Look mom... no hands. Little Jack, a little bigger! :) 

(USA back track 4) A trip over the pond

March 2005 came along, which marked a year since i had left Nottingham and time to return! I was extremely excited about getting back... couldn't wait to see all my friends and my 'second' home again and i wasn't gonna let anyone stop me from getting there... including a very snotty immigration officer (what is up with me and immigration!). After landing at Gatwick 2 hours late, thanks to a snow storm in Chicago and then having to wait a line at immigration for about an hour while the people with British passports sailed through (i'm not gonna go there), the immigration officer decided to play mind games with me! Apparently i had immigration problems and was going there to get married (all i wanted was a holiday), i was sent to the naughty corner and after a further 30 min was finally called over, warned not to get married and sent on my way... needless to say i ran for it! :)

Being back in Nottingham was fantastic, and seeing all the friends was even better! Everything was still the same, except for the fact the trams were up and running. I was there for 3 weeks and was gonna make the best of it... meaning to the pub! :) For the first week, i was in some pub or club (Cookie Club and Hogs Head being the fav) every night catching up with all the peeps, oh and we had Helen's 25th to celebrate.

The oldest inn in the world

I decided to do a bit of the touristy thing whilst there, because i had spend 2 years in the city and hadn't even been to see the Robin Hood statue! Also i hoped on a train a couple of times, once to Manchester to watch my 'brothers' (who were on a school soccer tour) play soccer/football and again to London to visit my cousins, aunt and a friend (that is another story... Cheers pub in Piccadilly Circus rocks)!

Introducing a few of my very good 'friends' (Helen, Adam and Donna)... i hope the wind doesn't change direction and their faces stay like that! :)

All and all, it was just what i needed and also a chance for me to sort out a few issues! The 3 weeks went by far to quickly and most of my money was spent on alcohol! :) Nottingham will always have a big part of my heart!

PS my lil ol blog has now received over 100 hits... keep on reading and commenting! :)

Just as a quick footnote... and thank you Adam for the reminder, i'd like to thank Adam for providing my accommodation... a beautifully painted yellow bedroom and a very cosy sleeping bag... top draw! :)

This is the life!

I have spent the last couple of days doing practically nothing and have been loving it!The family are away in Phoenix and i'm house and dog sitting. My days go something like this... wake up at about 8am, have a cup of coffee and some toast on the deck, read the paper, check my emails, have a shower... by this time it's lunch time. Then it's time to do some studying, off to the gym or shop or for a bike ride (there are some great bike paths around here), come home, sit on the deck sipping on a cold beer.... you get the picture... bliss! :)

No...i didn't make a quick trip to the Caribbean (i wish), this is Boyd Lake in Loveland. I took a little roadtrip today to join the rest of the South Africans that live in Colorado for a braai (for the non-South Africans, that's a BBQ)! It was great to be amongst so many South Africans again... made me miss home even more (i now have less than a month til the visa expires) and to top off the day i won 3 bottles of Nandos sauce... yummy!

Local is lekker!

Well i have one more exam to go and have started putting the finishing touches on my little weekend break to Chicago, so things are moving along nicely! Still not sure when exactly i am returning home... the agency is taking it time with booking my ticket, but i am really looking forward to setting foot on South African soil again :)

Two very cheeky mokeys and me

The monkey standing is Adam and the other monkey is Daniel

My cute, cheeky monkeys... those faces just spell trouble!!!

U.N. issues report to stop Issuing so many reports

Back to present day! Just finished my second exam... and as all my exams go, it was ok! I can never tell how i did til i get the results... so here's hoping! I have one more to go (Tourism Management)... but only in 2 weeks!

