic nursing stuff such as taking heart rate, pulse and that kinda crap (called observations) and then doing counselling stuff with the patients both individually and as group stuff. I will be supervising morning tea and lunch meals and stuff. I'm not sure when I start yet the lady is calling me back this week sometime to discuss wage and when I start. The thing is it is shift work but that increases my pay so I guess thats ok. Plus Rick will be moving out of mum's soon so when I am working a late shift, I can have dinner there and maybe go back there after I finish and catch a few hours sleep before i drive home to re's place. So I am now just sitting at home waiting for a phone call as to when I start. Not much else to report on my front. Re's still working hard. Hey supposedly sas's parents and josh are coming up in september so I'm going to try and catch up with them, plus john wants us to go back out to roma in the september school holidays so he can take reon shooting, so depending on dates and availability we may be going back for a few days. shame you's couldn't make it out there, but it's no biggie. Your trip sounds wonderful so far. How much have you got left? Where else are you's seeing and roughly when will you's be back in the UK? you's are going back to godon's parents for a bit hey? I hope you didn't know anyone who was in those bombings a few weeks ago in london. I was thinking of you's. Anyway, I'm off. Stay safe and I miss you both lots. Love me.

US Hi again. We are in New Orleans at the moment. We flew from LA to New York and were going to stay in New York overnight and leave for Toronto the next morning. New York was so expensive though so we decided to go straight to the bus station and get an o/n bus. Toronto was nice. Went on a day trip to Niagara Falls. It was amazing. Went on the maid of the mist, and went right under the falls. So cool! Lots to see there. Heaps of places to stop and have a look at stuff on the way there. Spent 3 nights in Toronto. One at a hostel and one with a girl named Danni. Did the couch surfing thing. Then we headed to Chicago where we stayed with a girl named Mindi. She was lovely. Couch surfing is pretty cool. You meet some lovely people. Did a few of the sights in Chicago, it's a beautiful city. Went to a free zoo, Gordon couldn't complain about that one cause it was free. HE HE. Then we headed on our 4 day mission to Orlando. We started on an o/n bus to Memphis where we arrived in the morning and had the day there. Went on a 3 hour tour which showed us Graceland and the city and a Duck March. A hotel called the peabody hotel has 5 ducks that march from their duck mansion to the elevator, down the elevator, along a red carpet in the lobby and head to a fountain in the lobby where they spend the day there till 5. they come down at 11. it's so cute. they even have a duck master. and we met elvis' suit maker, he still works in the peabody hotel and is still making suits. he as heaps of signed guitars and stuff on his walls. Really cool guy. always seems to try to make people laugh. also went on a paddle steamer on the mississippi. got a bit boring, but at least we can say we did it. then we took another o/n bus to Dallas. We stayed with someone again, named Kat. She couldn't have been nicer. she drove us around everywhere, thankfully too cause we wouldn't have been able to do it without her. We saw the JFK memorial and the city and the farmers market which was really cool. and we went to southfork ranch where Dallas was filmed. pretty interesting. really cool ranch too. then we headed on the o/n bus to New orleans which is where we are now. its raining though which sucks. still saw the french quarter and the mississippi and the markets. oh, and got the magnet so we can go now. on a bus to orlando tonight where we can start to slow down a bit on our way back. Lorna, we will definately be wanting to catch up when we get back. can't wait! Missing everyone. bye for now

Hola burds , hows it going. Jelous of ab photos and all the great place you've been. we had a week of sun ages ago and i think thats it for the usmmer. Had the bloody heat on last night! Went are you guys back, you'll have to come up to edinburgh for night out and crash with us, know you plan to stay in Ayr for a bit. Anyway see you soon , lorna & doug

Hi again. In LA again now. Vegas was awesome. Want to go back already. Even got Gordon to gamble a bit! It's just such an amazing place. Very tacky and hot and dirty but well worth the visit. The heat was so unbearale during the day that we spent our days by the pool as much as possible. We took a drive to Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon and saw a small bit of the Navajo country. Not as much as we would have liked but ran out of time to get the rental car back. We met a couple on the greyhound bus on our way there who we spent the week with cause they were staying at Circus Circus too. Had a good time. Then we headed to San Francisco. It's a pretty place. Once you get away from downtown and Chinatown, so much rubbish in the streets! Saw Alcatraz, and all the city sights. and hired a car for the day and drove to Yosemite. Were going to go halves with another couple but they let us down at the last minute. Yosemite is beautiful. Meant to go to the Jelly belly factory but ran out of time. Was very disappointed! Now in LA, leaving tomorrow for New York. We don't like LA much. Saw the tar pits and Rodeo drive, and hollywood blvd with the walk of fame and everything else on it. Not that exciting. The tar pit was pretty cool though. We only had today here so that's all we've seen and all we're gonna see. Not too disappointed. Only in New York for one night, maybe not even that, then off to Toronto. Talk to you all again soon.

Freuchie aka God aka Martin Hi-Di-Ho Travelers! Am back home now applying for jobs - such fun! Looks like your both still having fun - San Diego zoo pretty impressive eh? Mind and go tp Pot-bellies for a sandwich in Chicago cause they are awesome. Cant mind when u get back so have a good time and see u some time. Martin out!

Bron & Jim Hey guys! Just been lookin at your pics, seems to me you are having an absolute ball. Thanks for your postcard from Hawaii, it arrived yesterday. I bet the hike up grouse mt was well worth it, it looked so pretty. In August my friend and I are doing the city to surf in Sydney. It is 14km and we plan to walk the whole way!! Should be a laugh anyway. You two take care and keep on having fun. Lots of Love, Bron & Jimxx

Hi Everyone As you can probably tell by the photos, we are now in San Diego. Vancouver was nice. Pretty chilly. Hiked up Grouse Mountain. Honestly thought I was going to die! Gordon was ok though, constantly waiting for me to be able to breath again. Got overtaken by just about every old man in Vancouver. It was a 9km hike, didn't think it was going to be so bad. I was very wrong. There were rescued bears and wolves in enclosers at the top so it was worth it. saw a lumberjack show too. pretty funny. there was a cable car that went up and down but it cost like $40 to go up and back, but if you hiked up, it only cost $5 to come back down, needless to say we hiked up.Had our first couch surf. It was different but the lady was lovely. It's very strange to take up someones living room for a couple of days. Seattle is a lovely city too. Saw the space needle and went to the fun fair around it. won a cute giraffe on my first go, got a hole in one at mini golf but lost to Gordon in the end anyway. We didn't do much in Seattle, just a bit of shopping and lookin about. the hostel was really cool, free dinners 3 nights a week and free brekky and internet. we also thought the pike place market was pretty cool too. Saw war of the worlds while we were there too. pretty disturbing but definately worth seeing. Stayed in LA one night before we got on the bus to San Diego. stayed at a hostel that had 99c margaritas, hot dogs, beer and wine. and also free champagne from 6-7 then free cake at 7. very cool hostel. Staying with a girl here in San Diego. She couldn't be nicer. She has taken us around with her to pubs and restaurants. Her friends are pretty cool too. She has a gorgeous cat called Tinka. Very affectionate and has a meow like Missy's. Staying here till Monday then it's off to Las Vegas. Going to the Zoo and hopefully to Sea World (if we can afford it cause its $50pp), and may do a harbour cruise. Vegas Next!

becra hey guys, missing you both lots and lots, pretty quiet without you gordon! hope your both enjoying the other side! take care talk soon! mwah!!! love bec and ricky...