Weekend Getaway to Minneapolis

Brandon spent half of last week working in his Minneapolis office, and I was lucky enough to fly up Friday to meet him for a quick weekend getaway. We had a blast! Such a fun, foodie city with unique shopping and activities!

When Brandon picked me up from the airport Friday afternoon, we headed to his office so I could see the place and meet his coworkers and employees. From there we checked into our hotel, and then met my cousin, Clancey, at U.S. Bank Stadium for a grand tour. It did not disappoint! My cousin works as an event coordinator at the stadium so we got ALL the behind the scenes details.

This would not be a bad suite to hang out in while watching the game. Just saying . . .

Brandon trying to be funny in the press box/room . . .

I will refrain from posting the video of Brandon charging the field and fist-pumping in the air. Ahem.

Cheerleader's locker room . . . This made me laugh for some reason. You don't have to look hard to find a mirror.

After the tour we headed to Smack Shack for dinner (I was humoring Brandon because, you know, lobster isn't too high on my love-to-eat list . . . it's ok because he made it up to me later by drinking coffee) and then to a local bowling alley. Was a fun time!

I have really good form . . .

Saturday morning we visited The Bachelor Farmer Cafe for coffee (my love language) and pastries. Such a cute place with fun, morning vibe! Highly recommend.

See . . . he ordered coffee and drank it and we sat and talked like people are supposed to do in coffee shops. :) And yes, since it was just the two of us on this trip, there are many awkward individual photos (see below) and selfies. I love selfies. (#notreally) I might have said "please hurry up and take the stinking picture" approximately 345 times.

After we were properly sugared-up and caffeinated, we hit the city's downtown Farmer's Market. We visited two years ago when we came to Minneapolis, and even a second time it did not disappoint. Houston could up their game in the Farmer's Market department.

From there we hit up a few boutique/local shops and eventually ate lunch at the famous Black Sheep Pizza. So good. Please go there if you are ever in the area. We ate really healthy on this trip if you haven't gathered that yet.

To walk off at the pizza, we headed to St. Paul and spent three and a half hours strolling up and down Grand Avenue. So many unique shops! The shopping is smack in the middle of a neighborhood so you walk past a few homes, then more shops, then more homes, then more shops. You get the idea. We didn't take many pictures while shopping, but I do have to mention the CUTEST little bookstore. Think "The Shop Around The Corner" from You've Got Mail. It was JUST like that. Maybe even more darling. We walked in and, I'm not exaggerating, 30 kids at least and their parents were gathered in the corner for story time. A recently published author was reading her new book to a roomful of wide-eyed children. I basically sat and stared for way too long and continued to exclaim, "This is the cutest thing I have ever seen!" If you are on Grand Ave in Minneapolis, you must find the Red Balloon Bookshop. I have no idea how we didn't take a picture. I was too in awe I suppose.

After our tour of Grand Avenue, we had a bit of time to kill before dinner, so we visited the downtown Target (You're probably thinking, Why on earth would you go to Target? Those are everywhere. But this is no regular Target. It is three stories tall and you can send your shopping cart up and down the escalators. Need I say more?)

Dinner was on the rooftop of Crave and we both basically felt way cooler than we actually are in real life. DJ was playing music, lights strung about, and an awesome view. The food is amazing regardless, but if you visit you truly should get a reservation for the rooftop. And plan to be there at sunset. This was a trip highlight for sure.

Brandon trying to fit in and act cool. . .

After shopping all day and stuffing our faces, we headed back to the hotel and called it a (good) day. Sunday morning we slept in a bit, packed up, and headed to Birchwood Cafe for brunch. We did not go hungry on this trip, in case you still weren't convinced. Such a fun place. I would go here again in a heartbeat.

Thanks, Brandon for telling me my bangs were all a mess when taking this picture. Ha! I asked him later once I saw the picture and his reply was "I don't think they look weird." Hmmmm, ok.

Bellies full (again), we headed to Stillwater to walk along the water and browse the shops. We didn't buy anything, but it was a fun last adventure. Beautiful city!

Last stop before heading to the airport was T-Rex Cookie and Coffee Cafe. They are famous for their 2-5 pound cookies. So huge. And so good. Just say yes and thank me later.

Minneapolis, we came and we conquered and we love you! Your weather was also a welcomed change from the Houston heat and humidity.

I'm so thankful for a weekend away to rest and recharge, and thankful for all the people who helped with the childcare arrangements to make it happen!

On a final note, notice anything odd about this picture from the airport?