Getting There: Holidays!

Christmas was so much fun!! We were so lucky to have my Dad come and stay with us to share in our celebrations. Although I had to work quite a bit during the day, we fit in a lot of fun. On his first night here we decided to build a gingerbread house from scratch. Andrew had done this as a surprise for me since I had never made one before.......and let me tell you, it was so much fun!!! I can't believe that I, someone who eats way too much candy to begin with, has never made one of these before.

(The final product!)

Christmas morning was great! We slept in late and stayed in our pajamas for most of the morning.

One of my favorite presents that we gave to dad was a mini indoor golf set. Think Foosball mixed with put put golf. There is a little man attached to the end of a golf club that swings a mini golf club when you pull the triggor. The funny thing is that you can change his clubs like you do in real golf. So you can drive, chip and put, hit over hazards, tee off, etc. It was so life like it was crazy! We spent most of Christmas morning having a golf tournament.

As you can see the frustration that comes with the mini golf is the same as in real golf too. :)

Andrew and Dad were able to come visit me at work and wander around down town Minneapolis. We made a stop at the Minneapolis Institute of Art to see and exhibit on the terracotta warriors. I was sad that I could not get any pictures of that exhibit, but it was still very enlightening If you live in the area I would highly suggest going to see it! It tells you a lot about the emperor during that time and how he....well how he greatly affected...effected......impacted history. It still blows my mind that things as enormous as that terracotta army and the great wall of China were built with human hands and minimal tools....not to mention their blood, sweat and lives as well.

After seeing that exhibit we wandered around the rest of the museum looking at some of the free exhibits. There were so many things to look at and we did not have enough time. I could come back every weekend for 4 months and still not see everything I think.

I felt like my silly winter hat fit in with this alpacan display quite nicely.

I want this on my front porch when I get older.....you know to ward off bad spirits.....and sales people :)

I was so shocked but extreamly excited to see a piece of Chihuly glass hanging in the front lobby!! I had learned about this designer in college and love his work, so it was a special treat to see one of his chandalers! Here is a link to his website and pictures of what he does.

Lighting makes a huge impact....enough said!

Sadly Dad's visit came to an end. I wish we could have kept him around for another month! But it was so good to see him.

After the break and things had settled down for us Andrew took me to a conservatory! It was amazing. I loved seeing all of the lush green and tropical plants thriving in the middle of winter. Not to mention the place also doubles as a zoo!