Visa Las Vegas

Ben surprised me at work this morning with a delivery of a dozen beautiful red roses and a box of yummy chocolates in honor of our wedding anniversary (February 22nd).

7 years ago we made the trek to Las Vegas for our spur-of-the-moment nuptials in an act of "anti-deportation" (and love too of course)! Ben's travel Visa in the United States was just about ready to expire and we needed to do something quickly so he could remain in country.

Our ceremony at the Wee Kirk of the Heather Chapel in Vegas was an experience that was altogether unique and quite memorable. Most of all, the location held a very special significance for the both us because history was repeating itself once more.

My parents (Richard and Sylvia) were married in the exact same chapel in 1942 when the world was in the midst of WWII. Soon after that hot August afternoon my father joined the US Navy and boarded the USS Parker bound for duty in the Mediterranean, leaving his new bride behind.

Not much of a honeymoon for the folks back then but it was the start of a life long love affair that spanned over 47 years!

We're just getting started!

Ute to Ute in 30 Minutes!

"Ute" = Australian for a utility vehicle

It's funny how terminology or the meaning of words change from one hemisphere to another. For example, in Oz, the word "truck" indicates a large semi-type vehicle and when you use the world "gas" it refers to propane. So, when I mention to anyone that I'm going to go gas up my pickup I get some confused looks. Of course it's not a "gas" station but it's a "petrol" station!

At the end of last year we purchased an off-road style camper trailer so we could upgrade our outback camping experience. Since Ben's Ford F250 truck wasn't a 4-wheel drive we needed to do a trade-in so we could pull the new beasty on anywhere we wanted.

Just after paying for the annual "rego" (registration) on the truck he finally found someone intersted in purchasing the Ford after 3 months of advertising on Carsales. It was a sad day for Ben to say farwell to his trusted "ute". The day we dropped it off to it's new owner we turned around and bought a practically brand new truck on the same day!

Our new baby is a Toyoto Hilux SR5 Turbo Diesel 4x4 that I've affectionally named "Luxy". It's a great little ute with plenty of torque. The big bonus is that we will save "heaps" of mula on fuel in comparison to the F250 (V8) because it's a 4-cylinder diesel! This was definitely a "green" purchase for us.... I wonder if we can get a rebate from the government?

Now we're properly fitted-out and ready to do some serious "bush bashing" in Oz!