Minnesota Trip

In September we went up to the Twin Cities for a long weekend. It was more like a college-reunion for Jonathan.

The first evening we met up with Tim (former roommate) and Wendy and their little boy, Trevor, in Mankato. We went out for Mexican which brought back many memories of eating Mexican in Ames. It was a great time of catching up and enjoying chips and salsa.

On Friday it was Jonathan's birthday and we met Matt (former roommate & the groom on Sunday)for lunch in Edina. I think Matt enjoyed being with our boys even though they were getting tired. ;) And in the evening we went to Shane and Heather's for dinner. They have three children and it was great to see them befriend our boys. Shane is the director of youth ministries for the EFCA and Heather stays at home and homeschools her children. It was such a time of encouragement!! The kids enjoyed playing together in the basement and the adults enjoyed conversation over coffee upstairs. It was so relaxing.
On Saturday, we made our way to the Mall of America, but I wanted to stop at Ikea first. It was my first time in Ikea and I loved it. It was a little overwhelming, but fun! Phin fell asleep in the cart so that made it even more enjoyable. We finally ended up at the Mall of America and it was a disaster. I needed a dress for the wedding on Sunday and I couldn't find anything. Plus, the boys were so tired and whiny. It was truly embarrassing. Needless to say, I didn't get a dress at the mall and the boys had plenty of tantrums in a 1 1/2 hour span. We didn't last long at the mall and decided to head over to Jon (college friend) and Anna's house. They grilled burgers and brats and the boys enjoyed playing in the backyard. We stayed the night in their guest room with Phin in the pack'n'play and Asher on the floor in his sleeping bag.

Jon and Anna watched the boys for us on Sunday so we could go to the wedding. I ended up finding a sundress at Target right before we got to Jon and Anna's so at least I had something to wear. We arrived at the outdoor wedding a little late, but we took some great pictures from on top of the hill. The reception was beautiful and we had a lovely time with the other guests at our table. Matt (sang at our wedding) loves U2 so he surprised Jennifer by serenading her with some songs. It was really cute. We took advantage of our childless afternoon and walked along the water in the park. It was a beautiful afternoon for a stroll. We arrived at Jon and Anna's packed up all our belongings and the boys and drove back to Ames. The boys slept for about 2 1/2 hours, which is a record for us.
We had a great fun-filled weekend visiting Jonathan's college friends. We were thankful to reminisce with Tim and Wendy. We were refreshed by our time with Shane and Heather. We were humbled by Jon and Anna and their hospitality. And we were honored to be invited to Matt and Jennifer's wedding. Thank you all for a great weekend!!