The beauty of working from home is that you can take a break on any day that suits, you are not restricted to weekends.  So we were able to take advantage of a fantastic deal from the Marriot Hotel in Circular Quay which included valet parking and buffet breakfast, 2 bottles of Willow Glen and a pamper pack of Bulgari toiletries.

The trip served two purposes, firstly it gave us a chance to relax and unwind and secondly we were able to visit the Shoe Shop in Northbridge to purchase the ARA shoes that we have been searching for.

ARA shoes are lightweight, German designed, and European made sandals and shoes that are just ideal for walking and packing when you are travelling.  The last pair that we had have finally worn out and we have had a real battle to find a shop that stocks them, in the end we contacted the factory in Germany to get an address.  So that is a task that we have now finalised and we are set for walking shoes for our next trip to the US.

While we were in Sydney we also went on the Skywalk which is a walk around the outside of the Sydney Tower, 260 metres up in the air over Sydney.  A truly awesome experience as you step out onto a glass platform and can see the streets of Sydney beneath your feet.

Our guide, Matt, was very entertaining and informative and we learnt a lot about the points of interest that we could see in the distance. Thoroughly recommend this experience.

Here we are decked out in the Skywalk  paraphenalia complete with radio, headphone, harness, wet weather jacket and hat. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is in the background as are the tops of the Opera House. 

We are really delighted that we have chosen to work from home  on both our jewelry and internet businesses. We couldn’t have lived the life we choose and travel like we do if we were both stuck in our Government jobs.

The Affiliate Summit was well worth attending and we will most likely be attending the next one in Vegas in February 2008.

Prior to flying to Miami for the Summit we spent 5 days in New York. This is one great fascinating city with lots to see and do. Most of our time was spent on Broadway and Times Square. It seems to be where most of the tourists hang out.

After New York we spent some time in Miami and Orlando. We drove up from Miami to Cape Canaveral to see the Kennedy Space Centre. Scary stuff driving on the other side of the road. The Space Centre is well worth the visit if you are in the region. Lots of really interesting stuff about the moon landings and other space related information. We could have spent much longer than we did so when you go make sure you allow at the very least half a day.

After buying lots of really reasonably priced souvenirs we drove to Orlando to spend 3 fantastic fun filled days at Disney World. We stayed at the Port Orleans French Quarter Resort which was very convenient. Buses arrive every 15-20 minutes to take you to the parks which makes life really easy as you don’t have to worry about driving around and getting lost.

Disney World was heaps of fun and we attended all four parks in the three days we were there. This was pretty full on and very tiring but we really wanted to see as much as we could in the limited time we were there.

Overall the trip went smoothly and we are already looking at our next trip hopefully in February 2008. You can read a detailed account of our trip on our travel blog at http://www.traveltripz.com/.

Dawn represented Australia at the Olympics for the 100m freestyle, and is the only athlete in the world to have won the same event at three seperate Oympic Games. During her nine-year swimming career, she set 28 world records and won eight Olympic medals.

We also spotted Dawn when she attended the Priscilla show.

When we were waiting to sign out of the hotel, who should be in front of us but none other than Peter Sterling, from the Footy Show. Peter was one of the great Australian rugby league halfbacks before retiring.

Between 1982 and 1988 Peter played 19 Tests for the Australian national team. He also played in 13 State of Origins matches for New South Wales, and won man of the match on 4 occasions. Peter played in 4 premiership-winning sides with Parramatta in 1981-1983 and 1986 and has been inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame.

Much as I know my granddaughter would have loved Peter’s autograph, I believe celebrities deserve to be left alone. So a missed opportunity once again she snorts in disgust.

When we were in Venice, strolling down the road, I spotted Debbie Furness with her little boy Oscar and a body guard. And as I was pointing her out to Paula, along came Hugh Jackman and he was just inches away. He looked hesitantly waiting as he could tell we recognised him, but I prefer to let them go on their way without being hassled.

On another occasion in Shanghai, we were having lunch at the Pearl, and who should be right next to us but Sigorney Weaver with her daughter and her entourage. Now there is a woman I truly admire.

Apart from being a fan of Ripley (Aliens) I also like her in Gorillas in the Mist, and recently watched a documentary where she returned to the Gorillas in the wild.
Sigorney is a great actress and a really nice down to earth human being.

Well James advises that to reward all the hard work that his students put into their business they should take regular breakations. Well we always believe in doing what the teacher says, so on Wednesday we decided we needed a break, plus both our birthdays were during the week. And that is how we came to decide that a trip to Sydney was in order. So we booked a room at Star City and tickets to see ‘Pricilla Queen of the Desert’ on stage at the Lyric theatre.

We have seen this show before and just loved it so much we were happy to return again. The performance was every bit as stunning as the first time round. The music for the show is the timeless classics that most people love and the costumes are just fantastic, it’s hard to know which costumes are best, the paintbrushes, the cupcakes, the lizards or the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The performers are excellent.

We had a three and half hour drive to Sydney so decided to have a bit of a pampering before the show, Paula had a full body Swedish massage and I had a pedicure. To be honest we had pampered ourselves on Wednesday afternoon with a back massage and facial so we were really pampered this week.

Arrived back to find the internet wasn’t working, and for all you affiliate marketers out there you will know what that means. No work. We have been in the process of changing internet service providers and of course they chose to do this while we were away.

So Paula sorted it all out this morning and after some trial and error with the new setup, we are all good to go again.

Now to those Aussies who haven’t caught the Priscilla show at Star City in Sydney, take our advice and go. It’s a great night out. And if you join up as a member, which is free, you get lots of specials for meals and upgrades. So all in all Star City certainly gets our vote.

