After waking up at 7am and having showers, we set about packing everything up. By the time Nathan and Michelle arrived to take us and Jen to breakfast and the airport, there were just a couple things left to be put away – and a couple of additions thanks to Nathan and Michelle! Thanks so much for the pucks and game programs!!

Zipped up and ready to go we carried out stuff down to Nathan’s truck – well, Nathan carried a lot on his own. He’s a strong boy!! Anyway we were away! We went to Dennys for breakfast where we were served by this really nice albino guy. The food was good! Pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and toast. So yum!

By the time we finished eating though it was time to head to the airport. We said goobye to Michelle in the parking lot while Jen and Nathan came inside with us, Nathan carrying both our hikers backpacks because of our tattoos, and because he’s that strong!! Though he really did love our backpacks, thought they were brilliant, which they are!

Anyway we got checked in and then it was time to go through security, where Nathan and Jen can’t go with us. Trying hard not to cry, we hug them both goosbye really hard and thank them for everything, especially Jen for without her we couldn’t have gone to Texas! And as they walk away we go through customs.

There was no issue going through Dallas other than we had late numbers for boarding the plane. It meant that by the time we got onto the plane, we couldn’t sit together. I was lucky and two guys who knew each other moved over so I could have the isle seat, while Sam sat in the row ahead on the other side. Sam doesn’t like to fly so flying apart wasn’t a great thing at all.

I spent the 40 minute flight talking to the guys next to me. We talked sports and about our trip. They had been in LA and were flying home to Austin after seeing the TU Longhorns play in the semi finals for the Rosebowl which they won. The Longhorns now face Alabama in the Rosebowl final on January 7 2010! GO LONGHORNS! Anyway they were really nice. I explained to them the rules of cricket after one of them asked how it worked because it had always intrigued him.

When we got to Austin, we had 30 minutes to get off the plane, buy a shot glass, go to the toilet and board our plane to LA! We managed it and this time, the guy Sam had been sitting next to on the flight to Austin had saved us a seat so we could sit together because he doesn’t like to fly either so he knows what its like! Wasn’t that lovely of him?

We talked to him about our trip and how much we love Dallas and he told us how he was going to LA from Dallas on business but he lived in the Frisco area. We love Frisco, its so beautiful there.

Anyway we got to LA on dusk, and we had to find our way to the correct terminal, go upstairs, check in and then go through security all over again! While we were waiting to check in to V Australia we got to chatting with this lovely young lady from the south island of NZ who was going to Bible College in Virginia and very excited about going home to see her family for Christmas. She was on the flight to Australia ahead of ours, destination: Sydney.

We checked in and headed to security. This time, customs didn’t like the look of my carryon duffle – the pucks came up as unusual on the x-ray! I was amused. I was pulled aside and “asked” if they could search the bag. Of couse I giggled and said sure. He riffled through the bag and pulled out the pucks, frowning. I told him they were hockey pucks. He said that some of them had monoliths on them. I replied that they were autographs, actually! Anyway satisfied that I wsnt carrying dangerous goods he zipped up my bag and sent me on my way!

We went looking for dinner then. Our choices were Starbucks, Burger King or some cafe bar place that was expensive. Since we were down to our last $20 we chose BK. The line was long and the place packed so when I saw a spare table for 2, I took the bags and sat down with them while Sam stayed in line and ordered. Food tasted goooooood. Actually cardboard would have tasted good at that point!

We had about a two and a half hour wait for our flight to Australia. Sam read, and I reorganised my duffle that Mr Customs ruffled. Sam went and got us coffee with the last of our change and when he came back, he told me that a cop had staryed talking to him at Starbucks and she looked remarkably like Kate Beckinsale! Its only fair since I got to talk to Jensen Ackles I guess!

We were tired by the time we boarded the plane and we actually had the last row in the plane. Turns out they are GREAT seats! No one behind you! But down side: last pick of the food unless you request a special dish.

The flight was pretty smooth I think. I don’t really know I was passed out for 10 of the 12 and a half hour flight thanks to some Tylenol night sinus because I was still sniffling from the previous 3 weeks. Sam slept for about 5 hours which is awesome for him. He watched “District 9″ and was disappointed. I didn’t get to see the end of “Public Enemies” but I really want to!

Anyway we landed in Brisbane at 6.05am and we were at home by 7am.

We have had the best 6+ weeks ever on this trip, and have met amazing people (Paola, Sue, Emma, Cynthia, Julie, you all kick ass), seem some amazing sights and had a load of laughs, tears and a rollercoaster of emotions. And of course special thanks and love to Bel, Terry & the kids – we miss you guys so much!! Thanks for everything!!

