Visit with my Dad

My dad came to visit us from California and we all had a great time! It was so nice to spend some extended time with him and get to know him better. We did some sight-seeing, but most of the time he just lived life with me for a week. The kids had doctor appointments, orthodontist appointments, den meetings, etc. and he just went right along with me. I think it was good for everyone. The kids got to spend some good quality time with their grandpa and I got some great time just talking with my dad.

We went to the State Capital in St. Paul, the History Center (also in St. Paul), we ate Italian food at Cossetta's Italian Restaurant and went to see the Stone Arch Bridge along the Mississippi in Minneapolis. We also were able to go inside the Guthrie Theatre and get a birds-eye view of the Mississippi River and St. Anthony Falls. It was a beautiful sight, but also a little subdued since it also overlooks the sight of the 35-W Bridge Collapse.

During the week, we had plenty on good conversations and time to reminisce about lots of different things. We took Madison to an apple orchard and I had my dad try his first Honeycrisp apple. If you've never tried one, I highly recommend them, although I think you can only get them in Minnesota. We also got to meet the illustrator from the Harry Potter books and that was quite neat, especially for Cameron who absolutely loves the entire series.

We also took my dad to the Mall of America and walked about 1/3 of the mall. We were able to do some shopping and enjoy a cup of coffee together. On Friday night we were all able to take a ride on the light rail and take in a Twins baseball game. Unfortunately the Twins lost, but it was still a lot of fun! On Saturday morning, before taking dad to the airport, we took him to see Minnehaha Falls. It was a wonderful time and we are all looking forward to seeing him again sometime soon!

Thanks, Dad, for a great week!