So here’s the rest of our story, starting on Saturday, Sept. 2nd.

We decided to venture out for breakfast. The hotel’s dining room wasn’t horrible, but we knew we could get a better breakfast for less money. Since we had no idea where to go, we just drove around, and not 5 minutes later, there in our sights was an IHOP. If you ever visit the Mall of America, regardless of the hotel you stay in, go to this IHOP. The manager/owner here is HILARIOUS!!! He will make fun of you, as he did me and the rest of our “party”. But he’s very conscientious of keeping his customers happy, despite his funny announcements and barbs.

It was a beautiful day out, so the guys and Jeanna decided to play football in a park. Our task – finding a park. We didn’t find anything large and exciting (can you believe I did not have a local maps with us??), just a small community park to toss the ball around (while I searched furiously on the web using Jon’s phone for a Jamba Juice nearby). The guys goofed off on the playground.

We drove into downtown Minneapolis, and there didn’t seem to be a lot of people traffic, since the State Fair was going on. According to Jamba Juice’s site, there were 2 stores downtown at the Nicollet Mall(an outdoor mall-type of shopping experience that connects several large retailers and shopping centers together, that I would describe as a mini-version of the Magnificent Mile in Chicago.) We didn’t see any signs for a Jamba Juice, so we asked some local girls where it was. They told us the one was closed on Saturdays, and the other one was up the street on the 2nd level. They also told us to try Sola Squeeze, if we didn’t find Jamba Juice. So here we are wandering around Nicollet Avenue looking for smoothie satisfaction, and we discover both Jambas are closed!!! The sadness on the faces of Jon & Lamar were too much. Fortunately we remembered Sola across the street in the IDS Center building. Jon is picky about his smoothies, as many of you know, so I wasn’t sure how Sola would fare to his smoothie-guru-ness. Fortunately, they make their smoothies with fresh fruits and juice, so after surveying the menu choices (which was not extensive), I knew he would be okay. Finding those smoothies was a sense of accomplishment, not to mention a source of energy when we really needed it after our smoothie seeking adventure.Oh, before I get onto what we did Saturday night, I must share my pics from the ladies restroom lounge at the Marshall Field’s, now Macy’s, used to be the flagship Dayton’s store. It was completely retro and had not been touched since what looked like the 40’s!

I know it’s a little odd to show images of a public restroom, but this lounge was so cool! Thankfully no one was in there while I snapping away.

We headed back to the hotel after our little excursion downtown, to get ready for the rehearsal. Lamar was the only person that needed to be there, but the rest of us had nothing else to do, and we wanted the chance to see some old friends and make new acquaintances. The rehearsal was held in one of the meeting rooms at the Amerisuites where most of the out-of-town guests were staying. Since Vern & Melissa could not host the rehearsal on the same riverboat where they were planning to be married, it was definitely a pretend event. The meeting room did not take into account stairs or multi-levels, so the bridal party did the best they could rehearsing. During dinner, we were able to reconnect with Myron & Dana Bontrager, pastor of DownTown@8:08 here in Goshen.

After the meal, Jon & I joined Bobby & Debbie Lepinay, senior pastor of Harvest Outreach (my original and first home church from Pensacola, Florida) for dessert at the Mall of America. We caught their hotel shuttle over to the Mall and since we didn’t have a lot of time before the mall closed and could not wait for a table at a more popular restaurant, we chose Napa Vally Grille to have dessert. We managed to pick the one restaurant in the mall that offered gourmet desserts, and it was extremely delicious. Jon & I shared the Dark Chocolate Molten Cake, which was served with salted caramel sauce, toasted cashews and vanilla bean ice cream. He wasn’t even hungry, yet he devoured his portion, and maybe a little of mine too. I have not had the privilege of enjoying a truly scrumptious dessert in a long time, since gourmet desserts are not well-known in Goshen, so this treat was definitely worth the time, expense and wait. *sigh, if only I had remembered to take a picture of this dish*

Our time with the Lepinays was a true blessing (besides the dessert). Being able to sit down and re-connect with people who helped me in the earliest part of my real walk with Christ always brings my heart joy and strengthens my spirit. I have several people to express my gratitude for their perservance and love in my life for how they showed me Jesus and how they demonstrated what it means to be a follower of Christ. Bobby & Debbie, as individuals and as a couple, are some of the handful of people I can point to and say, “They had something to do with where I am with the Lord today, and I am so thankful for their obedience and love.”

With that, I will sign off for now. Check out the rest of our trip in a new post several days from now…

Wow, I haven’t posted in some time, but not because my life isn’t interesting…I just didn’t have many photos or stories to share.

Over Labor Day weekend, Jon & I took an extended vacation (Friday – Monday) to visit Minneapolis-St. Paul for a friend’s wedding. It was a 9 hour trip that we started Thursday night, and by the time we arrived Friday morning (4 am central), we were exhausted to say the least. Joining us for the drive was our friend Lamar and his girlfriend Jeanna. Having them along definitely helped the journey!

Our first stop on Friday, after getting some sleep and cleaning up at our hotel, was IKEA – Twin Cities. Lamar had never been to IKEA, and Jeanna wanted to pick up a few things. I can’t resist IKEA, so a chance to walk through and see some of their new items was exciting for me. Jon is never very enthused to go shopping, but he was amiable in IKEA.

One of the things I had to do while in Minneapolis was visit the Mall of America. Yes, it is what some would call just another mall. But when you put an amusement park and an Aquarium (to name just a couple of attractions) in the middle of a mall, it’s no longer “just a mall.” Of course, there were tons of people shopping, gawking, and milling about. Including us. And the food choices were almost overwhelming! Caribou Coffee or Starbucks? Dinner at Tiger Sushi or Rainforest Cafe? Of course, I made a pit stop at P.B.loco to sample and purchase their fun gourmet peanut butters. I already had a jar of Jungle Banana at home, so at the store I debated between Dark Chocolate Duo and European Cafe Mocha. the dark chocolate won my heart over instantly! I didn’t only buy peanut butter while at the Mall of America. I also picked up some of my favorite hair styling products at Sephora and Aveda. (Oh, we also saw an informercial being taped in front of Bloomingdales. It was Sheer Cover, the mineral makeup line that Leeza Gibbons promotes. She is even more beautiful in person by the way!)

September 8th is Jeanna’s birthday, so we asked the waiter at Rainforest Cafe what he could do for her. She was given a complimentary sundae and a rousing Happy Birthday song. We had a great time there, but by the end of dinner, we were EXHAUSTED!

Stay tuned for the rest of our story…