When we found out that our cousin/nephew was getting married in Minnesota in September, we jumped on the opportunity to go and make it a girls weekend.
Once there, we had some time to go exploring. We looked at a list of places to dine and The Grill at the Saint Paul Hotel was listed. The entry way was gorgeous with flowers.
The architecture was very interesting as the bricks from the historic hotel was mere inches from modern day construction.
The bar at The Grill was amazing!
We were so amazed that we took several photos.
Mom, Khryshell and Carrie
We were even amazed at the bathroom. This antique cabinet held the hand towels.
The mirror was a gorgeous antique.
Even the staircase downstairs amazed us, so I had to take a photo.
After some refreshments and snacks, we went out for a walk to see the Mississippi River.
It was a chilly but gorgeous day.
The ladies on the mighty Mississip!
Back at the hotel, we cleaned up and headed to the rehearsal dinner.
It's always fun to travel with Mom for so many reason, one of which is she takes photos of me. Typically, I don't have many photos as I'm the one taking them.
So fun to be traveling with my Mom.
On Saturday, we had some time before the evening wedding, so we decided to check out the other twin of the Twin Cities, Minneapolis.
We stopped for lunch at the 8th Street Grill.
The architecture was definitely different from the previous day in St Paul.
The Mississippi flowed through Minneapolis just like St Paul and we had a lovely walk down the river.
Cousins, Carrie and Khryshell.
Before the long hike back to our car, we stopped by a coffee shop for some water and a bathroom stop. Mom finds photo moments in everything :)
Enjoying some more architecture on our way back to the car.
After walking all over Minneapolis, we went back to the hotel to clean up for the main event. We took the shuttle from the hotel to the wedding, which was slightly under staffed by the hotel. Instead of waiting around and potentially missing the wedding, we all crammed in the mini-van shuttle.
At the wedding in plenty of time, we took a moment for some photos.
Mother and Daughter
The traveling trio of ladies.
Carrie, Mom, Khryshell
Cousins
Carrie, Kris, Khryshell
Finally, the time had come for the main event.
All of the guests had been seated and the wedding party had entered the room. Finally, Kris and Merne were front and center to be married.
After the wedding, it was fun to catch up with family.
Sisters: Missy and Barb (Mom)
Mother Daughter
Jessie and Missy
Missy, Jessie and Jason
Sisters Again
Barb and Missy
Parents of the Groom, Kris.
Jim and Missy
Mother Daughter
Jessie and Missy
Kris' immediate family:
Jim, Missy, Jessie, Jason
The family paparazzi
Jim and his brother were great and fetched frosty beverages for themselves and their wives. Ahhh... what gentlemen.
Mom was impressed with this antique chair in the ladies restroom, so we took more photos :)
The wedding venue was great. There was seating on two levels with guests upstairs and downstairs. It made for a fun atmosphere.
Now that the formalities are over, the grooms can relax for dinner.
Merne and Kris.
The first dance.
The traveling trio of ladies and Kris
The formalities are over, it's time for a fun photos.
The music started and so did the dancing. We danced the night away and had so much fun together!
The wedding was amazing and we loved every moment of it.
With another day to be tourists, we headed to the Mall of America.
A mall with a full aquarium downstairs.
A mall with many levels upstairs.
A mall with a full amusement park in the middle.
Khryshell climbed this contraption to zip line across the Mall of America.
There she goes... WEEEEEEE!!!!
The boys would have loved this Lego store.
Carrie and Khryshell, pausing in from of one of Dad's favorite places to eat. If there is shrimp, he loves it.
Khryshell, Mom and Carrie, just some traveling ladies out and about at the Mall of America.
Kris' Aunt and Uncle own a Cold Stone store in San Diego and they had told us about the pumpkin ice cream, so we had to stop to get some.
Mmmm... it was good!
(but I still prefer my pumpkin protein shake ;)
Cousins lovin' some pumpkin ice cream.
After much walking around the mall, we settled in at my happy place; White House Black Market.
Khrysell and Mom were very patient as I indulged in some new clothes.
I tried to keep them entertained with a fashion show.
Sometimes, I even played turtle neck peek-a-boo.
They got a glimpse into the sales lady trying to convince me to purchase every accessory in the store, which I declined.
Khryshell even got in on the action by trying on some shoes that she was eying.
After a ton of fun (maybe just for me) and some new clothes, we fulfilled Khryshell's wish to go to the aquarium.
It was fun to pet the sting rays. They were quite social and slimy :)
There were tons of fish photos to be had.
This was the largest crab that I have ever seen in my life!
You know, just hanging around with a saw fish over our heads.
It's not every day that you see a sword fish and think that they look like they are smiling at you with big eyelashes.
Not to be outdone by the swordfish, the sharks greeted us too.
Lots of fish. Lots and lots of them!
This turtle was HUGE!
The tunnels through the aquarium were a personal favorite. Loved them and loved traveling with these ladies.
That evening, Khryshell had college homework to attend to, so Mom and I joined Missy and Jessie for dinner. It was a rare opportunity to catch up with the two of them. What a great evening.
The next day, it was time to head back home to all of our boys. Yes, we all left boys at home. Keith, Oliver and Kellan for myself. Jake and Caison for Khryshell. Dad for Mom. You know, no matter how old they get, they are all our boys.
Khryshell, Mom and Carrie; ready to fly!
But wait... not to soon! Our aircraft had a mechanical issue and we had to wait for a new one. We now had a 6 hour delay! Bah Humbug!
Khryshell and I enjoyed some fine airport Mexican food. Actually... it was quite tasty.
We were sad when our drinks came to an end. Do we order another round or wait for our airplane?
Nah... we opted to walk around and entertain ourselves with more photo moments.
Finally! We were on the plane and headed for home. HOORAY!!!
What a fantastic weekend we had.
Much congratulations to Merne and Kris! We are so very happy for you and we are glad that we could be part of your big day.
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