MESSAGES:

From: * kelsie * To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Sunday, October 01, 2006 6:10 PM
Subject: RE: Emailing: www.beachcomberfiji.com

BULA!!!! that means hello in fujian and yes that is the one that i'm staying it its really nice www.beachcomberfiji.com except you should see the dorm i'm in there is like literally 100 beds its INSANE but i'll tell you bout taht later. its been good so far, pretty much just one big party the entire time!!! today i came back to the mainland to do some shopping but the shops here seem to be pretty dodgy. its weird i swear these are the nicest people i've ever met but yet they have nothing like i've never seen a place that looks so much like crap (in the city that is) and everyone is so happy and joyful its a really neat experience. its also weird being the minority like i've seen probably 3 white ppl the entire time i've been in the city and everyone stares at me (that could also be because i'm burnt that they're staring, not quite sure though haha) it seems as though the black fujian people are much more outgoing and happier than the east indian people. i've met a few of the fujians that work on the island and i'm now considered a local cause i've been there for so long an i'm going to be there for 3 more days!!! its really cool at night they do different dancing and stuff like fire dancing and the traditional fujian dancing and they do like crab racing its really fun!!! i've met quite a few people since i've been there but they are all leaving tomorrow or have already left but thats okay i think i'm going to book a tour to go to a village or something, see a little bit more of their culture. oh and i can't get money out of the back machine anymore so hopefully i can put it on the credit card actually i'm not to sure if they take credit card but they better or that would suck. its weird though cause its an aussie bank so i dunno why it doesn't work. well ya i will call you when i get home on friday, i miss you lots and its been wierd not talking to you for so long but ya

love you and miss you

kelsie

From: * kelsie *
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 3:00 PM
Subject: yes I am alive

hey mom just wanted to let you know that i'm still alive!! there are no phones here and the internet is massively expensive so i can't make this too long. everything is good i hung out with some ppl from my dorm last night but their leaving today which sucks but oh well i guess. i also forgot to bring sunscreen whoops!!! i thought i had packed it but i can't find it anywhere so i'm going to have to buy some new stuff i guess. the island i'm on is smaller than i had imagined but its so hot and nice and we got to see some traditional fiji dancing last night, i took videos so you'll have to wait till i get home to see them they're really neat. but ya going to go miss you lots and if i don't email you before i go i will call you when i get home

love you lots

kelsie

From: * kelsie *
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 11:09 PM
Subject: What r doin ?

hey hye mom miss you lots!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you so much for that money i don't know what i would be doing right at the moment without it cause i don't get paid until thursday now and tasha got paid yesturday but only for the first 3 days that she worked cause their pay is a week behind or somethin so right now we're kinda sharing funds both directions or we were anyways haha trying to make ends meet, but now with this money i should be okay for awhile and tasha has agreed to let me use her phone so i can try to keep working! oh and another good thing is that franklins(the grocery store) is having a sale this week so i'm going to be able to eat haha my favorite ichiban over here is $2 for 5 so i'll be set.

on the other issue of getting a new place we went and looked at that apartment and its actaully pretty nice the guy is 29 though so i dunno about taht but he owns his own business and has a phone line we can use and most likely he has cable tv haha too much peasant vision lately its not good for ya! but me and tash are going to discuss it we didn't really talk to much about it last night after we left but we're going to figure it out. i think justin is really upset about us leaving he just doesn't really seem like himself and i know that he didn't mean for all of this to happen but he could have started to fix the situation by telling the truth in the first place cause obviously lying gets you no where.

i hate to tell you this but i need to charge something to the credit card but i will pay you back for it cause i know that you don't like it anyways but it is a necessity(i dunno how to spell that word) in my life, and no it is not cigarettes.....i lost the ball to my eyebrow ring and i really don't want to lose this one so i'm going to put it on the credit card to get a new one probably a black one but a new one anyways and if you have to you can take the money out of my gic account, speaking of which how is that money doing?? and i makin very much i dont' remember what you told me last time of how it works but i would like to know i\f that is possible!!!

thats good taht my bike will be ready to go im not sure if i want to race again but i would like to just got riding at temple hill or out in the bushes or something i dunno but just to ride again! the other day gibbo the guy that lives at the house was like to his friends "hey do you want to watch travis pastrana" and they were all like "what is taht" and he's like you know with like motorbikes and i could here them talking about it from my room and i just started laughing to myself cause if you said that to just about any guy from around where we live they know who travis pastrana is but ya i just thought itwas really funny.

not much else to write i miss you lots and i will call clay one of these days and i'll call you soon too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

luv ya miss ya bye

from a far far away place

kelsie

From: * kelsie *
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 5:15 AM
Subject: i got it!!!!!!!!!!

hey mom whats up?? well first of all i got that job but its not like the market research at home but i'll tell you about it when i call you tomorrow most likely on my way to work. and i also got the package!!! the only problem is that they quarantined (spelling?) my ranch dressing because it contains egg yolk and tahts not allowed to be sent into australia apparently, and the cd is the one that i have already but i don't have the dvd's so thats okay i'll still be able to get my my chemical romance fix for the time being. tahnk you so much for everything it makes me miss home so much like powdered juice right on ahha but ya i'll talk to you tomorrow love you lots thank you so much miss you lots tooo

kelsie

From: * kelsie *
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Friday, April 28, 2006 12:22 AM
Subject: hey mooooooommmm

hey mom whats up?? not to much is new here, chelle is gone and i'm lonely!!! everyone else out of our room left as well except that chick that was screwing taht guy and i really don't want to hang out with her haha she's gross! i talked to michael today and he said he actually just hired one more cleaner than he normally has but he said if something comes up and needs to be done like something that doesn't get cleaned daily he'll let me know, which is better than a no i guess. i haven't called around looking for a job yet don't really want to but its gotta get done i guess. tasha and i went to miranda again today before she had to go to work and we went to this store called Big W and its like a ripoff of Walmart like so much the same but more expensive! We went there so i could buy some socks cause my feet are always cold here but i guess tahts cuase i'm always wearing flip-flops cause i dont' have any socks left cause i sent them home...whoops!!! i wonder when taht package will get there hopefully it makes it or i will be really mad cause it has all of my magnets in it! guess what else i bought today, i didn't really need it but i wanted it and i haven't seen it for this cheap anywhere but ya i bought the newest harry potter book in hard cover for $15 when its normally $45. i was going to wait till i was back in singapore before i bought them all but it was too good of a deal and i'm deprived of him!!! anyways taht sucks taht your cold is so bad mine feels like its getting worse but it just doesn't want to come out like i don't feel great but i don't feel that bad btu i guess thats better than feeling like shit everyday! i totally new taht taht chick had killed her parents and brother thats insane i dunno how people can bring themselves to do that kinda stuff its disgusting!!! well ya i'll probably call you tomorrow cause i don't have anyone else to talk to not taht i don't want to talk to you but you know what i mean!

