Good Grief.

Jon hate’s it when I say that.  He says it’s an ‘old person term’.

I don’t care.  That’s how I feel.

We left fresh faced and full of energy for Minnesota last Friday morning in a clean and washed Aviator with a brand new bike rack attached to the back.  Full of excitement and anxiousness we set out for a scenic drive through Wyoming (a way we’d never taken) and on our way pointed excitedly at all the beautiful scenery and wildlife.  We had an expertly packed cooler full of healthy snacks like olives, orzo salad, cherries and blueberries.  The world was our oyster.

Well.

We arrived back in Denver yesterday feeling exhausted and mentally unstable.  Jon’s car was thickly caked in bugs, guts covering the windshield, with a broken bike rack pathetically hanging on the back.  We drove through Nebraska (the way we always drive) and if looks could kill every single stinky cow we glared at would be on its way to the chophouse.  The car was sloppily packed, our suitcases full of dirty clothes and wet swimming suits, and the cooler was empty except for a warm brick of cheese.

Minnesota whooped our butts.

It’s true, Minnesota did completely drain us, but not because it wasn’t fun.  In FACT it was one of the most enjoyable trips back I have ever had.  The weather was uncommonly wonderful and every day we woke up and pinched ourselves because we couldn’t believe it was happening again.  We must’ve spent upwards of 10 hours a day on the boat and in the water for 8 of the 10 days we were there.  I don’t know how many of you are familiar with the Minnesota lakes scene but when you combine that amount of sun with a constant supply of beer, mimosas and cocktails as well as skiing, wake surfing and boarding PLUS late to bed and early to rise for 10 days…you’re a hot mess by the end of it.

I shot upwards of 800 photo’s (…I know…) in those 10 days and have a chore ahead of me to get through them all.  This might be the longest multi-day weekend recap of all time, but that’s the way it’s gonna work.  I’ll be throwing up sections of our week in Minne here and there over the next week or two with some of the regularly scheduled programming appearing as well.

Let’s kick it off with the more ‘fresh faced’ end of our trip…the day we left.

Jon has had an obsession over the last few years with checking Mount Rushmore off of our ‘before we die’ list.

I have had an obsession with avoiding this at all costs.

Well I finally lost the battle when we decided to take a different route home that took us literally right past it.  The drive was FAR more beautiful than the one we normally take and we saw tons of beautiful wildlife and scenery so I had a hard time complaining.  By the time we were close to Mount Rushmore I was finally on board and at about 35% excitement to Jon’s 100%.

I will say this about the monument…the people watching was extraordinary.

The monument itself?  I can’t say the same.

It’s checked off our list, which I am happy about because we can finally stop talking about it, but I’m gonna go ahead and say if you haven’t been there…you’re not missing much.  When we got into the park, I noticed some faces in a hill and said to myself “huh, that must be a replica at the entrance to prepare us for the full scale giant noggins in the giant rock on the giant mountain waiting around the corner“.

Nope.

I think if you’re 6 and your parents bring you as an educational experience that it would be great and seem really huge and amazing!  But when you’re 27 and have had this in your mind as being a certain way, it’s a bit disappointing.  Being the supportive wife that I am, I only laughed and pointed for about 4 minutes before strapping on my ‘I’m on board’ boots and going into full on tourist mode.  I snapped the required photo’s, looked at the required information, stared at the lunatics wandering around for the required amount of time before we headed back to the car for the rest of our drive.

I have evidence:

LOOK at those two ‘mericans!  So patriotic : )