| March 2004
Diary - Round The World Trip |
|
Perth, Western Australia (Pre-Round the World
Trip)
How we do what we do. |
 How
does one prepare for a three-month round the world trip? Planning,
organisation and lots of fun-filled days of packing!!
We get asked the same question by many people, so I want to explain
to everyone how we do what we do...
Read more about it in:
Travel, adventure, and a life we love... |
|  So
we packed, and packed, and packed.
And a miracle happened right here in this room.
We (Lisa and I) used to travel with FOUR suitcases filled to the
brim (and usually over airline weight restrictions), plus two carry-ons
EACH. As anyone knows who has picked us up from the airport, it
was TOO MUCH STUFF. |
 But
back to the miracle.
Now there are THREE of us, and we managed to fit all of our things
into TWO suitcases (plus a light suit carrier with only two suits
in it), and ONE carry-on each.
It's like the opposite of the loaves and fish story, we went from
eight bags to five, and we have one extra person. Amazing. |
|
|
| Round The World Flight with a Five Month
Old Baby |
|  Traveling
with Devon is an invigorating experience. It started with a flight
from Perth to Sydney...
The high pitched screaming began early on into the flight. (You
know the one I mean. The one that babies do on planes that drives
non-parents out of their mind!) However, it started with
the baby sitting behind us.
Then the baby opposite us joined in. What a racket! |
 And
our little baby?
Sitting quietly playing... for a few moments.
I suppose he figured since all the other babies are doing it, he
would join in. And join in he did! |
 I
don't know whether it was the strange surroundings or the air pressure
build up, but BOY DID HE WAIL!
It was startling.
Devon is such a peaceful baby; happy and content. To hear him crying
(wailing), especially in a confined and crowded place, took us by
surprise.
Panic nearly set in, nearly. |
 Try
food... nope.
Try singing... nope.
Try anything, dear Lord please help us to get Devon to stop crying!!!
So I took him for a walk... and HOORAY!
Peace and contentment... He just allowed himself to be carried
to the back of the plane, eyes wide (and red), taking everything
in. |
 After
a few minutes he took his pacifier (do-dee) and a few more minutes
found him snuggled in my arms, resting quietly.
|
 After
that, we all slept for a few hours and disembarked in Sydney a happy
and joyful family.
First leg of our RTW trip, completed successfully!
Photo of
E.J. & Devon asleep
in Sydney airport. |
 Then
we were off to L.A. (13.5hrs), then on to Miami (4.5 hrs) for a
sleep, and the next morning to Barbados (3 hrs)!!
|
 He
only cried, for a few minutes, twice the rest of the way to Barbados,
and then only because he was hungry (which
we soon took care of.) Really, traveling with Devon was much
easier than we were told it might be.
|
You can see from the photos that Devon even had his own little bassinet
seat attached to the plane's bulkhead (for
our Sydney to L.A. flight), which gave us some space to get
some rest ourselves. |
 Once
in Miami we took a shuttle bus to our hotel and got straight to
bed. Over twenty hours on airplanes, plus a dozen in layover time
sure does make one tired...
Photo of Lisa & Devon waiting for
our shuttle bus at Miami International airport. |
 However,
at 3:00am we were roused by this cute little baby thinking it was
3:00 in the afternoon!! How do you explain time-change to a baby?
So we got up and ordered pizza (Why not?
Our bodies thought it was lunchtime too!) |
|
|
| Barbados - Caribbean |
|  We
arrived in Barbados. (We are here because Lisa's brother is getting
married) and GUESS WHO WAS THERE TO MEET US!
Stewart and Carol (Mum and Dad Parkhill)
and...
Uncle Tom and Amanda from the USA!!! |
 They
were on a week-long cruise and just happened to be in Barbados the
same day we arrived!
We got to spend half an hour with them until they had to go back
to the port and sail the rest of the Caribbean. It was great to
see them and introduce them to Devon! |
|
|
| Barbados - Caribbean |
 After
leaving Tom & Amanda we went with Mum and Dad to St Lawrence
Gap where we checked into our guest house ~ The
Rio Guest House.
It is a great little self-contained studio for $60US per night.
|
 We
changed & settled ourselves in briefly, then
walked with Mum and Dad over to their place Escape at the Gap.
|
 We
saw my sister Catherine, her husband Paul, and my niece and nephew
Rachel and Matthew (none of whom had met Devon). |
|  Mum
and Dad had a great apartment overlooking the ocean, a nice location
and view!
In the morning they shouted down to the sunbed guy on the beach
and ordered their places from the balcony! |
| See more photos of Our
Barbados Holiday HERE.
 |
|
|
Getting to know the American
Grandparents
Coach and Mom-mom America |
 Mum
(now named Mom Mom America) and
Dad (now named Coach) came to
meet us at the airport.