luv you lots and miss you

kelsie

From: "helle kimery"
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Wednesday, April 26, 2006 3:29 PM
Subject: updates

hello everyone - i have not sent a message in awhile so i thought i would let all you guys know ( most of you already know - i think). tasha does not e-mail a lot - she calls all the time though- that way i stay updated! she finally found a job in a new little resturant - she has to take a train and a bus to get there and that takes about 40 minutes each way!!!!but she is just happy to be working and she might even get kelsie in there part time! that would be great. tash really want to stay and i am really proud of her for trying so hard and being so carefull where she spents her money. hopefully she can make it till at least september. she has been spending a lot of time with a guy named justin and she has been lucky enough to be able to share his place! we'll see how it goes.....i hear that michelle is also comming home right away - too bad her and chealsea did not stay longer, but i guess at least they got to see it. personally i really hope kels and tash stays for awhile longer. i miss her sooo much though and i have my really down times, but i try to remember that's it's not about me:) anyway - tash had to see a doctor recently and they would not accept her medical card!!!we are looking in to that. she had got a fungal infection in her throat and a bladderinfection - not fun. she is all better now. that is all for now - exept thank you again heather for keeping the website up - love it
helle

From: Tim.Elhatton@mnp.ca
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Monday, April 10, 2006 2:05 PM
Subject: email for the website.....and thanks again Heather for the fantastic web-site.....What do I owe?

From Chelsey:
To Dad:
Yes things are going really good. And right at this moment I am not feeling that well, we went out last night. I havent gone out in almost a month. It was a good time though. A fight broke out at the hostel, which turned it into a gong show kinda. But other than that the night was good. I was in bed by midnight though. I miss you alot too. Yes we are having alot of fun...the activities are fun. I am glad I have done thigns that i wont get to do in Lethbridge.I will talk to you soon. love you

From: Tim.Elhatton@mnp.ca
To: "chelsey elhatton"
Subject: Hi Chelsey
Date: Sun, 9 Apr 2006 18:52:55 -0600

How is it going? Are you feeling okay?
I was just looking at the web-site again, which made me miss you again so I had to send you a quick email to let you know.....I miss you a lot and love you even more.
The pictures of you guys sailing, snorkelling, horse back riding, swimming.......looks like you are having a great time.....(although, I did notice a smoke in your hand which made me sad).
Hope you are having a fun...I know you are....and keep calling me. Thanks so much for calling as often as you do. It is great to hear from you and to hear what you are doing.
Love you lots.....

From: * kelsie *
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Thursday, April 06, 2006 2:21 AM
Subject: thanks for writing FINALLY

hello there mom thank you for finally writing me back its about time haha well i'm sending you pics home right now so you can see what i look like now cuase you haven't seen any recent photos....changed a bit of the last while!! you can finally see my hair color which is daily changing more brown thank god i didn't really like the black too much oh and my nose piercing too!!! haha i told dad and he wasn't too pleased about that one but whatever i can always take them out if i want to and its not like i'm piercing through my cheek or my collar bones or anything like that that is really noticable and leaves bigger scars than usual so he can't be that mad at me haha i'm excited for saturday cause we're going to go watch a show with local bands playing i've been deprived of live music without my concerts and tommy g's on mondays so hopefully it should be good!!! oh and guess what the guy taht tashas living wiht one of his roommates is moving out at the end of the month so i will probably be moving in there which would be good. its $150 a week but its like an actual house with a backyard and shit it was weird being in a house the other day kinda tripped me out a little cause i haven't been in a home in like two months since we were at justin 1's house last time we were in sydney.

man it is so cold here i can't believe it today i've been like freezing cause it was windy it was like being at home at the beginning of summer when its sunny but the wind makes it cold...so i bought a new pair of jeans cause i sent one home and the others are still in lock up so i'm going to be freezing with just two pairs now instead of 3 but i'll have to make due i guess!!! Yesturday was really nice we spent the entire time at the beach it was awesome to be back in the ocean with waves i didn't want to get out!!!

anyways courtney sent me an email and said that if you need any help at all over the summer with the motorcross she would be more than willing to give you a hand and i'm sure she would be able to use the money, and have a little extra for whatever she wants you know, so if you need help just tell me and i'll give you her number. shes coming back to lethbridge on may 1 she's flying home from saskatchewan and shes scared cause she's never flown before, so thats kind of exciting for her but ya i dunno.....oh thanks for taht picture you guys were so cute hah i'm going to print it off and put it with the rest of my pictures in my album!!!

oh ya i seen a sign in our hostel for work doing market research like western watts so chelle and i are going to look into that cause i could handle that for like 2 months i'm sure!!! and i also seen a car for $700 that has registration until may 5th so i might look into that as well it looks like its in alright of shape so i guess we'll find out. i need to get a car before the end of april because i'm going on a road trip to Nimbin with chelle and probably tasha hte second weekend in may because it is their Mardi "GRASS" (weed, pot, ganja, green, you know what i mean?) festival and they like ahve this huge parade to celebrate and tehy like carry this gigantic joint down the street and shit lol should be lots of fun to go to i'm sure Gerry would enjoy it greatly ahah but ya thats the plan anyways

well ya write me back please and thank you

miss you lots and love ya lots

your daughter from down under

kelsie

From: Michelle Andrews
Sent: March 31, 2006 4:47 AM
To: lmbrown2@shaw.ca
Subject: in cairns

hi mom. well we're in cairns now. i thought it was going to be almost as big as sydney but there's only 140 000 people who live here. It suppose to rain for the next couple of days and apparently it is their "wet" season...grrr...im so sick of the rain. We havent gone to a single place where it hasnt rained atleast once. On the way here we went through mission beach and innisfail and there were soo many torn up trees because of the cylcone. Like alllllll of the banana trees were broken in half. and i guess the price of bananas are really high now because of it. Some of the trees were massive and the cyclone ripped them right out of the ground and you could see the roots and everything. I didnt think the cyclone was THAT bad.. good thing we werent in those places when it came.

So we're suppose to go see this lady tomorrow morning at 1030 about a job. she never told chelsey much about what we're going to do..something about marketing and sales. We just seen an ad up in our hostel called the number. But we have to dress nice and everything and i dont have anything to wear... But if we decide not to take this job we still have to call the other lady from airlie beach about the housekeeping on South Molle Island.

