Sunday, March 29, 2009

SF...The Mission and Dan 'Decanter'

We've gotta give a shout out to Chantelle...she's a rockstar for letting us stay with her ALL week! She's been busting her butt all week to get her blog transferred over and everything back online and she needed a break, even though she didn't want to take one. Katie and I peeled her from her 'almost finished' (which is never really the case) blog and went out. "Chantelle, I think you need to get away from your computer." lol. It was easier than I thought.

Our friend Dan lives in the Mission, which is an interesting place...just like the rest of SF. Little Mexico to say the least, but he's got a sick place and some awesome friends. What started out as a few drinks obviously turned into a night out. Dragged Chantelle out, dragged Dan away from his 'biz dev' stuff and hit up the town. The vodka went down smooth and it wasn't too long till Bon Qui Qui was out and I was raging!

This is how Katie gets someone to meet her at the bar:

Text 1 of 5: Dan Martell i'm gonna come hunt you down if you don't come out tonight. that's a promise and a threat. Love katie.

It sounds rude, but the "Love katie" part always smooths things over. And it worked! lol. Sometimes you have to be aggressive....or sound psychotic.

Brittney- Dan's roommate, super cool chick
Ethan- Dan's biz partner, rockstar, super cool for seeing an opportunity to hang out with some awesome CDN gals and taking it! We heart Ethan!
The Lexington - Lesbian Bar. I got yelled at for yelling...?
Bruno's - Non-lesbian Bar where I pretended to be a lesbian (I don't think I was very convincing). And creepy men thinking they had a chance with 4 hot girls. Gross!

The Lexington...where to begin...it's a lesbian bar and that's about all I know to say. No different, there's still a bar, drinks, loud music...just no men's room! However, we did run into quite a few straight men there. Ryan was from South Africa, also visiting a friend in SF, Adam, and also on a roadtrip.

If this blog seems very random that's because it's a reflection of the night... :) hahahaha exactly!

San Fran... Remembering the 90s

After our escape from Alcatraz we hopped back into 'Hollywood' and scouraged the city for one of the best TV shows ever...Full House! CUT IT OUT! I know!!!! Shoo-bee-do-bah-ba-da!! BANG BANG!

The house they used to film in no longer has a red door; it's painted black. That's a song...

And the house is on 1709 Broderick in case your in the area and want to have a peek.

We assumed that the house they filmed at was the same as the homes in the opening credits...wrong! So we toured around every park in the Pacific Heights and surrounding areas. We actually did look at Keith's map...his San Francisco bible...to figure out where each park was in the area and we did a loop to see if it was the park in the credits!

We found it! I was really hoping Uncle Jessie was gonna come out and show us around the city. lol. "If you were a chick whose the one guy you would sleep with?" "John Stamos!!" "Did we just become best friends?!" "YEP!".



After our little stroll down memory lane I needed to check out Haight and Ashbury. I mean, it's kind of like my affinity to check out Berkely...something about hippy 70s hot spots appeals to me! It was interesting, but I'm not entirely sure I'd spend a lot of time down there when there's so much to see.

BTW-San Fran is only like 7x7 miles big...it's like a really small city, but it's so rich, so full, so damn fun!

Exiled to Alcatraz

Alcatraz was wicked! Soooo worth the $26 which essentially pays more for your boat ride out there than anything! It started as a lighthouse, then military base, then military prison and then The Rock as we know it...a federal maximum security prison. Now it's a National Park.

They've got an audio tour that takes you through the entire prison. It's absolutely ridiculous. The narration was done by former officers and inmates. The audio tour puts you right back into the 40s; the background sounds of men yelling and clanking at their cells....man. I'll be honest, for me, it was a tad bit scary how easy it was for me to experience the scene. Standing right outside the cell where officers were held hostage and shot, where the grenades dropped through the ceiling, where the prisoners sat and ate their meals, and where they played their games outdoors. CRAZY! Yes, and being in the solitary confinement cell where the prisoners had no bed, bathroom, or even light was quite scary. An interesting part about the prison was the attempted escapes and successful escapes by some of the inmates. Most drowned in the water and failed...so they say.

It wasn't being in prison that made them want to escape, it was the fact that they could see the city, they could taste the freedom. At night they could hear the clanking of glasses and laughter from the city shoreline a mile away and THAT was what drove them to escape...the good life. They could even smell the aroma of food and women.

It was strangely surreal for me. Almost as if I'd been there before...perhaps in another lifetime! haha.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

If You're Going to San Fran-cisco....

...be sure to wear some flowers in your hair...

San Francisco. It's a treat...just like the Rice-A-Roni commercials say! Driving in San Fran is a lot of fun! haha. The roads can get real steep so you're either giver'er up hill, worried if your car can handle it, or you're foot's on the break the whole time going down. And the views are amazing. You can be on some random suburb road and see the best views. They really are all over the city. So the city of hills has its advantages.

We spent the first 3 days in the area in Oakland with our friends Keith and Mari. They have an awesome house, right on the corner of their road. It's a bungalow. The best part about it is it's slightly slanted. So it's got lots of character, like most of the houses in the city. East Bay is pretty cool! Happy hour was awesome..we ate sushi again and then went to a nice place for some pizza and sandwiches...both times the same night at different places, and Berkeley...well let's just say, there's some peeps there who are just slightly out of the ordinary.

