A weekend in Minneapolis

After a week and 1/2 on the road in the RV, I was so relieved to arrive at my Mom's house in Minneapolis. We arrived on Thursday evening around inner time. I don't know if she was more welcoming than usual or if she treated me with more mothering than usual, but I felt SO taken care of. The bed was soft, the food was warm, the drinks were plentiful and she did my laundry, more than once! Moms are truly the best. My mom is the best. (Thank you mom, I love you!)

My mom fed the kids goulash while we had some cocktails and cheese. Then Gumpa took the kids out back to pick raspberries for dessert (with ice cream).

That first night, we caught up, had some food and just relaxed. The kids were thrilled to just watch TV while the rest of us visited in the next room.

On Friday, I went for a run on Theodore Parkway, which I just love. There is a bike path that connects Golden Valley to the downtown area and beyond. On the way to the bike path, I always run past the area where I "bridged up" as a Brownie when I was young, so its nice to have a bit of nostalgia during the run

We had plans to hang out with my dad on Friday so we headed over there around 10am. My dad's house is the same house that I grew up in (from age 2 to age 12).

Dad has a beautiful garden that I haven't had an opportunity to see because I am nearly never in Minneapolis in the summer. I was excited to show the kids the garden, the house and the tree that I used to climb. It has been several years since we last visited Minneapolis as a family, so the kids don't always remember the details.

Dad, looking for green beans

I asked the kids to reenact a photo that my sister and I took as kids, in front of the house. My kids are representing the ragamuffin guild in this photos, so its not quite the replica I was hoping for. But there it is.

Me and Mimi, 1975

Fay and Rex, 2016

After a couple hours at my dads, we went on an outing to the Walker Art Center for some miniature golf and then to a movie. My dad said he had not seen a movie in 15 years! Hopefully "The Secret Life of Pets" was not a disappointment!

I don't thin I've ever taken the kids to mini golf before. This course was fun as each hole was a bit weird. One looked like planets; one looked like a pool table. One encouraged you to put your feet in the way of your opponents. 

The Walker gave the kids a pad of paper when we arrived so they could draw what they see. I asked them both to draw a picture of my dad. The hair and mustache were great renditions.

After the movie, we brought dad home and hung out a bit longer. I don't get to see my dad very often, so it is always hard to say goodbye. We had such a full day, but it went way too fast.

On Saturday,  I awoke to the cutest sight of the entire trip. My mom was doing her crossword and Rex was working on his activity book, side-by-side, over looking the birds in the garden.

Mimi and two of her girls came over to my moms around lunchtime. My cousin Jackie also came by! We had a fantastic lunch, a cake for my birthday, and then ended up telling stories in the kitchen for most of the time. You know how welcoming kitchens can be. It was fun for me to have Fay and Rex hear stories about their grandma from the view point of their cousins (who are quite a bit older). But my favorite moment was probably when Lauren was braiding Fay's hair. Again, we don't get so see my nieces nearly enough, so any cousin time my kids get with them just makes my heart swell.

A family of nerds and a 44th birthday.

Lauren braiding Fay's hair

Rex taking aim

Rex captures Nana, Auntie Mimi and Lauren

Rex snaps cousin Jackie!

After Mimi's crew left, we had some time to enjoy Mom's deck with some cocktails and pizza, before heading out to meet some college girlfriends for the night. 

My mom's deck overlooks her garden which also hosts a large bird feeder. Lots of critters take advantage of the bird feeder from sparrows, to chipmunks to bunnies. 

On this night, a hawk took notice of the many sparrows and moved in for the kill. The hawk dove once at the bird feeder which caused the sparrows to hide in the tomato bushes nearby. After a brief strategy session with himself, perched on the fence overlooking the tomatoes, the hawk jumped down to the base of the plants and emerged with a sparrow in one talon! He flew up to a branch, perched on the other talon and began plucking the feathers from the sparrow, still alive! It was fascinating and horrifying at the same time. We were all somewhat glad the kids had already gone to bed at this point.

Mom and Ryan racing to find bird facts on their smart phones

After the hawk excitement, I headed out to meet Mimi and some college girlfriends for drinks at Ciao Bella. It was nice to catch up with some friends I haven't send since college, and a few friends that I see often, but still not enough.

Mimi, Julie, Sonia, Jeanne, Erin and me

Hard to believe, the next day was Sunday, our departure day. We packed up, said goodbye and drove to my high-school friend, Erin's house for brunch. Once again, it was so nice to visit Minneapolis in the summer. I have only been to Erin's house in the winter, therefore never enjoying her backyard...complete with blow up pool! It was the perfect summer morning with lemonade, snacks, and my kids playing with Erin's kids. 

Me, Karin and Erin. I love these ladies so much.

And just like that, our trip was more that 1/2 over and we were headed back in the opposite direction, towards home. If we were taking a video of this trip with a time-lapse camera, suddenly everything started speeding up and the next week flew by in a flash.

Next up: Illinois Beach State Park and Six Flags...