I havent really done much since i talked to you on the phone before. We got here last night and we just went and ate some pizza and went to bed. I think the bed bugs followed me here :( I woke up with more bites this morning. I will have to wash ALL of my things in hot water to get rid of them and thats going to cost me a fortune. Maybe ill just live with them until i come home ahah.

Tonight we went to a movie.. it was called "V for Veendetta" it was really weird but i liked it. its that with Natalie Portman and she shaves her head. You should go see it. I bought you a present today. and dad one too. They're just suvoniers from here. But im just babbling on so ill talk to you later. love you and miss you

P.S. if i get a golden lab im gunna name it Isabelle (cute eh?)

Michelle

From: * kelsie *
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Friday, March 31, 2006 4:45 AM
Subject: hello there

hey mom whats up??? i talked to you for awhile today but i'm writing you an e-mail cause i have nothing better to do at the moment. you know that survey thing that you filled out....did i send you taht?? and as if you stole a street sign and shoplifted!!! thats not fair that you got mad at me for stuff like taht when you did it too hahah like mother like daughter eh? anyways we called this lady today to find out about this job thing that she had posted in the hostel and we're supposed to go meet her tomorrow and find out what its all about i think it is like selling door to door maybe, i dunno!! but ya and we're going to call that chick on the island as well i think jsut to see what we can find out. i bought you part of your present taht i'm bringing home for you today its cool, well i like it anyways and i'm sure you will too. but ya not much else to write seeing how i talked to you not long ago, but could you do me a favour if you are in the bank anytime soon would you be able to find out my balance for me because the machines here don't ever tell you the right thing so as far as i know i could be on the next flight home!!

well ya i miss you TONS!! and i love you LOTS!!

your daughter from far far away

kelsie

From: "Heather Nelson"
To: "Kelsie Haughian"
Subject: P.S.
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 2006 10:21:48 -0700

Nate called the house last night. I had a really nice visit with him (I haven' heard from Stacey for a while). He was really worried about you girls with the cyclone. I thought that was really cute. He is so excited to have his own place to live. He sounded really good. Maybe you could e-mail him, he said his internet will be hooked up this weekend.

Love Mom XOXO

hi dad, (March 21st, 2006)
I wanted to let you know that there was have been a few things i have used the credit card for which you can take out of my account. I just didnt have any cash on me. There was 44$ on hostel nights at beaches, 12$ at mcdonalds for my breakfast including a 5$ iced drink i owed michelle, then 130$ at the tattoo place.... i treated myself to something...its not another tattoo. but i got both sides of my nose pierced... We dont get paid till saturday so I didnt want to touch my account thats why i havent taken any money out. Besides 80 for food. But i will be taking out 200 today...which will hopefully last till sat. If i dont buy anything! And could you please tell me my balance too. I think I am running really really low. I am scared to look.... or for you to look for that matter. I really dont wnat to come home yet! I dunno what iam going to do...............Cause i dont want to not spend any money, it kinda puts a damper on the vacation..if i cant do anything!! But i will have to do something. Anyways my nose pierceings hurt. alot. I dont remember it ever hurting that bad!! but it is two small stars, one on each side. It looks cool and no body has it. So that makes it even better!! i had to do something here. !! I was going to get a tattoo. but i decided against it. I will atleast wait a few months or a couple years till my next one!! You forgot to send me a picture of shadow!!!! Please do that soon!!Tell christa i say hi, and i miss you and love you!!
Love Chelsey

From: Michelle Andrews
Sent: March 18, 2006 8:36 PM
To: lmbrown2@shaw.ca
Subject: RE: hi

HI mom. Thanks for the cards and YES i still like spongebob!!!! And that St.Patricks good luck card worked! I dont remember if i told you that we got that job handing out flyers. But me and tasha worked the fist night and we had to work at 6 in the morning the next day so we ditched it after half an hour. So all we're doing is the landscaping for 10 days. Yesterday was our first day and it wasnt too bad. It was really hot though. We planted soooooo many plants! Our site is at this supermarket mall or something and we;re just planting bushes and things around it. But we're bent over all the time so our legs , knees and necks hurt a lot. And today we only worked for 3 hours because it was pouring rain and all we had to do was move plants into this empty building. We moved SOOOO many plants !! And yesterday id say we planted about 1000 plants! and today probably moved that many if not more into the building. But we get paid after every shift which is good because it doesnt get taxed my the government. We got paid $175 for 12 hours!! Its really hard work but i think its worth it. So we get tomorrow off because of the rain and i think we;ll be getting back to work the next day. There are cylone warnings here..thats kinda scary! Today the wind is suppose to get up to 225 km !!! thats crazy!!! And i thought lethbridge's 100 km winds were bad! I havent got a chance to send you your present yet but i think ill do that today. Oh yah you know whats wicked? on our last day of working (saturday) we all go out with the people we work with and get to get alllll the drinks we want paid for on our boss's credit card!!

So i cant work for ron in the summer because i wont be back in time then ? That sucks.. because ill definetly not be back at the beginning of april. thats in only a couple of weeks! And no i didnt know that levi and ryan got married!! thats cute hahahaha. And i dont think ill be comming home at the end of april but you never know! if i dont find another job after this one i might have too! But iam going to go so i will call you in a couple days ! love ya

Michelle

For Information on Cyclone Larry, click here

To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2006 12:56 AM
Subject: hello hello

hello again mom!!! i just talked to you on the phone earlier today but since then i have plenty of news for you already. guess what we did.......went PARASAILING!!!! i was so unbelievably scared but it was actually really fun it was just like a giant swing only 300ft in the air and over water. it is definatly something i would do again, we should go one time but i'll tell you more about it tomorrow cause i'm goin to call you before we go to work. thats another thing that is new news, we got another job planting these plants at this mall, doesn't seem like to hard of work cuase he said he would get the guys to dig all the holes and all that we have to do is just put the plants in and put the dirt back around them....easy shit! we will be getting paid $12 an hour under the table as far as the guy knows but he has to double check with the "head" guy. but ya its only for 10 days and he says we can come in when we want but they start at like 7:00 so i think we're goin to go in from 7 til 3:30 which isn't too bad cause then i still have 6 hours until we have to stand on the corner and pass out flyers for 3 hours...another easy ass job, but it provides a meal and free accomodation which is rad so taht way we can save money from our other job.

anyways ya i want to stay as long as i can but we'll see what happens who knows maybe i won't ever come home!! cept to see you....well ya not much else ot right so i'll talk to you tomorrow when i call ya and i am sending parasailing pics home right now so you can feel our experience hahha

love you and miss you tons!!!!

kelsie

p.s. I miss watching hockey cause everything is "tennis" here and the nhl playoffs are starting soon....COLORADO is battleing with calgary for first so i've heard!!!! thats awesome