I knew Berkeley was known for being outspoken and a very pro-active community (to say the least) and I also knew it was hippy central in the late 60s early 70s. Today, for me, it felt a bit like being in Beverly Hills only with VERY different people. It's one of those places that has a reputation for being a certain way so the people there are living into the dream of hippy-dom and peace and love in an era where the message fits, just not in that context. It was very cool to be in an area with so much 'revolutionary' history though. To put myself back 40 years, into that time and place...that atmosphere...was pretty cool.

There's lots to see and do in Oakland like the cemetary with burial monuments the size of small houses, Piedmont Street and lots of little shops and parks to poke around in. Not to mention that Mari's Kitchen Wizard trainings are going to rock Oakland's kitchens! Just wanted to say thanks to Mari and Keith for making us some good home cooking! And thanks again for taking a break from your more interesting dishes to serve some meat and potatoe girls like ourselves. :)

Then there's the city...




San Francisco Bay is pretty sick. So many parks and wharves to check out, not to mention the Golden Gate Bridge. You saw the video! It's pretty cool to see it and then to see all the surfers. What can't you do in SF? That probably explains why people are out all the time. So many dogs, runners, bikers, roller skaters, walkers...it's just a great place to get out and get moving! Lots of hot men, and for you fellas there are many attractive women as well. Beautiful city all around. And I must say the Bay really is amazing! There's lots of people around, and the views are awesome. Lots to do and see.

Speaking of moving, we were told we needed to get our 'San Francisco legs' in gear. Driving isn't too bad, but walking sure would be a lot less stressful! And because the city is so small, it's pretty easy to get where you need to go...we opted for the cable car uphill... :)




There are so many little areas in the downtown. Market Street is like the main drag with entertainers and lots of shopping. The Art Museum is down there. Very cool!! Best one so far. China town is like never ending and then when it does end you're in little Italy! There was something new at every corner...including the homeless drunk guy who asked us if we were Diane and Linda and then said "Are you serious? Can I get a triple scoop cappuchino with that?" LOL! I guess even they need to work their mojo...

We are currently staying with another fellow Warrior, one of my Dad's tribe mates this time, Chantelle aka the Financially Free Musician. She lives in a cute little house just off Mullen St. How perfect! lol. The crazy thing is that the road's are extremely narrow and some very steep. Cars park on both sides and you can't really see when anyone is coming in your direction. And the roads are very confusing. Needless to say it took us awhile to figure out where the hell we were but we made it. Her and her roomate Hoan were very welcoming and it's been a blast here so far. Hoan's usually playing a guitar or thinking of pranks to play on people's phones. He's currently working on an application for the iPhone called iPrank. We've been listening to lots of farting noises. lol. It's coming out on April Fools, how appropriate. And Chantelle's always talking about something interesting, whether it's her business or her singing career. There's lots of creative energy and we even got a free mini-concert from the two of them. Very talented! And of course Hoan being a programmer and Chantelle, now an avid techy, we caught the computer bug! We're making the blog way better and having more fun with it. So stay tuned for lots more videos and fun stuff!

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Learning A Lot

This trip has been a trip. Really, in so many senses of the word. There have been highs and there have been lows physically, mentally and spiritually. 'Lost on Purpose' has a double meaning really. Losing ourselves to find out who we really are, but also being lost IN our purpose; following what it is that we feel our purpose is right now.

I didn't realize how true this has been for myself until getting into San Francisco. For me being in SF has been a high and a low.

It could be because I'm on my last chunk of money and I'm torn between making decisions on how to save and make wise spending choices, and it could also be that I feel disconnected from myself. Or maybe I'm really seeing who I really am and what's getting in the way. Even setting aside time to write has been a challenge, but it's something I'm committed to doing so I do it. And in writing I don't feel such a sense of disarray or frustration.

I don't know, maybe losing yourself is the best way to find yourself. But I'm beginning to believe that trusting that the 'you' that you are is enough and is already perfect is the lesson. Haha, I'm also beginning to see that I don't NEED to travel to know that, to be happy or to be fulfilled; it's a choice.

Writing is my solace. It's the place where I clear my mind and see what really is there. And although there are frustrations I am very grateful to be doing what I love. Travelling and writing, meeting new people and spending quality time with great friends. I really couldn't be in a better place right now! It's perfect, creative, fun...did I mention creative?!

Learning a lot...hmmm. Kel just has spurts where she feels the urge to write and it's usually on her own blog, but this time it's on here. Obviously because it pertains to us and our trip. So even though I'm a little caught off guard I'm gonna write something. lol.

What I've learned so far.....

Well, the biggest lesson for me is remembering to live in the moment. Surprisingly, I'm pretty good at it! lol. Especially when you're on an indefinite roadtrip. You have all the time in the world and it's up to you what you do with it. At times Kel and I won't know what we're gonna do in a month, a week, or even the next day. I mean we have a vague idea, and that's ok. Kel seems to have a little more trouble with this than I do being the planner that she is, but I've realized that there's nothing like the present.

No matter what, nothing's gonna change the past, and the future is always unclear anyways, so why worry or fret about the little things that usually work out anyways. If you're not living in the moment, you're letting life pass you by. It totally sounds corny, but it's TRUE! And sometimes corny works.

Anyways, just don't worry about the crap that hasn't even happened yet and get over all the shit that already did. Be grateful for what you have NOW and soak up every minute of it. You're still alive, you're still breathing, you have people that love you, and you're reading this blog!! :) And we appreciate you!

