I just read this... 'Take time for yourself. Do enough for yourself. Treat yourself well. Because if you don’t, you’ll end up resenting the ones you love most.' It couldn't be more true. I thrive on getting so 'me time' {shopping, reading, traveling, etc.} It really does make me a better wife & mama.
As soon as Adam booked his trip to Oklahoma {Rocklahoma} I called up my mom and asked her to watch the kids, and then friend Jess to see if she wanted to go on a little road trip to Minneapolis.
{Medford Outlet Mall}
On our way to Minnesota, we stopped by the outlet mall for a while. I was bummed that we didn't find anything at the Nike store, but we managed to find lots of stuff at the other stores. :) I scored at The Gap and the kids scored at The Children's Place.
{Black Sheep Pizza}
We checked into our hotel and headed out to get brick oven pizza for dinner. Even though the waiter wouldn't sell me a glass of wine {no ID} the pizza was delicious!
{Grand Ole Creamery}
While walking back to our car after dinner, we asked a local for an ice cream suggestion and he recommended Grand Ole Creamery which did not disappoint! They serve homemade ice cream -- I got butterfinger-- in warm, fresh wafflecones!
{HomeGoods}
After dinner & dessert, we stopped to check out HomeGoods since we don't have this store in Iowa. It was okay, it reminded me of a TJMAXX. I got a new basket to use for picnics. :)
{Hot Tub & Sauna}
Once HomeGoods closed, we headed back to our hotel to relax in the hot tub & sauna with some wine. This was hands down the best sauna I've ever been in! When the wine was gone, we went back to our room. I read for a while and we were sleeping before 11p.
{Bike Rental}
We didn't get up until 8:30 and it was GLORIOUS! Unfortunately, we were too late to make it to Al's for breakfast, so we decided to rent bikes. We didn't make it far, but it sure was fun! The seats were actually comfortable--even when Jess made me go off-roading!
{IKEA}
After a quick, mimosa-less, brunch at Blarney's we headed to IKEA--the real reason for this trip! :) Let's just say it didn't disappoint! We both found some great stuff. A few of my favorite purchases included an art easel for Jordyn, a shelf & 7 frames for a large photo wall, & several plants to add some green to the house. Surprisingly, we swept the store in under three hours!
{Nook}
At the recommendation of a lady we met in line while waiting for ice cream the night before, we caught a late lunch at Nook. They're known for their cheese-stuffed hamburgers and let me tell you the Juicy Nookie Burger & homemade fries were like nothing I've ever had before! We also shared an order of cheese balls since the guys next to us insisted. They are the best cheese balls I've had to date! Adam would have LOVED this restaurant, but it was more than Jess or I could handle! :)
{Mall of America}
Since we power shopped at IKEA, we decided to stop by the Mall of America for a couple of hours before heading home. Jess forced me to go on a ride. I refused to do anything spinny {hello, we just came chowed down on a Juicy Nookie Burger!}so we compromised on a roller coaster. :) After that we hit a few stores we don't have back home Lululemon {okay, we have a small one}, Urban Outfitters, Forever21 {this one was HUGE. Also, Jess didn't let me buy the most gorgeous swim suit cover up--I'm still mad at her for that!}, H&M {I got Jordyn the more adorable 'workout' outfit there!}, etc.
After that we headed home to reunite with our babies! It was the perfect quick trip! We ate great food, bought fun stuff, rested & relaxed, had amazing conversation, and most of all we made another great memory. I'm so thankful for Jess' friendship and for the ability to take fun weekends like this.
Thank you mama for watching my kids. You're the best! :)