From: "helle kimery"
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 7:33 PM

hi everyone - just thought i would share what news i have from the girls. tasha called today and told me that their new danish friend got VERY sick yesterday and tash made him finally go to the nearest hosipital - he passed out before they got there and was then transported by ambulance. he just made it in the nick of time - his appendix had ruptured - he is however not out off the woods yet - needs additional surgery on his pancreas!!! thank God that it wasn't one of the girls - so scary. they are looking for work on the resort that they were just staying at - really hope they get it. i know tash applied already and she says she thinks the other girls were going to today.... they loved their sailing trip - sounds incredible. they have already seen and done sooo much - it's great. but not to repeat myself,but i really hope they start working NOW!!! they should not wait till they only have a few cents in the bank!! they can travel more later.. i know that chels, kels, and michelle want to finish going up further north, but i think either tash will stay behind or go back and get work in sidney! i don't want them to seperate but i can also see tasha's point that she HAS to get working asap! so i'll keep ya all posted. thanks for putting up the pic's so quick again heather - i love looking at them. let me know mom's and dad's what your thoughts are in regards to the girls working situation. take care Helle

yo yo yo whats up mom!!! i haven't really gotten a chance to talk to you much lately it seems like i'm always rushed by someone waiting for the phone or i call too late which really sucks!!! i miss ya lots and even though i'm writing this to you right now i'm still going to be callling you when we reach Airlie Beach tomorrow. I'm so excited to go sailing i can't wait, i haven't ever been on a big boat like that besides a ferrie or a speed boat so i'm really stoked for it, and the fact that we are staying in a cabin at this resort and we get to use all of it's facilities such as the spa....definatly getting a massage, and i really want to see a chiropractor after sleeping on sand for two nights on Fraser. But ya i had a lot of fun on the island though other than the flies and the fact that i was constantly convered in sand...we met some cool people from england this one chick was so much like stasia it was unbelievable, so she made for some good laughs. these other guys that we were with were calling me stan cause stan is eminems #1 fan!!! definatly thats me haha but ya i will call you in the morning, oh and chels just pointed out there is no brisbane on the map.

luv ya lots miss ya lots and bye lots

kelsie

Hi Kelly;

Kelsie called me at 12:30 AM and said they were back (off Frasier Island). All she said was "Mom, were back, I told you I would call when we were, will call you in the morning. Love you, Bye." So I am expecting a call from her. She knew I was worried about them, especially the part in the 4 X 4's with someone else driving.

Maybe we can convince the girls to get in touch with Rhonda Lawrence's sister, Colleen and her husband. They live a little bit in-land but may be able to help the girls find work. They are not by the ocean but I gather there is a huge dam there for water skiing etc and they have two kids (a boy and a girl) the same ages as our girls.

Anxiously awaiting a phone call and more pictures.

Heather

I've missed not hearing from Chelsey in the last 3 days since they've been on Fraiser Island. Hope that they are enjoying some fantastic weather after all the rain and cloud that they've had the last week or so. I think I must've have been feeling a little lonely so I thought I 'd check out the website and it was great to read a couple of emails from the moms. It's nice to be able to pick up some details that Chelsey hasn't mentioned - like bats and sharks! Chelsey also has got to get working soon - or she will run out of money within a month and won't be able to last until April. I think that I'll tell Chelsey she can't return home until she's actually acquired a tan!

Take care everyone!
Kelly

Kelsie called many times before the girls left for Frasier Island. I agree with Helle, that the weather was keeping them in too close quarters and they were getting on each others nerves. The sun came out and finally they trip to Frasier Island sure seemed to lift their spirits.

Kelsie commented on how great the "trailer" hostel was and that they could cook their own meals. When they made tacos, I guess it reminded them alot of home. She also mentioned the swarms (flocks) of bats that would fly over each night. Between the bats, lizards, spider and and snakes, they are having their very own Fear Factor.

Apparently there was a meeting in the morning before they left for the Island, to get broken into groups to travel in the 4 X 4's, I think Kels said 8/vehicle. A two-man tent was given to each pair. The girls will get to camp, go sailing, and swim in the in-land fresh water lakes. There are too many sharks around the island to go in the ocean. I can hardly wait to hear about their adventures and for the pictures.

When Clay was in Australia a year ago, he and his buddies ran out of money when they were in the same area as the girls are now. They all (3) got jobs on a lettuce farm near Toowamba, it was hard work, they lived on the farm but it certainly helped extend their stay. I am sure the girls will be able to find something, even if it is just seasonal work in the produce industry.

Hope all the parents are doing well. Believe me, the girls will not be the same (in a really good way) when they come home. It will shock you at how much more mature they will be. They grow up really fast when the parents aren't an arms length away.

Heather

hello all moms - just a little update from here. i talk to natasha every other day and i can't imagine being without that!!! i miss her very much. she told me during the rainy days last week they all really got on each others nerves,but as soon as the sun was peeking through again they were all back to being happy again, haha. think they might be getting a little spoiled weatherwise??? anyhow - i am really proud of how well they have done and how grown up they sound already! on a sad note however - tash might have to split from the other girls for awhile and fly back towards sidney to start working - the others want to stay and travel a little longer, but tasha 's funds are getting VERY low and she is worried about running out of money and would have to return home in another month and she wants to stay. their friend justin 2 is saying that he should be able to find her work right away. i still don't like it but she has to get working asap or this wonderfull adventure will soon end. i just want her to be safe.....they should now be on Frazier island and that should be wonderfull - can't wait for the pictures from there. they just all look so brown ( well - chealse is more "pinkish" haha) - so happy and sooo beautifull. i hope they can all stay for a lot longer - also wish all us parents could go see them. thanks heather for always updating the website - i love looking at it. take care all. helle

