The conference was from Monday to Wednesday so we decided to make the most of it and leave Sunday morning...after all, we are of the mindset that when we go to a certain place we are going to research absolutely EVERYTHING we can find interesting to do as a family...no sitting around time for us!!! We had done our homework and had come prepared....which was a good thing because Jon was in charge of entertaining the Madster for a good three days during the day while Mom was learning about audit. Oh yes...you bet..we had a list...a long extensive list. And after the car was packed with our awesome selection of over the road treats, picnic lunches....individual packaged snacks for during the day and an essential cup of Java, we were on the way!!! Thank YOU Melissa for always being so awesome and getting all the healthy goodies packed so we always have something good to snack on....and thanks also for packing my suitcase!!!! Why did she pack the suitcase??? Well it was for a couple reasons...and here they are......our first digression...
1. Jon packs to much...there...I said it...and it is true.....I always seem to pack three or four extra sets of clothing..don't know why...I just do....I just thank my lovely wife for packing my two pairs of socks each and every day.....(she actually did this:)
2. We fit all three of us in a suitcase...if it was up to me..(Jon), we would each have our own separate small suitcases...which seems fine..unless you have to carry them all around up in the hotel......which believe me...we had to make multiple trips as is.....
3. Melissa does a great job of packing a bag of toys/games/car activities/stuffed animals for Maddie....I would realize this was essential when and only when passing through Wisconsin Dells.
4. And finally...time.....this was at a premium this weekend...since on the Saturday before we had Melissa's parents and grandparents over to install our basement block windows. Which by the way came out AMAZING...but there was cleanup involved after install. A huge shout out and thanks for all the help from the Schweinerts and Lehners we received that day!!! Thanks!!
So there we were...somewhat on time. I have to say that 15 minutes behind schedule really isn't that bad if you have a little bumpster constantly packing new things to take along...we were out. I thought it was good that we made it to Wisconsin Dells without so much as a location inquiry when all of a sudden..."are we there yet..this trip is a looooooongg way" came peeping up from the back seat:) We made it to Tomah before Jon had to use the bathroom...yes Jon...not Maddie..and made it a big deal when we crossed the Mississippi into Minnesota since it was a new state that Maddie had never visited. There we stopped at a local rest stop for a picnic lunch on a brisk afternoon.....so time for digression number two.....
Did you notice what I did there??? The mistake in my ever evolving directional/map skills......a hint...the river...its not the Mississippi...although I bet in my declarative writing style I made you think it was....it was in fact the St. Croix river...which we found out on our way back home...a whole week later....
Well after getting fueled up our destination was the Mall of America. We had some time before we were going to check into our hotel so we decided to pay a visit. Melissa said she thought she knew where it was..."Jon...there will be SIGNS"....and I didn't doubt this at all..however having traveled the great freeway system of our country I do know that signs do not appear for attractions unless you happen to be on the correct freeway...of which the Mall of America is on a bypass outside the twin cities....so I looked up directions so we could find a way to the sign which would tell us the way to the mall....:) And we had a bet...she had to tell me exactly were to go as we entered the vicinity...which bypass to take..etc....so we laughed about that one a little bit...these are the sort of conversations we have together....as Maddie contently plays with her colored pencils in the back seat..:) SHE knows ONE of us knows how to get there....!!! In the end Melissa said she knows it was in Bloomington so she would have easily been able to tell us how to get there. The end result was we arrived...using both signs AND the map!
So there we were...at a massive mall....the first object was to get a lay of the land..and we had some ground to cover. We ultimately had planned to spend the majority of our time at the mall the following Thursday so we really didn't do much except take everything in and do a couple laps noting some stores we ought to visit. However we did have one ultimate destination which was the Minneapolis aquarium. This was located on the lower level of the mall. Maddie has always loved aquariums and this one was no different. She enjoyed watching all of the fish and the highlight for all of us was the long underwater tunnel which had everything from sharks and turtles swimming overhead. We were all chatty and of course all smiles. So ultimately we left very satisfied and also excited since the parking was free:) Next destination was to our downtown hotel. Again with directions we found our way despite one wrong turn...hey...we wanted to see the city right???? Note to self...Minneapolis doesn't have exactly the easiest street numbering system as I have never seen 2nd st and 4th st intersect...can tend to drive you batty....but we made it!
So we had a special treat that night planned as the Pfeifers were going to stop by the hotel room and join us for a swim with their family. Many thanks for them for making the trip downtown. They live about 40 minutes outside of town to the west. They were able to bring their two girls for swimming so Dave, Jon, Maddie and Noelle took a small and quick dip in the indoor swimming pool while Melissa, Nicky and Hollis looked on...this was truly a treat for the girls and all of us had a blast. Apparently Noelle was looking forward to this all day at home and Maddie was prime for some energy exerting activity to compensate for the long car ride. In the end, all were happy. A local pizza establishment supplied our stomachs with dinner and the night ended in relaxation with football, good food and company, great kiddos and great catching up conversation. Thanks Pfeifers for making the trip downtown!!! Great to see you guys!
No comments:
Post a Comment