Making Memories

November notions...

2007-11-04T18:23:00.000-08:00

It has been almost two months since our last update and I'm sure people are starting to wonder, "What are Marc and Cari up to these days?"

Rest assured, your wondering will come to an end tonight!

Marc and I continue to face each new day with a sense of adventure. We are now in a new chapter of the "NewlyWeds" called "Let's make some money and QUICK!" Marc had begun September with a job at Petro Canada here is Edmonton, which had it's ups and downs...ups being that we were able to spend each night together and face the morning together, the down being that the pay and hours were not what he was used to. SO, last week, Marc quit his in-town job and took a call to Ft. Mc-Fun to become a Foreman and make some cash...quick.

Working in Ft. McMurray is a challenge in itself, but my dear husband has the ability to shut off his emotions and just 'git 'er done', if you will. I have been left to hold down the basement 'fort' and am making weekend trips to reunite with my hard working hubby.

We are NOT pregnant, but we do have a plan...don't get excited...it's a three year plan, so you'll have to be patient.

Other than the new job for Marc, the rest of life is back to the routine of school, gym, and sleep. My position this year is a LOT nicer than the previous year. I have a whopping 12 kids, who are having a blast! The next two months are going to be a bit nuts with teaching, planning a Christmas concert, Marc being gone, and report cards on the horizon.

With the grace of God, we'll make it through...

C&M

Three months of marriage and one week of school...

2007-09-08T13:32:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was a milestone day for us. Marc and I have made it through the first three months of marriage and I survived my first week of school! Horray!

The past three months have been wonderful. The wedding, the honeymoon, and attempting to get into some sort of NORMAL routine together in our little basement suite. Last weekend, we traded our Mustang GT for a 2005 Dodge Magnum R/T. We were hoping to sell the Mustang without having to trade it in, but we managed to get what we wanted for the convertible and came out with a vehicle that we both have been wanting for some time. Dad (and others) have made comments about our vehicle though; it's black and a larger vehicle, so we're hearing things like... "It's a HURSE!" "This is a baby car...wink, wink." "You should put Letourneau Funeral Homes on the back!" Regardless, it's fast and we life it.

I have a feeling that this year is going to be a good one for me. I have a class of 14 students and there are only some minor problems to work out. My music classes are much more organized and I am teach teaching with the Vice Principal which is a great help!

Marc and I have recieved our pictures from our photographer...and they too 1100 shots in one day. They said that that was the most images they have taken at a wedding ever. I believe it! They are beautiful...and tough to narrow down which ones are going to have put into our album.

We're working on our 'Thank You' letters/cards so you can look forward to recieving an update from us within the next month.

Love to all!

C&M

FYI...

2007-08-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Marc did some tallying of gas receipts and fuel for the trip cost an approximate total of $900 (combination of Canadian and American funds). We drove a total of 9101km...and ate 12+ eggs benedict meals along the way.

We're slowly getting organized...doing laundry...filling the back of the truck with garbage...fitting two people in a place made comfortably for one. Glad we love eachother!

Marc also got a job at Petro Canada in Edmonton, doing electrical...so his holidays are officially OVER. We're on the hunt for a new pair of steel-toed boots now...

AND, the VW fell trough. We're no longer purchasing it which means that we have a Mustang GT Convertible for sale! If you know anyone who wants to buy our car...CALL/E-MAIL US!

Deb-A special thanks to you Karen and Rick for the wedding gift. What a wonderful keepsake. We are still waiting to see our pictures from the wedding, but when we have a good one, we'll send it your way so that we can add it to the frame. It's already on our wall!

Love C&M

HOME...safe and sound!

2007-08-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

It seems like the "We're Home" part of the trip diary get neglected...but we (I) have not forgotten.

Marc and I had another day of driving (9 hours) since our last post which took us to Medicine Hat. We stopped at Aunty Colette and Uncle Rod's coming into town which has turned into a beautiful spot! Then, we crashed at Aunty Marina's for two nights...

While we were there, we stopped in at Grandpa's for cinnamon buns and hugs, and also at the VW Dealership. Yes, we did do somethign that may or may not shock you. We traded in the Mustang for a VW Jetta TDI Wagon. We still drove the Mustang back to Edmonton, but our new vehicle is going to be driven up to us once it passes a 600 point inspection...funny thing, we haven't even seen it yet!

Aunty Marina made us supper on Wednesday night, then we went for a field trip out to Kevin's new acreage. What a cool place! Marc was totally jealous and would definately not be sad if we were to stumble over a spot like this in the Edmonton area. ;)

Lastnight we arrive HOME, unloaded the Mustang, were bombarded with mail, then head over to my parents place, where everyone was anxiously awaiting our return. Breanne and Vanessa attacked us at the door before we could even enter the house. Goofy girls!

Supper was awesome; corn, sausage, spetzle, ceasar salad, and EGG PIE! (Thanks Marie!)

So the honeymoon is officialy over...now I'm in 'name change' mode and we're organizing our place...full of wedding gifts and such.

Stay tuned for future posts of how we're doing...

Thank you to all of you who read our journey so far. It has been wonderful!

Love
Cari and Marc Letourneau

There goes that blog!

2007-08-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

So all we did today was drive...about 9 hours in total.

We left Las Vegas this morning at about 10:30am (after grabbing breakfast at McDonalds).

We drove through...

and into...

and then...I didn't have the camera ready, so this is me pouting that I did't get a picture of the "Welcome to Idaho" sign. Ug.

We're at another Super 8 tonight in Idaho Falls, ID...heading out early tomorrow morning to land in Medicine Hat for a quick visit.

Looking forward to being back in Canada!

