Rochester: Solid Vacation Destination

We made a quick trip to Rochester (Minnesota) last weekend to celebrate the marriage of my cousin Parker and his new wife Maggie. Parker and Maggie were married last fall in Santorini - then had a party back here at Maggie's parents' place. When we got home, Declan announced that Rochester was ah-mazing. He basically partied in the country and swam in the hotel pool twice. So now you know the requirements for D's happiness.

It's just over an hour and half to Rochester from our house - so we left right about lunch time, swung through McD's for food on the go, and made great time to the hotel. Grandpa had booked adjoining rooms, so we took one, and he, Gma, and Auntie were in the other. The kids' minds were blown by the ability to wander between the two rooms.

I think I'm about at the end of my run to be able to buy a 10 piece nugget meal and split it between the kids. Fiona and Dec took down a 10 piece between the two of them and Quinn downed a cheeseburger and fries. We also had a pretty intense scavenger hunt going on ... we were looking for a yellow motorcycle, a motorhome towing something, and a vehicle with two man-powered water toys on it (re: kayaks, padddleboards, canoes). We all agreed that had we been driving north rather than south, it would have been way easier. And you've never heard five more excited people screaming "yellow motorcycle" when we finally spotted one ... it took the round-trip, but we successfully completed our hunt!

We were checked in and settled with plenty of time before the party and I'm a sucker for the kids' puppy eyes. So we all changed into suits and hit up the pool. We were excited to discover that their heads are finally big enough for their goggles and they had the best time diving for quarters on the pool floor. After about two hours, we headed back up to shower quickly and get ready for the party (taking full advantage of the second shower in the adjoining room ...).

Maggie's family has a beautiful home with a large yard. They ended up with wonderful weather and it was such a fun evening. There was a taco bar for dinner - and Quinn, Auntie, and I crushed some chips and guac! At one point, Dec wandered into the garage (where a side door was open). I saw someone come out of the garage and shut the door. I hurried over, terrified that I would find him lost, alone, and sobbing inside the garage. Nope - he was happily hanging with Maggie's brother and some other big boys - sitting on a dirt bike and living his best life. They let the girls sit on the bikes too and everyone thought it was pretty cool.

We let the kids stay up later than usual, but about 8:30, we called it a night and headed back to the hotel. We got everyone in bed and joined my parents in their room to chill out and play some games. We tried a new sleeping arrangement, where Fiona got the fold out couch, Dec and Mike shared a bed, and Q and I shared a bed. Neither Mike nor I slept well ... although I don't think it was totally the kids' fault. Mike did learn that D is a Stage 4 clinger when he sleeps.

Parker and Maggie were having a brunch Sunday morning, but we had declined our attendance for that. I figured it would be adult-like and leisurely and maybe not quite what the Vs were going to be interested in. Instead, we grabbed the complimentary breakfast at the hotel and used the pool one more time. We stayed in the pool as long as we could (diving for more quarters) and were checked out at 10:58 for our 11:00am deadline.

It was a pretty uneventful ride home (other than finding the rest of our scavenger hunt list) and we got home just in time for a late lunch. And for D to proclaim the awesomeness of our quick vacation. Mike and I fully admitted that it went much better than we had expected and we all had a really nice time. Parker and Maggie (or Rochester) sure know how to throw a party!