MINNESOTA

Mike and I had the great opportunity to spend our summer in Minneapolis, Minnesota! Mike sold pest control for the THIRD summer in a row, and let me tell you, he will most definitely NEVER be doing door-to-door sales ever again! I got spoiled and got to play out in our apartment pool several times a week! Minnesota was a fun experience, even if it was very different. It was really green and rained ALL the time. We got to hear what tornado warnings sound like, and even see one! Mike's car still has a few dents in it from some of the golfball sized hail that hit it. It was very exciting! The one thing we could have lived without was definitely all the mosquitoes! If you guys could have seen all the bites Mike got on his legs after working, you would be surprised that anyone told him no to pest control. Everyone we talked to thought that I had a crazy accent and that Mike didn't! I just couldn't figure it out. We fell in love with the houses over there and took lots of pictures so that when we are ready to build our own house we will have some fun ideas. They are way more creative than we are out west! Probably one of our favorite weekends out there was our one in Alexandria. Mike's mission buddy Mike Rose invited us to spend the weekend at his family's lakehouse. It was amazing. We spent the entire time jetskiing, tanning, eating great Mexican food, and just plain relaxing. We also got the opportunity to be permanent summer substitutes for a primary class, which we absolutely loved! We also spent a few days at the end of the summer babysitting for a crazy little boy, which is important to know because he is the reason we will not be having kids anytime soon, just ask Mike about that one! An interesting thing is that Minnesota is where Mike's dad served his mission, so we were able to meet several of his old converts. We even got invited to a burrito eating party at one of their homes and ate the best burritos I have ever had in my life! Brandon and Sara Ritchie left earlier than us, so once we didn't have our intense games of Cities and Knights (which is pretty much how we spent all our free time) anymore, and although we missed them, we actually went out and did some great sight seeing! The end of the summer was by far the best. We floated the Apple River, which is one of the dirtiest experiences of my life (the people were just as bad as the river, just ask Mike and Mike Ramsey about the Apple River and their boob experience)! We got to go on a riverboat tour on the Mississippi River and see the sights of the city from the river (that is where the pic is from) and it was beautiful! We spent a few days at Valley Fair riding rides and going to the waterpark, and even spent a day in Duluth, which is an absolutely gorgeous city. Lake Superior, which is where the pic to the right is from) is absolutely HUGE! I think that everyone should go there at least once in their life! There is so much history there! With all the friends and family we got to spend time with the past couple of months, it was definitely a great experience, one that we will remember always! It makes us excited for what next summer will bring!