C&M

Breasts and Black Jack...

2007-08-11T21:57:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a different approach to blogging...

We're going to sum up the past 48+/- hours as follows:

"Oh my, it's HOT here!"

"Thank God for air conditioning!"

"Let's go see the Grand Canyon tomorrow!"

"G'night love..."

"Jack in the Box has an all day breakfast."

"You're going to eat two of those?!"

"How could anyone live out here? There is NOTHING!"

"What kind of trees are those? I've never seen them before."

"Oh lovely...gravel roads!"

"Ah, they're Joshua trees!"

"I see helicopter rides...I like it here..."

"I can't justify $75 each to walk over a glass skywalk...which I probably won't be able to handle!"

"Driving out here...to turn around to go back..."

"Going to Vegas to see Celine and not being able to..."

"Do you wanna drive?"

"The Hoover Dam...is a concrete jungle."

"It's HOT here!"

"Look over the edge...all the way down."

"God bless air conditioning!"

"It's 9:00pm and it's dark outside!"

"How many light bulbs do you think are in Las Vegas?"

"MGM Grand isn't actually green?! It's just lights...how disappointing!"

"Let's eat at the Rainforest Cafe."

"It's still hot!"

"G'night..."

"Um...it's almost 2:00pm and we're just leaving the hotel...where are we going to eat?"

"Ya, it's still HOT outside...48 degrees celcius!"

"This might be the hottest weather I've ever experienced."

"Ah, air conditioning!"

"Brunch at the Mesa Cafe in Ceasar's Palace...this better be good!"

"What are grits?"

"I'm going to walk through the Celine Dion store..."

"Let's find a blackjack table..."

"I'm up $60!"

"It's over...should have cashed out."

"Let's go back to the hotel so that I can change."

"We're taking a cab to New York New York for the show...it's too hot to walk!"

"Let's grab a Starbucks."

"Zumanity...the sensual side of Cirque de Soleil."

"You need to be open minded for this one."

"Was there enough breasts for ya?"

We're going to leave the rest of the details for when we come home. Las Vegas has been good and HOT. Could ya tell? The following pictures will link together the above dialogue.

We're planning on making it to Idaho Falls, ID tomorrow...about 9 hours from here. We've got some driving ahead of us...

G'night from Sin City!

C&M

Live from Sin City...

2007-08-09T20:37:00.000-07:00

Before writing about where we are now, we need to step back and talk more about where we were...

Our visit with Sean was more than anything I could have imagined. I hadn't seen him for such a long time and three days just flew by. He provided us with so many wonderful experiences and was a very generous host.

Yesterday morning, he had us up and ready for a workout at the beach by 8:15am. He had organized a 'bootcamp' which ended up to be a small gathering of willing 'victims' while my lvoing cousin put us through different exercises. We each had a towel on the sand...doing push ups, bicycle crunches, running with a parachute behind us (this was tough), lunges...it was a good sweat at an amazing spot. We would have never have thought that a workout on the beach was going to be a part of our honeymoon. (Notice the picture from our last post to see how Marc felt about this moment) After our 'fun' on the beach, Sean took us to "The Naked Cafe" to get naked! Um, not really...but we had an amazing healthy breakfast together. All of this happened before 10:00am, which has been our average time of waking.

Sean had another treat lined up for us, to relieve our muscle tension from the earlier experience. Friends of his, Marsha and Jason, practise a different type of massage called BodyWork. We have never experienced something like this before. We both recieved 45mins of BodyWork, which consisted of conversation, massage, and deep breathing...with both Marsha and Jason working on you at the same time. The experience of having 4 hands on your body, working together, was amazing. We both needed this moment for different reasons. Needless to say, we're going to investigate BodyWork studios in Edmonton to see if we can continue this type of personal health.

We head back to Sean's after this for food. The night before Marc had me make my 'chicken salad' wraps, which were such a hit that the two boys wanted me to make them again...I miss cooking so I was alright with this. BUT, we also ordered Papa John's Pizza which comes wiht garlic butter dipping sauce...OH MY GOSH! This was heavenly. The funny thing about eating with a personal trainer is that we are constantly analyzing what is going into our body...it was hilarious...Marc's line is, "I'm on my honeymoon, give me a break!" I think he's going to be on his honeymoon for the rest of his life! ;)

We slept well then got up for another beating from Sean. His goal was to have us arrive in Las Vegas, get out of the car and be unable to walk properly. He succeeded. We're hurtin'. He had us on the treadmill, doing bridges, squats...while watching Dog Whisperer (Marc's new favorite show...on TiVo...also a new favorite). All this physical activity prior to a long drive made us tired.

We packed up the car, said our goodbyes and hit the road. (These next couple sentences are for Sean.) I made it about an hour out of San Diego and started to cry. I had just spent three wonderful days with my favorite cousin in the whole world. I had looked up to him for so long and had lost touch...I tracked him down and made it my mission to make it to San Diego to see him. I held myself together when we did our hugs, but leaving him behind was tough. I know that I needed to see him, but now that we have had our reunion, we needed eachother for so many reasons. I have a feeling that he's be coming 'home' soon.

So, we're reporting live, from Las Vegas, Nevada. It's extremely muggy outside...and still hot. We had temperatures of 108degrees en route. We're in the middle of the desert. Ug!

We're sore, we're tired, we're married...

Love
C&M

SEE what we're up to...

2007-08-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

Shamu at Sea World...

Fishing for starfish...

SHARKS!

Polar bears in San Diego...something is wrong here!

Marcus running on the treadmill...showing us how it's done!

After our 8:15am workout at the beach with Sean...

Playing at the beach this morning...

