Oh My Lands!

It seems that was the pick phrase for our Minnesota vacation.

For Pete's Sake, came in 2nd.

OH NO! came in 3rd.

So much has happened in the last 2 weeks, that it feels like 2 months.

Maybe I'm imagining more events than actually took place.  Could be.

My one year blogversary came and went in the last week of December.  And the new year came in and it really seemed like no big deal. 

I've no resolutions and I'm happy about that.

For Pete's Sake...

Wait a minute!  It's been 3 weeks since I last wrote!!!

OH my lands!

Well this may be a long post, so go make yourself an iced chai with Redi Whip on top and a bendy straw and sit down, that's what I'm havin'.

Hubby and I and the girls flew to Minnesota on Christmas day.

Sophie was a bit ancy on the plane, but we made it.

She konked out in the car, for Pete's Sake,  on the way to my dad's house.  I knew the trip was going to be hard, because Sophie was not going to get her two hour nap everyday, like she does at home.  But what are you gonna do?  OH NO!

The next day we had Christmas with my family in Minnesota, and the day after that we had a dinner with hubby's family.  It was fun to show the girls places they don't remember from when we used to live there.  Somehow time flew by, I wanted to show them our old homes and where hubby and I met, but we just ran out of time!

This is my sweet grandma, my mom's mom.  She said, Well I hope you make it back here before I die, you know I am getting old!  She was excited to see Sophie for the first time.  She even tried to bribe hubby, saying she'd make his favorite Coconut Cream pie, if we'd come back to Minnesota.

She is so sweet!

I got to see my best friend, Rach and her 3 daughters.  We ate lunch at Perkins.  I do miss Perkins, no Perkins in Oregon. I think I lost count how many times we ate at Perkins....for Pete's Sake!

Have you ever eaten at a fondue restaraunt?  One night hubby and I, and my dad and his wife Jean and my sister and her hubby and my oldest nephew, went to the Melting Pot, in Minneapolis.  It was quite an experience!

Oh my land's was it ever!

The first course was chunks of breads and apples and veggies in a cheese fondue, then we had a salad, then we had a main course.  You got all your meats raw on a plate and then cooked them in the fondue pots.

Above is hubby and mine's raw meat plate.  It had lobster, salmon, beef, shrimp, chicken and sweet potato ravioli.  My sister and I were cracking up over the whole experience.  The whole dinner took over 3 hours and it is a TON of food.

My nephew, dipping some bread.

They had all these little dishes of butter, sauces, curry's, everything....

I just looked at the table and thought...Oh my land's, look at all this!

Me, with my salmon on my fondue fork, the salmon was so good, but it kept falling apart in the cooking broth.  Not to worry they gave you slotted spoon's for that!

We had so many fondue forks in the pots, we couldn't keep track of them or get them out!

So we're dipping and fonduing and eating away, then all of a sudden we hear a lady at a table across the room talking about her ovaries!  She was going on and on about her ovaries!  Loudly, for Pete's Sake!!

The last course was the dessert course, you dipped strawberries, marshmallows, rice krispie treats and some other things, in chocolate.  I was so full, I didn't even try the dessert.  I wish I could have, but like I said....FULL.

Another really yummy place we ate, was at Twin City Grill in the Mall of America.  One of my favorite places to eat, love it, love it, love it!

We were able to see my niece, Jenna, play in a basketball game.  That was super fun, she is so sweet.

That's her, #31.

I bought an old school house light fixture, it is so vintage!  I am not sure where I'll put it, whatever house we live in next, I'm sure.

The girls had fun playing in the snow.

Sophie didn't want to come inside.

And we ate lots of ice cream sundae's.

And breakfast out with the cousins.

Now we are just all having way to much fun aren't we?

Yes, we were.  (cue doom impending music)....

Tuesday morning my sister and I and my 3 girls were driving to Perkins to meet my friend for breakfast.

On the way Sophie kept saying my head hurts, my ear hurts and she would wimper... I said to my sister... I don't think we should go...I just knew something was up.  Sister said well do you want to take her to the Minute Clinic at Target?  I said..the what?  They have medical clinics at Target out there!

Well for Pete's Sake, yes lets go!  I kept looking back at Soph, she would fall asleep and wimper every five minutes. 

OH NO!

Wouldn't you know it, up came those 10 apple jacks she had before we left home, in my sisters NEW car no less.  My worst nightmare, one of my kids throwing up on vacation!   I cried out...OH NO!!! THIS IS NOT HAPPENING!!

My sweet sister was so full of grace, she said...It's ok!  No big deal, we'll handle it!  She pulled over and hopped out and got Sophie out of the car, and I stood on the side of the road with her, sister cleaned up the mess with an old towel, (thank you Jesus , that was in the car!)... and we made our way to Target. 

Sure enough, Sophie had a fever and had strep throat.  Who knew strep and barf went together!

We got her some antibiotics and got back in the car and headed home. 

OH NO! 

Not before we had to pull over and let her get sick again!

And here's where she ended up.  Now my mind is running away with me..

At this point, I'm calculating and pin pointing and estimating who will get it next and will it hit on the day we fly home and such and such and all that....

Look at that sweet face!  Sophie slept all day that day and threw up one more time that night, and the next day rested some more and ate a tiny bit.  But she was fine for the flight home and thank you Lord, no one else has gotten it!

At times like these, is when you are praying, begging, Lord just let us make it home without anyone else barfing!  Please don't let anyone barf on the plane! 

Well thank you Lord for that answered prayer!

Our last night there, we stayed at my dad's house and his wife Jean made the best meal! 

She made spaghetti and garlic bread and a salad.

This salad was so good, that I went out today and bought everything she put in it and we are having it tonight.

Jeans Salad

(from what I remember)

Spring mix salad

craisins

parmesean cheese, shredded (?)

she tore up turkey lunch meat and threw that in

carrot sticks, thin

huge texas croutons

dressing

Hubby loved it too, he asked me to make it!

We had a great time, but it is good to be home, safely home.

I miss my family already.

I miss my dad.

I miss my sister.

I was getting all teary eyed thinking about how much of my nieces and nephews lives I have missed being in Oregon.  When we moved to Oregon my niece, Jenna, was 8 years old.  Now she is 16 and has a boyfriend!!

Where does time go?  How on earth did that happen and I missed it?

It's funny, most of my post is about food.  Well today is Food Friday.

And I do love food, for Pete's Sake!