"Bionicle. I'm a first grade teacher."

Does it ever bother any one else if they can't remember what they did two days earlier? I know I was alive on Friday, but why I can't I remember what I did? Hmmm…maybe I was abducted by the same aliens who are responsible for Wal••Mart?

Anyway…Friday we (and when I say we, I mean Erin and Arika) started painting. They didn't get far before my brother and sister in-law arrived here in Shakopee, but hey, it's a start. Leif and Cyri arrived from Sioux Falls, SD at 7:45. It was really good to see them again. I always forget how much fun Erin and I have hanging out with them. (That probably doesn't come as a surprise since I had trouble remembering what I did on Friday.)

A night of sleeping on the floor left the wives stiff and all of us hungry. The four of us met my folks (who were in town for a wedding and the Vikings game), aunt, and cousin at Eagan's Baker Square. The waiter was bad, the food was good, and the company was the best. We all had a great time catching up with family and being entertained by my mom. Who by the way had the line of the day: "Bionicle. I'm a first grade teacher." (One of those times when you had to be their to enjoy it.)

After leaving the waiter a cheap tip, we went our separate ways. My mom's sister, (who is does not know what Bionicle is and is now thankful she's not a first grade teacher), and her daughter headed back home to Hastings. My parents followed the printed MapQuest pages to Woodbury, and the fab four (us) sped off to the Mall of America.

Three of the four of us left the Mall empty handed and met up with ma and pa at Target. While leaving with more than I planned on purchasing, we all agreed to stop at the hotel and bless Old Chicago with our presence.

Like Baker's Square, the waiter was bad, the food was good, and the company was great. We enjoyed the Windy City themed restaurant as we filled our tummies and surpassed our allotted calorie content for the day.

We returned back to the hotel about 8:30 after a long drive to Shakopee. Not wanting to say good night yet, Mr. and Mrs. Smith kept us entertained via the pay-per-view option for a couple of hours. (It was a good movie overall. Slower than I had expected but still good.)

The morning of the Sabbath, Erin and I picked up J-Bone to feed our faces and our need for football at Joe Sensor's restaurant. A few hours later, the Vikings had their third victory of the season and mom, dad, Leif, and Cyri arrived at our townhouse.

Not too much later, Leif and Cyri headed back for South Dakota and mom, dad, and I headed to Jan's. While they were making small talk with my dad's sister and mom, I filled up the Jeep with household items. We said our final goodbye's and mom, dad, and grandma headed back home and I made the 30 minute trip back to Valley Fair country.

Well, for those of you who care, that was our weekend. Nothing too exciting, but it was fun and exhausting.

Take care and God bless.

—b