Otherwise, things here are pretty quiet at the moment! Besides studying, i've been working lots and trying to finalise all my travel arrangements for the various locations i'm off to (Chicago, Alaska and home!). The biggest challenge i'm having is baggage, trying to figure out the best and most cost effective way to get 2 years worth of stuff out of here... not as easy as it sounds (if there are any suggestions out there, hit me with them... pretty please)! The family has found a new au pair, which is great news... so things are starting to wind down! :)

A quick housekeeping issue... i started that picture of the day thingy but as it turns out, it's too much effort for me (and i'm running out of pics) so i'm gonna change it to picture of the week... any objections? Talking about pics... the twins and i had professional photos taken yesterday, so as soon as i have them in digital form i'll post them!

Well here's to sunshine, suntan, a couple days off, 2 weeks left of studying and a month left of employment... woohoo! :)

PS. today is LiveStong day, so i hope you are all wearing yellow... i am!

(USA back track 3) Never eat yellow snow!

OK, so i have arrived in the US of A... been to New York and slowly became accustomed with life in Denver, CO! In the first couple of months in the state, the family took me sightseeing... mostly into the mountains. It was incredible to see the mountains and the ski resort, especially coming from a coastal city. The real excitement came when the white stuff (i'm talking about snow) arrived... as i like to called it, in a truly South African accent... proper snow! I'd seen snow in England, but once you've seen snow in the Rockies, that stuff that falls in England is no snow... it's just white rain.

In December of 2004 we made a trip into the mountains (for a week) to Steamboat Springs for my first skiing experience. I was so excited... had a half day lesson and off i went! Skiing is an amazing experience... the extremely cold wind rushing up your nose and the fear that you might do a face plant any second... it's fantastic! I caught onto the concept pretty quickly and soon i had mastered the green slops (beginners) but was not quite brave enough and my knee was objecting to graduating to the blue slopes (intermediate). Steamboat Springs is a beautiful cowboy town about 3 hours drive from Denver, a great place to learn to ski and have a little fun!

The slopes of Steamboat Springs

My next skiing experience came on 2nd January 2005... went with friends of the family to a ski area called Loveland... it's the closest ski area to Denver, it's not a resort... just a mountain with some great slopes! After doing a few warmup runs down the greens i decided to give the blues a try. Needless to say on my first run down a blue slope i landed on various parts of my body on a number of occasions... but i never gave up and eventually made a run all the way down a blue slope on my skis (however you spell the plural of ski)!

Earlier this year i also ventured into the mountains to part take in a little skiing. I didn't know what to expect because i hasn't skied in over a year and i was skiing at a new resort, Copper Mountain. But as it turns out skiing is like riding a bike... you never forget, to turn you pick the foot that is facing away from the mountain up and that's basically it!! Oh and to slow down (that comes in handy) you make an upside down 'V' with your skis... snow plough as they called it!

What could be better!

Skiing is great fun and a good sport to keep you in shape, so hopefully i'll have the opportunity to ski again someday! :)

Potd: Westernaires... guess what happens next? 

Potd: There is a crazy man in that dog costume! 

(USA back track 2) Rocky Mountain High and the mile high city

For some of you... ok, most of you who haven't been to visit me i thought i'd show you (thanks to the fantastic technology of Google Earth) where i live! I live in a city of Colorado called Aurora... it's pretty big and about 20 min outside of Denver!

Home sweet American home

Home sweet home a little closer

So, that was my little tour of the sleepy city of Aurora! Colorado is a fantastic state, it's clean and there is some much to do, especially in the mountains (as you will see in later posts)! It's a state of 2 halves... one a desert, the other, Rocky Mountain High! Denver is called the Mile High city because it's... you guessed it, a mile above sea level! There are some places in the mountains where you go above 2 miles... especially when skiing. Colorado also has all the major American sports teams... Colorado Avalanche (ice hockey), Denver Nuggets (basketball), Colorado Rockies (baseball), Denver Bronco (football) and Colorado Rapids (soccer or football), who all do pretty well!

