The Great Outdoors

2010 has been a treat thus far.

Last week, I was fortunate enough to spend time up north, at my Uncle's cabin. It's located 3.5 hours northwest of the cities...nestled on a small/medium lake.

As a child, I spent a lot of time at this cabin. Exploring the woods, fishing off of the dock, taking the row boat out to the island and pretending it was my own little oasis. They were great times, and I was extremely ecstatic to grant little man some of the same memories.

The week started out with a bang. We rented a pontoon for a few days, and anchored on the sandbar. The sun was out, the eagles and loons were letting their presence be known. Could you ask for anything more peaceful?

The only day it rained was a day I had planned on running errands, since I had only intended on staying up north for a few days instead of an entire week.

Oh, and let it be known, we also went to the local turtle races (don't be jealous).

It was a nostalgic week for me. Relaxing and just what the doctor ordered.

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After spending some time up north, I've brainstormed a little bucket list for the remainder of 2010:

• Go canoeing on the St. Croix - it's something I've always wanted to do...any takers?
• Take a day trip to Duluth and go down the Timber Twister - I saw a news story about it, and it looks like an absolute blast...again, any takers?
• Explore one more state park before the winter frost sets in
• Schedule a couple of hours at the spa - because I'm worth it.

Do you have a bucket list going for yourself? Do you have any suggestions for mine?

Day 3

We woke up bright and early, doused ourselves with sun screen, and set out for Sanibell Island today.

It was AWESOME. Chilly, but AWESOME! I couldn't believe all of the seashells...plus, the moment we made it onto the Causeway, I spotted the dorsel fins of some dolphins swimming in the bay...Have I told you it was AWEOMSE?!

We spent the morning combing the beach, and wound up with a ziplock bag full of different seashells.

For lunch, we stopped at a nook called the Lazy Flamingo. I had a grilled grouper sandwhich (it was delish), and little man had a hot dog (surprise) which was served on top of a frisbee that he got to keep...it was pretty cool.

At noon, we went on a sea creature boat ride. Not ten minutes into the ride, we spotted a pod of bottle nosed dolphins. It was so amazing to see these creatures in person.

For dinner we checked out a place called BoneFish. I thought it was unique to this area, so I asked the server. As it turns out, it's owned by Outback Steakhouse...and there are 150 nation wide. Although it was super unique, it was EXTREMELY delish. I had chilean seabass, with an organic garbanzo bean side, and some augratin potatoes which were heaven on a plate. I also tried a coconut cream pie, and whoa boy it was good.

Day 2

Today we had tickets for the 2010 Spring Training Home Opener for the Minnesota Twins. The weather was set to be sunny and 67-ish...the perfect weather for an outdoor game! We piled on our Minnesota Twins gear, and headed out the door...but just before we left I pulled out our tickets to stare at them in excitement when GASP! I HADN'T BROUGHT THE ACTUAL TICKETS!!!!! What did I bring? Tickets for Twins Fest (which we hadn't used back in January...).
I felt like a COMPLETE TOOL! Baseball was one of the main reasons for coming down here and I managed to muck it up by forgetting the tickets.
Instead of letting my stupidity ruin our day, we found a Target (which always manages to cheer me up...go figure). After some retail therapy, we headed to the ball park to see if there was anything the ticket booth could do to help me out....they swiped my credit card and actually reprinted my tickets for me!! I was so happy, I almost started crying then and there.
The ballpark itself was beautiful. It was amazing to see the boys in action so up close and personal...plus, a kid I graduated from high school with actually got some playing time...I wish I could say I knew him well, but at least I can say that I know him (although, I'd bet money he doesn't know me..hahaha).
Our lunch was held at the stadium...hot dogs, popcorn and peanuts.
For dinner, we walked next door to our hotel to a charismatic place called Mel's Diner. It was fun, but the food was only alright.

Day 1

Okay...So I know vacation recaps can be kind of boring to read....but I'm not going to apologize, because this is about me wanting to preserve my thoughts while they're fresh in my head..thanks.

Day 1:
Awesome flight. Little man even snoozed on the plane!
We found our hotel without any issues, although we needed to kill a couple of hours before our room was ready...so we ventured up the road to Perkins for some lunch, and then to the local Walmart for some snacks. (Not going to lie, the Walmart was old, run down, and was NOT a good first impression...And I totally over bought snacks, I digress).
After we checked in and were settled, we set out on a mini adventure and found the coolest park EVER! It had an awesome play area for little man, and a really cool board walk for some awesome nature sight seeing. Dinner was had at a local eatery called Bahama Breeze, where little man and I split grilled salmon, green beans, and Cinnamon sweet potatoes.