Musings on heading home....

We have now secured the rest of our accommodation bookings until we leave Los Angeles on 27 January including a week's R&R in Las Vegas. This is a definate final step now and the reality of leaving America behind is setting in slowly. The end of our 8 month trip of a lifetime is nigh!

While the children are particularly excited about seeing their friends, toys and cats again they, like Tim and I are also sad about returning home. We have never been homesick once and have enjoyed every minute. The 8 months seems like 1 to us all, it has flown by so quickly. Everyone we meet without exception tells us what a wonderful thing we are doing but we already know that. What a great experience it will be to reflect upon over the coming years. Being in the travel industry for over 20 years I know how important and educational, travel is for everyone but maybe especially for children. I did my first overseas trip on my own at the age of 18 to America, Britain and Europe for 3 months and have never looked back. I encourage my children to do the same and hope they will some day. Some people choose to spend their money on a new car, expensive fashion or a fancier home but we chose to spend it on a family adventure that will be forever ingrained in our memories.

Naturally I look forward to seeing my friends, cats and garden again but I could keep going over here quite easily if we had unlimited funds but we don't. Our friends in Wellington continually tell us how bad the weather has been since we've been away and that we left at the right time. I read recently on the net that December (our summer) had been the wettest recorded for about 60 years. Lets hope February is wonderful, warm and sunny! We have been blessed with fabulous weather the entire trip except for 4 weeks of rain during the height of the English summer - enough said! During our 5 months in America we have experienced 4 days of rain and fabulous high temperatures in June and July and very mild temperatures given the time of year for November through January.

More musings before we say farewell.