The Graham's

Gundagai

2007-11-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Gundagai on thursday the 7th of Nov. We had a welcome home party and mini reception in the back yard. Nana was very busy organising everything and did a great job.

It was a true Ausie BBQ with three BBQ's going.

Natalie was welcomed to Australia. There was plenty of Alcohol with a cool room brought in for the night. Natalie made a punch that was very nice. We were asked to perform our dance which we hadn't done in 3 months. Needless to say we both were full of grog ( alcohol ) and the dance floor was a dusty patch on the back yard. We started of well but it fell to pieces pretty soon. At least we finished well.

It only took about a week before Natalie was on her way to becoming a proper Ausie Shella. We were lucky that the camera Natalies parents had given her for her birthday arived that day.

Our first big day out was to go to the biggest race meeting in Gundagai "The Snake Gully Cup".

Natalie looked great in her hat except the heat and the fly's won the day.

We won a couple but in the end I'm sure we lost. The winner of the cup paid $57 but we didn't pick it.

The Grand Canyon

2007-11-12T02:34:00.000-08:00

The Grand Canyon is a must see for anyone visiting the states. Natalie decided that the best way to get there was in a pink a jeep. The jeep held six and there was only one male in there. I can't imagine why.

The Hover Dam creates Lake Mead. Some of the native goats can be seen in the picture. We were told that the dam is so big that the concrete used in the construction won't cure until 2040. I make that almost 100 years to set.

As we approached the Grand Canyon we entered Indian land. There was also rattle snakes and tarantula but we didn't see any.

The tour took us to the new sky walk. We both went out on the platform which has a glass bottom. Natalie was a bit scared of how deep it was and wouldn't let go of the hand rail the whole time.

For lunch we pulled up at an old ranch full of cowboys.

It's difficult to show how big everything is out there. I was able to climb to one place that gave me a 360 degree view of the canyon. Natalie is in the picture here to give you an idea of the real size of the place.

Las Vegas

2007-11-10T17:09:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Vegas at around 11 am and checked in to our hotel the Excalibur.

There is a lot to do and see in Vegas however we began by hitting the slot machines. We came out pretty close to even on our gambling which was lucky.

We saw a lot of big gamblers in the casinos

And Natalie had a couple of big bets but didn't collect any winnings.

We saw a dinner show at Excalibur which was great. It was done around an arena and began with a cocktail in big mugs. The starter was dragons blood ( I really think it was tomato soup ) which was served in bowl. There was a medievil theme which meant no cutlery so we slurped it like a cup. The main coarse was a hole chicken with chips and a bread roll. That was fun to eat. During dinner we saw knights fight with medievil weapons and jousts. The only thing that was wrong the entire night was that we had to cheer on a French knight. It almost ruined the evening.

The strip was great to explore. The weather was warm and refreshments were needed to along the way.

Natalie even got a free drink in a boot for performing on the strip.

There was hotel casinos that really looked after you by giving free beers at the door.

A lot have different attractions or rides in the casino. The MGM has lions in the casino.

They all have beautiful grounds.

Some had entertainment on in the hotel lobbies.

We saw Elvis. I didn't realize he put on so much wait.

There was lots to eat like this 1/2 pound foot long hot dog with chilly. I ate two.

There isn't much you couldn't do during the day in Vegas

At night the strip is completely different.

We saw a pirate show out side one of the hotels.

The gambling tables have girls dancing on poles while you play.

And every where you go there is advertisements for escorts. We even got a voucher to be one of the newest pornography film stars.

Honeymoon in the USA

2007-11-07T17:43:00.000-08:00

After an awful delay of 7 hours in the airport our honey moon started to improve when we upgraded our economy class ford to this big red mustang. It was terrible to drive but it looked cool.

We spent the weekend with some great friends on Hilton Head Island. We did some catching up and drank allot of alcohol. Thanks Stu and Sarah for accommodating us.

Universal studios

After our brief stay there we drove to Orlando, Florida. Our first stop was Universal Studios.

The day started well and even though it was Autumn ( as we are in USA it's called the Fall ) the weather was a warm 27 degrees Celsius.

We both had a great time and we proved that neither of us have grown up yet.

There was lots to see in both parks.

We went on every ride there was. This one of the best called the incredible hulk. Neither of us sick although we may have come close.

During the Jurassic park ride it began to rain and just like the movie the ride stopped and we were escorted out of our boat. This scared Natalie more than alot of rides as we broke down right in front of T-rex.

The rain didn't stop us and we had great time we were both smiling the hole time.

Sea World

After we checked out of our hotel we went to Sea World for the day where Natalie made some friends by feeding the dolphins, stingrays and the seals.

After feeding all the animals it was time for us to eat. We found a great restaurant the that was surrounded by sharks. As always Natalie ordered some cocktails however they were so strong we could hardly drink them.

we still did.

It was time for some more sight seeing and it began in the Arctic with the penguins. The polar bear was very disappointing and just slept in the corner the hole time. I think he was Mexican.

The main attraction at the park was shamu the killer whale.

They did lots of tricks and the whale splashes water all over the crowd at the end.

Natalie liked shamu so much she had to try it

The park shut after the show so we had to go.

I think Natalie was getting tired anyway.

Leaving Party

2007-10-21T05:35:00.000-07:00

Steve and Rhonda hosted our leaving party last night. Kenny and Julie found a great cake.

Everyone had a great time with plenty of alcohol available. As always there was beer and whiskey but i think the chilly vodka was the hardest to handle. Most of the pictures are unsuitable for public viewing. This tends to be the case with of the party's held here.

honeymoon

2007-10-21T05:21:00.000-07:00

We Stayed at Motram Hall for a few days to unwind after the wedding. We had a great time and the spent most of the time in the gardens with a drink. We had a great room with a 4 poster bed and great views of the grounds.

Steve and Rhonda Stayed in the hotel for 1 night and we enjoyed their company. We managed to try all the malt whiskey available at the bar. They almost missed check out time. Steve said " We were only sleeping" but I think we know what they were really up to.

wedding pics video

2007-10-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

The wedding

2007-10-16T05:03:00.000-07:00

Stuart James Graham married Natalie Ann Burke on the 18th Aug 2007. The day started off well with everyone arriving at the church ( St. John the Evangelist, Kidsgrove ). Natalie looked lovely as she walked up the aisle wearing an ivory dress with burgundy beading in the shape of flowers. The Bridesmaid ( Michaela Lander ) wore a burgundy dress and the men were wearing frock coats with top hats, a burgundy cravat and ivory and burgundy vests.