26 de Junio, 1:10 p.m.
How could I
not kick this off with Spanish? How
could you expect anything else from la mujer que le gusta hablar español—i.e.
for those unfortunate people who do not speak Spanish, “the woman that likes to
speak Spanish”?
But anyway,
this trip started in the usual fashion. We
planned to leave at ten o’clock—I was ready to leave then—but we did not leave
until around 11:20. How typical. Why my dad decides to pack all his stuff in
the morning, I do not know. Smart
people—like me—pack the night before.
We have
been on the road for approximately two hours.
That time has consisted of reading My Utmost for His Highest—a
great book that you should buy if you do not have it—and my 2-week Bible
reading plan’s daily reading, which was Exodus 20—that would be the Ten
Commandments if you do not know. I also
listened to the fifth sermon in a series of six by John Piper entitled Thinking and Feeling with
God. And now I am
listening to Fight of my Life by Kirk Franklin. There is a stupid story with that CD. I got it for my birthday last year, but I
have only listened to a few songs, not the whole thing. I do that with far too many CDs. I guess you could say I have far too much
music. Let’s face it; I am addicted to
music. Do not get me wrong there; music
is not the most important thing in my life—God is. However, I do love it a lot. I have no musical talent whatsoever, but I
love listening to music—Christian music ONLY.
Yeah, you read correctly; I only listen to Christian music. Most secular music is horrible. I cannot listen to such garbage. My music has to glorify God.
But enough
blabbing about music from me. It is
about time for lunch and I just want to relax until then.
June 26, 1:36 p.m.
Hooray! Road construction! I want lunch NOW! Ah… let’s just postpone lunch by having to
drive slowly. Yep. But I said I would relax. There I go never doing what I say. I better shut up now.
June 26, 3:20 p.m.
I wanted
KFC for lunch, but we could not find one so I settled with A&W. Maybe I shouldn’t use the word “settled”
because I love A&W. But anyway, I
got a Coney dog and fries. Try eating a Coney
dog in a vehicle without dropping chili and onions all over. It is sure not easy. I dropped an onion—a hot onion to be exact—on
my arm. It was a good Coney dog, though,
so that little inconvenience was no big deal.
After
lunch, we continued driving and as we crossed the Red River, I cheered because
that meant we were in Minnesota and out of North Dakota. I hate North
Dakota! Minnesota pwns—if you
have no knowledge of gaming terms, that means “owns”.
Well, Eric
finished writing in his journal so I should probably stop too. My journal dominates his! No question about it.
Time to
watch Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I have recently become a fan of Indy and Temple of Doom is the only one I have not
seen. Eric says it is bad, but I will
have to see about that.
June 26, 6:26 p.m.
Well, that
Indiana Jones was interesting y un poco (and a little bit) strange. It wasn’t bad like Eric said, but I like the
other Indiana
movies better.
Wow, it
took ten minutes to write two sentences.
Eric is really distracting me. He
is really annoying everyone, but like always, my parents aren’t really doing
anything about it.
Well, this
entry is going nowhere. Time to turn on
my iPod to block out Eric’s annoyingness.
June 26, 9:53 p.m.
Ah… Culver’s
at last! Mouthwatering chicken
tenders. Delicious mashed potatoes. Thirst-quenching root beer. Yum!
Culver’s is the king of the fast food world and I sure missed it. I last had Culver’s last August in Aberdeen—almost a year
ago.
While
eating my amazing Culver’s food, I watched So You Think You Can Dance. I saw Dominic perform with his b-boy crew
Quest and my favorites—Twitch and Joshua—remained in the competition.
And now I
am watching the NBA Draft. Why do I
watch the draft since I do not watch the NBA?
I have no clue. I just do. I love seeing my Jayhawks, Tar Heels and
Wildcats players get drafted. Too bad
Darrell Arthur fell so far. And Mario
Chalmers in the second round? Come
on! Did you see him win the title for
KU? He was amazing! Rock chalk Jayhawk!
June 27, 10:21 p.m.
