Trip to minnesota and my electrophysiologist visit

I am gradually catching up and getting back in the saddle today. Man, I don't know how I would ever do this if I still had a real job...

TRIP TO MINNESOTA

We visited the boy and his family in St. Paul this past weekend. We drove up last Thursday and arrived back home Monday evening. It's funny how it takes around 9 1/2 hours to get there, but it only took 8 hours and 40 minutes to get home. Weird. Although, leaving from their at 7:30am-ish put us through Chicago just after lunch time, and that's a really good time to do it.

On the way there we took Rt. 30 to I-65 to I-80/90 to I-294 to I-90/94. On the way home we took I-94 almost the entire way, then I-90 right through Chicago. From the Barrington Travel Oasis (north of Chicago) to the Skyway (south of Chicago) took right about an hour. Not bad at all. Of course, once we got to Fort Wayne it seemed to take forever to get through town...

While we were there we mostly just hung around the house, went for walks, and played with the youngest grandchild. I believe we went out to eat Friday evening, and Sunday for brunch.

HEART DOCTOR VISIT

Of course, my electrophysiologist's office called while I was on the way to Minnesota and said they could get me in to see the nurse practitioner the day after we got back (yesterday) - for my annual consultation. I took it, because the next available for him was September, and the next available with the actual doctor was now sometime in January. Whatever.

It went fine. My blood pressure was 180/90, but I think most of that is because they do it right away and I'm leaning weird on the table with my legs dangling down. It's also because I just freak out in a doctors office. No one was worried about it. My EKG was apparently fine. I told him I'd had an "episode" of some kind twice since last year - a couple days around Christmas, and again in February. However, they didn't last, and I wasn't sure if it was actual afib or something else. He said to just keep doing what I was doing.

I asked about the Watchman implant - because there was a poster in the office. He said that's always a possibility, but he said as long as the blood thinners weren't a problem, he didn't really see a need for it. Even if I someday had another ablation, the implant would be a separate procedure anyway.

I also asked about getting a sleep test done - just to see. He ordered an at-home test for me, saying that he had just ordered one for himself too. I will be curious to see what that turns up.

Otherwise... it was an okay visit. I like both the doctor and the NP. They're very laid-back and friendly.

 

So, that's about all there is to say about that...

Trip to minnesota

There was really only one thing I wanted to do (other than spending time with the humans we were visiting). We didn't do it.

We took a quick trip to St. Paul this past weekend. Flew up on Friday morning and back on Sunday night. It was the usual laid-back, event-free, relaxing time we normally enjoy. Along with cuddles and giggles from the youngest grandchild!

I wondered how flying might be, what with the government shutdown and TSA agents working without pay. That part was fine. Unfortunately, our plane for the trip there had mechanical issues, so instead of leaving Fort Wayne at 7:10AM, it was more like 3PM. The trip home, through the Minneapolis airport, was a piece of cake. 

While there, we mostly just hung out at their house, and did things around Wynn's naps.

Friday night we walked down the street to a restaurant/bar called Shamrocks for supper. 

Saturday we went downtown St. Paul and visited some kind of musical instrument museum - where you can actually play the instruments! We also had lunch at a little place downtown, then went back to their house for the afternoon nap. Saturday night we ordered Thai food for supper and Isaac walked down and picked it up.

Sunday we walked down to this neat place for breakfast. It is called Brake Bread, and you order at a window, then they have an old bus you can eat on, or there are picnic tables set about. It was cool. After that we were going to go to some sort of vintage-fest thing, but realized it had actually been on Saturday. The one thing I wanted to do was go see the finish-line area of the Twin Cities Marathon, but no one else seemed too interested, plus it was spitting rain off and on. Instead we met Ricci's mom at a vintage store somewhere north of Minneapolis.

That was about it. We took an Uber from the airport to their house ($30) on Friday because Wynn was sleeping and Isaac was home alone with him. Isaac dropped us off at the airport on Sunday around 5:30PM. There's a little place in terminal A where we like to get tots and a glass of wine before boarding. Interestingly enough, we actually saw a couple we used to know from Applebees here in Fort Wayne at the restaurant, and they were on our flight!

So, while I didn't get to run or spectate the marathon (I'd looked into running the half, but it was sold out several weeks before), we still had fun! 

And, one perk we usually splurge for on these flights is the Comfort+ seats. Not quite first class, but... classy enough for us! :)

Weekend in minnesota

This is old news now, but I am attempting to retrace my steps from the past couple weeks. Most of it is a blur and, honestly, I'm not entirely sure all of it even happened. At least until I log it here. ;)

Easter Sunday was a bit unusual this year in that our daughter's family was going to be in Florida (staying at my sister's house, along with my mom), so we took the opportunity to spend some time with the boy, his wife, and their son in Minneapolis.

We took the direct Delta flight outta FW Saturday morning and were snuggling with the grandson by late morning. He is now 6 months old and we can't believe how much he's grown already. Whether he actually remembers us or not, I do not know, but he sure made like he did and he was a perfect little prince the entire time we were there (minus the couple hours we forced Isaac & Ricci to leave the boy with us so they could have some rare alone time and he cried the biggest/saddest tears, but we're not going to tell them about that because it didn't last long).

