June Highlights part 3 (last one)

The last big event of June took us up to Minneapolis for my cousin Travis's wedding. It's strange, I haven't been invited to a wedding in about a decade, and then we're invited to three weddings in one month.

The wedding was on a Saturday, so we drove up to the hotel and swam in the pool before getting ready to go to the church. I'll be honest and tell you that I think going to the pool with Charlotte is one of the most boring things we do. Pools are no joke; they're dangerous and you honestly can't look away when Char's even near the water. Sure she's tall for her age, but most hotel pools start at 3 and a half feet and get deeper from there. So when she's in the water, you are too, and you're holding her. Twirling a child on the surface of the water is fun for a little while, but it makes for a pretty long hour. Catching someone jumping off the edge of a pool 73 times can also get tedious.

The wedding went well and so did the reception. Because Minneapolis's traffic is crazy and confusing, I didn't dare drink any alcohol. On the way back to the hotel I thought I'd stop and pick up some beer. Most hotel rooms don't offer two separate spaces, so after Charlotte goes to to sleep there's not much to do in the dark. I like to surf shopgoodwill.com and drink a few beers.

I am not a picky beer drinker. I don't need a nifty name on the bottle or a long list of adjectives to describe my drinking experience. Does the beer make me burp and pee? If the answer is yes, then I'm a happy guy. Unfortunately, I did not know that in Minnesota you cannot buy beer anywhere but from a liquor store. And liquor stores are only open until 10 pm on Saturday, and they are not open at all on Sunday. I discovered this information at 10:07 pm Saturday night. Insert sound of sad trombone here.

I take back what I said about the pool being the most boring thing ever.

On Sunday we took Charlotte to Minneapolis's Children's Museum. After visiting the museums in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska, I was afraid this was going to be a case of S.S.D.M, but I was wrong. The three museums have similarities, but the differences are noticeable. For one, this place had five floors. Let's see what Char got to do.

She turned a crank.

And took her mom for a ride, "I'm taking you to the zoo, okay?"

All three museums have water features.

Char also drove a bus.

On the "neighborhood" floor you could dress in different uniforms and pretend to have different careers. I got a real kick out of watching Char the mail-carrier.

As always, Char was drawn to the medical exhibit. She's fascinated with organs and bones.

Char let Mom paint her face in Lincoln. Charlotte was ready to do it herself in Minneapolis. 

Why so serious?

The top floor was botanical, and Charlotte chose to plant a bean in the small pot they gave her.

Ten days later, that bean is growing pretty well on our front step.

On the way down we stopped to pretend Char was a turtle.

And before we left we had a chance to dance.

Recently during a car drive Char informed me that she likes the word "booty".
"You mean like pirate treasure?"
"Noooo Daaaad, I mean like my bottom. I like to shake my booty!"

We'll just let that one go for now.

After the museum we had lunch at Matt's bar (already a recent blog post), and then we headed over to the Mall of America to check out their amusement park. It used to be called Camp Snoopy, but now it's Nickelodeon Universe. That doesn't matter to me, the tight, small rides that go around in a circle still make me want to lose my Jucy Lucy. Here's Daphne and Char on the same ride I'd take in about five minutes.

I always time how long the ride takes while I'm standing in line. I want to know how long the torment will last. I also watch the smiles on the parents currently on the ride. I want to know how long my real smile will turn into a sickly one like theirs.

We stopped by the Como Park Zoo before we left town on Monday, and let me warn you. Before you can get into the free zoo, you have to walk through "Como Town" - a cheesy carnival with all the glamor a carnival can provide. Because we had already hit Nickelodeon Universe, we were able to get Charlotte to the zoo without too much trouble.

For me, the best part of Como Zoo was the polar bear exhibit. Huge animals effortlessly gliding through water are beautiful to watch.

After the polar bears it was time to wish Sparky the Seal Lion happy birthday, and then we were back on the road to Iowa where they sell beer anytime you want them to.

Stupid Minnesota...