Minne-vacation in Minneapolis

Like I mentioned before, TJ and I had a chance to get away for 2 nights to Minneapolis this past weekend. It was our "Valentine's getaway" and the whole point was to be spontaneous and to try new things and to have fun. Done, done, and done.

Friday night we ate at Chevy's and got the exact same booth we had two years ago when we tried to take Topher to the Mall of America (big mistake). That night we sat in the hot tub and relished an uninterrupted night of sleep ahead. It was even better than our imaginations could dream. It was so luxurious. It is the single most obvious change of lifestyle since having our son (not sleeping anymore) and it was amazing to remember again how it feels to sleep through all the unholy hours of the night.

Saturday morning was exciting. We had a whole unplanned day stretching out in front of us. We knew we wanted to go to Ikea, but had no other plans. So we headed to Ikea.

We were there all morning, roaming the store, absorbing the Swedish design and dreaming of decorating our next home. At lunchtime, we decided to try the Ikea cafeteria (we had heard good things about those Swedish meatballs) and ended up with way too much food. It was all delicious (and cheap!!)

After about 6 hours at Ikea, we bought all the things we wanted (well, not all, not by a long shot--I literally wanted EVERYTHING) and stuffed it all in the car somehow.

From there, we decided to wander the Mall of America for a couple hours until dinner. By that time, we had been on our feet for 9 or 10 hours and we couldn't wait to sit down for awhile. We didn't want to eat in the Mall and we aren't familiar with Minneapolis cuisine, so we turned to the phone. One of our apps will use GPS to find out where you are, lists all the restaurants in a wide vicinity, and then will spin a jackpot-style screen and pick one for you at random. So that's what we did. We let our phone (and the universe) tell us where we were supposed to eat that night. Here's what it said:

Hell's Kitchen it was. So we headed into downtown Minneapolis and miraculously found this odd restaurant. We kind of thought it might have some affiliation with the TV show of the same name. Here we are in the car, having our adventure:

Well, it did NOT have any affiliation with the TV show. It was an actual hell-themed restaurant. So we ate in hell, weird Gothic art, red walls and all. Did you know they serve breakfast all day in hell? That's how TJ came to eat a Belgian waffle with mixed berries on top. And when I saw that they had a sandwich voted one of the best in the country (ham & pear crisp), I had to try it.

I loved this chandelier that greeted us as we descended down the staircase into hell. Those are assorted butcher knives. Good sign, right?

Some of the strange art. Inside the bathroom were pictures of ghouls whose eyes followed you as you moved. Classic.

I'm happy to say that we escaped hell as easily as we entered. The next morning we packed up and headed home to our little boy (who was GREAT for grandma & grandpa and flew into my arms like a linebacker when we walked in). We couldn't wait to show him some of our Ikea purchases.

His room now boasts a new nightstand and lamp.

This lamp is awesome when lit and looks like either an alien or a sea creature.

He also got new bedding and a new area rug. He was very excited about all of it.

For our room we purchased this series of Picasso line drawings. We still need to hang it, but you know we had to have it, being the animal lovers we are.

It was an amazing weekend full of memories and fun. I am so in love with the man I married, and I am so grateful that he is who he is. There is no one else for me. Happy Valentine's Day, baby.

--KC