Now we're off to explore downtown San Diego!
More to come later...
C&M...and Sean and Marcus too ;)

San Diego Saki Bombs!

2007-08-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

So...lastnight our sushi diner was a bit of an adventure. Sean, Jenn, Steve, Marc and I went to a restaurant called Harney Sushi in Old San Diego. The menu was a bit overwhelming...more choices than I've ever seen in my life! BUT, the deal was that we started the meal with saki bombs...this is hot saki shots dropped into beer and shot back...oh my! After two fo these, we were all a bit tipsy...highly recommended. The sushi was wonderful too...california rolls and philidelphia rolls (which had cream cheese in it).

Today was Sea World day...Marc and I head out to Sea World at about 10:00am this morning...and had a great day going through the park. As soon as we got there, we sat ourselves in the audience for the 'Believe' show of Shamu the killer whale. Now, I need to be honest, since 'Free Willy' I have always thought of these mammals as magical. Watching this show was an emotional experience for whatever reason...seeing trainers swimming in the tank with these whales was amazing. There was a little girl who was able to pet the whale at the end of the show...so jealous. We also got SOAKED...severely soaked, twice actually, and I was wearing white shorts...lovely!

We also saw sharks, manatees, penguins, polar bears, walrus, sea lions, harbour seals, and countless other aquatic creatures. It was a wonderful way to spend a day! (pics to come)

Saki bombs...CHEERS

The crew...

Marcus and I at the beach...

I'll add more to this later...

Enjoy!

C&M

From Venice to San Diego...

2007-08-06T16:50:00.000-07:00

We haven't blogged in a while, so this is going to be a bit of a gong show update.

We spent Saturday in Universal Studios, which was a sea of humanity with a lack of direction. We arrived at the park at about 10:00am after parking in the Curious George park of the lot. Our stomachs had not yet been fed, so we stopped for some breakfast on the CityWalk. After some coffee and food, we faced the lines to purchase our tickets.

Mastercard was doing some promo thing, so we purchased our tickets with the card and recieved $25 on this paypass trial thing; similar to the PetroPass when buying gas, when you just pass the thing across a pad and it charges. Anyway...we got into park, got the $25 thing (to be used for lunch), and head straight for WATERWORLD.

Marc was impressed with this show...complete with water, jet skis, good acting and a plane that lands in front of the crowd. I must admit, it was a favorite for me as well. I caught most of it on video tape so we can share it with you at home. The rest of our day included a visit to Fear Factor LIVE, Horror Effects, BackDraft, Shrek 4-D, and the Backlot Tramway Tour. It was a great day...then we finished our day with HARRY POTTER, the IMAX version. Breanne, you would have loved this experience...with the 3-D glasses for the scene with the battle against Voldemort, with all the crystal balls. It was awesome!

We got back to Paul's and decided not to do Disneyland for two reasons...we were tired of navigating through people and also, we figured that it would be more fun to do Disneyland with kids...we'll wait a few years.

Sunday was a CHILL DAY. We slept in, in our rooftop accomodations a la Venice, packed our stuff up, Marc spent some time reading...and in my defense: I would be reading more, but I don't have my blue overlay, which make reading labourous for me, I don't have a good book with me that I WANT to read, and there is things to see and do all over the place. We loaded up the car...and hit the I-5 to San Diego...to see Sean. I hadn't seen Sean in 14 years, so I was rather anxious to get here. This is also the end of the road for Marc and I. After we leave here, it's homeward bound with a three day pit stop in Vegas.

We arrived at Sean's at about 7:00pm and he had a feast on the grill...garlic hamburgers, chicken and a spectacular salad. He had also gathered some of his close friends to join us in our meal. Marc and I did some singing, shared some laughs and conversation, before heading to bed at about 11:30pm.

This morning Sean took us on a tour on San Diego after his appointments with his clients (he's a personal trainer). We went to the beach, grabbed breakfast at Kono's (cheap and SO GOOD), went to Costco quickly for wine and beer, took a detour for a vanilla shake from In-and-Out, stopped in at Target for mouthwash and toothpaste (VERY IMPORTANT!), then head back to Sean's. He's training someone right now in the living room...Marc is watching and learning...anticipating when Sean whips Marc into shape. This is going to be a good three days. I am very glad to be here.

Tonight is sushi...

Tomorrow is Sea World...

We'll eat 'em raw tonight and see 'em live tomorrow!

...from San Diego; home of the Padres,

Cari and Marc

PS. Sean has the coolest dog...Marcus. He is amazing. Sean managed to get him registered as a 'service dog' and he truly is that. He has been a great companion for Sean and he listens SO WELL.

PSS. ALSO, Paul (our Venice connection) has a website of his photography. Check it out! gpmalone.com

A re-cap...

2007-08-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

An update of the past two days...

We left San Francisco on Wednesday morning and made our way to Carmel-by-the-Sea. Aunty Hallie and Uncle Rob had paid for our accomodations (an awesome wedding gift!)at Edgemere Cottages in Carmel, which was an experience that we will always remember. The town of Carmel is set right alongside the Monterey Peninsula, with an abundance of restaurants and art shops. The feeling in the town is very laid back, although the people visiting/living in the area are clearly high class.

