We just got back from our 'spring' break trip, emphasis on the word spring because it felt anything but. Grandpa Dave flew in late last Tuesday the 10th and the kids were able to see him after they got home from school on Wednesday. They were so excited to hear his hotel had a pool and even more excited that we let them stay out late on a school night for a swim.
Thursday: The kids got up early the next morning for school and the original plan was for them to have a full normal school day and leave after Addie was done with her theatre club but when we saw that it was supposed to be a blizzard all afternoon we decided to pick up all the kids early from school and get on the road. We packed up their bags and went straight from their school to the twin cities. The kids didn't complain at all about that surprise. We were able to miss most of the storm but did get some parts of it. Sadly our hotel we had booked only had an outdoor pool that wasn't yet open for the season so no swimming was done this day. We had a late dinner at Chili's which was right across the street where apparently I left behind my wallet on the bench we were on. It felt like a miracle that I even noticed my wallet was missing because it was hours later after we had gotten the kids down for bed. I was looking for my headphones and realized that it was in my fannypack that I couldn't find anywhere. The last place I remembered having it was at dinner. At this point it was 10:05pm and the restaurant closed at 10pm. I called them anyway not expecting anyone to answer but thankfully someone did and they had my wallet. They told me that I could get it when they open the next day at 11am or that I could run right over if I was quick. I definitely chose to run there that night, and glad I did. The only pictures of the whole day was of Grant when we picked them up from school and of the Chili's after I grabbed my wallet back.
Friday: We knew we would spend the majority of the day at the Mall of America. This has been on our bucketlist since we first moved to Fargo. It's also the highlight of the trip for every single one of our kids. We were told that it would be busy but we specifically chose to go on this day when all of the local kids would still be in school finishing off their last week before Spring Break. The plan turned out great because we were able to do everything we wanted to do within the mall and we all had so much fun. All eight of us were even able to get on a rollercoaster together and everyone did awesome on it. What we didn't know was that all the adults could count on chaperones so most of the rides that we were able to do didn't cost anything for Danny, Dave and I. It was great for us. My advice is to not purchase an all day pass and instead to pay for the points instead. It was the best advice given to us.
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| Quinn asked for this picture to be taken. |
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| Rylee |
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| I thought this store went extinct years ago. |
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| Quinn |
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| Rylee |
Daddy and Quinnie
Mommy and Rylee
The only ride I told the kids I wouldn't get on.
All smiles before the scariest ride they've ever been on.
Both Addie and Hudson were a little nervous for this rollercoaster but both loved it by the end.
Danny sat with Quinn behind them.
Rylee rode with me, and two seats ahead were Grandpa and Grant.
The ride took you through the whole amusement park and was pretty fun. There also was apparently a camera somewhere that only Danny seemed to know about. 😁
Quinn wanted just the two of us to go on a ride together after the big one.
Rylee and Daddy watched.
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| Rylee |
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| Hudson & Quinn |
Quinn rode one all by herself.
Rylee wanted to ride with Addie.
Quinn ended up sitting with Hudson, and Rylee sat with Addie again.
Quinnie is on Addie's left and in the end she was not a fan of this ride while Rylee loved it.
The nice part about the park being in the mall is that for lunch you can pick from dozens of options from the foodcourt meaning that every single person will find something they like to eat.
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| Rylee |
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| Quinnie |
St Paul Temple: With Dave in town we really wanted to fit in a temple visit with Addie for her first time. It was also my first time in a couple of years and we planned on going first thing on Saturday morning but as we were relaxing from a long day at the mall I asked Danny what he thought about us just going right then. We didn't have reservations but thought we would chance it. Dave said he'd watch the four kids for us and the three of us headed to the St. Paul temple where we were able to get in right away and complete some baptisms. I'm really glad that Dave came with us on this trip because if it wasn't for him then I would've been the one to stay behind while Danny and Addie went so for the three of us to be able to share that first experience together was special. Thanks Dave. We came back with ice cream for everyone.