To go along with Kelly's post...once you start to tear away all the worries and concerns and actually start to live in the moment, you'll start to realize what you want for yourself. And once you get that it's pretty easy to find your passion and purpose. And then you can get lost on purpose like us!

Ok, I think I'm done. There's other stuff that I've learned, but these are the best ones. lol. Enjoy!
There's a lot of stuff that we've learned together too. Like a big one for us is that there's a tonne of abundance in the world. For us it's shown up in people opening their doors, their hearts...their fridges. :) But it's also that even with the little bit of our lives we have with us in our car, that's sometimes too much, where at home it wouldn't be enough! It's also put into perspective how good we really have it in this part of the world. Simple simple things like a bed, a kitchen table, a fridge stocked full of food, a TV you don't really even need when the world is at your doorstep, a shower....utensils?! You really don't need much to live...but those things sure are comforting! Even a home to come home to and a Mom who welcomes you.

The one thing that we've appreciated most is walking up to the doors of our friends homes knowing that we're welcome. When was the last time you walked up your front steps and appreciated everything that lies beyond that door? It's funny because everyone has been so accommodating to make sure we have everything we need and often times, just opening the door and having a bed, a shower and a kitchen to cook things in is all we ever expect!

When you have little or no expectations, the Universe shows you what you need to see, what you've been choosing not to see and what is really there...abundance, joy and love.

K, enough about that....stay tuned for our San Fran adventures!

Man in a loin cloth???

It's really not hard to love California. Driving up Hwy 1 along the coast is an amazing journey that should be done at least once in a lifetime. I'll speak from my experience. It's just like being on the Great Ocean Road in Australia. Granted there aren't as many giant rock formations, but the atmosphere, the lack of civilization, the cliffs, mountains an ocean. Just amazing.

So we left Marina Del Rey to take Pops to the airport so he could fly back home to beautiful Detroit...gag...I do appreciate Detroit, but compared to Cali sun....??? Really? There is no comparison! We headed through Topanga, Malibu, Santa Barbara....all absolutely gorgeous in their own individual ways. At one point our roof rack flew off, and we almost lost all our camping gear, but thankfully we were able to catch it in time! lol

Along the highway we stopped for a little bit to take in some of natures wonders in the form of dolphins. There must have been like 15 of them just swimming up the coast! It was awesome! Just outside of where we were going to camp there was an elephant seal colony. Talk about taking in mother nature.

We camped on a bluff overlooking the ocean. It was amazing. Much warmer than Sedona, but quite foggy. Levi, the wanderer he is, found some people for us to hang out with. We headed down to their site just after dark to find a guy standing infront of the fire with a loin cloth on??? A paper bag loin cloth! All I heard in my ear was Katie saying, "That guy is naked. Why is that guy naked? WTF?" We didn't really care, but everyone else was fully clothed!? It's a decent question to ask.

Adam, Nicola, Mike and Adam are all on spring break from uni in Flagstaff, AZ. It turns out that Mike and Adam were a little too close to the water, got soaked and decided to swim in their clothes. Mike had spare clothes with him. Adam did too, he just didn't remember until after we got there! I think deep down, every guy wants to run around in a loin cloth! They were cool. They had to be....they were driving a Buick Lesabre!

Our campsite was in Big Sur, which isn't a town or a park, it's just Big Sur apparently. Anyhow, it was sick. The beaches were awesome, from sandy to rocky, sunny and warm. We didn't realize that we were closer than we thought to San Fran. Could have soaked up a few more rays down there!

Kept working our way up the coast through Monterey and Santa Cruz. Checked out the wharf in Santa Cruz. Ran into a sealion colony. These guys are so cool! From there we weren't far from San Fran, but we opted to spend another night camping. This time in Half Moon Bay, on a bluff in wicked cold winds. Far less comfortable than Big Sur, much less sleep, much grumpier Kelly and Katie :) I think we were more pissed that we couldn't get the damn fire started! Even Levi was having trouble!

The next day I was eager to get out of the cold and wind! So we didn't waste too much time heading out. After a stellar breaky of hotdogs, lol, we headed to San Fran, which didn't take us long at all!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

$1 Coronitas!

Well let's just say they don't celebrate St. Patty's on the west coast like they do back home! Katie and I were out and about looking for a good time just after lunch and to our disappointment there was like NO ONE out celebrating this glorious day! There was only a small amount of people even dressed in green! It was strange compared to what I'm used to. lol

We headed right down to the beach and bummed around in the sand for a bit and then decided it was time to take our little party somewhere else and start the party there. We hit up a bar called Cabo Cantina in Venice Beach and we parked it there all damn day! Didn't even move from our seats, we didn't have to! The party came to us!



At first it was a little slow. It was ok though. We occupied ourseleves by crushing on the hot bartender....he looked like Rob Lowe! mmmmm.....

Our first friend of the day was Brian. Relocated from Ohio, he was sporting a flashy green mullet, star sunglasses and a tonne of green beads! He was a pretty cool dude. He gave both Katie and I some beads. He was going to ask us to flash him, but figured noon was a little too early to expect anything to happen!! LOL. He also gave us clover stickers, a must for patty's day attire!

