Peek into our week(s) in Minnesota * Indiana * Illinois

My first couple weeks in Minnesota were uneventful….it was a whole lot of digging out from underneath a mountain of boxes. Moving is a LOT of work, but our house is beginning to feel like home!

We met lots of our new neighbors and couldn’t ask for a better neighborhood.

Saturday

We had dinner at a restaurant on a nearby lake with the ONE family we know in Minnesota! It was so nice to spend time with great friends in our new state.

Sunday

We piled in the car and drove to Indiana.

The kids were so excited to see their cousins, and equally excited to see the kittens that were just born.

Sunday’s drive was long. What was supposed to take eight hours, took ten. The traffic and tolls going through Illinois reminded us why we moved away 3 years ago.

When we finally arrived, my mom had a delicious dinner waiting for us (thank you mom!)!

Monday

Ted worked and I got to spend time with my mom and sister.

Our kids had an amazing day together on the lake where my mom and sister live. Some of my favorite childhood memories were spent on the lake, and I’m glad my kids get to experience this too!

They are so creative when they are together …. they imagined that the paddle boards were their “ships” and spent the day finding treasure on the bottom of the lake. They were convinced that the sticks and rocks they found were extremely valuable and would make them millionaires!

That night, my sister and her husband hosted a dinner at their house and we enjoyed catching up with old friends.

Tuesday

George woke up covered in toilet paper and “duct taped” to his bed. Since he is the one that likes to sleep the latest, his cousins and brothers thought it would be hilarious to play a trick on him. He woke up with a sweet note and a struggle to get out of bed.

After that shenanigan, the kids walked to grandmas (next door!) for a donut, then spent more time on the lake – swimming, paddle boarding, looking for treasure, and riding the wave runner with Ted.

That night, Ted and I got to go out on a double date with my sister (Krista) and her husband (Nate).  We took their boat to dinner – making two stops, the first one was for appetizers and the second was for dinner at one of their favorite restaurants.

Wednesday

We took the kids to a classic rootbeer stand for lunch and my brother-in-law took them tubing.

That evening we spent time with my dad’s side of the family – grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

Thursday

Ted’s 40^thbirthday

I had been so busy with the move, I hadn’t spent as much time as I needed to planning for Ted’s milestone birthday. However, once I got Nate and Krista involved…they moved mountains to make sure Ted had a memorable day. I’m so grateful for them!

My mom kept our four boys so that Ted, Nate, Krista and I could spend the day and night in Chicago.

It was a perfect day! We walked, visited our favorite sights, got Sprinkles cupcakes, then rented bikes to ride along Lake Shore Drive. The day ended with an UH-mazing dinner at the Girl and the Goat. The owner and chef, Stephanie Izard, was the first female winner of Top Chef. Everything she makes is delicious!

Friday

We met up with our boys and drove to stay with friends for a couple of days.

We had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants – The Turf Room – then came back to the house to eat some Portillo’s cake and sing Happy Birthday to Ted! We loved spending time with the friends who were able to come and celebrate him.

Saturday

In the morning, Ted met up with a book club group that he used to be a part of when we lived in Illinois. The guys just finished reading his book and Ted got to meet them for breakfast, answer questions and hear from them what they learned from his book.

That afternoon, we took the boys to Geneva, IL – a quaint town with beautiful old homes, unique stores and a delicious ice cream shop. Then we went to a new park to play.

That night we went on a boat ride with friends. There’s a new music venue along the river, and One Republic was playing that night. We anchored the boat and enjoyed a free concert!

Sunday

We said good-bye to our friends and drove home. We had a fabulous time away. We all agreed that we LOVED our time with family and friends.

We are settling back in to our new home in Minnesota and excited to begin planting roots and building community.