This has been my home for almost 2 years now (not the place on the left, that's the Capitol Building)... and a very good home it has been, but as we all know, there is no place like home! It's not long now and i'll be moving country and house (in about 8 weeks) and can't wait!

PS. i think the best song to fit this post is Aurora by Foo Fighters :)

Potd: The liquor store in Beaver Creek... up in the mountains! 

Potd: One of my fav... if i do say so myself! 

(USA back track 1) Watch out USA... here I come!

June 20 2004... i leave the shores of Durbs again and after an extremely long flight (now that is what i call a long-haul flight)... something like 30 hours of travelling, i touch down in the Big Apple on June 21 2004! Next challenge, putting on a sweet, friendly face (the only one i have) to get past immigration (they are not my favourite people)! So my first experience of New York... the guy taking us to the au pair school on Long Island falling asleep at the wheel... i mean, i'm the one who has been awake for 2 days but he falls asleep... needless to say i got the fright of my life and was wide awake from then on!

The au pair school was located at St. John's University campus, it very interesting and it was good to meet all the other au pairs (although i was the only one who spoke English as my first language, this becomes a tread throughout my 2 years here)... kind of like being part of the UN!!!!

The highlight of my stay at the au pair school was our trip into New York City on the last day! It was mindblowing to see all the buildings and sights we have all seen on TV and heard so much about! Times Square was our first stop... all the posters and billboards, it was amazing and the naked cowboy was there to entertain us all (what will they think of next, a gay, rapping cowboy... oh wait, there is one already)! We then had a walk around Rockafeller Centre, unfortunately all the flags had been taken day in honour of the death of Ronald Reagan! All aboard the bus and off we went past more famous landmarks... Madison Square Gardens, Wall Street (got to touch the brass bull's nose for luck), the street which was used at the location for Friends (it wasn't the actual set, just the street the set was based on) and finally we got to the site of the WTC. I don't know how to put in words what it was like to stand there and look down into that huge hole... very airy and sad! You don't realise the distruction until you see it first hand... it wasn't only the trade centre that was distroyed but every building around it, except a small church... very airy!

The WTC site... looking down instead of up

Next stop the Stanton Island ferry, we were just going there to come back, mainly to go past the symbol of NYC... the Statue of Liberty! Pretty cool, saw loads of little sea taxis (with the famous black and yellow checks), the NYC skyline and the statue itself... it's huge! We then made our way back into the heart of the city and were given 2 hours to do our own thing... a group of us decided to head straight to the Empire State Building! After standing in a pretty long quene with the rest of the tourists, we made it onto the platform... don't look down!!!! The view is absolutely amazing, you can see for miles, the thing that amazed me most was the number of tiny yellow ants (cabs) there were and the size of central park... it's huge!

The Stanton Island ferry with Ms Liberty in the background

All in all, we covered most of NYC in about 5 hours... i'm gonna have to go back there one day (i'll have to wait til my next trip to the states), but it was an experience and a fantastic way to start off my American experience! The next day (June 25) all the UN of au pairs was rounded up and dispersed into the states... i headed for Denver!

Potd: A christmas kangaroo... go figure (xmas parade '05) 

Potd: My godson... little Jack the absolute cutie 

Potd: Phantom of the rocks (check out the half a man's face on the rock... spooky) 

Housekeeping

Just a few housekeeping issues... you may have noticed the pictures that are appearing everyday, it's something i am gonna try keep up... posting a picture a day (they may not be taken on that actual day, but just an interesting pic). Also, i said i would be slowly updating the blog with stories of my previous travels... i have started writing the posts but can't really publish them (the UK ones) until i return home and convert the good ol' 35mm film into digital, but i will start working on my trips around the United States of Whatever... ok, America! :)
I hope everyone is enjoying the changes in season... i know i am!
Ok bye

PS it would naas if a few of you would leave comments... please :)

Picture of the day: spent a peaceful Sunday, studying in the sun, drinking a Corona! :) 

Anyone wanting to go back in time??