We arrived at lunch time and were greeted by Scott and Barbara. They gave us a map of the area and, while the room was being prepared, we headed out on foot to explore. Our travels brought us up and down Ocean Ave. and back to the Cottages where we had a power nap for two hours...apparently we were tired. We woke up, got in the Mustang and decided to explore the Pebble Beach area on what is called the "17 Mile Drive". The houses along the drive were not houses...they were mansions...estates! (See pics) We fed our stomachs with some mexican food at Club Jalapeno (JA-LAP-EN-OH)...which was interesting. Marc had halibut with a honey/banana/cheyenne pepper mix that he didn't like so much, however the mango margarita washed it down nicely. My montrosity of a burrito (one foot long X 4 inches in diameter)was rather good, but hard to finish. My passionfruit margarita was "meh". Somehow the beans in MY food, made Marc's 1/4 inch speaker over active...um, ya.

We ended our field trip with a stop at the beach to listen to the waves hit the shore. Marc took his Mac down to the water and recorded the ocean music...a souvenir we will listen to over and over again.

The next morning we got organized and started our day off with...you guessed it Deb!...EGGS BENEDICT at a restaurant called Katy's Place. There were 15 choices on the menu! Marc figured that this place ranked #3-4 on the top 10 list, until breakfast this morning...which we'll get to.

Our day was consumed with DRIVING...driving...and more driving...with the top down, heading to Venice Beach, just outside of LA.

O.k. so I've been driving Cari nuts by poking her and teasing her since she started this blog, so she has officially quit and walked away. Back to the story...

For any of you who think Yellowhead is a pain in the butt around 5:30pm on a monday night, we have 4 words for you... "You have no Idea!" We drove anywhere's from 0Mph to 30Mph for over 2 hours! The mustang may need a new clutch after that... We did however finaly arrive around 9:00pm. Paul helped us unload, and find a parking spot which after 15 mins of driving around the neighborhood, ended up finding what I call "Pornstar Parking" just 100ft away from Paul's Mediteranian Condo. Total score! We accidently forgot unpack the unloaded bags, and got right into catching up and drinking wine (Thanks uncle Rob and aunt Hallie!) Quickly running out of vino and realizing we hadn't eaten since 11:00am, we took a leisurely stroll along the ocean to Washington avenue and purchased two more bottles of wine and a bottle of Grand Marnier (we ran out again... Cari can't stop drinking it... ok..ok.. I helped a little). We also ordered pizza from Domino's which was waiting for us as we returned to the condo.

We returned to the rooftop patio where Cari and I decided it would be unforgetable to set up the tent and sleep on the rooftop. So we did! We fell asleep last night, listening to waves only a city block away crashing onto the beach. Very romantic.

This morning, Paul treated us to his "Best Cappuccino on the westside" and they were so good, I just had to shave (which broke Cari's heart). After cleaning up, we walked back to Washington street to have breakfast at Mercedes Grill and I had the "florentine eggs benedict" and Cari had "mama's egg sandwich". Breakfast was excellent and this morning's eggs benedict were better than Katy's... sorry Carmel.
We then headed north up the beach boardwalk towards Santa Monica and did some sight seeing. Once we walked to the end of the shops, we enjoyed a Ben and Jerry's cup of banana rum ice cream and headed back for the condo for some shade and R&R time.

By the way, regardless of the spf-45, my face still red'nd up just a bit more, to add to my tanning style, "The Racoon".

Plans for tommorow consist of Universal Studios... and probably so more R&R time. I'm almost done my book. Ask Cari how much she's read so far... hehe

Love,

Us.

Our accomodations in Carmel...really cool place!

Carmels beach...

An estate in the area...anyone wanna guess the code?!

This house reminded us of a Smurf house...check out the roof! (in Carmel townsite)

The lonely tree...growing out on a rock...by Pebble Beach

One of the mansions on the 17 Mile Drive, by Pebble Beach...this guy even has his own green and sand pits to practise!

En route to Venice...

Paul's photography...

Venice beach...

Under the Venice Pier...see the surfer?

On the boardwalk...

Our tent on the roof top...high class camping!

San FranSTEEP...

2007-07-31T16:36:00.000-07:00

Our first adventure lastnight was a trip on the trolly car down to Embarcadero Street. I had visited a restaurant called Gordon Beirsch in one of my previous visits and I wanted to take Marc there...so we headed up the street to the California Line, where we met a lady by the name of Janette; a Newfoundlander, now living in San Fran. She's a musician and recommended a restaurant in Little Italy for us to check out (We'll see about that). The Trolly Car came, we paid our $5 each (outrageous!)and rode down California St. until it intersected with Market St. We each took a turn hanging off the side into traffic...and then met our second local; the man driving the car, a wonderful black man who told us all about the beauty of the sunrise and sunset in the Bay...

We walked a few blocks to Gordon Beirsch, right under the Bay bridge where we sampled all their beers (see pics) and had a great meal. The traditional thing at this restaurant is their garlic fries, which put a spin on the breath, then the salmon and the seafood stuffed chicken were great entrees, all followed up with key lime pie. It was quite yummy and FILLING. After dinner we walked Pier 14 and tried to walk off some of supper before taking another trolly back to the area where our hotel is.

This morning we grabbed breakfast at a little cafe across the street; Marc had some wonderful cinnamon french toast with maple syrup while I had a veggie srambbler with fruit. We then put our running shoes on and dressed for chilly weather, grabbed the map and started walking toward the Fisherman's Wharf (This is where MARINA street is...ust for you Aunty!). The hills were unreal and actual screwed up our sense of direction...

We treked past Lumbard street (the famous switch back road) and then continued down Hyde street to the pier, where we found some old ships...and souvenirs. We've been buying patches to put on our backpacks at each major spot, so our collection is growing...and so is Marc's facial hair. My husband is growing a beard! (off topic, but it needed to be mentioned)

Joining a sea of tourists, we walked Embarcadero towards Pier 39 (Marc bought a SAN FRANCISCO sweater along the way), where we watched the sea lions. We realised that thier lives consist of water fights and doggie piles. They just lay on the piers, try to push eachother in the water, jump on other platforms, piss eachother off, start barking...then the cycle repeats. Oh, the life of a sea lion!