Last night
was a night of little to no sleep. First
off, I could not fall asleep partially because I was hot and partially because
I have trouble sleeping in hotels. Then,
to make matters worse, the “snore king”—my dad—began snoring and making his
annoying “puh” noises. I finally became
so frustrated that I got up and woke him up.
But soon after, someone—I have no idea if it was Dad or Eric—began
snoring even louder. I endured the
snoring and after trying to sleep in virtually every position and in every
possible combination of blankets and sheets, I finally fell asleep.
And so it
was a good beginning to the day… not.
Nothing
exciting happened while getting ready for the day or during breakfast so I
won’t elaborate on that.
Today was
Mall of America day—not really shopping today (that will come tomorrow), but
Nickelodeon Universe.
We started
out by riding the Pepsi Orange Streak. I
should clarify; “we” means Eric and me.
Mom is too chicken for even the easiest ride and Dad doesn’t really like
rides. Not that Eric and I are much
better; the Orange Streak was the only one of the four roller coasters there
that we went on. We filled the rest of
the morning with Ghostblasters, Log Chute, Danny Phantom Ghost Zone, El Circulo
del Cielo and more Orange Streak.
And then it
was time for lunch. Deciding where to
eat was a no-brainer for us—Villa Pizza.
The boys had Villa Pizza a few years back in Sioux Falls and fell in love with it.
I knew I
wanted pepperoni pizza, but deciding on a side was challenging because there
were several good ones. I finally went
with steamed vegetables. It was
delicious, but expensive—$7.49 for a slice of pizza, a side and a drink.
After
lunch, I wasn’t ready to go back on rides right away because I was full. So Mom and I went to Macy’s. I bought three tops with interesting
patterns. After that, we went to Old
Navy to find a top to layer under one of the Macy’s tops. Then we ordered an airbrush T-shirt with a
skyline and “Bri” in blue. Finally, it
was time to rejoin the boys.
Eric and I
went on rides for a few more hours and by the end, I really wanted to leave for
a few reasons. First, Eric and I do not
ride a wide variety of rides so we repeated them several times. Second, I was bored. Third, I was tired. Fourth, my eyes hurt. Fifth, my feet hurt. Yep, I am such a complainer.
When we
finally left, we headed back to Lakeville.
We got Culver’s for supper. What
a surprise! I shared a value basket
consisting of a sourdough melt, coleslaw and root beer with Mom and got a
Flavor of the Day custard, which was peanut butter cup. Did I mention I love Culver’s?
After
eating, I went in the pool for about 15 minutes. I didn’t swim—I walked inside the pool—but
the pool temperature was lovely so I stayed warm.
And now
here I am finally getting around to this.
I have been writing for 40 minutes.
I should probably quit.
Twins
tomorrow! The Brewers are goin’ down!
June 28, 11:25 p.m.
Well, the
Brewers didn’t go down; they kicked some Twins butt. But before I get to that…
The day
started at the mall. We went to
Underwater Adventures first. Normally, I
take several photos there, but I only took two because the battery in my camera
was low and I needed the spare for the game.
After that,
Eric and I played mini golf. Let’s just
say that no one could mistake me for Tiger Woods. Eric dominated me and I shot well over
par. Of well, life isn’t all about
winning—though I love to win. I just
wish Eric wouldn’t have rubbed the loss in so much.
After
golfing, we ate lunch at Taco Bell. I
shared a Big Box with my dad. It was
nothing special, but at least I got one of the three non-diet pops (that I can
think of) that I actually drink—Baja Blast.
I love that stuff!
When lunch
was over, we split up. Mom and I went
shopping and the boys did who knows what.
I am not your typical girl when it comes to shopping. All I bought were one pair of Old Navy
flip-flops for $1 and two more tops from Macy’s for $5 each.
At 3:45, we
met at the exit by the parking ramp and the Metro Transit station. After putting some things in the van, we
joined the numerous other baseball fans at the transit station. After waiting for a while, we got our tickets
and boarded the train to the Metrodome.
