I Heart Visitors

The first of our summer visitors is arriving this afternoon - a friend will be staying with us for the next few days. We became friends in 2008, not all that long ago, but it feels like we've known each other a lot longer than that. 

Sarah and I in Colorado after we'd been 4-wheel driving through the mountains - hence the crazy hair. 

I met Sarah in Anaheim, California - the morning our road trip was due to set off across the States. Miss Kirby and I were standing around awkwardly by the bus ready to go, when this cute and tiny auburn haired girl appeared lugging a giant suitcase behind her. We started up a conversation and that was that. Instant buddies.

On the ferry back from Liberty Island in NYC - loving the sunnies, ladies. This picture was taken after our encounter with a crazy man on the subway.. who'd apparently seen us all in his dreams the night before. Riiiiight!

For the next six weeks, the three of us (plus another new friend, Carly) were together virtually every single day. Our awesome foursome explored famous places, took note of countless amusing billboards and laughed our way from the West Coast to the East Coast. Nearly every memory I have from that trip involves the girls.

Awake and (sort of) alert at 5am for our hot air ballooning adventure in Albuquerque! 

It's not easy travelling with people. I started that trip travelling with two good friends from home, and I ended the trip with only one of those friends still speaking to me. But I also ended that trip with two new and amazing friends, that I treasure. If you can survive each other for six weeks of travelling cross country, you can survive anything.

Sweltering in New Orleans on a Mississippi evening river cruise - why did we wear jeans?! Soon after this, we were stuffing our faces with beignets at Cafe du Monde and being covered in icing sugar.

The saddest part about ending our USA adventure was saying goodbye to the girls. We all lived in different parts of Australia, and I was returning to the UK. However as fate would have it, the very next year saw me stuck home in Sydney for three months while my Visa was renewed - and we had a reunion! Sarah flew in from Adelaide, Carly caught the train down from Newcastle and of course, Kirby and I hoofed it to Sydney, where we spent a weekend being tourists in the capital. And, as I'd guessed, we were all just as much fun to be around in this country too.

Hiding under bushes in the Sydney Botanic Gardens after a freak rainstorm hit. Good times!

I'm so excited to have Sarah staying with us - she'll get to meet Jase for the first time and I'll hopefully tag along with her to see the sights. And so begins a summer crammed full of friends and family. Bring it on!