We had a meal of In-and-Out burgers then headed for Ghiradelli Square, where I had a chocolate covered strawberry (tradition for me). Then...we had to head back...up hill...after hill...after steeper hill. We finally got to a level spot to face another hill and Marc says to me, "I didn't sign up for another one. Will you carry me?" HA! NOT!

So, with sore calves, we are sitting in out hotel room, relaxing and investigating where we will have dinner tonight.

from the York Hotel on Sutter...
Cari and Marc

PS. We want to say a special Hi to Grandpa Friedt, Aunty Marina and Brother Dan who are following our trek. We love you! (WARNING: We're planning on stopping in MH on the way back to Edmonton. We're going to need somewhere to sleep. Grandpa?)

PSS. Leave us comments so we know who else is reading this!

Our pictures from the past 24 hours...in no particular order...

...Left Sacramento...headin' for the Frisco Bay...

2007-07-30T16:25:00.000-07:00

Well, we're here; In San Francisco!

The evening following our last blog was a blast. We shared an unbelievable meal with Uncle Rob and Aunty Hallie, Sage and three other Edmontonians (relatives of Hallie's). Aunty Hallie's parents were with us too, which was cool to see them again.

Uncle Rob and Ron spent about an hour preping three different chickens to be bbqed with a three different types of beer. Classic "beer chicken" idea...although with the three different spice mixtures; cajun, oriental, and rosemary paired with three different kinds of beer, it was scrumptious!

Marc, Sage and I provided the entertainment for the evening...which was a dream come true for Sage. He stummed and I took care of the cords for him. He's got great rythum!

Yesterday, we made a road trip for a day at Lake Tahoe. What a beatiful lake! Rob, Hallie and Sage took their car while we followed in the Mustang. The sun was hot and the road was windy through California's version fo mountains.

We arrived at the lake, set up at the beach and soaked up the sun. Marc turned another shade of red while I got a bit red myself (oops). we played football in the water, buried both Marc and Sage (Marc was a mermaid and Sage was a turtle), had sandwiches and beer, and hand fed the Canadian geese...it was awesome.Dinner just off the water with Rum-Runners as the drink of choice...yum. We drove back to Sacramento and got ourselves organized to head to San Francisco this morning.

We got up, showered, packed, got the car ready, were given directions from Sacramento to San Fran so we could drive over the Golden Gate Bridge, were given a wonderful wedding gift of a night at Carmel-by-the-Sea from Uncle and Aunty (lookin' forward to that!), then made our last group outing to In-and-Out Burgers. Tradition and OH SO GOOD!

Then we hit the road...the hot road...through brown hills with green trees...and now we're in San Francisco! We're staying at the York Hotel, close to Nob Hill; an OLD building, no A/C!

Our plan for tonight is to hit the streets with our runners on, get on the Cable Car down to Embarcadero Street and head to Gordon Beirsch for garlic fries and beer...We like it here.

Enjoy the pics!
Love from the peak of a hill in the Frisco bay,
Cari and Marc

From Sacramento...by the pool...

2007-07-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Sacramento yesterday afternoon and made it to Uncle Rob and Aunty Hallie's with the directions I copied from Google Maps. Love that.

It was good to land at their house. Sage has grown up so much...and his character is interesting to witness. He speaks so intelligently and is so curious about everything. He has been calling me his 'girlfriend' since we got here...Marc is jealous.

We went for a late supper...at a thai place called Ma Jong's, which had some awesome pad thai and other dishes that we all sampled from. It was a cool experience. This restaurant is linked to another one and a night club...and the bathrooms are crazy! You go into your respective doorway, and then you are shocked to see that you can see through the wall to the other side. They have the sinks mirroring eachother, so you are able to see the guys wash from the girls side and vice versa. I would image that after a few drinks, this would throw you for a loop. (The pictures don't do it justice, but it is cool!)

We returned to the house and Sage and I went for a dip in the pool. Twas a bit chilly late at night, but it was fun nonetheless. Sage went to bed, then Marc, Hallie and Rob and I visited and sipped drinks until after midnight...solving the worlds' problems. You know how it goes.

This morning we all woke up slowly, well Sage was an early riser and was knocking on our door to "Wake up guys!"...eventually we rose and marc took him for a field trip to Starbucks. I love that husband of mine.

We were going for breakfast, which turned into brunch, then ended up being lunch (nothing happens quickly) in Folsom...the site of Folsom prison. Our ham and cheese paninis and salad was awesome. We ate, then wandered the townsite, then returned to the house to jump in the pool as quick as we could! Sage, Marc, Uncle Rob and I relaxed and cooled off for about an hour...and now we're chillin' in the cabana beside the pool...actually we're heating up beside the pool. We've both got the glow goin' on. I think we might go for another dip in a bit. It's HOT!

From the shade with a cooler in hand...

Cari and Marc

Look up...look way up...

2007-07-26T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today was a "look up" kind of day. We left from Eureka at about 10:30am and had some breakfast at an all day omelette joint, which was rather good. Marc tried a new kind of Eggs Benedict...with crab. It was interesting, but satisfying.

Following food, we made our way down the Avenue of the Giants, which is the home of the Redwood Forest. These trees were unbelievable! So tall, so old and so thick. Being in the convertible with the top down put the experience at a whole new level. I (Cari) drove the car through a tree today, which was strictly a video moment so, no pics for that...Dad, you'll have to wait for that!