We had to stand the entire way, as there were no seats remaining. Plus, it was very crowded in the train.
When we finally
arrived at the Metrodome, we picked up our tickets and went inside. And to our surprise, we actually got Michael
Cuddyer Wind-Up Walkers. We didn’t think
we were among the first 10,000 fans. We
also got buttons that read “Step up to the plate. Vote Mauer and Morneau in ’08”.
Unfortunately,
the game did not go well. The Brewers
scored five runs in the first three innings and the Twins didn’t score until
Jason Kubel hit a solo home run in the 9th. Other than the home run, the only other good
things the Twins did were two spectacular catches. While I was getting popcorn, Livan
Hernandez—the pitcher caught a ball. A
bit later, my favorite player—Carlos “Go-Go” Gomez—made a catch to prevent a
home run. I actually saw that one
thankfully.
I should
mention one more little tidbit about the game.
There were tons of Brewers fans there.
I would estimate that the crowd of 38,693 was one-third Brewers fans. And those fans were much louder than the
Twins fans so it felt like I was at a Brewers game instead of a Twins game.
After the
game, it was time for the best part of the Metrodome experience—being blown out
of the Dome. Because of the difference
in air pressure between inside and outside, you get blown out. It is so much fun!
Then it was
time to wait forever to get on the train back to the mall. It took a while, but not as long as
expected. And again—but even worse this
time—we were packed like sardines. This
time, however, I actually was able to sit part of the way because by the time
we neared the mall, the train had cleared a bit.
Well, I had
better end this. I have been writing for
almost a half hour and everyone is trying to fall asleep. I need my “Zs” as well.
June 29, 9:13 p.m.
Today was
completely consumed by the Minnesota Zoo.
We started out by watching the 11 a.m. bird show. It’s a good show, but I’ve seen it several
times. Afterwards, we walked the
Northern Trail outside since it wasn’t very hot yet. That trail includes the exhibits of the new Russia’s Grizzly Coast. It was nice, but far too crowded. Never go to the Minnesota Zoo on a
Sunday. There are far too many people.
After the
Northern Trail, we headed inside to eat lunch.
Dad, Eric and I ate at Tiger Wok—an Asian place. I had cashew chicken, sweet and sour chicken
and fried rice. It was good, but though
I had felt hungry earlier, I wasn’t very hungry. Plus, I ate slowly so it got cold by the time
it neared the end so I didn’t finish it.
When we
finished eating, the next dolphin show was about to start so we went there and
attempted to find seats. It was packed
tight in there by the time the show started, but we managed to find some
seats. Again, it’s a good show, but I’ve
seen it several times.
Next, we
walked the indoor trails, starting with the Minnesota Trail because it looked
less crowded. Whether it was or not, I
do not know because it was still extremely crowded. It is a nice trail, though. It has both inside and outside components to
it.
After the
Minnesota Trail, we moved on to the Tropics Trail. Normally, that trail is very nice, but
because of the crowd, I didn’t enjoy it very much. At the end of the trail is the butterfly
garden. Normally it is very peaceful in
there, but it was a bit more chaotic today.
I still liked it a lot, though. A
butterfly even landed on my shoulder.
We spent
only a short time at Discovery
Bay—I only scanned
through the exhibits and touched a couple sea anemones in the water—before
heading upstairs to the monorail station.
I guess several others had the same idea because by the time the
monorail arrived, the station was packed.
Therefore, so was the monorail.
Our cabin was full, but I didn’t feel squished.
After the
monorail, all that was left to see was the farm. Mom and I walked there while the boys rode
the farm wagon. Unfortunately, the goat
contact area had closed earlier so we didn’t get to go inside the goat exhibit
and play with the goats. It was really
fun last year so we, especially Eric—he loves goats—wanted to go in. But oh well.
We still were able to see the goats.
We stayed
at the farm for a short time because it was almost closing time. Before we left the zoo, Mom and I went inside
the gift shop. I bought a giraffe
carving and a rain stick for my safari-themed bedroom.
