Giving thanks, in whatsoever state I am

I got to spend the Thanksgiving season in the state of Minnesota this year. Among the many, many things to give God thanks for was the lovely weather while I was there. It averaged around 40 degrees for the upper end of each day's temperature range. Since the weeks prior to Christmas included several at -8 degrees, I count myself very fortunate!

I got to bring Stephen with me to meet my family and MN friends, and I believe they had a great time getting to know each other. Part of that included a day trip with Kris taking Stephen and I via the lightrail to downtown Minneapolis and showing us the sights--some of which I had only rarely seen myself!

We kicked off the day with a visit to the Wells Fargo Museum (yes, it exists as a tiny part of the 5th Street Tower building--and there are some in other major WF cities such as Des Moines and San Francisco).

My favorite parts were the authentic stagecoach in the lobby... (in which visitors were not allowed to ride)

And the not-so-antique replica upstairs that we not only got to climb into, but the museum curator made sure we were settled and then began rocking it to give us the feel of what a stagecoach ride would have entailed. Stephen wondered how that responsibility would have showed up on her job description ... "Must be able to jump up and haul on the corner of a stagecoach to simulate movement for museum visitors." Hmm. I was flabbergasted to learn that the passenger capacity was 15-18. They crammed 3 people on the benches on either side, and had another removable bench going across the center area of the stage. Another 6-9 people would sit along the top with some of the luggage, although I have no idea how they managed to hang on with just that itty bitty railing to protect them from the jostling. Certainly no sleeping on that road trip. Our simulated ride was much less crowded with just the 3 of us to fill the benches, but we still managed to keep it cozy.

I also had a fondness for the snowy white steeds that faithfully stood outside the stagecoach. They contributed mightily to the authenticity of the experience.

We swung by the Depot, but they weren't opening their ice skating season for another few days. Someone who seemed to be in charge-ish walked through and let us peek into the rink though, where the zamboni, painted like a train engine, was busily prepping the ice for the upcoming opening.

I loved the atmosphere of the large hall right outside the rink. The chandeliers and arches lent a lovely ambience to the area.

We also stopped by the Foshay Tower (currently owned by the W hotel) and went up to the observation deck. It was on the 30th floor, and although dwarfed by several of the newer downtown buildings, it still gave a really neat view of downtown buildings and I could even see all the way down to Bloomington and the old tower I used to work in on 80th Street. It was an open-air observation deck (one of 6 in the country, we were informed), which meant the wind took a bit of straining against when not on the leeward sides.

Macy's 8th floor was another stop on our trek; however, it was rather disappointing this year. I remember the heydays of the Velveteen Rabbit and Cinderella stories, and the child-like awe of walking through scenes of favorite stories. This year it was half the size to begin with and the theme was A Day in the Life of an Elf, ending in a little toy shop and Santa's "office" for kids to go in and, I assume, have their parents pay to get their picture taken.

While we were downtown, we also took many routes through the skyways and swung by the Guthrie and the Metrodome to show off as many landmarks as our little feet would hold out for.

Last in my blog, but certainly not least of the trip, we also got to see my nieces and nephew for a few days. Since I haven't posted pictures of them in quite some time, here's one of each to get you by!

Ian will be 3 in January and loved having stories read to him. We also each got to have him sing Happy Birthday to us, since it's the song he knows the best and isn't shy to belt out :)

Jolea was a treat to get to know better, now that she's a little older. She's smart as a whip and although not particularly talkative, she understands really detailed things and is always quick with a smile. Especially if it involves a meal, or a snack, or talking about a meal or a snack.

Sweet little Clara has only been with us for 8 months, and although she was frequently overshadowed by her non-shy older siblings, I'm sure she'll learn to hold her own very quickly.

I love my family dearly and was so blessed to be able to take a trip up there to be able to spend time with them over the holiday. So very many things to be thankful for!!