England

Jon spent about a week touring eastern England, his first trip to the island. As you can see, these are the things he did while practicing his British accent and testing new beers:

Storm over the north sea and the sun setting in Norwich

A manor and Steve and Gord and their pints

A castle and Jon's bedroom while away

Low tide at the salt marshes and wading birds

More storms and a parade

London

Argentina!

Tickets were officially booked tonight - on October 16 we'll be heading to Argentina for some spanish-icecream eating-long bus riding adventures!

<- We're going to go see this first!







then we'll head over to see this ->






<- And then head down and see everything before we hit this too.

Cottage Time

After my successful defense on Wednesday I ran around like a chicken without a head trying to fix my thesis, find someone to print it for less than $60 a copy and get it to the binders. By Friday afternoon I was rather frazzled and very much behind schedule. However, 2 days at the cottage was just what I needed to relax and focus on my new life post-graduate school. We swam, we ate and we got some sun: perfect!

Happy Birthday Me!

Today I am legally able to rent a car from Budget in Alberta! Whooppee!

(This picture is here because I love Jon's hair. Ah, now that he is unemployed he can regrow his curly mane again. And he's going to have to because I may be disposing of all the leftover hair gel in the house very shortly.)

Its Really Happening!

Over a year ago Jon and I first dreamed of quiting our jobs when I finished school and traveling the world. Today, Jon got on a plane bound for London, marking the beginning of our 4 months of freedom from work, school and life as we've been living it for the past 2 years. And, if my defense on Wednesday is successful, I'll be joining him in the life of leisure in just another week.

The plan? England for Jon for a week where he'll enjoy Norwich and the surrounding countryside. I'll hopefully be having a successful defense before heading to the cottage for a weekend of sun and fun. Then its back to our place to pack up all the items we've collected over the past two years and finish off the thesis (hopefully). August 24 we hit the road and then the trail for 8 days on the WCT. Jon needs another stab and scan before we load up the Impreza for a 5 week cross-country road trip starting in Calgary and stopping in Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI and Newfoundland (we'll be passing through the prairies and Quebec but our limited time means nothing but a quick stop for gas and food). Then its back to Calgary sometime in October for, yes, another stab and scan before we go international with a trip to South America. We'll be back in December, hopefully still with some money in our pockets and a new plan in the works.

I'm a little nervous, life without a home or job does have its challenges. Its been a while since I lived on a budget, and we've never taken a 5 week road trip - with the dog. But we're both really looking forward to this and its sure to be an adventure!