From: Michelle Andrews
Sent: March 2, 2006 11:57 PM
To: lmbrown2@shaw.ca
Subject: Friday

hi mom. Well we're in Hervy Bay and its STILL raining. its suppose to rain until tuesday which really sucks because there isnt anything to do when its raining. Ive read a lot of harry potter and thats pretty much all i can do. We were suppose to leave here and go to Fraser Island today but we decided to cancel that because of the rain. We're at this hostel called Fraser Escape and it only costs 12$ a night!! best deal we've came across so far ánd we're staying in a trailer! it has a kitchen in it and 5 beds. Its the closest thing to a home that ive hand since ive left. So we went grocery shopping and we're making tacos for supper tonight! i miss tacotime. When do you go to vegas again? Because we're staying here until tuesday or wednesday (i forget) so i will call you before we leave to Fraser Island and PRAY that it doesnt rain. that is the last thing i want to do is camp in the rain with all those spiders and snakes. But i have to go so i will email you or call or both soon! bye love you and miss you

hi dad,
I know i dunno my money just seems like it is flying by. I need to stop spending money. that scares me, after this trip i defintely need to get a job. Really really bad. Anyways i spent 40$ on my credit card because i couldnt find an ATM so you can take that out of my account. We are in Brisbane right now. Its alright. There is no real beach here thought it kinda sucks. There is a man made beach but its not on the coast so there is no waves at all. we might go to the amusment park today. But maybe not after that much money is gone. Shit, everything is so expensive. Just food, i dont notice because i never really buy any at home. This is a good lesson for us I think. I dont want to be coming home soon so I need to stop buying things.
Iam going to try raelly hard to slow it down! Anyways i should be putting pictures up soon we just need to find a computer that will let us. This one wont because its free at our hostel and it wont let us upload. Anyways. I am going to go eat breakfast. So i wll call you soon Love you

hi dad,
we are in noose right now just waiting for our bus to leave we have about another 5 hours to wait! and it is pouring rain!! so we are just sitting around doing nothin cause we are booked out of our hostel already and yah... so it kinda sucks. WE are suppose to be leaving for Frasier Island on the 4th but i dunno if we are anymore because it is raining and is going to be for like the next week so none of us want to go camping in the rain and it woul dbe a waste of like the 300$ we put on this trip. So we post pone it for about a week and just stay in Hervey Bay for those days. Ricks friends son in teaching scuba diving there so he said he will phone his friend and see what he can do about maybe helping us out a bit there or something. I will let you knwo what we are doing though. I will call you tomorrow, my friday and your thursday to let you know ok. Anyways iam going to re load my phone card on my credit card cause i cant find a store that will do it but just take it out of my account ok? I am going to put $30 on it. I only have about $2 left. And iam going to need more insluin soon. But it was my fault i only have one cartrdige of the rapid So i will buy it with my own money because i dont expect you too. I wil explain what happened on the phone. So then i will buy more and then i iwll just keep it in a cooler. SO this doesnt happen again because it is so expensive. Iam sending your letter today, it had the post cards in it and the receipt for the insulin and the doctors visit in it so you can get reembursed ok. But anways i will call you tomorrow ok?? I love you and miss you and say hi to Christa and Jordan for me and give shadow a kiss for me ok

From: Tim.Elhatton@mnp.ca
To: chelseyelhatton@hotmail.com
Subject: Hi there
Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2006 12:48:53 -0700

Hi Chelsey,
Saw your pictures on the website.....they are very good. (Can you take some more of you?)
Sorry to hear about the weather...sounds lousy...BUT...probably better than snow and cold.
Hopefully, you can find some fun stuff to do.
It is cold and snowy here...Shadow is doing fine, but does not like the cold when I send him to his grass.
Jordan has taken 3 or 4 driving lessons so far...seems to be doing well. He will have his license when you get back...(scary)
JP and your Mom and Rick are heading to Hawaii in about 2 weeks. Auntie Wreny is getting back from Hawaii tomorrow (our Friday) and you are in Australia....and I am freezing my ass off in Lethbridge.
I miss you lots to Chelsey.....Take care and talk with you soon.
I will give Shadow a hug....his breath stinks too much to give him a kiss.
Love Dad

Kelsie called this morning. It was 1:00 AM Saturday in Hervey Bay. She said the weather still sucked, raining but warm, but was supposed to clear up in the next day or two. The girls have found a new hostel to stay in, apparently an old trailer with something built on to it. They have a room for 6 but there is just the four of them and they have their own kitchen and it is relatively inexpensive compared to some. Somehow they have postponed their trip to Frasier Island ( until the weather clears) and will stay in Hervey Bay until then.

After the Fraser Island trip, it sounds like the girls will be making plans to holiday more or stay where they are and find jobs or make their way back down to Sydney. Kelsie said in the hostels, there are job boards with lots of jobs, some that pay just cash, and that there is some form that can be filled out prior to employment so that less income tax will be deducted from their paycheques (once the time comes).

Tony and Carolyn are still in touch with the girls and will probably meet up with them again.

Please send any news you have from your daughters so we can put it on the website for a permanent journal of their adventure.

Thanks
Heather

From: Michelle Andrews
Sent: February 26, 2006 6:57 PM
To: lmbrown2@shaw.ca
Subject: RE: hi

hi mummmaa. i havent called u while ive been in brisbane i dont like it here that much. there arent any beaches with waves, they're all man made. unless you take a train somewhere else. but its about noon here on monday the 27th and our bus leaves at 2 that takes us to noosa. I think we're staying there for 3 nights because the next place we're goin is fraiser island ( the camping one) and we have to book that 5 days before. But im excited to go there. Yesterday we went to a koala bear farm and got to HOLD them!! It cost 25$ for a picture and 8 postcards. my picture on the postcards are sooooo ugly so i dont know if ill be sending any of them and the big picture is alright. I was thinking about sending one to grandpa and nanny but i might just send them a different postcard. We also took pictures with our cameras so you'll be able to see them on the website as soon as we send them. I havent been on the internet since i was in sydney so thats why i havent emailed you in a while. I cant remember if i told you that we went to the ripleys belive it or not museum but that was really cool. There was this camera the size of a nickel and it could take real pictures! there were so many weird things like that! We went to a movie last night. its called trans america or something. It was weird watching tv! haha But i have to go so ill call you when i get to noosa either tomorrow or the next day! love and miss you l ots.

From: "kelly elhatton"
To: "chelsey elhatton"
Sent: Wednesday, February 22, 2006 3:44 PM
Subject: Re: hey mom

Hi Chelsey, glad you made it to Surfer's Paradise okay and that no gargantuan spider sent you packing for home. are you going to take surf lessons while you're there? We're in the early stages of a snow storm I think. So be very grateful that you get to be there!!! Hope you're having a great day and I look forward to talking to you soon.
XOXOXO MOM

From: "chelsey elhatton"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 9:39 PM
Subject: hey mom

hi mom, sorry i havent called you, we are in surfers paradise, our bus left Byron Bay this morning and we are here now!! i just cant find a close phone one that works anyways. it is so hot!!! and i think all of us our a little tired from last night.. we were suppose to go watch the sunrise at 5:30 from the lighthouse...but that didnt happen!!! The bars here are alot different from home.. pepople dance funny, and dont really know how!!! anyways iam going to get going. going to go find a phone with tasha i will try calling you soon!! love you

hi heather - i have just about the same news to report as you did. i think the girls take turns right after each other to call home. tasha call nearly every other day - it really helps me not to go nuts without her. but she is having the time of her life and i truely believe that this is the best thing they could have ever done!!! the money is going really fast though and i am beginning to worry about them not working yet! i understand that they wanted to travel first, but i think the long stay in Sidney really ate into their savings! i just don't want to see them come home in a month, because they are out of money!! it is great however that they have made so many good friends already - i have not seen tasha this happy in a very long time! they also seem to have worked out their differences and are able to travel together again. i am very jeaulous and wish i could go visit and see what they are seeing - although the spiders and the extreme heat might just prove a little too much for this ol' gal!!! all in all - they seem to have grown up so fast and really seem very confident in travelling now - we should all be proud of them - as i'm sure that we are. i will report any news if different from yours.
helle

The Girls

The girls have been in Byron Bay for a couple of days now. Apparently they "played tourist" and went on a nature walk with a guide. Kelsie said it was pretty interesting. I was happy to hear they were checking out the wild life of nature rather than the wild life of the pubs. This morning they were going to watch the sunrise (5:30 AM) at the first point it appears in Australia.

