Well 2010 miles across the United States and we have made it to New Orleans. We started our trip in Beaumont CA and left town at 8:00 AM Wednesday. 30 minutes into our drive I was talking with my parents and said “so are the wedding party gifts in the trailer?” We quickly realized that we had left them at home and had to turn around to get them. So I guess it would be more accurate to say that our journey began at 9:00 AM. We made pretty good time through California and ended up stopping for the night in Tucson AZ. We went out to dinner at the Cattleman Restaurant which was pretty good. Ben ended up eating a whole plate of popcorn shrimp and 2 baskets of dinner rolls. I hope he still fits in his tuxedo.

Day 2
Got up and packed up the trailer and headed out for New Mexico on Thursday morning. The air was hot but it felt pretty good since it was a dry heat and we are used to the hot weather. We packed some lunches and decided to eat on the road that day and really make a dent in the milage. We took a quick break at the New Mexico boarder for lunch and a photo opportunity. In the evening we ran into an amazing lighting storm. We all tried to get photos of the lighting but Suzanne ended up being the only one with quick enough reaction time to get a photo. The kids said that the lighting was way better than any fireworks show they’d ever seen. We pulled into Fort Stockton pretty late and the only thing open was a Taco Bell. One hour later and multiple attemps of taking our order we finally got our food and headed to the RV park (Should have checked the order because half of it was missing). With the time change and late night drive we ended up getting to bed around 2:00 AM. The time change really messed up the kids schedules.

Day 3
Since we had driven so far the day before we decide on a nice light drive into New Braunfels TX. We planned to spend the entire day Saturday at Shliterbaun the worlds best waterpark. The drive went good until we got outside of San Antonio TX and Ben had to go to the bathroom. We pulled into a gas station and the front tire on the truck went completely flat in a matter of seconds. We must have looked like a pit crew changing that tire… record time if I do say so myself (mostly because it was so hot and sticky we wanted to get it done fast). After the tire change we cooled down with a quick beer in the trailer before hitting the road and finish up the last 15 miles for the day. Late night dinner at a place called Coopers was amazing! Pit BBQ and dinners by the pound, beef ribs, brisket, chicken and prime rib. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much meat in just one sitting. Afterwards we all passed out in a self induced food comma.

Day 4
Shliterbaun here we come! We got up and headed down to Shliterbaun for a day of sun and the worlds best waterslides. The place is crazy, the park is tucked into a small neighborhood right on a river. The park actually has 3 separate locations that you have to take a tram or ride the river to get to them all. Most all of the waterslides are all feed by water from the river, so it’s fresh clean water and very refreshing. The kids loved the place! They both loved a ride called the Boogie Baun which is a wave shaped structure that water is forced over and you ride it like a wave. Ben was awesome, only one person stayed on longer than him while we watched. The kids really want to stop on the way home for another day. The park is really too big for just one day, realistically it would take at least 2 if not 3 days to really feel like you got to experience the whole park.

Day 5
Back on the road again and we planned on spending the night in Lake Charles LA Sunday night. Along the way we made a few stops and Ben found the biggest insects we had ever seen, including spiders and grasshoppers bigger than a baseball. I guess the really do make everything bigger in Texas. We pulled into Lake Charles at a resonalble hour and the RV park was amazing. It felt like you were right on the Bayou. The humidity was crazy and Suzanne said she felt like someone had spilled a coke all over her. She quickly learned why Scotia always wears dresses when she is in LA. The place we had planned to eat dinner was closed so Bob recommended we eat at this place right on the lake, Delicious! I had a shrimp poboy, my mom had red beans and rice and my dad had jumbo shrimp. I always forget just how good the food is in LA.

Day 6
Got up and packed and headed out to Avery Island, home of the Tabasco plant. We pulled in just after lunch and took the tour of the plant. My parents got some new swag for the Man Cave and Suzanne found some Tabasco Zapps potato chips (her favorite). We had planned to stop outside of New Orleans for dinner so that we could try to eat at a reasonable hour. I had forgotten from my last trip to Avery Island that there is nowhere to eat on the road. So we pulled out the Zapps and had a little snack before we pulled into the RV park. The park is right next to the French Quarter so we knew we were walking distance from plenty of places to eat. Once we pulled in my dad and I decided to time ourselves on setting up, 7 minutes 20 seconds to get everything set up, AC on and a beer in hand. After that we walked over to the French Quarter and ate dinner at Oceana Restaurant. The place was right off Bourbon St and the streets were pretty busy even for a Monday. After dinner we headed over to Bob and Janet’s house for a few drinks and a chance to catch up. I was really glad to see Scotia, just a little less than a week but we always seem to miss each other so much when we’re apart.

A few more days packed with planning and activities before the big day. August 7th is just around the corner! Stay tuned for more updates.

Today we went to the mail box and found our first RSVP cards. It’s super exciting to see the replies of family and friends that will be attending the wedding. I have to say getting RSVP’s in the mail is much more exciting than the typical Penny Saver or electric bill.

Hope to hear from everyone by June 10th and if you misplace the RSVP click here to download a new one.

On September 19th 2009 I asked Scotia Helen Rivard to marry me (she said yes). I thought it would be fun to share how I asked her for her hand in marriage. A few weeks prior to asking Scotia I called her father and asked his permission. I filled him in on my plans to take Scotia to the Palm Springs Tram at sunset. He told me if she said no I should push her off.

Well a couple weeks passed and the big date arrived. I told Scotia I wanted to take her out to dinner somewhere new in Palm Springs. We got dressed up and I hid the ring, champagne, and glasses in the trunk. Before heading out I checked my computer to see what the temperatures were like at the top of the mountain. I was shocked to find out that the tram was closed for maintenance. “I’m all ready to go” I hear Scotia say from the other room.

We jumped in the car and I started to try to come up with some alternate plan. I knew I had about an hour drive to come up with something but I was coming up short on ideas. I know Scotia was talking the whole drive but I honestly didn’t hear a word she said. About half way to Palm Springs I came up with it: Joshua Tree National Park at sunset. I set out for park knowing that I had little time before the sun was going to set. About half way to the park I found my self in a race to beat the sun and I was driving like a mad man.

Well I made it just in time and I quickly laid out a blanket next to a large log and opened the champagne. I poured two glasses and we toasted to the beautiful sunset. I reached down as to get the camera out of the camera bag and pulled out the ring instead. I got down on one knee and said “Scotia will you marry me?” She apparently said yes although 5 minutes later I had to ask her “you said yes right?” She was so excited the look on her face was worth a million dollars. A bit later we headed out to the restaurant and had a delicious dinner.