Ryan has the duty of putting the kids to bed. This is trying during normal days, but quite unfortunate for him at the end of the first day back to school. Everyone is tired, and very sad about starting up a schedule again. Everyone is also hungry and thirsty, for some reason summer meals develop into multi-course buffets that last for hours, and those days are gone.
Fortunately for Ryan and myself, we got away for 36 hours this weekend without the kids. We asked Bethany and Eric if they would mind watching our kids when they stopped over at our house on their way out to Idaho. Bethany knew what she was walking into, and she assured us that watching our kids was a very effective, inexpensive form of birth control.
Ryan and I had a splendid visit to Minneapolis/St. Paul, and our kids had a blast with Bethany and Eric. I'm not sure how long they played the Wii, but it didn't kill them. I forgot to warn Bethany and Eric about Sam's antics in church, in particular in the very public sacrament meeting. When we got home Sunday night, I asked with trepidation if they had survived without injury, and they looked at me like I was crazy. "He was great", they assured me. Max, on the other hand, looked through them like they weren't there, and when they asked him to do something, he would just say, "I don't want to do that", and not do it.
He indulged many of my oddities, like finding a "healthy" fast food option in the Mall of America, and walking three miles through sketchy territory to find some Malaysian restaurant I'd read about. (Come to think of it, many of my oddities involve food). I didn't have the address, or even know what Malaysian food entailed, but I was intent on finding out. The Malaysian restaurant turned out to be a gem. We had a cozy table near the window with candlelight atmosphere. Our waiter helped us choose two authentic entrees, which we discovered to be delicious. We enjoyed savoring the coconut chicken rice and fried noodles with seafood, talking about all the delicious meals we've eaten over the years, and relishing the BYU win.
Aside from the company, the two wins of our trip were the fabulous food, and the chance to explore the architecture and outside area of St. Paul and Minneapolis. We had some random conversations like why I never wanted to live in a house like the ones surrounding the lake, and how Ryan would love to learn to windsurf, and I would never like to even get close.
Ryan and I had a splendid visit to Minneapolis/St. Paul, and our kids had a blast with Bethany and Eric. I'm not sure how long they played the Wii, but it didn't kill them. I forgot to warn Bethany and Eric about Sam's antics in church, in particular in the very public sacrament meeting. When we got home Sunday night, I asked with trepidation if they had survived without injury, and they looked at me like I was crazy. "He was great", they assured me. Max, on the other hand, looked through them like they weren't there, and when they asked him to do something, he would just say, "I don't want to do that", and not do it.
Sam drinking a "green" smoothie before we left
As for Ryan and I, we enjoyed every minute of our time away. We were able to indulge our eccentricities without complaints from our children or each other. I find Ryan's quirks rather endearing. Like how he was talking for weeks ahead of time about how excited he was that we would be staying in a hotel for the first BYU game, since we don't have cable, and he reserved in advance the prime evening hours. I happily brought my new book, "In The Garden of the Beasts", and looked forward to sitting in bed reading it during the game.He indulged many of my oddities, like finding a "healthy" fast food option in the Mall of America, and walking three miles through sketchy territory to find some Malaysian restaurant I'd read about. (Come to think of it, many of my oddities involve food). I didn't have the address, or even know what Malaysian food entailed, but I was intent on finding out. The Malaysian restaurant turned out to be a gem. We had a cozy table near the window with candlelight atmosphere. Our waiter helped us choose two authentic entrees, which we discovered to be delicious. We enjoyed savoring the coconut chicken rice and fried noodles with seafood, talking about all the delicious meals we've eaten over the years, and relishing the BYU win.
Aside from the company, the two wins of our trip were the fabulous food, and the chance to explore the architecture and outside area of St. Paul and Minneapolis. We had some random conversations like why I never wanted to live in a house like the ones surrounding the lake, and how Ryan would love to learn to windsurf, and I would never like to even get close.
Ryan and I on the famous Stone Arch Bridge with Minneapolis in the background
St. Paul used to be known for the "Best Flour Money Can Buy", as well as logging. Here's the old Pillsbury building alongside the Mississippi River.
One of about 20 random photos I found when I downloaded the pictures. Ryan said he enjoyed taking pictures of me where-ever we went.
Beautiful view of Minneapolis from the St. Paul side of the bridge.
Eating breakfast at Modern Cafe, whose specialty is roast hash-browns.
Ryan and I after breakfast at Modern Cafe
Ryan inside a Rose Garden beautifully maintained by the community, free and open to the public.
The sailboats and wind surfers fooled us into thinking we were closer to the coasts than we actually were.
We biked 12 miles around three lakes. The houses that overlooked the lakes all looked like this, perfectly manicured and beautifully designed.
Everywhere we went, we talked about how we should do this more often. We reluctantly went home Sunday afternoon. We were still thinking of how we could get away again, but Bethany and Eric mentioned they were never driving cross country again. I hope it wasn't the stay with our kids that did them in, but I must say I was disappointed to hear that. Not only because we enjoyed our time away, but especially because we enjoyed having them visit us. We convinced them to stay for Labor Day, and enjoyed a barbecue that night, with, once again, great company and great food.
And then school started the next day....................
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