The playlist at the bar resembled something of a guitar hero playlist, which was cool, but hot bartender guy was getting a little sick of it so he gave me some free credit on the juke box and Nick, the extremely flamboyant guy who works at the shop on the corner, and I set up some great tunes for all 8 of us in the bar to listen to! Nick's choice of B.Spears was a great contrast to the heavy metal rock!

$1 Coronitas go down pretty damn quick and before we know it we're chumming around with tonnes of locals, getting drinks bought for us and dancing on the non-existent dancefloor....ok well at least I was!

Two girls in real short shorts wearing roller blades cruised into the bar. Katie and I thought they were a little amusing. Would have been kinda funny if one of the fell.....

Chris...who was sitting down the way noticed our expression as she rode out of the bar and called us on it. He was thinking the same thing though. LOL. Chris was the shit. It was his buddy's birthday. How wicked is that?! Your birthday on St. Patrick's day?! There was a whole posse of them at the bar so they hung out with us for a few hours! We had a friggin blast at that bar. And all we did was be ourselves! We just hung out in our little corner and chilled...we attracted the people to us! haha....well at least I think we did! We were the frickin party!

Dad showed up earlier on in the afternoon and then came back later in the day to find us no longer sipping on Cornitas, but sipping on the giant Coronas...care of Chris. He had a pimpin' hat! It wasn't long after that when we were distracted by the thought of pizza for dinner! And now it's not even 9pm and I'm ready to crash hard.

The walk home was quite eventful, and I must say I was quite intoxicated. But was having THE best time! hah! Venice Beach delivered an awesome day! Ended up being just as good as past Patty's days.I passed out as soon as I got back to the hotel room, but it was sooo worth it.

I LOVE ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!!

A whole week to myself? AWESOME!

While Kelly was in GBS, I had a whole week to myself...and I loved it! At first I wasn't sure what to do. I mean, Kel and I have been doing everything together this whole time and she was going to be gone ALL day. It was strange to be alone again. I didn't know exactly what to do.

So, the first day I didn't do too much. I walked down to the course to see some Peak's peeps, which is always awesome!!, and then hung out all day checking out all the hotels of interest. Dad was staying at the Hilton, the course was at the Marriot and we were staying at the Radisson. This came in handy because the next day I layed by the pool all day. And the Marriot, as I scouted the day before, had the best pool and deck! lol. I did nothing but soak in the sun and enjoy the California heat!

The next day I figured I had to be more productive. I went and checked out Manhattan Beach. I heard this is where the celebrities are sometimes spotted so I figured I would check it out and see if I saw any. I didn't, unfortunately. I was hoping for a shirtless Zac Efron, but no luck! But the beach is amazing! Definitely one of my favourites so far. The best part was the hot surfers!! I'd go back just for that! lol. After my eye candy, I headed to the Getty Museum. Amazing! It's up in the Hollywood Hills and it looks over Los Angeles. Amazing view. There's also a great collection of classic painters. I saw some Cezanne, Renoir and a Van Gogh. Great place to visit if ever in the area. Lots of great historical painters. That day was fun and longggg. Longer that night when I went out for drinks with Kel and our Peak's friends. Needless to say I didn't get to bed till about 3:30. And well, the next day I slept, ALL day! But it wasn't a waste because it was overcast anyways.

And of course the last night of the seminar, there's always a big party. So we partied. Sort of. lol. Still tired from the night before we just hung out awhile. Said goodbye to our Peaks family, and got walked home by Levi, Mike and Rick. An early night followed by an early morning.

We all went to Agape in the a.m.. Minus Levi, plus Dad and Mike and Rick's Mom, MaryAnne. Some people call it a church but it's way better!!! And definitely not like any church I've been to. I enjoyed it!! Mostly because Lisa Nichols was there. Michael Beckwith was away. It would have been cool to meet him, but Lisa was just as good! If you don't know any of these people I'm talking about, just google it. lol. I also suggest anyone interested to go to Agape. It's pretty powerful and very insightful. And if you don't like church or don't attend church (like me), believe me you'll like this!

After our morning at Agape we packed up the car, picked up Levi and headed to Marina Del Rey. We're currently here enjoying the beautiful sunshine and awesome view! Ahhhh!

You Never Know What You Might Pick Up Along the Way!

I spent last week at Guerilla Business School reuniting with lots of great friends...well really, they're like family! It was so amazing to see everyone again and to meet lots of new people.

It's interesting because everyone wants to know what you 'do' for a living. I said I was travelling....well it's the truth. I did a lot of 'marketing' of the blog because people were interested. And then there was Levi. He just came up and asked if he could come along up to San Francisco! I said 'why not!'

Levi is a VERY energetic young guy. That may be a slight understatement!!! My initial thoughts.... "Well he'll certainly add a new twist to the road trip! An element of surprise for sure!"

It's been a good stay in LA. As odd as it is to say this, being with my lil Peaks family at an actual event was a bit of respite from the road trip. I'm a bit more rejuvinated and excited to set out again. GBS was a week of AMAZING learning, way too much to drink and not enough sleep. Who knew exhaustion was beneficial? haha, I'm sure.

Funny how playing can rejuvenate you to do what you really want to do!

Thanks for all the fun guys! Can't wait to see you all again.

And adventures with Levi begins! :)

Monday, March 16, 2009

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!




Wishing everyone a Happy St. Patty's Day!
Hope you're all celebrating wherever you are!

Cheers from California!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

THE PRICE IS RIGHT!....or not!?...