These last couple of weeks however has been better than ever.  It was beyond fantastic to see our friends again.  No, not friends… family.  Rhonda, Jen, Jesse, Kelly, Val & Nathan, Julie, Mickie & Frederick, Clay & Harry, Leni, Amber & Grady and the Short family… all of y’all are more than just friends, you go beyond that.  We are blessed to have you as friends.  While we may be miles away in Australia, our hearts will be in Dallas.

We will be back.  Our plans to return will begin as soon as we land in Australia!

For those back home, our flight lands at 6:30am Friday morning local time.  Thursday will not exist for us at all, as we take off Wednesday evening and land 13hrs later on friday morning.  Wiggy eh?

To the cities we visited and our friends… we love you all.

This isn’t goodbye.  It’s Seeya later

Today started sad, as we awoke and prepared to depart San Antonio for the final time on this trip.  We have had the best time ever with our family in San Antonio and have nothing but thanks to every single one of them for taking us into their hearts and home.  Who would have thought 12 years ago that our friendship with Amber would become a whole new family as close to our hearts as any.  To the Short family, thank you.  We love you all, and promise to be back at some point in time.

We had originally planned to be on the road at 8am, and as Wendy was writing a note to Vicki Short to put with the thank you gifts we bought for her and the family she came home from work.  It worked out well as this way we got to thank her personally, and after talking, hugs and sad farewells, we finally got on the road at 9:30am for the lengthy 5-hour drive up to Dallas.  Wendy took the first shift, and took us through to just north of Waco, a about half the way home.  I took over from there and drove the remainder of the trip, which was uneventful for the most part other than the rain that plagued us for the last hour going into and through Dallas.

Finally arriving back at the hotel we unloaded all our bags and got ourselves settled in.  Jen had finished work for the day and came up and we ended up chatting for a bit before deciding on a plan; drive to Frisco and see if Rob was available, then head to the store to grab some groceries.  Unfortunately, Rob was in a meeting so we never got a chance to talk to him this time.  Not to worry, we’re there for an entire week, so anything is possible.

We then walked to the Stars Stuff Store.  AKA the Official Merchandise Store of the Dallas Stars Ice Hockey Club.  A mouthful eh?  This store is huge… the size of a large home, this single room has everything Dallas Stars, and is a sight that is beathtaking, mouthwatering and awe-inspiring all at the same times.  Authentic and replica jerseys, t-shirts, polo shirts, hoodies, track pants, pucks, sticks, skates, hockey gear, trinkets, toys… if you can think it, they mighth have it!  We spent a good 40 minutes just looking at all the amazing products available before finally dragging ourselves away.

Jen had messaged Kelly and Jesse to see what they were doing, but unfortunately Kelly was working late and Jesse had a game of “drop-in” hockey.  After a bit of back-and-forth banter between Wendy and Jesse he finally gave in and said he’d come over to Jen’s and hang with us.  Go Wendy!  So, our plans to visit the store went AWOL as we headed back to the hotel to catch up with Jessebean, as Wendy calls him.  You wouldn’t believe it… Jen, who lives in this area and drives it often… got lost!  So typical with us in the car, eh?

We finally got back and gave Jesse big hugs and had a chat and then after a bit of “what do you want” discussions, Jesse and Jen decided that we’d go to Uncle Julio’s, a mexican restaurant here in Dallas, for dinner.  Dinner itself was really nice.  Wendy went with the Chicken Fajitas while I opted for the “Juanita Platter”, which was a Taco, Enchiladas and something else (can’t remember).  After a good meal, loads of laughs and an hour or 2 later, Wendy and I paid the bill and we left, with a new plan; pick up Stellina (Jen’s dog) and then go see Rhonda at school where she works as a drama teacher.

The rain sure didn’t make the drive easy, but we quickly found the pet place and picked up the dog, a toy Schnauzer.  She’s a beautiful dog, with the most amazing personality.  Apparently she normally barks at everybody new she meets, but with Wendy and I she was quiet and came right up to us.  Pretty cool huh?  Anyway, we picked her up then headed down the 635 (big look freeway around Dallas) and then onto the I-30 over to the school where Rhonda works.  We met the kids and saw them doing the curtain call practice.

Did you know they even practice that?  I can’t say i’d even thought about it in the past to be honest, but it’s really pretty cool that they do.  We then got introduced as the friends from Australia and then the show was stolen by Stellina… who decided to relieve herself right there in the room.  Unfortunately, the floor was sloped, so everything started running!  While we’re literally cracking up laughing, Jen and Rhonda are busy getting it it cleaned up.  The funniest part of the entire thing was Jen’s face when she saw what was happening… absolutely brilliant!  A load of laughs later, we headed out for Rhondas house to pick up our boxes of goods we’d had mailed to her.

