Trip to the Cities & Vikings Game

My trip started on Friday morning by heading to work for a couple of meetings and then I was leaving to the airport from there. I got to DIA a little earlier than I really wanted to, but no worries, I checked my bags and headed to the Smoker's Lounge for a beer, why not start the trip now! Once I got into the bar I realized that I had thrown my book into my bag in the morning and then accidentally checked it - bummer. I saw a bunch of people had their laptops out in the bar and thought - hmmm... I wonder, so I unpacked the computer and scanned for some wireless and YES - DIA has free wireless connection - sweet. I ordered another beer and sat around for awhile.

The flight out was pretty good, the nerves weren't too bad after a few beers. We got to Minneapolis airport 20 minutes earlier than expected, good thing that my cousin lives close so he could come and get me right away.

Jayce picked me up at the airport and we went to house so I could check it out. He gave me the grand tour and then we sat down for a beer and told each other about our jobs and such. At around 9:30/10 we headed out for some cheeseburgers and a little bar a mile from his house to meet a couple of his buddies. We had a few drinks and then headed back to his house. I decided that we should keep on talking and open a bottle of wine, so we did. We ended up staying up until 3:30am - ugh. I woke up at around 8:30am and stirred him awake and we started getting ready to go see where he worked and then to the Mall of America (you can imagine his joy! -ha ha). After driving around and around looking for a place to park at the mall we finally ended up on the top level in Alaska parking and made our way to have some lunch. We shopped for 5 hours before we left and went back to his house to pack my bags because I had more cousins waiting for me at the hotel that had started calling and texting.

I had a great time with Jayce and he was a generous host driving me to and from and keeping me company.

Jayce and I

Day 2 - Downtown Minneapolis time with the Dickhaus crew.

Jayce and I pulled up to the hotel in downtown Minneapolis and I see my cousin Josh standing outside the front doors, so I yell "Josh, Josh" and he looks up at the windows of the hotel to see who may be yelling at him from the inside?! We park along the street and I jump out of the car and start unloading and yell at Josh again "Come and help me with my bags" and he looks at me (granted I had my hat on and my glasses, but still?!) and says "I'm not a Bell Boy". I think that he is joking with me until he hasn't moved an inch closer to the car and I am now getting out my laptop and gifts along with my big bag and yell again "Josh, come and help me, I wasn't kidding" - at this point he gives me a strange look and then you see this flicker of recognition and he starts laughing at himself and he says he didn't know that it was me and that he thought I was some stranger that wanted help into the hotel with my bags. So, we have a good laugh outside and I say "Thank you, and Good Bye to Jayce" and into the hotel we go.

I check into the hotel and head up to my room and take all my stuff in and tell the others I will catch up with them in a bit I want to unwind and call Jeff and Jamie and see what time they expect to be getting there.

As I am checking out my room I notice the beds for the first time and really start looking at them. I look and look and look. What the hell, these beds are made for kids. I have already been a little weirded out that we are all cheap and want to pack people into rooms and that I am 31 years old and have to share a bed with my brother, but these beds are small, super small. I call up my other cousins and Ashley and Amy come down for a beer and I ask them what size their beds are? They are the same. At this point it is pretty funny so I jump on the bed and we send Jeff a picture message and show me taking up the entire bed.

Here is a picture of the European size beds that Jeff and I are supposed to share. It didn't happen; when Jeff got there and we tried to fit in it he went to the front desk and asked them what was up with the size of the beds and said he had to share with his sister and they gave us a free roll away bed for him. (which was roughly the same size as our beds).

Don't we look cozy! The night continues on and eventually the entire crew is there and at the hotel. We continue to visit from room to room and get ready for an evening out. My girlfriend Lezlee and her new boyfriend were also staying downtown and heading to the game so we had decided to meet up with them as well. In one of the rooms they ordered the UFC fight and had made BBQ's (crock pot and all) so we headed up there until my Lezlee met up with us. We headed downtown with me, Lezlee & bf, Jamie and Jess and Ashley and found an Irish bar to grab a beer. I did some chatting with my girlfriend and my crew decided to find another bar to hit.

After going here and there and left and right and heading down this street and that we finally stopped at another place. Jeff was finally done watching the fight and started texting us to see how to find us. I get nervous every time we are out places because it always seems that Jeff will wander around on his own with not a care in the world. He did eventually find us and we ended up heading back towards the hotel. Jamie had taken off a little earlier to head back and order pizza and when we walked out of the bar Ashley and Jess crossed the street and Jeff and I did not. Of course you can't catch up or find people after that so Jeff and I started to head back to the hotel because we had to go meet up with Amy. We talked to her later and she ended up with Jess somehow and told them to meet us at Gameworks. Go figure that we end up in a video arcade with Jeff, you should have seen his eyes, oh the extreme joy of it, but at least they had a bar in the middle of the place. We got some drinks and put some money on a card and ended up with Jamie, me, Jeff, Jess (who at this point had definitely had her fill), Amy and her bf's brother. It was fun, we played some games and headed back to the hotel for pizza and everyone stopped into our room.

Ashley and I at The Loon Cafe

The big joke of the night/weekend was that Jeff, Jamie, Jess and I were the old one's (which we were), but somehow I think that both nights we stayed up later than the rest of them (maybe we just didn't drink as much?) So, we ate our pizza and visited, laughing the night away. Poor Jess just couldn't hang anymore and passed out, this was really a big weekend for her away from the baby for the first time. And what happens when you are with my family and fall asleep when others are still awake:

Yep, you become the victim.