We stopped on the side of the road to make some sandwhiches, got attacked by wasps, I got emotional, jumped in the car, put the top up and we kept driving...to Willits, California.

We're in a hot part of California in the middle of forest. It's dry here. We haven't unpacked the car...bought a six pack of Coors and are sitting outside our KOA cabin reading and relaxing. We'll deal with it later.

Love,
Cari and Marc

PS. If you read this blog, leave us a comment. They're fun for us to read! You can't have all the fun to yourself. :)

Eureka! California at last!

2007-07-25T19:53:00.000-07:00

We have officially crossed into "Arnold" country. Many things have happened on our trip that we've neglected to mention, mainly because the internet has been random so we havn't had time to upload pictures. Tonight, we are making up for lost "net reception".

So first of all, we need to back track to Victoria. To put closure to the long awaited surprise, Alison will be disappointed, no we're not pregnant. (I think and hope!... by the way this is Marc entering this blog in if you hadn't already figured that out...) Long story short, Cari got her hair permed. Don't ask how much and I won't have to lie. The reason I couldn't argue about the hair-do was cause I, woops, I mean, WE purchased a 1974 Yamaki accoustic guitar. I've been, woops, I mean WE've been looking for one that was worth buying for quite sometime, and this one was amazing for the price, which yes, was more than the haircut......WE also decided to rent a motorcycle (mainly Cari) and we managed to put on 180kms in an afternoon. Cari still has a sore bum....ok maybe not... While on the motorcycle, naturally Cari needed to pee, and tadah! We went wine tasting...cause they had a bathroom! The wine wasn't that good, and that's 10 bucks I'll never get back, but it made me think of Dad......

Now we jump back to Oregon. Last night was the nicest KOA cabin we've stayed in yet, a two room "kabin" as they call it. I assume it was brand new. We stayed near Coos Bay, where you find Oregon's HUGE and very cool sand dunes. So of course, everyone and their dog... except us :( had a racing quad or dirt bike. There was of course rentals, but Cari was, I mean we were sooooo tired she, I mean we, decided not to rent anything and get a good nights rest. Ya right, Cari's lullaby was the peaceful sound of two stroke engines till the sun went down, and not a minute late, @ 8:00am sharp, they fired back up again. Boy was I greatful we had a restful night, think of how tired I would have been after having all that fun! We had left over chicken cordon bleu and eggs for breakfast. Excellent! We hit the road after turning our cabin key in and having our showers.

Today was a memorable day for me. I've always wanted to drive my car, I mean our car.....ok ok, a car, through the Redwood Forest. More importantly, through a Redwood tree and you guessed it, a convertible mustang with the top down went through a huge Redwood. Very cool. Apparently there are more huge trees to drive through a 1/2 hour south from here so maybe I'll let Cari drive tomorrow..... The forest is absolutely amazing to drive through. At one point I told Cari she should be happy highway 63 to McMurray isn't like this one cause I'd never be home!

So here we are in Eureka, California. The weather currently sucks and we're both bloated. Supper was a little greasy, however, I do suggest eating at least once at Kristina's restaurant so you too can spend the rest of the night pondering where else the waitresses work...after work.. hehe pretty funny.

Hope you enjoy the pics. We've got one more KOA tomorrow night in Willits. Friday night will be spent @ Uncle Rob and Aunty Hallie's in Sacramento.

Keep your stick on the Ice!
We love you.

M & C.

Our cabin in Eureka, Ca.

Driving through a redwood tree!

The Oregon Coast...beautiful!

Our bed in Coos Bay, Oregon...with all the quads.

...our pet slug, Ruby...

Ruby Beach, Washington

Save a horse, ride a chicken...in Victoria!

Our new Yamaki with it's brothers and sisters

Cari, pretending to be a biker chick!

...the sushi express...

...for Vanessa in Victoria...

...Live from Oregon...

2007-07-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

Marc and I covered some major ground today. We got up super early to catch the 10:30am ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles, Washington. We were told that this tends to fill up fast, so we were there for 7:30am just to make sure that we would get on it. We parked the Mustang and then walked up to grab some breakfast and some internet time...just enough for Marc to check auto trader and then back to the car...

The ferry ride was...boring for me. Marc read the whole time (thumbs up!), and I, well...didn't read. I fell asleep on Marc, watched some whales from the ferry, then we were docking in Washington.

We made a realization about the state of Washington. Everyone must live in Seattle, or they are Native. There is NO NORMAL CIVILIZATION anywhere. Period. Only way-to-slow speed limits according to Marc. Mustang ran like a top...SO, we drove through Washington, with the exception of a sandwhich making stop at Ruby Beach, which Marc almost made into a road side business, selling them to other tourists for $5. No one bought. Ruby Beach was beautiful! We met the local family of slugs...adopted one and named it Ruby! (left it there though, don't get exctied! No room for hitch hikers.)

Now we're parked in Astoria/Seaside, Oregon in a KOA cabin. We had a diner of kabobs and sausages bought from the local SAFEWAY. After a wrestle with the wet lumber, Marc got a fire going...and we drank till I petered out, which never takes long. Marc was disappointed he only got 4 mini-beers and a cooler in him. Oh well, there are other things to look forward to.

...with the hum of the cooler in the background...we're thankful for power and wireless internet...off to see more of Oregon tomorrow...some KOA...somewhere...oh my.

Cari and Marc Letourneau

From Victoria...

2007-07-21T11:20:00.000-07:00

Because I is computer dumb, I never get to enter these blog things however, today is my day to shine. This is like the next big step from texting! So we're here in Victoria, and most people come here for whale watching, Cari and I watch wierdos. Much more interesting cause you see so many of them. You don't spend minutes waiting for them to surface for air and it's free!