They so love Devon.
|
| 
This photo shows the first official meeting of Mum and Devon.
Mum had him giggling within the first
half and hour!!
Love at first sight!
See: The
Growing Boy for more of Devon! |
 And
as for Coach, the first time he was asked to look after Devon we
came back and found Devon learning to be a football keeper!
You may be able to take the coach out of the
game but not the game out of the coach! |
|
|
| Devon opens
presents! |
 Devon
got lots of wonderful presents. Thanks everyone!
We let him open his own present from Auntie Shawn and Uncle Chris...
...which he had a great time doing... |
 It
was so nice to have the experience of having him open his own present
rather than assuming that he wouldn't be able to do it himself!
He sat there, in his dad's arms, and pulled and pushed, fascinated
with the frilly pink ribbon and the texture of the bright blue paper.
|
 He
played and pulled and tried to put both the ribbon and the paper into
his mouth (which we gently dissuaded him from doing) until his present
lay open on the table. |
 What
did he get? He got a VERY COOL Brooklyn Hoody! That's
American for a Hooded Sweatshirt with a zip (and two pockets).
He needs to grow into it, watch this
space... |
To see more of my adventures this
month check it out here:
The Growing
Boy |
|
|
A Meeting Five Generations
Deep... Devon meets Nana!!
and Memom
and Poppy for the second time! |
|  This
woman has seen her children have children...
their children have children... and THEIR children have
children...
100 years on, here sits a great-great-grandson and his great-great-grandmom.
(In other words it's his father's mother's
mother's mother.)
They took to each other immediately as you can see. |
 It
was also a special time for Memom and Poppy too!
This is their first Grandson's first Son.
|
 Consequently
this makes them GreatGrandparents for the first time.
( I always knew they were great, after all.)
Memom and Devon play with a Spoon. Look how red his hair looks
here! |
 Devon
gets a ride with Poppy!
Poppy wants to hold Devon all the time, it is so wonderful to experience
and see.
My son and my Grandfather... it's amazing for me too! |
|
|
Our first few days in Glenside
Pennsylvania |
 The
day we got to Pennsylvania it was COLD.
(It was 45 degrees Fahrenheit or 7.2
Celsius. There weren't icicles, but close!)
Our bodies are set to Perth, Western Australian temperature. We
just arrived from Barbados (90F/32C). Devon began to get a sniffle,
and a bit of a stuffed up nose. |
| Shawn organised a Party for the weekend. (We
still have another one to come at the end of April - hurrah!)
Lo-and-behold mother nature gives us a nice warm day (65F/18C) for
Coach to begin the party preparation. He began with clearing the
back yard, and enlisted our help.
It is the first time I have seen a "leaf blower" in action!
Cool! |
|  Devon
helped his Dad rake the garden.
Later that day, while talking about the upcoming 'party', steeped
in inspiration, we had an idea...
Why not turn it into a Hat Party?
A Themed party? Like Nana's infamous themed
birthday picnic's every August. (Note
to non-family: Nana will be turning 100 years old this August 2004.)
Meanwhile, Devon's sniffle began to worsen and clogged his nose.
(Sneezes and boogers is all I have to say...)
And after being up most of the night with him, we both began to
sniffle. As did Auntie Shawn... and eventually Uncle Tom... and
Chris, and Amanda... |
|
|
| The Five Generation Reunion / Welcome Devon
Party |
|  The
Party/Reunion that had FIVE generations of family attending. There
are so many of us!
The
Rosato-Iatesta-Clark-Lang Reunion / Welcome Devon Party...
Click here to see the party.
Note to Partygoers: My apologies
for disappearing around 6pm as my head was stuffed and sore as was
my body. |
|
|
| The Youngest Australian West Ham Supporter |
 Devon
is a West Ham Supporter... as much as it irks me to say it.
Uncle Tom gave Devon his first football supporter gear...so we
lost him from SPURS to WEST HAM.
I have to be sporting about it!
It took me a while to come to terms with the whole thing...believe
it or not! Apparently his Uncle Adrian (a friend of the family)
is ordering him a strip, so West Ham it is!
His Dad supports West Ham too, unfortunately. |
Devon is such a delightful little boy. He is so
happy and peaceful and loving. You really couldn't wish for a
more wonderful little boy. I am so privileged to be his Mum and
I love him more than words could ever say.
|
| 
Devon takes a liking to his newest toy, a stuffed Polar Bear, given
to him by his Uncle Brad and Aunt Jamie Lang.
Anything and everything makes its way to Devon's mouth. I'm not
sure whether he likes the taste of Polar Bear, judging from the
look on his face! |
|
|
| Walking with Devon |
 Amanda
and Uncle Tom took the opportunity to take Devon on a walk around
the neighborhood of Glenside.
He looks like he's enjoying it...and so do they!! |
|
|
|
...
onward to April 2004