Christy - Carl - and Caroline!

Thank goodness my sister works for the Norwegian American Weekly, thank goodness the world celebrates Syttende Mai, and thank goodness I live in the most Norwegian city in the US...all of these factors meant that Christy was able to fly out here on a business trip and Carl got to come too! We had 4 days of exploring together, lots of sunshine, and plenty to catch up on, so naturally we had the best time!  Christy and Carl were the last of my family to come out for a visit, so I was happy to finish off the Olsen set with them this May.

 I often try to color coordinate pictures with people, but we just happened to be wearing matching clothes when they flew in.  Good taste in 2012 colors I might say!

 Christy and Carl got to dress up and celebrate Syttende Mai with lots of people who love Norway. 

 I had a list of restaurants and bars that was a little too long for their 3 day stay, so we went bar-hopping Friday night--enjoying 4 of my favorites in Uptown/Downtown Minneapolis!  The Cafeteria, Chino Latino, The Local and Brit's Pub.  80 degrees until 10pm, so we had a great way to experience the roof top bar culture Uptown!

 

 Saturday we got to do a lot of exploring.  We drove to all of my favorite lakes and river parkways around Minneapolis and St Paul. I think they will both agree that it is such a beautiful city.

 That afternoon, we found a soda shop that was just opened by our second cousin twice removed, or some relation like that.  We enjoyed Swedish fish and old fashioned root beer floats...yum!

 On Sunday morning, we went to a Norwegian church service that was packed with Norwegian families.  And so many adorable children dressed in bunads-the traditional Norwegian dress.  At the end of the service, we joined the 300 person parade around the neighbor hood, waving flags and marching along with the band.  It was a little silly, but a blast.  We finished the celebration with great Mexican food.  No room in the church basement for us to enjoy the potluck, so we went for the famous corn pancakes across the street!

It was a fabulous weekend--lots of awesome food, many laughs, and great sibling bonding time. I love showing my new home to everyone, so I was thrilled that they would be able to experience it too.  While I will be sad to leave Minneapolis in a few months, I am excited to be close to these two next year in Seattle!