Robb + Jessie Married & in the Badger State
Mission: Stress Reduction
My doctor informed me that my headaches are caused by the tension in my neck, shoulders and back. She prescribed muscle relaxers. In addition, the nurse I spoke with informed me that I should take a vacation. My response, “That is actually starting on Monday.” (Well, I’d like to think that it is starting right now.)
Every August (almost) I get to go on a wild and crazy adventure with my best bud, whom I affectionally refer to as Shazz. Why August? Well, simply because it’s the best month and that is how we celebrate her birthday.
This year, we are doing an ultralight backpacking trip (because I have pack all of my gear into one carryon). Past years we have endured rain and fog on the misty Mount Rainier. We have also enjoyed the glorious beauty of The Mountain in sunny warm weather. We have slept in a yurt while the ocean waves crashed outside and a raccoon devoured our cheese. We have battled mossy rocks and encountered ghosts (no joke) where Washington meets the Pacific Ocean. We have laughed with Pirates. We have tiptoed (or drove) through Humptulips. We have outrun (almost) ferries in the Puget Sound. And we have got lost in Europe a few times too many to count. What will this year bring us? One never knows. (But I think just what the doctor ordered: stress reduction).
Passenger Seat
We saw most of Minneapolis from our car. It was a quick trip but a city I would love to visit again. Here are some of my favorite shots from the weekend. We are moving tomorrow and all of next week. I will try to post when able. Until then.
“Somebody spoke and I went into a dream”
We had a wonderful weekend, though it was a long drive, to Minneapolis. I have nothing but nice things to say about our hotel, especially for the price we paid. We haven’t had time to sort through out photographs, but I will warn you that we spend most of the trip taking photos from within the car. Minneapolis is heavily under construction. Here a detour, there a detour, everywhere a detour. We were especially annoyed when the freeway exit to our hotel was blocked off in both directions. Thankfully, our iPhone came in handy. We were always able to figure out where we were and nearly almost able to figure out where we were going. (More than one time Google Maps led us to an abandoned field when we were attempting to find Target on our search for socks and Tylenol PM).
I will try to post more this week, but it is another busy week for us as Robb prepares for his lab presentation on Thursday and we pack up our little apartment so we can do the majority of the moving this weekend.
It is now almost noon and I am finally beginning to wake up. This was taken a little before 10 a.m. starting on my second cuppa tea.
Woke up, got out of bed
Dragged a comb across my head
Found my way downstairs and drank a cup
And looking up, I noticed I was late
Found my coat and grabbed my hat
Made the bus in seconds flatThe Beatles | A Day In the Life
Road Trip
This afternoon, we are leaving for a mini-holiday to Minneapolis, MN. It will be our first time to visit the city. Our friends Lisa and Ross were wed in Seattle on Monday and are having a reception for their mid-northern friends tomorrow. What fun! Originally we had wanted to go camping but it wasn’t worth our money. A campsite (which you have to reserve months in advance) is $12-15/night. Then (because you have to reserve the spot online) you are charged a $10 reservation fee. Finally, if you are planning to camp in a state park (which we were), you have to pay an entrance fee which is $7 (for in-state). For one night, then that would cost $29! Outrageous. I ended up using Priceline.com to get us a 3★ hotel (Holiday Inn Bloomburg) close to the Mall of America for $45/night (including taxes). As much as we love camping, it’s not worth the extra fees when for a few dollars more we can have our own room and a nice comfy bed. Plus, I would much rather be camping by Mt Rainier with my favourite people (which includes Shazz even though she couldn’t make our last trip).
I promise to bring you many photos from our trip which I will hopefully post next week.
Happy weekend!
hi.
I returned last week from my business trip to Montréal. I presented my research at a dairy science conference and am pleased to tell you that my fear of public speaking has diminished a bit.
I took a lot of photographs. Here are some to whet your appetite:
Montréal is such a photogenic city. I think I would like to visit again. (And maybe to have another cupcake … or two).
