Summer Adventure #2

Summer may be winding down but we still have our summer adventures to get through!!!

 I have the adventure you have all been waiting for! 

MINNESOTAS LARGEST CANDY STORE!!!!

See my boys up there? They so CONQUERED THIS STORE!

Indeed it was the largest candy store i have ever been in my entire life. 

 IT WAS AWESOME!!!

You may think that its not that huge. (it is)

You may also think to yourself that you are an adult and you can handle it. (you cant. because once you walk through those doors all sense of rational goes out the window)

BUT

Before you get in your car and drive out to Jordan MN to relive your childhood and go all sugar crazy there are some must know TIPS for you to handle your self like a rational adult and leave with SOME money left over in your account!!! 

 

Are you ready?

LETS GO!!! 

Front of store. You CAN NOT see the back of the store from here.

 Step 1: Pace yourself. This store is HUGE. And 

there is plenty to look at. So take your time. Don't rush.  

SURVIVAL TIP: Its less crowded once you get away from the store entrance.

OUR MINI CREW!

Edible Snake that is 3 FEET LONG!!! (WE GOT TWO!)

Step 2: Pace your Little People. They will want to take off in every direction.

Let them touch things and show you all the stuff they have found. 

Show them what you have found as well it will keep them from racing to the back of the store!

A favorite CLASSIC!

A variety of candy cigarettes... 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...some were even bubble gum!

 Step 3: Enjoy the strange and unusual! This isnt your average candy store. 

So feel free to venture towards things you may normal pass up! 

 

POPCORN GALORE!!

Step 4: Don't limit yourself to the middle isles.

7 feet of flavored popcorn line these shelves

FIZZLES!

ZOTZ!

SIXLETS!!

 Step 5: Don't pass up ALL the classics! Score a few for yourself!

Never seen these before! Might be good with a cup of coffee?

Big MONEY!!

Dolla! Dolla! Bills YA'LL!

Peanut Butter Cups! All different FLAVORS!

 Step 6: Keep track of what you put in your basket!! 

Very few things are under $2. It can add up very quickly.

Chocolate Bars.

Funky Captions on each one.

This one is for you Kevin!!

They also had plenty available for the bacon lovers!!!

 Only a few of the many bacon items available!!

Step 7: Limit your crew to the amount of items they may purchase. 

We limited our crew to 3 items each. 

This also included anything they wanted to purchase for their friends!

It kept them from loading up our basket and slowed them down a bit too!

Assorted FUN MINTS!!

 Step 8: Read the Labels!!!

 You may have your self a good laugh!!!

Ya'll know how i feel about poo!!

Only in Minnesota!

Too much suger? Get your protein fix! (they also had some chocolate covered ones too!)

FIZZIES!

Tin Man!

The best kind of pets!

        Step 9: Give into your inner child at least ONCE!

Do you see the net wt? YOWZA! (we scored one!)

They have MULTIPLE isles dedicated to flavored licorice!

 Anchoring for CREAM SODA flavored licorice? 

They GOT THAT! 

 Step 10: Look UP! There is a variety of different puzzles you can purchase as well! 

The places they stuffed these things is amazing. 

On the ceiling! 

On the end of isles. 

In the corners!!!

Its CRAZY!!

  

Fresh Honey!

For those who like it HOT!!!

Spicy Cornbread AND chili!!

Hot Sauces Too!

Pies!

 Step 11: Enjoy the free smells!!! 

Homemade Fudge! 

 Here's the part of the store where it gets WILD!! 

They have a BAJILLION different flavored drinks

including ROOT BEER!!!

Beef Jerky Soda

 Step 12: Do NOT pass this part of the store up on your way out!

It might get a bit crowded but you have to try at least one root beer 

and check out the labels on the fun drinks!!!

A liquid meal!!

For your inner child: Bug Barf

Fungal Fruit Juice and Monster Mucus!

Zombie Brain Juice

My personal favorite: Kitty Piddle

Dog Drool and Toxic Slime

The Classic Swamp Juice

Liquid Dessert!!!

DANG! Root beer!

See? Fun Labels!!

This is the wall of assorted flavors of soda. Youll find your cream sodas and your zombie juice here.

on our way out the door!

 

Step 13: Bring Cash or Debit. They do NOT take checks

Our score didnt come without a price almost 50 bucks!

 We scored some classics: pop rocks, lemon heads, zots. 

