They arrived on Thursday, October 8th and we started with lunch at Muffletta's, a great little place on Como. While Ben went to class, we walked around the seminary and surrounding neighborhood. That evening we went to the Chatterbox Pub. It's this great place where you can eat, drink and play games. They have cards, every board game you can think of and vintage Nintendo. We played Hearts and reminisced about our trip to Mexico when we played countless times in the hospital.
The next day we did the tourist thing. We went to Minnehaha Falls and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. I think we would've enjoyed Minnehaha Falls a lot more if it wasn't for the cold weather. Thankfully, it warmed up a bit in the afternoon for the sculpture garden. 
We had so much fun looking at everything and trying to decide why it was titled what it was or what it meant or what it was for that matter. There was one area that had a bunch of marble benches arranged in a square and each one had a quote engraved in the top. I think only about 30% of the quotes made any sense to us, but we sure did laugh a lot. That evening we had a wonderful dinner that was gifted to us by friends of my parents and wrapped everything up at the Shout House, a dueling piano bar.We decided to spend Saturday indoors, due to the snow, and one of the best things you can do indoors is shop! So, we ventured out to the Mall of America (it's a tourist thing too). Needless to
say, that place is amazingly huge and is really so much more than just a mall. We had some lunch and then went to the Bodies exhibit. It was fascinating to see and relearn about how our bodies work and learn some new things too. Then it was time to shop. Ben and I needed to prepare for the Minnesota winter. We both got some boots, long underwear, thick socks and few other things to keep us warm. I also picked up a pair of gloves and a hat. It was a very successful trip and we've already put some of it to good use. After a long day, we were hungry and Dad couldn't leave Minnesota without having some walleye, so we went to the Traven on Grand Ave and all had a walleye dinner. It was delious.And then, it was Sunday. We went and had breakfast at the Copper Dome and went to the airport. I couldn't believe it was already time for them to go. I teased my parents when we pulled up to the curb and told them they didn't have to get out. We said our goodbyes, shed some tears and gave big hugs, then they were off.
That was the start of a few difficult days. Sunday was the hardest but each day got a little better. Seeing my parents and then knowing that we couldn't see them again until Thanksgiving or Christmas was a hard reality. For the first time, I let myself feel how much I miss everyone. I joked with Ben and told him that now we have to come home for Thanksgiving, I just can't wait until Christmas. We have some of the most wonderful, supportive, loving people in our lives. We are incredibly blessed. We miss you all so much and can't wait to see you again.
Love,
Ben and Stephanie