Their accommodations now are some sort of tee pee kind of tent, and Kelsie agreed that the spiders were awful, but maybe the girls will get over their fear of them after living with them. There is also some kind of lizards hanging around, that the girls feed bacon to.

Their friend Tony has met up with them and as of yesterday they were waiting for Carolyn to arrive.

Kelsie said she really misses our food, in particular Ranch dressing, Kraft dinner- rotinni, anything Alfredo, Old Dutch chips and dip and good tasting beef. She said they had McDonald's once but it tasted funny but have discovered Subway and Quizno's and said they were okay.

Sounded like things are going well and they are all enjoying the trip like they should be. I'm anxious for more pictures to see how healthy and tanned they look.

If you have any news, please e-mail me and we can put on on the website.

Heather

From Chelsey,
hi dad, yes everything is going good... as this hostel the one i told you about that we are at right now in Byron bay.. anyways i have seen spiders soo big and they are sleeping with us in the huge tent.... they are huge... and we seen the second most poisonous spider in the world here too.. but they dont leave there web unless you touch it. But anyways. I am surprised i made it through the night i was scared!! anyways i will call you soon! love you

From: Tim.Elhatton@mnp.ca
To: chelseyelhatton@hotmail.com
Subject: Hi there,
Date: Sun, 19 Feb 2006 14:22:30 -0700

Hi Chelsey,
How are things going?
Is the weather nice?
We have had -30 degree weather.......the windchill is -43.......it is freakin' cold....
It was great to see the pictures on the website.....keep sending them.
Hope you are having fun and enjoying your trip.
Talk with you soon.
Love Dad

From: Tim Elhatton/Lethbridge/mnp
To: chelsey elhatton
Subject: Re: hi dad

Hi Chelsey,

I am so happy to hear from you....I can relax now .... knowing you are there safe and sound.
How was your flight? Are you feeling okay?
I have a lot of questions, but will talk with you on the phone.
Thanks for emailing me so soon....I really appreciate hearing from you. I will say hi to everyone for you.....say hi to all the girls..... Can't wait to see some pics of you guys .....!
Take care.
Love you lots
Dad

From: chelsey elhatton
To: Tim.Elhatton@mnp.ca
Subject: hi dad

hi dad,
well i made it through my first night here! no one else is awake yet. its about 8 in the morning here. i went and ate breakfast. it costs 2 dollars to eat breakfast at the hostel. but i think today we are going to go grocery shopping so we will have food for awhile. it is so busy here. it seems liek it never stops. everyone is always out and about. now at 8 in the morning and last night went to hungry jacks, its like burger king in canada same food. different name. but with mcdonals fries? and it was packed in there at like 1 in the morning. It is so nice here, weather wise. everyone is in shorts. no matter what time of day! i think today they are going to take me around to a couple cool places. and go to the beach. I dont really feel like iam in australia! I am so happy to be with my friends again! Well i miss you guys. tell jordan, christa and shadow i say hi! I am going to get a calling card today i think so i will call you in a couple days! Love you and i will talk to you soon!

From: "Natasha V"
To: helle_kimery@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: A koala bear hug for you
Date: Wed, 08 Feb 2006 02:59:20 -0700

Hey Mom,
How are you doing?? I just talked to you earlier!! I miss you sooo much still... i don't know if that's ever going to go away as long as i'm here!!! :( Thank's for all the e -mails i love reading them I hope you guy's don't take it personally when i don't send those forwards back i just don't really have time for it and everything cost money so ya i'd rather just write you guys. We went to a place called crunolla today where are friend justin lives the one you talked to on the phone, anyways he took us to some beaches up there they were amaizing I like them way better then the ones you get in the city. We saw some blue bottles there - stinging jellyfish- they were getting washed up on shore from all the waves so we didn't go back in after that! We are sending more pictures today of us, australia, and some of the people we met along the way. I can't belive that rett is doing worse .... maybe just wishful thinking but i want to see here there when i get home!! I love her and i miss them all soooo much i hate being without my animals!! Justin has a dalmation with brown spots and it made me miss our dogs so much but it was so nice to be in the company of a pet again you have no idea. I'll be praying for her please take the best of care of ret as you can and make sure you tell her i love her and keep me posted on her condition. Tell mike i love him and miss him too!! I love you mom and please don't worrie so much! we're taking good care of ourselves and for the first time in a long time I'm truely happy!!! Except for the fact that you guys aren't here with me but i love you more then you ever know and i miss you a ton!! I'll call you in a couple days! Love you tasha

HELLO MOM!!!! i was glad to here that you had an awesome birthday wish i could have been there with ya...woulda got you right wasted hah but ya everything is going well and i talked to you on the phone today. it totally didn't feel like 4 days since the last time i had talked to you, i guess i'm just getting wrapped up in what's happening down here with all our new found friends and them moving away and having going away gatherings on the front step getting a little wasted and stuff, but ya it's sad everyone we hang out with except justin has left us. it seems quite lonely now it's weird. anywyas today we went to Cranulla ( i don't know if that's how its spelt) but whatever and we went to the beach tehre it was so nice, like ten times better than Bondi there was like no people there it was quite nice. oh guess what we saw our first live jellyfish today it was the blue bottle (not deadly don't worry) but we like freaked out and all ran out of the water it was so funny! well ya i don't have much else to say cept i'm stoked for chelsey to get here...a familiar face finally and she can speak english and without a damn accent!!! haha but ya i sent you a ton of pics so here is what they are about, are you ready?