We handed out goodies to Jen (shot glasses for her collection), Rhonda (small books to appeal to her humour) and Jesse (a Moro chocolate bar and Canberra Raiders blanket to replace the Stars blanket he gave Wendy in 2006), and decided we’d all like some Braums Ice Cream… which apparently is “to die for”.  Turns out… oh hell yes, that it is!  I’m an ice cream elitist… sad to say, but it’s true.  Ice cream is my #1 weakness, just ask anybody who knows me.  This ice cream was truly amazing, rivaling anything else i can think of right now.  So we had that then went back to Rhondas place, said our good-nights then drove back to drop off the dog at the hotel.

One of the best things about Dallas, and the US in general is Walmart.  We’re talking about a huge store that sells groceries, pharmacy goods, clothes and other items.. think a huge supermarks and huge department store in one.  Best thing about Walmart is that its open 24hrs a day, and at almost midnight, there were a LOT of people out shopping.  Apparently it’s even busy at 4am.  Wiggy eh?  So anyway, we picked up groceries; high fibre cereal, low fat milk, earl grey tea, splenda, apples and bananas and also a few things from the pharmacy section; pain killers and sinus cold-and-flu tablets.  By chance i was looking at the DVD section and found “My Bloody Valentine 3D” which came with 4 sets of 3D glasses for only $20, so picked that up also.

That done, we loaded up the car with our new goods and drop back to the hotel to settle down watching “Hoarders”, “How i met your mother” and a bit of “Big bang theory”, me working on my laptop while Wendy snuggled on the couch with Jen and Jesse – a truly adorable site!  Gawd i wish i’d taken a photo of it!

Tonight we’re turning the alarms off.  We don’t have any major plans, so we’re hoping for a good night of good quality sleep.  After the last few nights, it shouldn’t be too hard.

We were up packing until 1:30am this morning before we fell into bed. This time we made sure we had everything. We were up at 7am, departed the hotel by 7:45am and were at O’Hare International Airport by 8am. We caught the Omega Shuttle from O’Hare to Midway – much cheaper than a cab at $17pp. We had a lovely chat to this lady from Chicago who was going from O’Hare to Midway to pick up her car upon her return from Florida.

We booked into our flight, went through security and then went in search of breakfast. It wasn’t the healthiest, but it was certainly delicious. It was this puff pastry scroll that was filled with mushrooms and cheese. After that, we headed towards our gate. Sam had to make do with McDonalds’ coffee. Poor baby.

The flight to Buffalo was relatively uneventful. It was half a planeful of people, and there was nothing to see thanks to the clouds. And we were sitting right on the wing – not such a great job in picking the seats on my behalf. My bad.

When we got to Buffalo, we made our way down to baggage claim and got our bags, and then tried to figure out how we were getting from Buffalo Niagra International Airport to the Greyhound Bus Station in downtown Buffalo. For $18 pp we could have taken another shuttle, but we talked to this lovely lady at the information counter who said for just $2.05 we could catch the 24 NFTA-Metra bus to downtown which would get us maybe a block or two away from the Bus Station – just to tell the driver that’s where we were going. $4.10 total is much better than $36, so that’s what we decided to do.

We didn’t realise that in order to get from the Airport to downtown, we had to go through Cheektowaga, which is basically the low-socioeconomic area of Buffalo. We went on a public bus through the ghetto, people! With our backpacks and everything. It was the scariest bus ride of our lives. We didn’t talk because we didn’t want to give away our accents. We just looked out the window at the houses. Sam saw a prostitute on the street corner, and a drug deal going down outside a drug house. Yup, really living in the fast lane now!

We did survive the bus ride though, and the bus driver did manage to get us a block away from the Greyhound Bus Station. Once again there were revolving doors, but Sam found a normal door that he could open to get inside so we used that instead. We checked with the ticket counter if we had to do anything but she said no, since we already had our tickets. Our bus wasn’t until 6:30pm, but the lady behind the counter said the next bus was at 4:50pm and we could see the driver about catching that one if they have room. Since it was just before 3pm, we eagerly jumped at this opportunity. Sam went in search of sustenance while I watched the bags, and he came back with a croissant and a danish each, along with a cappuccino made from some powered concoction. There’s not much to choose from at a Greyhound Bus Station in Buffalo. And we were thankful that they had anything at all since we hadn’t eaten since 9:30am.

We ended up chatting to this nice old lady who was going from Buffalo to Niagra Falls on the bus to leave her husband for 2 months, why I don’t know. I didn’t ask. Thought it might be better that way. The 4:50pm bus arrived around 4:30pm, and the driver told us that we could by all means jump on his bus rather than waiting. Unfortunately for the old lady who was sitting beside us, this bus wasn’t going through Niagra, so she had to wait for the 6:30pm bus.

