Minnesota

I have been to Minnesota four times.

In the summer of 1975, I visited Minnesota for the first time with my mom, my youngest brother, and grandparents. We had quite a few relatives in the area. We went and stayed at Lake Minnetonka with one of my mom's cousins and his family. We boated on the lake in my uncle's pontoon. We swam in the lake. Eventually, we drove into Minneapolis so we could see my great aunts (my grandfather's two sisters). I also ended up in the emergency room of a hospital in Edina, MN, due to an ear infection. One of the last things we did on the trip was to drive to one of my mom's cousins' farm near Taylors Falls, Minnesota. I remember we went to the lookout at Taylor's Falls to see the St. Croix River. What a beautiful site!

The following summer, my parents, younger brother, and I went to Minnesota. We followed my grandparents to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Again, we spent some time at Lake Minnetonka. We went into Minneapolis to visit my grandfather's sisters. We also spent a day in Taylors Falls.

In August 1994, I made my third trip to Minnesota. This time, we stayed in Bloomington, a suburb of Minneapolis, MN, with one of my mom's cousins. On Saturday night (the first night that we were there), we went to Minnehaha Falls in Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis. The following day, I took my last trip to my mom's cousin's parents' lake home on Lake Minnetonka. We took their pontoon out on the lake. It was sooo neat to be out on that lake again after an eighteen-year absence. On Monday, I soent my day by the pool. That evening some of the adults, including me, went to Mystic Lake Casino® in Dakota County, MN, to gamble. What's a trip to the Minneapolis area without a shopping trip to Mall of America®?? Not only did I visit the mall once, but twice! On Tuesday, we spent a whole day shopping at the mall. I spent soo much money there. :-) On Wednesday, I went to lunch with my mom's cousin and her parents and my parents at Dayton's (now Marshall Field's®) at the Southdale Center® in Edina, MN. That night I went to a nightclub in dowtown Minneapolis with one of my mom's cousin's daughters. On Thursday (our last day of vacation), we went to the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul, MN, where we saw Kenny G in concert. The concert was great but the storm we got caught in was incredible!

In late February 2000, I made my fourth trip to Minnesota. This time it was for a shopping trip to the Mall of America® in Bloomington, MN. My mom, sister-in-law, and niece flew up on a Saturday morning and flew back Sunday night.