Twin Cities, SNIT, Pocahontas, AR, and a Colombian Homecoming! - Week 6, 7, & 8

After TR National Park we drove into Jamestown, ND for a hotel stay, which means pool swimming, showering, and blog updating.  We had an easy drive of less than 300 miles mostly on interstate.  It was good to be back on a 4 lane divided highway.

The next day, we planned to camp one more night in Minnesota.  We had two state park campsites planned out, but because it was Friday night and Minnesotans love their summer camping, there were no spots available at either state park.  This was really the only time on the trip that our lack of preplanning got the better of us.  Luckily, we have awesome friends so we called Fran and Leslie and asked if we could arrive a day early to their home in Minneapolis.  A hot night of camping with mosquitoes quickly changed into a comfortable evening with close friends.  Sybil and Cara handled the change of plans with grace and of course Hudson was ecstatic.

There are fewer cities in the U.S. more enjoyable than Minneapolis and St. Paul in the summer.  The cities are filled with great parks and lakes all connected by dedicated bike paths.  The highs are in the 80s and most days are sunny.  So we borrowed bikes and hit the trails!  On one day we road out on an afternoon adventure with Holly and Caleb, whom are also pregnant and expecting their first in October!

We rode along the bike path that hugs the Mississippi River to our first stop at Hiawatha Falls.  Sybil was pumped to be able to use her SpiderWoman helmet again!

Our second stop was at Lake Nokomis for a swim and beach time.  The lake had a perfectly shallow shore for Sybil to play in.  After our swim we went to the Blue Door, a local brewpub near Freslie's to try our first Lucy which is a cheese filled hamburger.  A beer and Lucy was the perfect way to end this sunny swimming and biking adventure.

Other Twin City highlights include but are not limited to: Hanging with Fran, Leslie, and Courtney at their house, Como Zoo with Holly, solo bike ride adventures around town, breakfast at Birchwood Cafe, Disc golf with Caleb, Children's Museum, practice with Drag n' Thrust.

After an awesome week in Minneapolis the SNIT crew was set to arrive.  After airport pickups of the Berens and Poindexters we had a park hang where Dan had his first of many MVP (most valuable parent) moments stopping a large swing from ramming Sybil.  The next day we loaded into to cars to drive east to Long Lake, WI.  We stopped for lunch in Eau Claire at the restaurant of Fran's parents.  

Our 2nd annual SNIT substituted Terry and Mia for Chump and Bryan and included Klaus, Tina's German Man of Steel.  The 2nd was just as amazing as the first.  Eat, Drink, Compete, Repeat!  This year was also memorable b/c Kai joined the crew and we had three pregnant competitors: Cara, Holly, and Amanda.  I'm already counting down the days to SNIT 3!

One new event this year was a prego belly painting competition.  Although they are both amazing, it is clear which belly and team earned the points for this event.  No question.

This photo taught us that it is possible to flip a pontoon boat with enough people not considering physics.  Thankfully the boat floated long enough for us to take the photo and then immediately move to even out the weight.  The dock on the other hand was not so lucky.  

Kai and Sybil spent most of their days playing with this water table on the dock.  Sybil's favorite water/beach past time continues to be filling things up with either sand or water and then dumping them out.  She can literally do this for hours!

Sunday relaxation after Team Fran sealed a back to back victory the night before.

Dan the MVP of the weekend!

All good things come to end, and although we had to leave our friends and the road trip was coming to a close we had one last stop with family to help us get over the PSD, post SNIT depression.  Pocahontas, Arkansas here we come!

We left Long Lake, WI around noon on Sunday and decided to make the 700 mile drive in one push, our longest driving day of the trip.  We arrived to Granny Bea and Aunt Faye's around 1am.  Sybil was a rockstar and once again proved she is turning into a full fledged road warrior.

Sybil still loved getting rides on their "horses" around the house.  The amazing Granny Bea is still able to take Syb for a lap or two.  94 and going strong!