Anyway, Saturday we mostly just hung around the house with the boy and two dogs. Although they did drive us by the HOUSE THEY JUST PURCHASED!! Yes, apparently they are going to be Minnesotans (at least for awhile). They had an offer accepted on a small house in a cool-ish neighborhood in St. Paul. It's about 15 minutes from where they've been renting - just on the other side of the Mississippi river. I think they close next month sometime(?). I'm not sure they wanted to buy, but they certainly couldn't afford to pay rent any longer. It's unreal how much they've paid in rent between there and ten years in Atlanta - and they have absolutely nothing to show for it! 

A bonus was that we actually went to church on Easter Sunday too! We weren't really expecting that since they aren't really connected with any church. I think Isaac goes occasionally to see friends who work in churches and he's spoken at a few things. We attended a service at an ELCA church not far from their house. Isaac had been there before, and the pastor actually attended Emory/Candler when he was there (though I don't think he knew her). It was a very formal-looking liturgical situation with brass band, acolytes, robed people and whatnot, but there were kids everywhere and they really kept it moving and little Wynn seemed intrigued the whole time. We sat in the balcony (it was a packed house - maybe less than 200 people), but everyone went through communion and everyone was super nice too. Isaac & Ricci both ended up knowing some other people who were there (another prof from Isaac's school, and one of Ricci's students). The sermon was six minutes! :) It was nice (and not because of the short sermon).

After church we went to a little diner just down from their house and had our "Easter Brunch." Wynn was again quite good, and it was a nice day.

Ricci had to work Monday, but we all went and visited her classroom around noon. It's a Montessori school and she co-teaches middle school. I know things have changed a lot since I was in school, but this was WAY different, and cool. Afterward we headed to the Como Conservatory for a walk-around. I think I said enough about that yesterday and don't really care to think about it anymore so... that's all we'll say about that.

Then Monday evening Isaac took us back to the airport and we flew home.

It was a good trip, though it seems to be getting harder and harder to tell little Wynn goodbye. I doubt he knows what's going on... but we do. We are so aware how far away it is, and even every couple months just doesn't seem like enough time to be with him. It's so different than how it was when the older three kids were born and we could see them whenever. I'm sure it could be a lot worse though.

So, that's about all I can remember from this too-brief visit over Easter weekend. I suppose this was our last time staying at their house on 31st Ave. It too is small, but we had a nice big bathroom and bedroom to ourselves in the basement and that was always nice. Plus I liked how close they were to the river, park, and grocery store (walking distance). I'm sure the new place with have perks of its own!

 

I almost forgot... our flight there on Saturday morning was the emptiest plane we've flown on in as long as I can remember. We were the only passengers in Comfort+. It was weird. And... yes, this little White Sox cap was our Easter gift for the guy. :)

Trip to minnesota

We have actually made a number of trips to Minnesota in our 40+ years together. Our first was when we were still in high school (1980-81-ish). My sister and her then-husband had just moved there. My sister still lives there (about an hour from the cities), but not her now-ex.

However, this was our first trip to Minneapolis specifically, as the boy and his wife just moved there in July of this year. She is teaching at a Catholic middle school, and he will be professor of ethics at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. 

We opted to fly on this visit. There is a direct flight on Delta that departs daily from Fort Wayne at 9:45am, and from Minneapolis at 7:45pm. So Saturday morning to Monday night was almost three full days! And the flight is a mere 1 hour 20-ish minutes (but remember the time zone change!). It also helps that we are 10 minutes from our airport, and they are 15 minutes from theirs.

The kids have a nice little house in the residential Seward area of Minneapolis. It is two blocks from the Mississippi river (which then includes miles of paved greenway trail), and there are several coffee shops, restaurants, and things within walking distance. It is much nicer in that regard than either of their homes in the Atlanta area. [This is everything except the kitchen, 2 full baths, main bedroom, and laundry room]

One interesting thing, Minneapolis, and Minnesota in general, is apparently super progressive. As you can see from the picture, apparently hardly anyone - at least in all the neighborhoods we visited - has much grass. It is very natural and "green-conscious."

While there we did take in some sites downtown, as well as the Mississippi River area downtown. We visited a couple of the lakes in the city, and Jane and I also got in a run along the Mississippi. We went from the kids' house down past the University of Minnesota and back (about 4 total miles - the last pic). 

Sunday afternoon we went to this neat little theater and saw Oppenheimer (which I liked). 

Monday (or was it also Sunday) we got a tour of the Luther Seminary campus. It is actually larger than I anticipated. We got to see Isaac's office, some of the classrooms, the chapel area, and they have one of the two known "death masks" Luther had made (you should google it). There is also this large portrait that is either Martin Luther or Jack Black. I couldn't tell.

The first day there we had brunch at a little place we walked to from their house, then lupper at an outdoor place along the Mississippi downtown. On Sunday we went to The Market At Malcolm Yards, which was pretty cool (near the U of M football stadium).

Anyway, I'm sure I am forgetting a ton. It was a very nice trip, we were glad they seem to like the area they are in, and we are looking forward to many more visits over the next few years at least.