Why Am I Here?

Most likely you are here because you know Skye, Heather, or both of us. We are both turning 50 in 2026 and celebrating by walking Wainwright’s Coast to Coast across England. This was a bucket list item for Skye and she was kind enough to let Heather join her.

In case you don’t know our villain origin story: we met in 1993 when Heather left the US for the first time (thanks Rotary Exchange Program!) and became a student at St John’s College in Dandenong, Victoria, Australia. Skye was in Year 11 at St John’s and the 2 bonded over many things, including their love of Monty Python and Carole King. Here is one of the first photos of us together in September 1993.

From September 1993 to July 1994 we were inseparable. And then our worlds fell apart when Heather’s exchange ended and she returned to Illinois to start university while Skye remained in Australia and finished Year 12.

We wrote airmail letters at least weekly and saved up for our monthly (ridiculously expensive) one hour phone calls. We kept each other up to date on everything….as up to date as you can get via international postal service. Anyone remember sharing photos pre-internet? We took photos on cameras, took them to be developed, wrote “captions ” on the back of any that turned out, put them in an envelope, went to the post office, mailed them, and then waited at least 2 weeks for a reply. Here’s a fabulous example:

And then the international visits began with Heather going back to Australia in 1996 and Skye popping out of a trash can in Heather’s Illinois dorm building in 1997 as a 21st birthday surprise.

In December 1997 Skye completed her University degree and moved to Illinois to stay with Heather and her roommates for their last few months of school. This quick visit extended to 6 years in the States when Skye met James and their whirlwind romance turned into marriage. Heather owes James a debt of gratitude for keeping Skye on the same continent as her as the friends were able to stand up in each other’s weddings and celebrate the birth of Heather and Tim’s 2 kids.

James and Skye moved to Australia in 2003 and the international visits commenced again. Skye and Heather (and Tim and James) have been lucky enough to visit every 2(ish) years in Australia, the US, and Ireland. These visits included another trash can surprise 21 years after the first, but they have agreed that they won’t be doing it again at 63.

A gaggle of memories and now 2 weeks alone together to celebrate 50 years of life and 33 years of friendship. Thanks for joining us on our adventure!