We have booked tickets to see Guns ‘n’ Roses when they tour in June, so just need to work out accommodation for that concert. The show is a bit far away from Star City, so may have to check out something closer to Olympic Park for that night.

Having a massage always reminds me of when we were in Thailand last year. We stayed in the absolutely gorgeous Novatel Hotel in Siam Square, and we booked into the day spa in the hotel, for a body massage.

I am on the cuddly side so not too fussed about exposing myself, however, Paula assured me the I wouldn’t have to strip. So feeling assured of this I entered the dimly lit room that smelled beautiful with aromatherapy candles.

The very nice lady, pointed to something on the bed and left me to get organised. I picked up the item on the bed and turned it over a few times and finally reached the conclusion - this was not to be worn on the head, it was a tiny pair of paper panties.

So after the full impact of what I was about to do, sunk in, I stripped and donned the every so small pants and got under the covers on the massage table.

Ha, who was I kidding. All went well at the start as we began with the facial. Then in came a new massuse and she proceeded to massage back, shoulders and arms. Hmmmmm, so relaxing and then off come the covers and I am on my back totally exposed except for the ever so tiny pants.

The massuse was very professional and finally nerves and embarressment passed.

Well when it was all over and I emerged feeling totally relaxed, I spotted Paula emerging from her cubicle. She looked very sheepish and we both burst out laughing.

Believe me ladies, if you haven’t ever had a massage because your a bit on the big side, do yourself a favour and go and have one. The feeling after is positively euphoric.

After the conference we will be driving to Orlando to visit Disneyworld and we also intend to go out to Cape Canaveral.

It’s all very exciting and we can’t wait to go to Disneyworld. If you are planning a vacation to Disneyworld you should have a look at the great rental properties available  at
Kissimmee  which is very close to Disneyworld and all its fabulous attractions.

Here is just one of the many great properties on offer 3br - coral cay kissimee rental orlando townhouse disney.  Everything that you need while on holiday is provided in these properties, so you only need to pack your swimmers and towel, and well maybe a few more clothes and shoes. Although Kissimmee has plenty of shops for you to pick up anything you may have forgotten.

So go on, checkout the properties at Vacation Homes  and be in the hub of all the excitement.

So we have booked a stopover in San Francisco for 2 nights, New York for 5 nights, Miami for 3 nights and 4 nights in Orlando.

As with any trip we do we manage to cram sooooooooooooo much into it.

We will be staying at the Grand Hyatt on Park Ave. And we are going to see Mama Mia on Broadway.

We will be hiring a car and driving from Miami to Orlando. This shouldn’t be a problem as we drove around Tuscany and the Italians also drive on the wrong side of the road.

We will cover our trip on our travel blog http://welovetravel.blogspot.com/

We are so excited as neither of us have been to the United States.

As with any trip we take, we have spent ages researching where to go and what to do, well actually, that’s Paula’s job, I’m happy to go anywhere as long as I am travelling.

Florida is the home of Disney-MGM Studios, the Epcot Centre, Animal Kingdom, Daytona Beach - famous for it’s car racing, and in Miami there is the Alligator farm where you can take airboat tours into the Everglades. This trip is going to be so exciting with just so much to do.

Florida is known worldwide for its gorgeous beaches and outdoor lifestyle. And the sun is just one of the reasons that so many UK investors are buying up Florida properties .

Just imagine coming from the cold winters in England, Ireland,Scotland or Wales to have fun
and frolic on the beach.

Sounds pretty appealing to me.

No siree, I prefer to take my time to peruse an easy to use site like Hotel Reservations choosing destinations that I want to visit. Sure I can choose one of their pacakage vacations if I choose, and they do have a great variety, and I can select flights, hotels and car hire to suit what I want to do.

The site is really easy to navigate around and this is a big plus as a lot of travel sites are just not user friendly. For my last holiday I was particulary interested in the vacation rental. This is suite type lodging but with self catering facilities, fully equipped kitchens, one or more bathrooms, washer and dryer, and sometimes a balcony or patio.

There are towels and linens provided and a daily maid service and other hotel conveniences are usually available.

Another advantage to vacation rentals is that rather than a per person price there is a set price for the entire vacation rental. There is a generally a maximum number of people allowed in the in the rental and this is dependant upon the type of unit you book. The details are available on the website so check them out before you book. Not much point in booking a one bedroom unit if you have 6-8 of your going on holiday together. Like everything just check out the details first and everyone will be relaxed and happy.

So once I decided on the destination and booked the self contained unit, I simply booked the flights and the car all on the one easy to use website.

So if you want quality service and fantastic bargains look no further than:

They have absolutely great deals on hotels, motels, resorts, flights, car hire and vacation rentals for both local and International holidays.

There are now two exciting climbs that you can do, the first is the original bridge climb where you walk along catwalks and climb up ladders until you reach the summit.
All the while taking in the breathtaking views of the harbour, the distinctive Sydney Opera House,the fabulous Sydney Harbour and the bridge stretching down beneath your feet.

The second bridge climb is the Discovery Climb experience which was launched in 2006. On this climb, you are taken right into the heart of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The Discovery Climb allows you to climb stairs and catwalks that weren’t previously open to the public. As you climb your way to the summit, the bridge guide tells you all about the history of the bridge.

You climb your way through hatchways and steel girders that are suspended above the traffic, and at the top of the climb between the arches to the summit which is 134 metres above the water.

Either of these climbs are a truly exciting, awesome experience, and tickets for the climb would make an ideal gift.