Last weekend of February 2021

I am still on a high from this weekend! My husband and oldest son surprised me with tickets to see Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel at Mall of America. My oldest got us tickets for Valentine’s Day (I had no idea) and so on Saturday he stayed home and babysat the 2 littles while me and Dan went on a day date. (Can I just reiterate how happy I am we got him his babysitting certificate and CPR certified last year pre pandemic because it has been so helpful leaving him alone and knowing he can handle almost any situation.)

Dan and I have been wanting to go back to Italy for years and we had hoped for his 40th this year we could go back and visit our favorite place but the way things are still looking it doesn’t seem likely. I can always dream though and having this exhibit here is so cool!

I really didn’t know what to expect so walking in we got an audio tour for $3 and it ended up being life size posters of the sections of the actual Sistine Chapel. I can still remember seeing the real thing and of course not being able to see every inch so this was a real treat. I meant to ask about their numbering order but it slipped my mind. I loved being able to read what they had to say and then listening to the thought process of what Michelangelo was thinking when he painted it.

Overall it was really interesting but not sure I would go again since tickets were $19 each and I know Dan said one time was enough for him (he isn’t a big art fan but he does keep me company for anything.)

Afterwards we picked up some more Nespresso coffee since we were running low on pods. I am obsessed with my Nespresso and it has been seriously the best gift I could have gotten so I love getting the chance to visit the boutique and stock up.

To my surprise, Dan suggested eating lunch at the Nordstrom Grill/Cafe! We used to go a lot pre pandemic but haven’t been since and I was so excited! Needless to say, our basic lunch was AMAZING!! I had forgotten how much I loved it. I used to go a lot to the Nordstrom in downtown Chicago and loved getting either lunch or dinner with friends and it is a fond memory I have gossiping, shopping, and eating and just having so much fun.

Anyways, I got the Blackberry Lemonade and Dan got Iced Tea, we decided to share the Turkey/Avocado sandwich and the Simple salad. I loved that they separated everything without us having to ask.

I don’t know if it was the great conversation, the fact that I was at the mall on a Saturday, or that I was eating at an old favorite, but I just had such a great time. Dan even suggested getting dessert, so we got the Flourless Chocolate Cake and it was so decadent and so good. Dan typically doesn’t eat desserts unless I suggest it and make him eat what I want so I was super happy when he suggested it. I like to think he did it because he was also enjoying our time there too and wanted to make our lunch last longer lololol

Once we got back, Dan took the all 3 boys on a walk so I got to have some alone time and watched some of my Asian Dramas and napped. When they came back, the baby and my 5 year old went down for a nap and I watched my oldest play video games in his new gaming setup in the basement. He is so proud of it since he cleaned the area and it was nice seeing him so excited about something and watching him play the games he always describes to me. Our night went by fast and after dinner, showers, and 2 bedtimes me and Dan relaxed and watched Netflix.

I absolutely loved Saturday and Sunday came and went super fast. We relaxed and Dan took the 2 older boys to the Minneapolis Sculpture Park to walk and burn off energy, while I stayed home with the baby. It was around the baby’s nap time so I didn’t want him to go out and mess up his schedule. He has been so good with his 2 naps and sleeping through the night that I try not to change it up too much. It was an early night so after the boys all went to bed, me and Dan watched TV and talked about random things.

I always love when our weekends are busy because living in suburbia gets boring a lot. I often wonder how I ended up here in both good and bad terms. I always wanted to have a home to call mine and great schools for the kids, but when we moved here I left my friends and family and even though I don’t miss my family as much I miss my friends a lot. We speak about moving back but again the benefits living here outweigh going back to Chicago by a lot. Deep down I know I will always be a city girl so I hope to venture out to the cities more this summer because I know St. Paul and Minneapolis have a ton to offer too, I just need to be more adventurous again.