We hung out with Lindsay last night @ "Hotel Poff". Sam was there to great us when we arrived. Good times! This morning we had eggs benedict again..... @ floyds diner. They are apparently the best in Victoria. I believe they place either a 2nd or 3rd on our over all list of "Canada's Best Eggs Benedict".

On our way to the museum, which we opted not to go into cause of the line up, Marc (me) came accross a motorcycle rental shop and you know it...... I rented one! We pick it up at 4:30 this afternoon. Very exciting.

Cari has a surprise in store for all of you following our little adventure, so stay posted for our next entry!

Cheers.

...curvy roads and rough waves...

2007-07-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

This is a quick post to update the events of yesterday.

Marc and I woke up VERY slowly, in fact we were eating breakfast at a local breakfast joint, here in Port Alberni, at about 12:30pm. Nothing like eggs benedict for brunch!

After filling our stomachs and the gas tank in the Mustang at the Petro Canada on the highway, we began our trek to Tofino. It had been raining throughout the night, but let up as we left the rain forest...perfect! The highway to Tofino was another rollercoaster for my stomach. Marc was lovin' every minute of it while I was reaching for anything and everything to hold onto!

Along the road we saw a new kind of signage, only found on the coast..."Tsunami Evacuation Zone" (pictures to follow). Slightly freaky to think that this area could be hit by tsunami waves! Enjoy it while we can, I guess.

We got into Tofino at about 3:00ish and did some quick stops in the local shops. THEN, we bought some seats on a whale-watching tour! This was super exciting for me...

To kill time, we drove back towards Long Beach and hung out on the beach with the local surfers and tourists...the water was cold, but it was wonderful to relax on the driftwood!

Back to Tofino, got some grub (BBQ salmon and fries with two corn dogs, interesting mix!), then suited up to see some whales.

They put you in these really warm space looking suits, then we got onto this boat with two Evinrude 200's on the back and hit the water...our tour guide's name was Adrian and he had grown up in Tofino, working with fishing boat since he was 12 (he was only 19, but cool none the less). The drive out to the whale hang outs was CRAZY. Everytime we hit a wave my stomach dropped out of me. I figured that I did about 350 sit ups on this tour...from clenching my stomach.

we saw grey whales, humpback whales, harbour seals and other sea creatures. There is also these birds that look like mini flying penguins that are in the area...Marc liked these! After three hours on the ocean water, through swells and waves, our stomachs had been through yet another ride.

We got back to Tofino, grabbed some more food (popcorn shrimp and fries) and hit the road back to Port Alberni...

After a good sleep...shower...and Marc shaved, we're off to Victoria to visit the Poff girls and hang out for a couple days...

(I'll add pics later...we have 30 mins to get out of the hotel!)

...rested in Port Alberni...

Cari and Marc Letourneau

From Port Alberni, BC...

2007-07-18T17:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Marc and I made our way to Vancouver Island. We loaded the 12:00pm ferry from Powell River to Comox where we made a quick pit stop. Our mission was to find a Canadian Tire so that we could purchase some basic camping equipment. No Canadian Tire in Comox. So we kept driving...

We arrived in the Qualicum Beach area where we decided to stop for the most contradictary snack of all time; hot chocolate and banana ice cream. We took our snack and waded into the chilly ocean water. No Canadian Tire in Qualicum...

The road continued to Parksville, where we had a campng spot booked for the night. The skies were really overcast and we were anticipating rain, so we unloaded the trunk of the Mustang and set up camp. We aske the locals and found out that we were going to have to go for a little field trip to Naniamo to find a Canadian Tire. Lovely.

We got back into the Mustang and boogied to Nanaimo where we made use of some of our wedding gift certificates...$175 adds up quick! Save-On supplied some basic groceries, and Marc made my day by finding a mountain pie maker (camping version of a grilled cheese sandwich maker).

Back to camp...our site was 20 ft from the Englishman River, which did a great job at keeping our beer cold. Our first night camping was an adventure...$15 worth of fire wood was a joke, our air matress didn't hold air (I realized in the morning that there was a little cap that I didn't know existed), and Marc decided to get schmammered.

This morning was the most frustrating hilarious moment on this trek. Our shampoo bottle exploded in my bag, the fire wouldn't start, marc dropped an egg on the ground, he splurted ketchup on the bench, forgot to put bread in the mountain pie maker, the Mustang was dead because the cooler killed it during the night, and that little cover for the self inflating part of the matress showed up. We caught most of this on video...and it was literally a gong show.

After packing up camp and showering in the coin showers at the camp ground, we head up Highway 4 to Port Alberni. En route we stopped to explore the Cathedral Walk, where there are an immense amount of 400-800 year old trees. (See pics

Now, we are laying on a Queen bed in the Best Western, happy to chill, the rain is pouring outside (I'm thankful we're not camping tonight!), and we're thinking about dinner and movie for tonight's events.

...from Port Alberni, in the chill position...

Cari and Marc Letourneau

...sunset in Powell River...

Marc's Uncle "Ferrari' Phil

Kevin's 'toy'...

From Powell River, BC....

2007-07-16T17:04:00.001-07:00

So, the internet has not been a easy thing to find since our post from Banff. So many things have happened and our picture/video library is growing at a steady pace.

We had left Banff at about 10:30am on July 9th, heading for Sicamous, BC to meet up with the rest of the Letourneau crew for four days of houseboating on the Shuswaps. Our drive there was warm, the scenery was beatiful and the company was the best. Marc and I are s-l-o-w-l-y getting use to this married thing...the whole "Miss Friedt" thing is coming to a stop.

