i'm home!!

We were only gone for a few days but it felt like a really long time. So nice to be home! And I'm super happy that I took today off of work as an extra "vacation recovery" day. When we got home last night the cable wasn't working right and when I came downstairs this morning it still wasn't working. I called Comcast and they said someone would be here to fix it before 9 p.m. I called at 9:30 this morning. Assholes. So I ran to the store and bought some groceries and hurried home. My mom always told me not to shop on an empty stomach but this morning I didn't really have an option. I wanted to go before the cable fix-it people got here. And I went with a list so I figured I would be okay. I was wrong. I came home with horseradish cheese, Lucky Charms, and a special yummy treat for Jesse. Of course I got all the stuff on the list too. What the hell am I going to do with horseradish cheese and Lucky Charms?

But enough about today. Let's talk trip. We flew into Minneapolis early Friday morning. Lucky for us the hotel wasn't completely booked and let us check in very very early. We laid around and tried to nap but I suck at napping so we decided to go and check out the town. First we found the wedding site, a lovely country club in Shakopee. As we were driving down the road Jesse spotted rollercoasters in the distance. Wha? Huh? Nobody told me Minnesota has rollercoasters! We didn't find them. We did, however, find the original baseball hall of fame.



At first we thought it was just a store with Vikings and Twins gear. But then I saw a handwritten sign that said "This way to the Museum" over a dark doorway. The two people working there were eating lunch out of styrofoam take-out containers. I asked if the museum was open. The man stood and said he would be happy to turn the lights on for us. We went into a wood-paneled room covered with 8x10 photographs of the owner and his family with famous people. Famous people like Florence Henderson...



And Dolly Parton...



And an Elvis Presley corner...



Can you believe it was free admission?

We decided to find the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices that was shown on our map. Unfortunately, we were not able to find the stupid thing. We did, however, find a lovely restaurant that served the most wonderful bloody mary.



A giant pickle. A button. And can you see the teeny tiny beer behind the cocktail? In Minnesota you get a free little beer chaser with your bloody mary. It wasn't just this place that gave you a free little beer. We tested it at several places. I can't believe nobody told me this about Minnesota. I would have moved there a long time ago.

The view across the street from the restaurant was pretty cool.



Let's see...What else did we do. I can't remember when we did what anymore. So let's just pretend we had a really busy day. But really all this stuff took place sometime on Friday or Saturday or Sunday.

We went to see the park where the St. Paul Saints play. We found the outdoor sculpture park. Julie had told me about the Claes Oldenburg sculpture. It was very cool. But this is my favorite one. It is called Goddess With The Golden Thighs, by Reuben Nakian. Kind of dirty. Beautiful.



We went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. I almost didn't stay when I read this sign.



How dare they tell me I can't bring my gun to the art museum?

The wedding was beautiful. I haven't seen the bride in years. I haven't seen her family in more years. I love friends that even when you haven't kept in close contact, when you see them again, it's like you just hung out yesterday. Everything was so comfortable. No sizing each other up, just pure joy at being in one another's company again. Her family is amazing. When I was in college they were like my second family. And they might have even been more fun than my original family! There aren't many people I would have a matching tattoo with.



Okay this is getting long.

While having brunch with Jesse's friend from high school, we mentioned our search for the Museum of Questionable Medical Devices. They said it had been moved to the Science Museum. So of course we went. My favorite questionable medical device...



That's right, a Prostate Gland Warmer from 1925. I don't know if you can read the little sign or not but it says something about sticking something up someone's butt and then something and then something and then...awesome!

And there was a fossilized poop collection.



So it was a great trip. We hope to go back next summer to catch a couple baseball games. I'm sure I'll take more photos then.