When we got
back to the hotel, we ordered a large sausage pizza from Domino’s for
supper. And like always, I did not get
my way with the crust type. I like thin
crust, but my dad thinks it’s a waste of money.
Well, my
Culver’s custard is here so I will continue this in a bit.
June 29, 10:32 p.m.
Yummy
chocolate éclair custard. Too bad it is
probably my last Culver’s of the trip and my last Culver’s for who knows how
long.
Tomorrow we
are going to the Como Zoo and the Twins-Tigers game. Unfortunately, my second favorite player
Michael Cuddyer was placed on the DL today.
The Tigers
are goin’ down! And I will be correct
this time!
July 1, 11:12 a.m.
Due to
getting back to the hotel late last night and procrastination and laziness this
morning, I haven’t gotten around to writing about yesterday until now.
The day
started at the Como Zoo. The first thing
was the butterfly garden. I had been to
the butterfly garden at the other zoo, but I still enjoyed it a lot. Unfortunately, no butterflies landed on me this
time.
After the
butterfly garden, we checked out the rest of the zoo. The best part was probably the gorilla
exhibit and the worst part is that we didn’t get to see the Sparky the Sea Lion
Show. It occurs six days a week and we
just had to go to the zoo on Monday, the only day of the week without a show.
When we
finished walking the zoo, we headed over to the Conservatory next to the
zoo. That place is beautiful, especially
the Japanese Garden.
Too bad there were several people in the Conservatory. It can be so peaceful and relaxing in there
if there aren’t many people—the perfect place for writing, photography and just
reflecting. It wasn’t too bad, however;
I just didn’t get to take as many photos as I would have liked.
After the
Conservatory, we were finished at Como
Park so we headed back to
the mall to eat a late lunch and pass a bit of time before catching the train
to the Metrodome. I ate at Taco Bell
again. This time I had a mango-strawberry
Frutista Freeze and a cheese roll-up and I shared a Mexican pizza with my mom.
We still
had some time to kill before boarding the transit so Mom and I walked around
again, starting at Barnes and Noble. I
love that store, but it was annoying in there with Mom. Since I wasn’t specifically looking for
anything, she wanted to leave. After a
stupid, argument, we did leave. Then, my
mom wanted to find Hollister for whatever reason. However, I had no desire to go in there. I could care less about brand names like
Hollister and American Eagle. Seriously,
I get most of my clothes off sale and clearance racks at Kohl’s and similar
stores. Why spend more money just to get
clothes that everyone else deems cool?
But anyway,
back to yesterday. We were supposed to
meet the boys at the entrance we always entered through at 4:45. As usual, Mom and I were there early and the
boys were late. They just can’t quite
grasp the concept of listening and being on time.
When they
finally came, we went to the Metro Transit station to board the train. This time around, it was far less crowded
because the number of Tigers fans was nowhere near the number of Brewers fans
on Saturday and because it was a Monday game.
After
arriving at the Metrodome, we walked the plaza and took photos outside. When that was through, we went inside to find
that the Tigers were doing batting practice.
That was a scary experience, being that we were in row 7 of the Home Run
Porch and none of us had gloves. The
ball got close to me a few times and once, another fan hit my already-bent
glasses and bent them a bit more. But
other than that, batting practice ended with us being unharmed.
Before the
game started, Mom and I bought peanuts and nachos to share and pop. Food and drinks are very expensive at the
Metrodome. Plus, they took the cap of my
Diet Coke. I understand that they are
supposed to do that with all bottle caps, but still… I wanted my three Coke
Rewards points. Now they’ll probably be
thrown out with the rest of the codes on the caps. Imagine how many Coke Rewards points you
could accumulate in a season if you took every cap they took off. Wow.
Now to the
actual game. This one looked like it
would be a complete 180 from Saturday’s game.
The Twins built a lead, but the Tigers rallied to take a 5-4 lead
heading into the bottom of the 9th.