An actual classified ad placed in a newspaper... please will someone apply! ;)

Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me... this is not a joke! PO Box 322, Oakview, CA, 83022. You'll get paid after we get back, must bring your own weapons, safety not guaranteed, i've only done this once before!

Picture of the day: Look closely, it's a double rainbow

A Stampede and a Wiggly Party

On Wednesday night was my au pair friend, Noelia's farewell... so i decided to venture out on a weekday night (my, the times have changed). Myself and a whole group of au pairs line danced the night and early morning away at Stampede... take a guess at the genre of this bar?? It was ladies night, the best invention ever... free entrance and free drinks til 12, what more can a girl ask for? I was expecting to get in there and be surrounded by old people, doing their line dancing and the such, but not to be... there was a wide varity of peeps, i even bumped into a gangsta cowboy... he had the hat (just a smaller version), the boots and the belt buckle and of course, what you see on every cowboy... the bling bling! It was a most enjoyable evening, but a little sad, because the only friend i really made here has now left!

The rest of the week was business as usual, working and studying hard, but come the weekend and the boy's 3rd birthday party with a Wiggles theme... the Wiggles drive me crazy!!!! Anyhoo, it was a pretty hectic day with loads of toddlers running around, high on gummy bears, cake and ice-cream. My main job before the party was to collect the balloons... 3 dozen of them! Me and my car nearly did a Mary Poppins... up, up and away! It was good to have some adult company tho, and everyone was asking me about my pending return home. It was great to talk about it... made it more real (41 days til i'm unemployed... woohoo)!

Well my first exam is coming up on Wednesday, Economics... not my favourite of the lot, but i'm relieved the exams are finally here because it's been dragging lately! I also have a 2nd round playoff game to go to next week (Avs vs The Mighty Ducks), so stay tuned for the results of both exam and hockey game!

PS still trying to work out how to add captions to pics... i'll get it together one of these days!
Song of the day: Music is Power by Richard Ashcroft

I've done it

I decided that i couldn't carry on with studying til i had sorted the picture issues out... it would just be sitting at the back of my head, corrupting my study thoughts... well that's my excuse and i'm sticking to it!
Anyhoo, i have a pic in the profile now and i should have a grasp of adding pics to posts now... we shall see! Ok, i'm going now... just wanted to let you know i've figured it out!
Ciao :)

Ok, I give up!

I consider myself in be the know when it comes to anything computer... but this blogging thing has me stumped! Well not the writing part, but adding all my snap happy pictures, i can't even add a photo to me profile... so i apologise, i will figure it out one of these days!!!!

Spring has certainly sprung here in Denver, with a mix of snow... just how i like it! I pity those people who live in Arizona where the temps are already in the 100's... no thanks. Anyhoo, everything is green and pretty again, that makes Robyn happy! Ok, got a pic in there, but know i have to work on the caption thingy... argh! Btw, that's Denver and the Pepsi Centre, home of many concerts, the Avs (2nd round here we come... ice hockey), the Nuggets (basketball), the Crush (indoor football) and Mammoth (lacrosse).

The reason i am writing an entry today, um... procrastination! I'm suppose to be studying (first exam is next Wed) but i can't be bothered and this is when i always manage to find something better to do!!! Also, i was told by another person in the BnA chat room to create a blog (if you are interested in travel i recommend this site www.bootsnall.com it's great for anything to do with travelling and a good chat), so thanks to Grant and Capt Steve i'm gonna give it a try! As soon as my exams are done and dusted i'll have time to update everyone on my life as a travelling bum!

Anyhoo, this weekend is my boys' 3rd birthday party, so we will have a house full of peeps enjoying a Wiggly Party... bless those damn Wiggles (they have to be Australian)!!!!
Ok, seriously... some studying needs to be done, i'm outta here for now :)
Totsiens

PS song of the day: You're All I Have by Snow Patrol