Saturday: This was a great morning for us to cross off two more things from our twin cities list. We wanted to see the garden sculpture and visit the Como Zoo. During breakfast at the hotel we kept our eyes and ears on the weather news as a big storm was rolling in later in the day. There was a severe weather watch warning in effect and friends who knew where we were were even messaging me asking what our plans were because apparently it's rare for the twin cities to receive blizzard warnings. We decided to talk to the hotel's front desk and she said that if she were us then she would leave for Duluth that night instead of the next day because anyone who doesn't leave the cities that day would be stuck. After talking with her we decided that we would spend the afternoon in the cities but that then we would leave and head to Duluth a day earlier. The bummer was that we couldn't get a refund for the night in the hotel that we were no longer using but I am glad that we did leave when we did. Dave later saw online that the cities were hit with over a foot of snow, and up to 28 inches of snow in some parts. The awesome part about our afternoon in the cities was that it wasn't windy. So even though it was a little chilly it was very doable for us. Dave on the other hand was probably a little cold. It was 80 degrees back in Utah so this was definitely not what he's experienced in a good while. The only thing we didn't get to do on this day had we stayed for the night was check out Hudson, WI. It would have been our first time in Wisconsin and we thought it would have been cool for our Hudson to be in Hudson. However with that said we had no real plans once there and I'm not sure what they have to offer. I'm glad that we did get to do garden and the zoo.
Sculpture Garden:
*Rylee in pink hat, Quinn in white hat.
Seeing the kids all in their winter gear walking through a rain forest habitat felt so weird to me.
These fish pictures were taken by Addie.
Grant and I both thought it was so funny how this monkey was sitting like a man.
We also loved how this other monkey was obsessed with its own reflection in a little handheld mirror.
There were three gorillas total and they all came very close to the glass. This one just stared at Quinn as she stared right back at it. I wish I knew what it was thinking.
Hudson and his favorite animal.
The kids wanted me to take this picture because as they said "the little face is just so cute!".
Rylee
Sunday: We had to check out of our hotel room at 11am and couldn't check into the Airbnb until 4pm but we were able to fit some Duluth fun into our now full day there.
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| View from breakfast. |
Our first view of a great lake.
Lake Superior.
It was completely frozen.
Told the kids how awesome it was that we had the whole beach to ourselves while on spring break. 😆
Frozen sand was something I didn't know is actually something really cool to see.
Her frozen face might suggest otherwise but Quinn was insisting on these pictures being taken, and of course I'm going to say yes.
Duluth Train Museum: Dave treated us to a train museum. It was nice to get out of the cold for awhile. They also had different scavenger hunts that really got the kids all engaged and interested which was cool.
Brighton Beach Park: Danny had heard about this beach where when it's cold you can find ice pebbles everywhere. It was so cool to see in person. It was also our first time seeing the lake in a not frozen state.
Thankfully we only had one kid get wet. And that was Addie as she followed Danny into an area but couldn't get out faster than the water coming in. Even after that she wanted to stay. This beach was amazing because it was so different from anything we've ever experienced.
We checked into our place and the kids of course got right into their swim wear for another swim. The storm that had been in the twin cities was now in Duluth so we spent the rest of our evening with the kids swimming while the snow fell outside.
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| Quinn |
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| Rylee |
Monday: This day started off cool with us crossing into Superior, Wisconsin. It just happened to be negative 8 degrees so we didn't get to experience much before we all froze.
We got a quick picture in front of the lighthouse and then we all ran for the car.
As we were pulling up to a family restaurant I got the news that the show we planned the trip around was postponed. Not cancelled. Postponed. Meaning I don't get a refund because the show is technically still on. However we most likely will not be anywhere near here for the show to happen with the new date in October. I was bummed. It was hard to hide my emotions during our lunch but I was pretty sad. It was partly why Dave bought a plane ticket to come out here so that we could have someone be with the kids so Danny and I could go together. It's why we picked the Airbnb that we did because it was right across the street from the venue. It was why we picked Duluth because it would allow us to also cross off our other bucketlist items of a great lake and a new state. I'm still pretty sad about it but there's nothing I can do about it.