In the bottom of the 9th, the Twins has two men on with two
outs and Joe Mauer at the plate.
I was
feeling confident about our chances, but Joe Mauer grounded out to end the game
and give the Tigers their 18th win in 22 games. It is unfortunate that both games we went to
were losses since the Twins have been hot lately. I was hoping that the all-time record of the
Twins while I was at the game would be 3-0—I saw them beat the Indians last
season—but now it is 1-2.
But one fun
part of the Metrodome experience remained.
I bet you know what’s coming.
Being blown out of the Dome! It
might not be a good experience for many, but I love it. Unfortunately, last night might have been my
last time experiencing it ever. The
Twins are moving to a new stadium soon so my only chance would probably be to
see a Vikings games and I don’t think that is going to happen.
After being
blown out, we went into the line for the train.
It was short, but there was a problem; our six-hour tickets had expired
just a few minutes prior. A man checked
our tickets and let us go through even though our tickets expired about 11
minutes previous.
We got on
the very first train that arrived while we were waiting and Eric and I even got
seats. That was a big change from the
Saturday game and last year’s game. It
was nice not waiting long and not having to stand.
The train
arrived at the mall shortly after 11 p.m. and by the time we returned to the
hotel in Lakeville, it was shortly after 11:30 p.m. and I still needed to get
ready for bed. It was easily after
midnight when I finally went to bed. A
long day it was.
I should
break up yesterday and today so far into two entries so I am going to close
this and take a break.
July 1, 1:00 p.m.
Time for a
summary of the day so far. This should
not be very exciting. I repeat; this
should not be very exciting.
The day
started with my usual routine—get up, take a shower, brush my teeth, dry my
hair, put on makeup, and so on.
Exciting, I know. When I was done
with the exception of straightening my hair, my mom brought the hotel breakfast
back to the room for me. I ate breakfast
while reading the newspaper and then I straightened my hair and started packing
my things.
After
loading the van and checking out of the hotel, we headed for home. We’ve been driving for a long while now and
it feels like we’ve hardly gotten any closer to home. It sure didn’t help that for a long time
around Albertville
on the interstate, only one lane was open and traffic was very slow moving.
To pass
time, so far I’ve written in my journal, stared out the window, listened to
music and read Job 38 and My Utmost for His Highest. I’m going to stop writing now and I’m not
sure what I’ll do next—probably just relax and listen to music until we stop
for lunch.
July 1, 4:50 p.m.
On the road
again…hooray! Since I last wrote, I ate
lunch and went to the Scheels in Fargo,
which happens to be the world’s largest sporting goods store.
Eric wanted
to eat lunch at Olive Garden, but I wanted IHOP. Last summer on vacation to Minneapolis, I said we had to ear at IHOP and
we didn’t. This time I said the same
thing. I was not about to let the same
thing happen so I went to IHOP with Mom and the boys went to Olive Garden.
At IHOP, I
ordered New York Cheesecake pancakes, over-medium eggs, sausage links and hash
browns. It was delicious, but far too
much to eat, even though I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
After
eating, Mom and I walked over to Scheels.
I didn’t plan on buying anything—I just wanted to check the store
out—but I saw a cool shirt for $9.99. It
says “Smell ‘Em Minnesota
Again in ‘07”, referring to the slogan Twins catcher Mike Redmond made up about
smelling potential RBIs when runners were on base. We also bought some taffy to take back home.
Well, Eric
won’t stop bugging me about watching A New Hope (a Star Wars movie, of
course) so I guess I’ll have to give in.
July 1, 7:21 p.m.
Star Wars
ended a few minutes ago, but I didn’t start writing until now because Eric and
I were fooling around with stuffed animals.
Yes, I said stuffed animals. And
yes, I am sixteen… haha. It was
hilarious, though.
I believe
we are about fifteen minutes away from home.
I will make one final entry after this.
July 1, 7:44 p.m.
We’re back
home! And I guess it was 23 minutes, not
15. Oh well. I hate being at home, but it will be nice not
having to stay in a hotel any longer.