Monday. Price is Right day. Stoked!! Made shirts and everything. Got to the CBS studios at 9:30am for the 1:00pm show. Kel and I are told we're prolly not going to get into the early show and to come back for the 4:00pm show. We get tickets ahead of time then go hang out in Borders for awhile and come back at 12:15pm. Wait in line for 2 more hours and finally get called! YES!!! We're going in! Numbers 261 and 262. Extrememly excited, thinking we've actually made it on the show, they CUT numbers 200 and above! They're full!! #(&$*(&F(*#&)*!!! Well, that sucks! lol. I'm upset, but hey, we can always come back anytime! Kelly, the person that she is, decides the fat lady hasn't sung yet and she's waiting. By this time it's about 2:45pm. Time passes and passes. The people that are going in seem to be taunting us with their excitement even though they're just truly happy to be going. But as we wait on the sidelines and stare in their direction we're seriously wishing we could switch places!! To sum it up, we sat around till about 3:30pm, based on Kel's gut feeling that we shouldn't leave yet. Dude! When I get a feeling I go with it! 'Something' was telling me to stay put!!! I didn't know whether to chat up the blonde guy letting people in, beg someone who lived in Cali to switch places with us...I was about ready to do whatever I felt needed to be done...and then the feeling passed and... we Never got in. So, we headed to the nearest mall instead. Shopping always makes me feel better, especially Forever 21. And while shopping we got interviewed by a British Television program! lol. If anyone gets MGTV look for us! So,we didn't exactly get on the show we wanted, but we got something!! The universe is perfect! They were actually searching for people and Katie and I were the only two around! They were looking for American girls, but she said that British people wouldn't know the difference that we were Canadian. It was super fun! Oh and the Cheesecake Factory is the shit!

Saturday, March 14, 2009

A Day in L.A.

So, continuing our journey in LA was quite interesting. After we picked up Dad from the airport there was a lot of arguing and bickering!...mostly about what we were gonna do for the next couple days, and how we were going to organize the car now that we had even more stuff!! It didn't help that Dad felt claustrophobic and Kelly and I were about to ring his and each other's throats. BUT we all made it out alive after deciding we were just going to get a hotel that night and relax and make decisions tomorrow. It was the best decision we could make. So we watched Twilight AGAIN! haha Dad hadn't seen it and we weren't going to argue with that! He fell asleep and missed the whole middle part of the story, but it did not go wasted! I planned for the next day and Kelly, well I'm not sure what she did. All I know is she went and retrieved Dad some milk. lol. And peanut M&M's....movie necessities!

Sunday was a fun day! We went cruising around L.A. and saw all the tourist stuff there is to offer. It was great! We headed through Beverly Hills and then made our way to West Hollywood and then Santa Monica. By the way, almost everyone in the area drives a Range Rover! Or a Mercedes or BMW, ya know, just the usual. But really, everyone out here drives nice cars...just like the Century! haha.

First we drove down Rodeo Dr. It was cool, I guess. lol. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed seeing all the designer stores and it was weird to be surrounded by shops that had multiple security guards and hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of high fashion merchandise in them....and beautiful clothing and accessories worn by the stars, created by famous designers. I just thought it would be more exciting!! But it's really just a road with shops on it. lol We then hit up Sunset Strip. Tried to find the Viper room and all the nightclubs. Unfortunately we did not succeed, we think we turned the wrong way. Oh well! hah!

Hollywood Blvd was our next stop. We went down the Walk of Fame and saw all the stars of the celebrities. It was really cool! There's so many though it would take all day to see them all! We also went to the Kodak theatre where the Oscars are held and American Idol. It's actually in a mall. Kinda strange. lol. And after that we went to Grauman's Chinese Theatre and saw all the hand prints and footprints of the stars! That was awesome! And I put my hand in Johnny Depp's hand prints...and fell in love! haha. Not really, I wish! But that was my highlight! I love him. Along Hollywood Blvd there are people dressed as characters from movies or just famous people in general. There were about 3 Jack Sparrows (none of them were quite good enough for me. lol), a Barack Obama, Marylin Monroe, Batman, and lots more!! The creepiest though was the guy dressed as the Joker! Yes, a Heath Ledger/Joker remake. Looked just like him! He was pretty cool, but very creepy. Especially when he said 'Hello Ladies.' to Kel and I in that freaky ass voice! I got chills, that's all I'm sayin. See I dunno. I kinda liked when he said that! Not sure what that means! lol. We also saw Jamie Kennedy driving around in his convertible. If you don't know who he is Google him. Nothing special, but he's an actor. lol.

After our adventures we headed up the Hollywood hills. Not too much around, just a nice view of L.A. and of course a close view of the HOLLYWOOD sign. Had to see it, it was a must! Cruising around Mulholland Drive wasn't bad either. There were some really nice houses, some were completely glass and you could see through them. LA is much more scenic than I expected. Yes there's lots of concrete, but it doesn't take long to find bits of nature, especially with the Hollywood Hills near by.

To end the day we hit up Santa Monica! B-e-a-utiful!! It's really nice and there's lots to do. We hung out on the pier most of the time. The Santa Monica pier apparently is featured in a whole bunch of movies and is a popular destination. I could see why! There's a small amusement park on it, and lots of restaurants. There are also many artists just hangin out trying to make some money, either by sculpting, painting, or singing. Even break dancing. The beach is also gorgeous, and of course there's a great sunset! It took a hell of a long time to set, but with Dad's persistence we stayed and watched. It was worth it!