I love this photo.  Cara used to help Aunt Faye and Granny Bea shell purple hulled peas when she was a little girl.  It was awesome to watch Sybil help Aunt Faye.  

We also had a great day with Uncle Hoyt.  He is an amazing carpenter, and recently he's been making beautiful wood art using electricity.  Sybil helped him make several pieces on the porch outside and he gifted us two for our home.

After three awesome days of visiting, eating, porch sitting, and TV watching it was time to head home.  Near the end of the trip Sybil switched her car question from, “Are we going home?” to “Where are we going?”  When we finally answered “home” this time, she replied “I don’t want to.” Nothing made us happier. :-)

Final Road trip numbers: 47 total days, ~ 7,150 miles, 36 nights with friends and family, 7 nights of camping, 3 hotels, and over 1,000 smiles.

Homecoming! We had the best and possibly the most exhausting homecoming from any trip. First of all, huge thanks to Cara and Nana and Papa for the support Friday night and Saturday. Within the first 48 hours of coming home I was able to watch an ultrasound of a healthy Pepita for the first time, reunite with good friends at Skip's bachelor party, play ultimate at the Sol's first playoff game, welcome good friends from out of town, and see my parents. You can get a lot done when you don't sleep enough.

After arriving home on Thursday around 3pm, we spent the next 24 hours unpacking, cleaning, and preparing the house to host our friends Chevi and Juani. We have stayed with them a few times in Colombia, and this was their first time to visit Texas so we were ready to go big and show them a good time.

Chevi, :-), Juani, Max, and Cohen after the Sol game.  We lost a tight game to Raleigh.

I didn't get any photos during the time I spent at Skip's bachelor party, so here's an old photo from our trip to Australia back in 2006.  Bjorn and I drove out to the lake house after the Sol game.  Highlights: getting to hang with good friends like the old college days, frisbee Jet Ski!, and morning run with Stevie and DNoll.  Skip marries Julia at the end of September just before Cara's due date.  Our C-section is scheduled for the Monday after the wedding weekend, but Skip says he's prepared to deliver the baby on the dance floor if needed.

For our fist night in Austin we took Juani and Chevi out for a true Austin and Texas experience.  Two stepping at the Broken Spoke!  In one night Juani and Chevi: two-stepped, listened to a live Texas Swing band, ate some chicken fried steak (thanks to Walch), saw the capitol at night, and played shuffle board for the first time.

Chevi is clearly a natural Texan

On Sunday we went to Barton Springs and then played Goaltimate at Zilker.  Another dip in Barton after before heading to Trudy's for a late night Tex Mex dinner.  

Monday was Cara's birthday!  Happy 36th!  To celebrate that night, we took Juani and Chevi for a walk along the boardwalk to see the bats leave from Congress Bridge.  Huge thanks to Mariah for stepping up and watching Syb!  It was the first time that I've seen the bats from a distance as they fly off for the night in huge groups.  Their movement was mesmerizing.  After watching the bats leave from the bridge we continued our walk past auditorium shores and then stopped at Whole Foods for second dinner and last second shopping.  The night ended with a nice meal and conversation around our dinner table at home.

The boardwalk is almost as awesome as these two amazing people.

Sybil loved hanging out with her new friends and was always eager to wake them up in the morning.  While watching the bats we determined that Juani's spirit animal is a flamingo.  We are still working on Chevi's.  Which monkey best portrays boundless energy and is blithe with a hint of mischievousness?  I think that would fit the best. 

After a final breakfast at Kerbey Lane on Tuesday morning, we headed to the airport for the drop off.  I can't think of a better way to return to your home than by experiencing all of the best things it has to offer with good friends that are experiencing them for the first time.  We'll miss Juani and Chevi, but know that we will see them soon. 

For now we are eager to see our other in town friends and get to work prepping for the start of the school year and Pepita!