Danny suggested we go to the theater that was also across the street of our place and watch the new movie Hoppers. Grandpa and Grant both wanted to stay behind so Danny and I went with four kids. The kids liked the movie and it was a nice distraction. The parking lot had a sign explaining why Hadestown was postponed which also made me feel better. I thought it was moved because the storm could make it hard for people to come watch the play and was annoyed because I felt like they could have made adjustments to get to Duluth earlier like we had done but I guess it would be hard to have the play still happen if you don't have the cast and crew there. I just wish I could be fully refunded for this. Now I know, always pay for the insurance.
Later that evening Danny realized that his ring was missing. It's not just any ring. It cost $300 to buy and it tracks a whole bunch of different health stuff for him (I'm not even sure what it all does). The ring also has a gps on it and it showed that it was outside the restaurant in Superior, Wisconsin where we had eaten lunch. This was a restaurant that was only open for breakfast and lunch and was already closed for the day. The restaurant happened to be connected with a hotel so I called them to ask if they had a ring turned in but the lady told me no that she hadn't seen anything and was there all day. Danny was bummed but said it wasn't worth driving over there. I was already in my head knowing we lost money on the play so $300 to me felt like a lot. I told him I would go and get it. I also think I just needed a win and to feel like I accomplished something. By the time I got there it was dark and freezing. The parking lot was covered with cars for the hotel. I spent a long time with a flashlight searching everywhere for this missing ring. I'll admit I was also very emotional from the whole day and might have been throwing myself a pity party. I was praying and feeling defeated when I suddenly felt a distinct but loving thought say "Gina just go inside". I wanted to brush it off because I had already spoken with the hotel receptionist earlier and she said she didn't have it. I searched for a minute more but the thought wouldn't leave me because of the way I felt when the thought came across. I don't think I'll be able to describe it adequately but it was like a tired parent was telling a child to just stop being stubborn and go inside. But not in a frustrated way at all. Not the tired that a parent gets when they're annoyed with said child. It was like a tired but patient parent who was waiting for the child to just listen and wondering how long the child would go before just doing it, and yet in a loving way that I can't even put into words. Clearly because I don't think I'm even coming close to the feeling I had. I'll move on. I went inside and as I was walking up the hotel's front desk I glanced over to the restaurant and noticed a table with four guys who were all looking at me. As I was telling the hotel worker that I had called earlier she was quick to tell me that the ring hadn't shown up and the guys left in the restaurant were all workers who didn't speak English. At that point we looked up because the workers were now at the restaurant door unlocking it to speak with me. Before I could even say anything a man asked "ring?". I wanted to cry right there. I was so relieved and happy and seen in that moment. I wanted to hug him and probably should have but I just kept saying thank you. When I left the hotel worker said "that was lucky" but I don't believe it was luck at all. For the guys to still be there at their work late at night when they had been closed for most of the day already seemed divine. And for them to know exactly why I was there and what I was looking for with only one word exchanged between us? That's not luck. It was an answered prayer. As I was walking to my car feeling gratitude I wondered if the guys could see me searching and searching outside in the freezing parking lot and wondering if it was the ring that I was looking for. I'm thankful for the push to 'just go inside'. I know a prayer about a ring may be silly but sometimes a reminder that God is aware of us is so needed. I know it's crazy to not feel blessed while on a vacation but now that I'm home and days removed it does feel like we were guided throughout the week. From feeling like we should leave earlier and pick up the kids from school to avoid a storm, and then deciding to go to the temple late Friday night instead of the next morning making it so that we could also have time to do things as a family before leaving early again to avoid another storm. Even the little detail that we didn't know about of the Airbnb being on top of a hotel that just happened to have one room for us available seemed like more than a coincidence. And not to forget the first night when my wallet was left at a restaurant and being able to get to it even though it was closed for the night (maybe we should avoid restaurants for a little while). All to say I do think God is with us because the last couple of months have been pretty rough and it was good to feel Him again.
When I got back to the hotel I took a little walk to think about things and then snapped these night pictures of this ship. Our hotel is to the left, the ship is in the middle, and the venue playing Hadestown was to the right. This ship was the only thing between us. If we ever do come back to Duluth, this was a great location.
Just grateful.
Quinn Snoozing.
Rylee got all teary eyed during a tender moment in the Garfield movie we were watching. 💛
Rylee wanting a picture with her water bottle and Rosie her rabbit.
Grant Boy.
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