Kellogg Family Reunion and Other Happenings in Minnesota!

I had a great time on my first 

trip to Minnesota! I got to

 know my husband's family quite

 a bit better and I got to meet 

many other family members.

When I landed in Minneapolis, the

first stop was The Mall of America.

Most of you know that visiting The Mall

 of America has been on my bucket list

since I first heard this gigantic mall

existed.  The mall did not disappoint.

We were able to meet the Larson family

for lunch at the Twin City Grill inside the mall.

From the left: Kelly and Irving Larson, Ronda, Sonja,
 Carrie, Taylor, Carrie's son Joshua, and Julie

I got macaroni and cheese for lunch. Yum.

Inside the amusement park section of The Mall of America -
that giant transformer behind me is made entirely of legos!

We ate dinner at the Mall of America

as well - a restaurant called Cantina #1.

From the left: Taylor, Ronda, Grandma Peg, Grandpa Mel, Sonja,
Byron, Eliya, Ben, Phyllis, and Ken

After an entire day at The Mall of America...

We got to Grandma and Grandpa's house

and were locked out for a bit.

Fortunately it was a pretty nice night out

and I got to sleep in the next morning.

Sunday was the Kellogg Family Reunion

at the Podvin Park Pavilion in White Bear

Lake Minnesota.  

With Grandpa Mel

With my mother-in-law, Ronda

With my cousin, Eliya

After a lunch that included fried chicken,

fruits, salads, and homemade bread,

we all got into a circle and went around

talking about family history.

It was really neat to learn

more about my husband's family.

We started off the day Monday with a 

wonderful lunch at this beautiful

lakeside restaurant.  It sits on White

Bear Lake - and the weather could not

have been better.  It was the perfect day

to sit outside and eat lunch.

Ben and Grandpa Mel

Ronda and Grandma Peg

Eliya and Sonja

Eliya couldn't seem to get full - after she ate her
lunch, she helped me finish mine.

We drove to Stillwater Minnesota,

which happens to be on the border

of Minnesota and Wisconsin, so

we drove across the bridge.

Now I can add Wisconsin to the

list of states I've visited. 

We stopped at a famous local ice cream shop...

I got a child size cup of chocolate chip

ice cream - I don't know about you, but

that's the biggest child size cup of

ice cream I've ever seen.  I was unable

to finish it, even though it was quite good.

The bridge between Minnesota and Wisconsin -
It raised for boats to pass by.

Minnesota is a beautiful place!  It was

so green and the weather was perfect.

I really enjoyed myself.  I'm so glad

I was able to attend the reunion and spend

more time with new family!