The process of going through customs via Niagra/Buffalo boarder is different to the West Coast of Canada. We were not given any customs declaration forms. We weren’t given any tags for our bags to put on them before we put them on the bus (I think this had to do with us printing out our ticket from home and bringing it with us). The border was literally 10 minutes drive from the bus station. We did go past the HSBC Arena, so we know what the building looks like. Anyway we get to the border, and we’re told to stay on the bus but gather our belongings. The driver gets off and unloads all the bags onto the curb. We then file off the bus, pick up our luggage, making sure we have all our belongings together and then file into the building. One by one (or travelling party by travelling party) we get called up to three counters, each stationed with a Customs Officer. He takes our passports, we have a conversation – in which we discuss hockey, our trip so far, where we’re going next and that Australia actually does have a national ice hockey league. He let us through no problems (we didn’t say anything about the Maple Leafs. Promise! We did mention we’re going to the Hockey Hall Of Fame tomorrow!) and told us to go get back on the bus.

When we did, I noticed that ooh, our bus has free Wi-Fi through Greyhound! So that’s what I’m updating this post on. Currently we’re somewhere on the way to Toronto, in Ontario. Man, it is good to be back in Canada!

We did have a great time in Chicago, and though the Supernatural leg of the trip is over, there’s so much more to look forward to, including seeing Bella, Terry and the rugrats on Thursday when we fly to Saskatoon, the Short Family in San Antonio, and our new friend Tammy, when we travel down there on December 1 and of course our crew in Dallas – Jen, Rhonda, Jesse, Kelly (and finally meet the infamous Pookie!), Clay, Harry, Karin, Val and Nathan, and Leni and meet up with Mickie, Frederick and Alex, as well as hopefully getting together at some point with my friend Wendy, who also lives in Dallas and is another Supernatural fan. And I definitely can’t forget about meeting up with my girl, Sue in Houston. We will make this happen!!

Anyway I’m not sure how much longer we’re on the bus for, so I’m going to sign off now and get this uploaded. If we do anything interesting tonight – which I doubt we will, we’re both knackered, I’ll add to this post, but if not – we have returned to Canada in one piece and are really looking forward to the Hockey Hall Of Fame in TO tomorrow, and then glass seats at the Buffalo Sabres Vs Florida Panthers game back in Buffalo! It’s gonna be a big one, folks!

ETA: Just passed a large accident on the highway with firetrucks putting out a fire on a massive roadtrain. Good times.

ETA 2: We got to Downtown Toronto, which is freakin’ huge, people! HUGE! (AND WE WENT PAST THE AIR CANADA CENTRE – MAPLE LEAFSSSSS!) Anyway we got off at the Toronto Bus Station for Greyhound. We looked around and tried to work out the public transport maps, but man were they confusing. So we followed a security guard and headed for the main building for the Bus Station and thank god their visitor information booth was still open! We asked the lovely lady behind the counter what the best way to get to Pearson International Airport was (our hotel has a free shuttle from the airport to the hotel, and we love the word FREE right now). She told us how to catch the subway and the bus to the airport and all it would cost us was a total of $2.75 each. BARGAIN. It helped when she said when you go through the shopping mall area, you’ll see a Tim Horton’s on the right – and we were like HOMG TIMMYS! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU WE HAVE BEEN SAVED!!! She found that rather funny.

Anyway we followed her instructions (catch the southbound subway from Dumas to St George, then get off and go down the stairs to catch the westbound train all the way to the end to Kipling, and THENNNNN go upstairs and walk to the END of the platform and catch the 192 Rocket to Pearson. Simple, right? And it was. It was just TEDIOUS with the bags on our backs. I’m so glad we decided to get hiking backpacks for our trip. I can’t even begin to imagine how tedious this trip would be with a normal suitcase and having to carry that around everywhere.

It was fun on the subway with a driver who was very fond of the accelerator… and heavy handed on the breaks! I was nearly flying everywhere with inertia, and Sam was just cracking up laughing at me. Some of the other passengers were too. But that’s okay! It was rather funny. We made it though, made it to Pearson, and figured out where the shuttles were. Then we had to go INSIDE and order the shuttle. Thankfully, by the time we got back out to where the shuttles pick people up from, it was just driving up. That was awesome. And we were ecstatic to see there’s a Subway literally outside the hotel’s front door. That’s awesome.

We checked into our hotel, room 504 – once again the number 9 follows us everywhere (5+0+4=9). But the best part is that our room comes with free wi-fi, and we can use it in our room! Anyway definitely time for bed!

ETA by Sam: Figured I would add, upon driving into Toronto on the bus tonight, one of the best things we saw was what Wendy and I have come to refer to as “Wendy Ho’s”. That’s one of those heavenly buildings that have a Wendy’s restaurant right beside a Timmy Ho’s. Lunch & Coffee in 1 spot… Wendy Ho’s, remember the name people, remember the name!