We arrived in Sicamous at about 2:30, first of the crew to get there, and stopped to fill our bellies at Maggies Diner. Then we got ourselves aquainted with the area, found the liquor store, the IDA, and Sea Dog Marina where we wanted to rent a Sea-doo. Eventually the rest of the clan started arriving and we all started to get anxious about getting onto the boats.

We had rented two boats, one for the parents and one for the kids (although the kids aren't that little anymore!). It was HOT in Sicamous, so the wait was getting a bit crazy towards the end...we wanted to make some waves in a big way.

Once we determined who was Captain and co-captain, loaded up our stuff and got organized, we put the boat in reverse and head out onto the water. These lakes are breathtaking! We spent the first night on Mara Lake before getting the go-ahead in the morning to head past the brige onto Shuswap Lake. The water in these lakes are clean, chilly in spots, and DEEP. At certain points, the lake was reaching depths of 400-500ft. No fishies to bite my toes at the surface...they're bottom feeders.

We had a blast diving off the back of the houseboat whenever we stopped, washing our hair in the lake, floating in the water with pool noodles, ripping around on the sea-doo, singing by the campfire at night, community meals, communication mishaps (if you were there, you know what I mean), sunburns, mac n' cheese, spiced rhum and root beer, hikes to see waterfalls, skiing, and my highlight, wakeboarding. I have found my new favorite summer sport. Andre gave me a chance to try wakeboarding behind his boat and I got up right away...SO AWESOME. Marc was proud of me and I was envigorated by the experience...

We left the Shuswaps on Friday, July 13th and hit to road to make it to Whistler to sleep. I have been wanting to go the Whistler my whole life, so this was an exciting day for me. This was also a fun day for Marc...becasue of the roads. He was smiling like a 5 year old while I was taking gravol, cruising through some of the craziest roads we have ever seen. Sharp turns, no passing, blind dips, high cliffs, valleys, bridges...it was crazy. Not going to lie; my stomach was churning, but all in all, we did alright. I surived and Marc was in his glory. God built this road for drivers!

We arrived in Whistler and I could barely contain my excitment. We fell in love with this place from the moment we arrived and I realised that coming here in the summer was a good decision. There is so much to do here! Hiking, biking, tree treking, zip lining, white water rafting, and the list continues...

We stayed at the Crystal Lodge, right in the middle of the village, and went for a late supper at Ric's Grill. We could barely keep our eyes open...too much sun and a long drive will do that though.

After a good sleep, we woke up on Saturday morning to explore Whistler. Breakfast at Le Brasserie...eggs benedict of course! We walked and shopped, then went on the Tree-Trek together. This was a little hike, 150ft above the ground on a series on bridges. It was very cool and informational. Marc was distracted throughout the walk by the zip line that zig-zaged through the bridges. He booked himself in for that adventure for Sunday morning...not sure that my stomach was going to handle that well...

Sunday morning came...Marc left me to pack the Mustang while he went flying through the trees on the zip line. I grabbed myself a Starbucks and wandered until he came down from the trees...he was excited. I'm glad he went and a part of me wishes I'd have gone too, but I'm sure there will be other things that I'm going to want to do along this trip of ours...

We had breakfast crepes, gotinto the Mustang...and headed for horseshoe Bay. Our goal was to make it to Powell River, and after a ferry ride to Langdale, more winding roads, a stop in to visit Marc's Uncle Phil, windy roads again, and another Ferry ride to Saltery Bay, we arrived in Powell to be greeted by my relative...Kevin Spenst. He works for LaFarge and is 'the man' with with the coolest job. We had some drinks and chatted before heading to bed. Cynthia and the girlies are in Winnipeg, so we're going to have to come back to see them another time...thanks for your bed Haley!

Kevin was off to Texada Island for work early, while Marc and I caught up on some sleep...didn't move until 11:00am. We showered and then went to Safeway to buy some groceries for breakfast/lunch. Our famous steak, eggs and sausage combo. Kevin thought we were crazy! Following our feast, we loaded into Kevin's truck for a tour of the area. He showed us the local lake as well as the ocean beach. This town is beautiful! We went for a cool off at Starbucks where Kevin decided that the word 'fag' needed to be brought back to life. OH MY! Marc and I are having a blast with Kevin. He is hilarious!

This may be the longest post in history...but it's the best summary I can do!

...from the Ocean in Powell..
Cari and Marc Letourneau

Day one of our married life...

2007-07-08T23:26:00.000-07:00

(maybe it's Day Two, but we're undecided...does the wedding day count as Day One?)

We stayed at the Union Bank Inn last night for our first night as husband and wife...and slept hard. our breakfast was amazing...Eggs benedict with salmon and the best hollandaise sauce we've tasted yet. Trust us, it's our favorite breakfast...we've become hollandaise experts!

We joined our families at the hall for mass at 11:00am...all of my Uncles were leading the music with Dad and Marc...and Father Mike did an amazing job. Marc and I need to actually have our wedding day soak in before we can reflect on that properly....(more to come)

Our mountain of gifts were opened and MUCH APPRECIATED!

Then it was back to the basement suite for some serious packing. Marc did an amazing job with putting our gear in the Mustang, which is a bit shy on space...

Once we had finally put everything in, while sheltering from an amazing rain storm...we hit the open road...en route to Banff. The clouds were spectacular (pictures to follow), heavy rain and hail on the ground. We took Highway 1A which winds quite nicely...especially in this car!

We have arrived in Banff...it's now July 9th...Marc's 27th birthday...and we're GOING TO BED. We'll fill in pictures tomorrow, or at least after we get some rest!

...from the Rockies,
Cari and Marc Letourneau