They start out when we are leaving hte airport its of me and you, then in tokyo japan, then hte ones of hte beach are bondi, then we are at scubar and the young looking boy with the yellow shirt is swaney and he's from australia, then from the roof top of our first hostel and in the pool, then pics of jsut wierd buildings and shit they have, then this aboriginal we met on the street, and the chinese new year, and tasha drying here hair in the airconditioner cause our blowdryer blew up i dunno if i told you that but anyways the guy in the white wtih dark hair is justin case the one i told you about, then the crab races and pics from my birthday then the guy htat looks kind of gay but he's not and wearing a red shirt that's tony we hung out with him like everyday he's awesome and he might come meet us up the coast, the guy with the shaggy hair was this waste case from finland i dont' remember his name, the guy on the steps with the black shirt and hair is adam our old roommate the blonde girl is stacey sh'es from calgary, the weird guy with the pony tail and dark hair on the floor is leo is from ireland, then there are a few from the aquarium i didnt' send all of them so you have to wait till i get home and ya the last one with tony and hte dark haired girl thatse Eameare pronounced EEEEmer and she's from ireland as well but ya hopefull i covered it all if not let me know tata

love ya miss ya bye
kelsie

From: Michelle Andrews
Sent: February 6, 2006 5:00 AM
To: lmbrown2@shaw.ca
Subject: hello

hi mom. yes i did get the picture of you and tasha haha it was cute. she probably doesnt miss me dressing her up though. Tonight we went to the crab races at Scubar and we signed up for a crab. Kelsies crab got second place and she won a hat and t-shirt. I named mine matt haha but he didnt do so good so i didnt win anything.

There should be some new pictures up soon becuase we sent a few to heather yesterday. We couldnt figure out how to send all of them at once so there's not too many.

Two nights ago we went to Carolines ( girl from france ) appartment and shes on the 35th floor and then we went up to the roof and had a bbq. It was really fun and we could see all of the lights so we took a bunch of pictures. It was kind of scary standing near the edge because the fence was made out of glass so i kept feeling like i was about to fall off. But it was really fun.

Yesterday we went to the Sydney Aquarium. It was really cool. There are certain parts where you can walk like underneath the water in this tube thing, and sharks and eels and all sorts of different kinds of fish are swimming like RIGHT next too you. When we first walked in there was this huge sting ray laying on the glass right above us. Kelsie zoomed in on his face haha they're cute. We also seen what box jellyfish (a deadly one) look like. They werent alive though but we read about them and there was this picture of someone who had been stung by one of them. They had burn marks all over their stomach and side. So i wanna stay far far away from those thats forsure .

M i c h e l l e

From: Michelle Andrews
Sent: February 2, 2006 11:52 PM
To: lmbrown2@shaw.ca
Subject: RE: FRIDAY

Hi mom. yah i called you lastnight but i paid 4$ for an hour on the internet so im emailing you back again.

YES! the tequilla here is exactly the same as we had at our party! i m not drinking that anymore thats forsure. It tastes like there is dust on it or something. But nope im not that homesick yet. I miss the people from there but not lethbridge . I miss my car and tasha. and you of course!

Yes i did get that picture that you sent me. It was just of you and ron right? and oh jeez is sydney ever big. We never really leave our little part of the city unless we're going to the beach but thats not too far away either. Last night we went on this pub crawl thing where they took us to darling harbour. It took us to 5 different pubs and we got 5 free drinks but we werent having much fun so we didnt go to the last bar. We just came back to the hostel and i went to bed at 12:30 .

Uhm i dont really know what we do all day. basically just go to the beach or the pool and walk that pretty much tires us right out. Tonight we are going to this house party with our new friends. But i should go so i will talk to you later! love you

M i c h e l l e

From: "Heather Nelson"
To : "Kelsie Haughian"
Date : Fri, 3 Feb 2006 08:29:11 -0700
Subject : Pink Flamingos?!?!?!

Good Morning you little monkey,Kelsie!

50 Pink Flamingos and Hearts and a Funny Sign greeted me this morning when I opened the front door to get the newspaper. Thank you Kelsie for thinking about me and making arrangements for this before you went on your trip. It made my day !

Watch for the pictures on the website.

Love you and miss you lots.
Love Mom XOXO

From: Tim.Elhatton@mnp.ca
To: "Heather Nelson"
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 4:45 PM
Subject: Re: GIRLS IN AUSTRALIA

This is one for the web-site......

APPLICATION GRANTED.....!!!!!!

Chelsey can go....

Yahoo.....!

Tim

Parents and girls, check out the website below ( newsletter) for info on the Melbourne games.
Thanks Tim.
Heather

From: Tim.Elhatton@mnp.ca
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2006 8:47 AM
Subject: Fw: Backpacker Buzz January 2006 Edition

Heather,

I noticed that the Commonwealth games are on in Melbourne in March.....don't know if the girls might be interested....check out the article below....it might be a lot of fun.

Thanks
Tim

http://www.hihostels.ca

From: "Natasha V"
To: helle_kimery@hotmail.com
Subject: RE hi mommy!!
Date: Mon, 30 Jan 2006 20:52:06 -0700

Hey mom,
How are you?? I miss you so much i was crying when i was reading all the e-mails from home. I don't miss lethbridge but i miss you guys and my friends. We meet tons of people here but it's just not the same you know. We went out for kelsie's bithday yesterday and meet a bunch of really nice ausie's it was fun because they took us areound the town to different places. It's grat we don't have to pay for a single drink when we go out i love it!! hehe it's good to be Canadian. Thank for putting that money in my account it's so expensive to live out here we have to get jobs right after chelsey gets here and don't worrie we will!! I really wish you were here i miss seeing you everyday expecially becuase we even started working together so i saw you all day almost everyday so it's deffinately hard to get use to. I will call you tommorow I'm going to wright Nick and Mikail an e-mail now. I Love and miss you sooooo much!!! We will try to send pictures as soon as we can and for the web sight. talk to you soon. xoxo
tasha.

From: "helle kimery"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 6:56 PM

hi all mom's - don't know how to forward tasha's e-mails to website - have to figure it out - or let me know how please. we have heard from tash again - at least 2 more calls since kelsie's birthday( i'm loving that!) and one e-mail. they seem to be doing very well and i'm very proud of them. they are soo lucky - what an adventure!! it sounds wonderfull and i am a little bit jealous!! kelly - i will be giving chealsea a birthday card to bring over for natasha and a couple of cd's as well. she will be turning 20 on feb. 13. could you help me to remind her to bring it for me??? thanks. can't wait till they start sending us pictures. take care

helle

From: Tim.Elhatton@mnp.ca
To: "Heather Nelson"
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2006 1:24 PM
Subject: Re: Website

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to give everyone an update on Chelsey's visa application. We have had many calls and emails to and from the high commission in Ottawa and the processing center in Tasmania where the applications get final approval. As of today (Jan 31st) we do not have approval. Our hope is that by the end of the week or early next week, we will know ... one way or the other.

