Minneapolis Weekend

I went to Minneapolis this past weekend.  It was amazing.  On Thursday, I met Emily at her house, then we went to dinner at French Meadow.  It's my favorite gluten-friendly restaurant in Minneapolis. 

Dinner at French Meadow

I started the night off with a glass of wine and g-free bread (it's my favorite!).  Emily and I split the crab cakes appetizer.  Emily had artichoke and feta ravioli for dinner.  I had fish tacos.  It was amazing.  I can't get enough of this place!

Then, Emily and I drove out to Canterbury Park for Emily's work event.  Even though I lived in the Minneapolis area for my last two years of high school, I somehow never made it to Canterbury Park.  Emily's dad loves horse racing, and had made Emily an Excel spreadsheet with his top picks for the horse race.  Unfortunately, it didn't really help.  However, we had a great time enjoying her co-workers, the perfect weather (80s), and red slushies.

Emily putting in her bet

The (un)winning ticket

Love you, Emily!

The horses

On Friday, I took my time getting ready at Emily's house (since Emily and Frank are real grown-ups and had to work).  Mimi and Harvey, Emily's cats, kept me entertained.

Mimi and Harvey have a rough life

Mimi likes to play with Emily's iPad

Then, I met Gena and Kari in downtown St. Paul for lunch at Trattoria da Vinci.  Catching up with my "little sisters" is always so good - it makes me feel completely at home.  We took advantage of the pasta bar, and then, since Mom Rohl was paying for lunch, we opted for dessert.  Gena got tiramisu; Kari got chocolate gelatto; and I got roasted banana gelatto.  The roasted banana gelatto was the best gelatto I've ever tasted.

Risotto from the pasta bar

Kari's chocolate gelatto

My roasted banana gelatto

Gena's tiramisu

Love you, girls!

Friday night, I headed out to Plymouth to spend the evening with Cassie.  We met her sister and headed out to Lord Fletchers on Lake Minnetonka.  Again, the weather was beautiful, the setting was relaxing, and the conversation was casual. 

On Saturday, I drove over to River Falls, Wisconsin, to have breakfast with my little sister.  I haven't seen her in probably a year, so I thought it was time.  We spent almost two hours chatting and catching up.

After breakfast, I drove over to Stillwater, Minnesota, for the kick-off of Cassie's bachelorette party.  We took a winery tour of the St. Croix Vineyards, and then participated in a wine tasting.

The bride-to-be and me

Saturday night we spend the evening in downtown Minneapolis celebrating Cassie's pending nuptials.  I'm so happy for you, Cassie!

The bride and bridesmaids

Had to grab a shot in the phone booth at Brit's!

So, this marathon weekend may be contributing to my exhaustion.  It was wonderful to catch up with everyone!  Can't wait to celebrate with Cassie and Jake at the end of the month!