Friday, March 6, 2009

California Dreamin'!

We departed Phoenix and hit the road to Cali! Katie was friggin pumped to get going! I LOVE Cali!! If I wasn't on this roadtrip I would be living there right now! There's always something to do! It's beautiful and I love the beach! Ahhh... We took the 3:10 to Yuma...I lie, that's a movie with Russel Crowe, but we did head through Yuma to get there! The highway we took runs right along the US/Mexico border. I've always wondered how they separated the two countries when there isn't water, like the Detroit River. I imagined a big fence and then kinda laughed thinking, "there's no way it's only a fence". And then I saw the big black fence!! lol. There really is a big black fence that runs along the highway and the border. There's tonnes of border patrol cars and lots of check points along the way. I don't know what they look for at these checkpoints, but I'm assuming us two white chicks didn't fit the profile and we made it through no probs. Drove through lots of mountains and stuff again and made it into San Diego around 6:30ish. We went through one area where there was sand dunes. It was quite strange. I love San Diego, it's a gorgeous place. There will be a day when I spend an extended amount of time there...like maybe live there...who knows! haha.

But we were headed up to Carlsbad to crash with our next friends. Isabel and Mickey! Isabel was an Unstoppable Spirit with Katie and Mickey a Fierce Lightning with me! Warriors rock! A-HO! The funny part was that if we had more clear communication about where we were going to be and when, we could have hung out in the Sea of Cortez in Mexico at their condo with them!!! Next time! and there will be a next time! hehehe. That would have been amazing!!

Slightly, ok way more cold than Phoenix, us two Canadian girls were a little surprised by how chilly we were... Micky made fun of us, which he does really well. These two are quite the pair, never a dull moment! They are very entertaining actually. I enjoy their banter and quick sly remarks to one another. I think Isabel and Mickey are perfect for eachother! lol.

On Wednesday we went to the San Diego Zoo. It was sweet! Not as big as I thought though. We made it through the entire zoo with time to spare. They had lots of cool animals that we've never seen before like a jaguar (pronounced ya-gwar), lol.. mountain lions, indian alligators, pandas, and more. And we can't forget the anaconda..."double up special. ugh, double up, ugh, ugh." And lastly the big and chunky hippos! haha. For some reason, the zoo wasn't all we heard it was cracked up to be. I'm not sure if it was because it was the off season or because we had high expectations, but I wasn't as impressed as I had hoped to be. Even still, they have lots of different animals from around the world so there's lots to look at and enjoy! I guess maybe we were expecting huge enclosures and more 'natural' habitats like at zoos we've been to. No better or worse, just different!

Later that night we watched American Idol. Mickey's a fan, and we are now too...of ANUPE DOGG!!! He's the shit, and we think he's gonna win it all! I so called that he was going to get through with the wild card and then he blew me away with a true wild card! Nothing like changing the format of the show just so Anupe can win! LOL. I guess you know who I think is going to win! We shall see! hehehe :)

The rest of our time in Carlsbad was spent making Price Is Right t-shirts, hanging out with Isabel and watching Mickey do his exercises in his chair. He also gave us a preview of his dance moves! lol. Check out the video on youtube! haha. We also went to the beach for a couple hours and relaxed. Again, it was colder than we thought but the beach is beautiful! And it was refreshing to be near water again! We both love the ocean, and we didn't realize how much our yearning to be around it was. It felt awesome and we were more than content with that! We're definitely going to enjoy the west coast!

Today we left Carlsbad and headed up the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) up to LA. We went through San Clemente which was absolutely beautiful!! And of course we headed up through Laguna and Newport as well. Good to see Laguna again. It hasn't changed much...or at all! haha. We stopped in Huntington Beach for lunch and we hung out for a bit. Huntington is very cool. The beach is huge! It's like the beaches you see in movies with the big peer and lots of people walking, biking, blading, surfing. There was so much going on. Lots of people watching, 'Hot guy on a skateboard?' Lots of hot guys on the coast!! Oh la la! After Huntington we headed up to LAX to pick up Dad. LAX is always ridiculous, our car is ridiculously full and with an extra person and extra luggage...ugh. That was interesting to say the very least! Quite comical if you ask me. Didn't take me long to get frustrated though, not having a plan and looking for a place to stay in friggin chaos! But I went to my happy place in the backseat next to the cooler, luggage, art supplies...um what else is back there? lol. It wasn't long before I was laughing again though. Just watching how hairbrained and spacey we all can be when we're not grounded is very humourous...no wonder people find us entertaining! And weird!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Fabulous February Friends!


Here's to the peeps who saw us first,
The friends, more like family, who quenched our thirst,
For places to stay and things to see,
For granting us time to let us just be,
Your hearts are so big, so happy, so giving,
Crossing paths in this life we are living.
If ever a time you need a friend,
We really don't know when this road trip will end,
Drop us a line or give us a call,
We love you, we miss you and thank-you to all!!

Peace and love!

The Name So Nice You Say It Twice!