I know Chelsey is anxious to get on the plane and be with her friends. We will continue to keep you upto date. Take care you girls.....!

Tim

From: * kelsie *
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Monday, January 30, 2006 8:28 PM
Subject: You'll never guess who i met

OH MY GOD speaking of like motorcross you'll never guess who i met here....another guy named justin case haha weird eh? he's the one in all the picks with us that i'm sending you. i never would have guessed that two people would have that same name cause it's so weird and harsh towards your child...and ya we went to manly beach but i didn't like it too much there wasn't any waves so i dunno what clay was talking about if it was the same one but it just felt like swimming in a big lake at home anwyas talk to later

luv you

kels

From: * kelsie *
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Monday, January 30, 2006 8:23 PM
Subject: what's up

hey mom!!!

thanks for the happy birthday it's weird not having you here for it, well i guess it's actually me there with you hah anyways we went out. i didn't even spend a cent it was rad. we went to this bar and they had crab races it was cool you got to like pick a crab and name it and if it won you got prizes. we took pics of the crabs with their numbers painted on their backs but i'll be sending you those later cause this place doesn't have the option to upload your pics so we have to find somewhere else. We also met these guys that are from here and they're goin to take us around to the good beaches and stuff. Right now i'm at this travel place and we were discussing this package deal that takes you up the coast to certain places and to fraser island and stuff but we're goin to go check out some other prices elsewhere to see what's cheaper. but it like includes a 4x4 camping trip and we get to go on this boat that stops overnight at this island and stuff and it includes like free scuba diving it's gunna be so awesome i'm stoked. well ya i miss you and i love you lots and i''ll send you picks as soon as i can

tata
muah
kelsie

From: "helle kimery"
To:
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 6:37 PM
Subject: girls moved
hi everybody - just heard from natasha again ( she calls quite a bit- thank God) - they moved to a new and cheaper hostel and are celebrating kelsie's 19th. birthday. they seem to be doing well and are realizing how expensive everything is. as soon as chelsea get's there they will be heading out of Sidney and up the coast. they are staying at a place called "footprints". i miss her sooo much but i am so happy for them. wish i could go visit. i'm having a hard time with my empty nest - so try to keep busy. i hope as soon as the girls are all together, that they will find jobs - funds are going VERY fast - tash is down $500, already plus her credit card charges. even though hostels are cheap - it adds up quickly. they will be checking the website soon they said - can't wait to see more pic's. let me know if you all have any other news. take care all lonely mom's. helle

From: Michelle Andrews
Sent: January 28, 2006 12:05 AM
To: lmbrown2@shaw.ca
Subject: RE: Hi

Hey mum.

Im just in Sydney right now using the computer at our hostel. Yes there is airconditioning here..thank god or else i would probably die from the heat. It was SO hot here today. Yesterday we went to Bandi Beach , it was really fun. We ended up going to this bar thing thats downstairs in our hostel. We met so many different people. People from Australia of course, New Zealand , Austria , Scotland , Ireland , France and some girls from Canada too. Its hard to understand some of the peoples accents. Today we went shopping downtown. I havent walked this much in my life i dont think, iam soooooo tired. So we're cooking supper in the kitchen soon, i bought some rice a salad and a bun at the grocery store. tasha and kelsie are having spaghetti. Tomorrow we;re going to a different hostel, its way cheaper. So we have to be out of here at 11am tomorrow. I bought the coooolest sunglasses today! i love them haha. I also bought a dress, capris, and a tank top for 25$ !!! there was a huge sale but my sunglasses were 30$ - i had to buy them. Tomorrow i think we;re going to the beach and then to the opera house at night so we can see the bridge and everything. Uhmm our website is up now, i dont know if u knew that or not and i cant remember the website to go to so i havent seen it yet. I guess you look pretty sad in a couple of the pictures. Well i should get going, I will call u soon! bye love you

M i c h e l l e

From: "Heather Nelson"
To : "Tim Elhatton" ,"Linda Brown" , "Helle Kimery" , "Kelly Elhatton" ,
Date : Fri, 27 Jan 2006 08:05:53 -0700
Subject : Phone Call from Kelsie

Kelsie called this morning, it was 1:20 AM Jan 28 in Australia and 7:20 AM here on the 27th. The girls have the time difference figured out "it's 6 hours plus the opposite day" is how I was told.

The girls had been to the beach earlier in the day, had met some young men from Ireland, their room mate is a nurse from France. Apparently the hostel is not as bad as we were first lead to believe. Kelsie said she was just really tired.

The phone card Kelsie was using cost 40 cents to connect the call and then only 1/2 cent per minute, a really good deal.

They have been researching a tour up the east coast and have found one they like and will put a deposit down. They called Chelsey to make it was okay with her too.

It sounded like everyone was doing great the first few days of their greatest life adventure.
Heather

From: "helle kimery"
To: Heather@truol.com
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 9:43 AM

hi heather - yes natasha called as well this morning - and yesterday from singapore. i am glad that they are there safe, but tash was NOT impressed with the hostel as well. hopefully when they get their barings they can lool around for a better place. i miss her so much - but still so happy for them. helle

From: Linda Brown
To: 'Heather Nelson'
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 8:25 AM
Subject: RE: Call from Kelsie

Hi Heather.

I also got a call from Michelle at about the same time. She said she wasn’t very impressed with the hostel either. She also said she was almost hallucinating, she hadn’t slept in so long. Hopefully she will get some sleep now. I know I am breathing easier now! Talk to you soon. Linda

From: Heather Nelson
To: villiger@shaw.ca ; Kelsie Haughian ; Kelly Elhatton ; Helle Kimery ; Linda Brown ; Tim Elhatton
Sent: Thursday, January 26, 2006 8:05 AM
Subject: Call from Kelsie

Hello everyone;

I guess we can all breathe easier now that the girls have "landed". Kelsie called this morning at 4:00 AM from the Sydney Central Hostel. She wasn't impressed with the beds ( said they were sketchy?) and that there was another girl in the room with them. Such is the life in a hostel.

She wasn't really talkative and sounded awfully tired. The girls were going to have something to eat, shower and go to bed. Kelsie said she would call in a couple of days.

The website is www.truol.com/gia and will be updated often. Send me your pictures and e-mails and we can get them posted.

Heather

From: * kelsie *
To: heather@truol.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 25, 2006 4:15 PM
Subject: hi from singapore

Hey mom!
How are you? We're just at the airport in Singapore right now waiting to leave on our flight to AUSTRALIA!!! This airport is insane it's like a shopping mall hah but ya I just talked to you not that long ago but I just wanted to say hi.

miss you and love ya lots
Kelsie