We recently flew to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to attend a wedding. The younger son of Pam’s lifelong friends, Mary and Jeff Hayes, was to be  married in an outdoor ceremony. We knew Han and had met his wife-to-be, Naja, a couple years ago during a trip to Wisconsin. While we had some concerns about the weather during this time of year we looked forward to the event.

Rather than driving we arranged to have a neighbor look after the cats and dogs for a couple days and we flew to Minneapolis via Salt Lake City. I normally like to have a window view, but managed only 1 window seat the entire trip. Here is a photo of the Salt Lake taken on the approach into Salt Lake City:

Great Salt Lake with Wasatch Mountain backdrop

The flights, both ways, were OK but crowded. No delays, no real long layovers, everything was on time. Still, one cannot help but feel like a member of the great unwashed masses. Only real problem: My suspenders always set off the security scanner alams and I have to get patted down. I refuse to remove them to go through security. Besides, it gives the TSA agents something to do.

We stayed at the Carleson Courtyard Inn & Suites, as that was the designated base of operations for the entire wedding party and guests. Nice hotel, and the off-season rates were decent. Better than usual accommodation for us, as we had a suite on the first floor which was quite comfortable and convenient.

We arrived on Friday night and found Mary, Jeff, and some of the guests gathered in the hotel’s breakfast room enjoying some adult beverages and talk. We joined right in. Pam knew many of the wedding attendees, having grown up with Mary and Jeff’s brothers and sisters through elementary and high school. I had met many of them on other occasions, including class reunions and other family functions, so didn’t feel like a stranger.

One of the common questions asked by people we had not met before was “How are you connected?” to the bride or groom. The use of the word “connected” seemed to be very appropriate. This gathering felt a lot more like a small community of friends and family coming together rather than just an event. Given the hotel’s breakfast room and menu we ended up eating together and talking to more people than we ever had at a wedding. It was very nice!

Pam had sent some e-mails to her family letting them know we would be in Minneapolis. Her sister Becky and brother Craig were able to make it up for a visit on Saturday morning. This gave us a chance to visit for a couple hours and catch up on family news. Here is a photo of the siblings:

Becky, Craig, and Pam

The wedding was scheduled for 3:00 PM on Saturday. Temperature was supposed to top out at about 40 degrees, 10 degrees below normal for the day. There was a light breeze blowing from time to time which increased the chill factor. After saying goodbye to Becky and Craig, we jumped into our rented car and took off to find the wedding venue. The directions we had were somewhat vague, but we managed to arrive (just) before the ceremony began.

The wedding was held at Gale Wood Farms, a farm donated to the State of Minnesota to run both as a park and working farm. The site chosen for the ceremony overlooked a lake, which offered us a quite nice view of the rolling lands of central Minnesota. Many guests had arrived before us. A few men were dressed in suits, myself included, and some of the ladies were in dresses, but most were bundled up in heavy coats and wearing gloves. The wind stopped, but it was still a chilly day.

Hanny and Naja’s outdoor ceremony

The Episcopalian ceremony went quickly and  the new couple were soon on their way to form the reception line. The reception was held in a (heated) barn-like structure near the site of the ceremony. The heat was appreciated, and we set out to talk with other guests until dinner was served. A few of the guests were from Mary, Jeff, and Pam’s high school class and were good friends. We struck up converations with a few of them:

Jan and Tony Hutchens (left) join up with Tim Turnbull (center) and Pam (right)

Mary and Jeff  made the rounds to all the tables while dinner was being served:

We had an evening of talk and a good meal, then it was back to the hotel. We were tired, but it had been a good day.

The next morning, Sunday, we slept late and had breakfast in the hotel. Breakfast options included:

Fresh fruit * Hard-boiled eggs * Fresh pancakes * Biscuits and gravy * Apple, cranberry, orange  juice * Coffee * Milk * Sausage links or patties * Several flavors of yogurt * Several different pastries *  Cold Cereal * Instant oatmeal, several flavors * Dry cereal * Several flavors of tea bags for hot tea * Fried eggs * Toast * Various garnishments, including grated cheese, for your eggs or whatever *

After breakfast we packed up and checked out. Before we did this, though, I used the hotel’s office station to print our boarding passes for the return flight. The plan for the day was to visit the Mall of America, walk though a nearby IKEA store, then head for the airport. Having the boarding passes in advance would save us some time and hassle in checking in for our flight.

Neither of us had ever been to the Mall of America. The visit gets mixed reviews from us: The center “canival” section was pretty amazing, but the stores were just the same stores you see in most malls. Nothing really unique stood out.

Here are a couple photos:

Entrance to the Mall of America

Carnival in the Mall of America

After a great deal of walking we headed for the car and drove to the IKEA store to check out the “mini-houses.” The “mini-houses” are layouts of small houses, ranging from about 280 square feet to around 385 square feet. We were looking for ideas on how to furnish the inside of a small cabin and came away with several good ideas.  For the first time, we tried the lunch menu in the IKEA cafeteria.

Then it was time for us to return the rental car, check in for our flight, and begin the journey back to Colorado.  Five hours after boarding our plane in Minneapolis we were back in Grand Junction and driving home.

I guess the animals were glad to see us, the dogs more than the cats (who knows what cats think?). We had taken Monday off to do the chores we would normally do on the weekend. It was a little odd to be grocery shopping on a weekday. The foster kittens returned to the shelter on Monday, as well.  Tuesday it was back into the “normal” routine of commuting and work. Our little vacation was over.

 That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!