After being in the Grand Canyon it was nice to get back into the Phoenix heat. It's kind of one of those things where it's good for a while, but a break is always nice. I was so happy to be back in the heat. When you're sick and walking around in cold weather all day, you kind of feel like you'll never get better. Thankfully, when I got back AZ I started to healthy up! This time we were staying with Ravi. He's got a cool little condo and he was more than hospitable! Can't say the same for his cats Grisham and Topher. Well at least in the beginning. I think they've got some sort of aversion to females; they aren't happy unless there are equal or more males than females in the house. That's my theory anyway!

The first night we rented movies. I don't know if Ravi has seen anybody so excited to rent a cartoon as Katie was when she found Madagascar 2! Kid at heart, there's no better way to be. Then I got super excited too! This obsession with seeing the movie began in Aurora (Shout out to the boys!) with the song "Big and Chunky". (You can hear the song on this page, it's like the 2nd or 3rd on our playlist) We so thought it was some sick rap song that the guys were singing and to be honest I was kinda turned off until they told us it was from the movie. When you find out guys are as into watching crazy animated movies as you are, your perspective shifts! They had moves and everything. So we've been waiting to watch this movie since then!!!! FINALLY! OMG! Moto-Moto; the name so nice you say it twice! LOL! Just thinking about it makes me smiley and giddy. This hippo has got it goin on! Well, he could use a little work in a few departments, but he's a ladies man and he's hunky! And the funniest part of the whole entire story is that the guys had the moves bang on with the movie. It was actually kind of scary how alike they really were! I really think that song could be on the hit list! It's that catchy! I like em big, I like em chunky! I like em round, I like em plumpy! CHUNKY!! Could everyone please download this song..it's hilarious and so addictive. I'm so grateful the boys introduced us to it! It has officially became one of our roadtrip anthems.

Saturday, Katie and I spent the entire morning cleaning out the car. We took EVERYTHING, which is a heck of a lot, out of the car and vaccuumed it and made it all pretty and then decided we didn't want to organize it just yet and chucked everything back into it and continued on with our day. I don't really remember what we did in the afternoon, but we went to South Mountain to watch the sunset. That was sweet. Nice view of the city, quiet, open and beautiful. We were all pretty giddy and goofy. Just being ourselves I guess! Scared other people away from us. I think they thought we were high! High on life! haha! lol....nerd! There was some girl putting together her modelling portfolio so she was romping around in a bikini....Katie and I were both a little confused. Even we didn't think it was that warm...and then we found out she was doing a photo shoot!



So after the oh so romantic sunset we made a kickass diner. Garlic may have been the main ingredient! We had a really late diner...like 9pm! So we pretty much ate and ran cuz we were going out in Scottsdale or snotsdale as everyone down there calls it. Scottsdale is the higher end part of the area, lots of money and the societal stuff goes along with that. The downtown scene is a mix of pub style chill places to all out high scale dance bars. We went to a place called Suede. It was cool. Smaller and crowded, but I had a blast! To be honest I didn't really feel the whole snooty vibe like everyone said I would. I think part of that had to do with the fact that I didn't give a shit because they weren't going to make or break my night, but also the fact that you attract what you think. So if you're thinking you're going to run into snooty peeps you likely will. I just thought I was going to run into people looking for a good night out and I did. There were a few gals I could have slapped upside the head, but meh, that would have required me to put down my beer. The ride home from the bar was great as was our little after party at which I thought I was in my own photo shoot. Apparently the girl at South Mountain inspired me! :P Maybe that was because I was yelling at you to pose and snapping your pic? I even got on the ground for you. I love after bar randomness! And dance parties! Oh Bon Qui-Qui! I've missed you! Okay, if you don't understand what Kel is referring to just watch our videos.

Sunday was a really chill day. Ravi treated us to massages!!! Thanks Ravi! We were stoked. I was even more happy when I saw a hot guy come my way. I wasn't sure at first if he was my masseuse, but oh yes, he was! lol. That was a nice bonus! I'm a hot guy magnet!!! hah! It works for everything, not just money. We then hit up Cold Stone for some ice cream. My best creation yet I think. Chocolate ice cream with peanut butter and grahm cracker crumbs! mmmm... Ravi's new roomie Jon moved in and we watched Eagle Eye. Another good movie. Kinda creepy! Monday we had our date with Stacey. Even though we'd only been away from her for a few days it was like we hadn't seen each other in years! We went out and had a girls lunch at BJs which has this wicked 'patookie'? It's a freshed baked huge cookie with icecream on top....No wonder my ass is the size it is! We had great girl talk and we got to see the kids and Grant again. And of course Tessa our Queen Creek Chiauau! Grant's Canadian business partner was down so more canucks to hang out with. They are everywhere! woohoo! Canada rocks! We went to the kids music program and rocked out in the minivan on the way back to our car. It was sweet!


Arizona is SWEET!!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Giant Gaping Hole

The Grand Canyon! What an awesome wonder! We spent the entire day looking at this giant hole in the ground and couldn’t get enough. It seemed odd that it was having such an affect on us, but it was unreal. It actually didn’t even look real. It looked like a painting or a picture or something. It was all so still, so solid. Everywhere you look there's something amazing to look at. The size alone was enough of a sight, but the layers and depth of the Grand Canyon was quite interesting. We discovered something new at every view point. It was quite intriguing and actually very peaceful. No street cars, bustling people, or tall buildings, just nature and good energy! It was pretty wild standing at the rim of this giant hole. Seeing cars driving along the road and realizing that you could put millions and millions and millions of them in the canyon! It's size is just unfathomable!

