Mom in Minneapolis!

2 weeks ago, mom surprised me with a visit to see me in Minneapolis! It was wonderful to show her around to my new stomping grounds, and to connect with family and friends from around the area that I hadn't seen yet.

Here are some of the highlights!

 

Friday night in St. Peter with the Millers from Richland!

 

What we thought was a Twins game! Actually, they were playing in Wisconsin, so we were welcomed to an empty stadium. A lesson in reading whether it is a home or away game, apparently! 

 

Mall of America! 

 

Including a 1 hour stop in the American Girl store--it came 12 years too late, I would have loved this place in 4th grade! But we still had the best time.

 

Dinner with Mom's cousin Dawn, my second cousin Amanda and her boyfriend Paul.

 

A tour of the St. Paul cathedral

 

...with Scott, Becky and Nicole Ward, best friends in our Idaho days, who I haven't seen since I was 6.

 

Iced tea and catching up

 

The Minneapolis sculpture park, and the famous giant spoon!

 

A beautiful drive around Lake Calhoun at sunset.

 

Dinner with Grama's cousin Marie Schlink!

 

Take your Mom to work day: Mom joined me for 2 days volunteering at Open Arms, helping pack out food and on delivering food around the Metro area.

 

One more delicious dinner at Pizza Luce. This is a mashed potato pizza--yum!

Our 5 days together were the best! We had a great time exploring new places that I hadn't been to yet, catching up with old friends and family that I haven't seen in years, and just getting to spend some time together! It was a wonderful surprise trip, and I am very thankful for Mom. =]