And the good energy must have stayed with us throughout the day because we met lots of very nice people, many who took our picture for us. There was one lookout where Katie and I became every one else's photographers! It was a lot of fun because most people just get the generic snapshot, but Katie and I actually moved around, took pics from different angles and gave people a K&K Grand Canyon experience. LOL. I really do think that our picture taking etiquette added a tremendous amount of fun and excitement to their day! They'll never forget us! And lots of CANADIANS!!! It was nice to see and talk to people from home. Canadians are the best because they’re always so friendly and willing to chat with you for as long as you’d like. Whenever I see a fellow Canadian I’m so excited because there’s no place like Canada. It may also be the fact that I miss it. I didn’t think I would but the atmosphere and the people are unlike any other! Ya, there was a couple from Ontario, family from Quebec, a handful of people from BC. I hope that couple from Vancouver Island took advantage of the Red Rock pass I passed on to them...Sedona was calling their names! Well her name at least! lol.

Our drive home was quite fun. Just like the first time we went through Flagstaff, we cranked the oldies Hip Hop and R&B channel. It’s the best channel, I swear! And we also enjoyed our new Hello Kitty watch that Kel got in her Kid’s Meal at McDonald’s. It is now a permanent fixture in our car. YA! lol.


Sunday, March 1, 2009

The Rocks are Red Babay!

The rocks are red....not sure what else to say...lol.

Sedona is picture perfect, minus the construction. It's a little metaphysical town in the middle of some of the most amazing rock formations I've seen in a while. It's sort of surreal looking at them, wondering if they are all a painting or if they're actually there! Our first night there we hit up the grocery store and good ol' BK for some eats and then headed out to a campsite. Haha! If Grant's perception of our outdoorsmanship was correct we'd be pros at camping, but in reality, this was our first time actually being at a campsite and camping out...not in our backyard! LOL. Thank god for the air matress. We did good considering it was our first time. The tent was easy to figure out. I have used it twice in the last 10 years...so I mean I know my shit! lol. We did well. It was cold, but we managed.

We woke up in the morning; well I woke up with the birds and was raring to go cuz I was so damn cold and couldn't get back to sleep, Katie on the other hand, despite the chill had no desire to get up and out of the tent into even cooler weather. But me being me, threw her coat at her and made her get up...hehehe!It was soooo cold!! I didn't want to wake up. Getting dressed in my snowsuit first thing in the morning wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was fun none the less. And I think I did pretty well for my first camping experience.

We decided to start the day with a climb up Cathedral Rock. Had some good breakie in the parking lot and then got to work. The advice from Ravi was climb to the top of Cathedral and don't stop till you get there. So we did! What a hike! It was a little tricky at points, but sooooo much fun and then at the top it was like magic! You could see so much and to be on top of the big hill and then on top of the rock after that! Man, what a trip! The way back down was much quicker than the way up and periodically we'd stop and look back up and say, "did we just climb that????" Warrior principles at work...just friggin do it! The paper said it was a strenuous hike, but really, it was just like an obstacle course, finding your way up until you had no further to climb! It was awesome! Back in the parking lot where we were grabbing a snack we said goodbye to the Chicago couple we'd met earlier. (They've been hiking here since 1979). We met Don, Tom and Barbra...all from Oregon. Tom said he was worried about us when we were hanging out on the rock edge...lol...he didn't realize how big it really was out there. Don comes to Sedona every year and he was telling us about all his Canadian friends and the fun times they show him and showed him for his 71st bday. 71 and climbing the top of Cathedral....he rocked!!! Very nice people...according to Tom everyone in Oregon is as nice as them! Can't wait to find out!

After Cathedral we decided to check out an energy vortex so we chose a 2.4mile hike called Boynton Canyon Trail. Shit guy! This was strenuous....more mentally than physically because we had NO idea where we were going. We were in the base of the canyon the entire time and the last 200 feet or so was right at the mouth. After a steep climb you are perched up on a rock face looking out at the canyon. It was very very peaceful and serene up there, but no energy vortex. The walk back was a breeze compared to there.

I think we spent something silly like 6 hours hiking that day! Ridiculous...

We were pretty hungry after all that so we went into the 'uptown' and walked around to find a place to eat. Arnie at the timeshare place called us in to see how 'smart' we were. He asked us a pile of trick questions; to which I answered all but one of them wrong of course...I'm a little slow sometimes what can I say!? Then he did a magic trick where he combined a Mexican pesito and an American 50 cent coin into a loonie! Again, not quick enough to figure out how that worked, but hey, we got tootsie rolls outta the deal. And of course because we're friggin money magnets he gave us a coupon for 20% off at the Red Planet Diner! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Red Planet Diner is interesting. It's like all sci-fi/UFO/alien themed! Good food though!



We took off to watch the sunset and check out another energy vortex...which again, we didn't find...maybe better luck next time! Or we'll get better guidance next time! lol.

Next venture....driving 2 hours to the Grand Canyon! Friggin elk and ginormous deer with wicked huge antlers in the night....geez! Again money magnets! Room normally $110 we got for $79 with complimentary breakfast AND free internet!!! Woohoo!!!!! Love life and my own bed for the night! I'm sure Katie enjoyed that too, but it still didn't stop me from snorning....apparently a new habit I've picked up??? Ugh... :) Ya, at least you don't have to listen to yourself like me! Not the greatest habit to have picked up!