But we also got some fudge and a coffee crisp!! 

And we each got a beverage! We just had too!!

 

Enjoying the spoils!

 Here is our rundown for the beverages: 

One classic cream soda-Two thumbs up

One Red Cream Soda- "Awesome!"

One Dang! Root Beer WITH butterscotch: AMAZING-very smooth very rich. Nice aftertaste

One Sioux City Sarsaparilla: "nice i like it"

"the granddaddy of all root beers"

Step 14: Enjoy your spoils!

Well there you have it kids!! 

Follow these steps and your sure to not only survive but to avoid sugar overload!!!

Hope you all plan to visit the largest candy store soon! They are still open through October!!!

Check em out while there is still time!!!

Need more proof? Click here!

Summer Bucket List

I know you all cant wait for the next summer adventure so i figured i would give you something so you could get your daily dose....

(your welcome) 

I have our ANNUAL SUMMER BUCKET list!!! 

Here it is: 

• Minnesota's Largest Candy Store:
• In Jordan MN! We go THIS WEEKEND! WOOO!

http://rootbeerjournal.blogspot.com/2013/09/MinnesotasLargestCandyStore.html

• Demo Derby/Tractor Pull
• We ATTEMPTED in May...but we got rained out! (STILL COUNTS!) 
• Congregation Dinner Party
• ...maybe next year....there are only so many weekends!!
• Camping Trips
• DONE! and one more ahead!!!
• Saints Game
• the boys went with out me.....(STILL COUNTS!)
• Bike Around Lake Calhoun
• AND we ate at Tin Fish! YUM! (i told you about them...but just in case you forgot: http://www.thetinfishrestaurants.com/ )

The lake was rather flooded......didnt stop us!

•  Unassigned Territory
• we have been saving for TWO years....but time escapes us....next SPRING for certain 

• Day at French Lake Park 
• DONE! and we BBQ-ed and SWAM at the beach and played board games! AWESOME! 

the entire playground is NETS!

• Duluth/Grand Marnier Road Trip  
• "technically" we did this....we drove up to Duluth...for a funeral...so not actually "fun" so we are bumping this one to late September early October!! (i can do that)
• Visit Gigi & Gipops
• "technically" we did this also...during the same funeral.....SO...this MUST be revisited! September? yea on a raining Saturday....

So that is where we are at so far...with less than a month to go before school....doesnt seem like we have  much crossed off our list since we had to bump a few to the fall....but we've had a few good mini adventures round here...

....We built a fort....

.....Went strawberry pickin.....

.....held an important meeting....

.....kept up with the garden(s)...

....did some canning....

Even if we still have a few things to cross off our bucket list....we put a good dent in it!

Looking forward to doing a post on MINNESOTAS' LARGEST CANDY STORE so be ready for that!!!

in the mean time.....

*puts sunglasses on

*lays back in lawn chair

Summer Adventure #1

Its summer time so let the adventures begin!!! 

We have our first official summer road trip under our belt! 

How about you? Have you been able to hit the road and have and adventure?

Well if not, this should be a good motivator! ;) 

We took a nice trip over to Milwaukee Wisconsin. Not really on your radar? 

It wasnt on ours either but honestly its not on alot of peoples...so its not all "touristy" 

that gives you freedom to do what EVER you want! No lines, no hiked prices, no headache!!!! 

Dont get me wrong im not saying to put it on your bucket list 

but if you need a cheap road trip but the budget is tight this might be your thing!!

Our main purpose for the trip was to attend a yearly convention. (more information on that here: http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/conventions/ ) So we didnt have much time for extra fun stuff but we made our own adventure LIKE WE DO so we had extra fun when we could. 

We had dinner in downtown Milwaukee.

 They have a beautiful skyline and amazing architecture.

Granted this was Saterday night..but it felt more like a Tuesday.

It was very enjoyable and relaxing! We had dinner at the Rock Bottom Brewery.

Added bonus: We ate on the patio-right on the water! 

We ate at Dunkin' Donuts...

...every morning!!!! 

We HAD to! 

I grew up on Dunkin! 

And besides that we have NONE here in Minnesota!! 

Its torture!!!

 In Milwaukee they have Chicago Style Hot Dog RESTAURANTS!!

 It was AMAZING!!

(yes i said that about HOT DOGS!!) 

They had hot dogs for all ages!

 For the little people.

For the hungry man!! 

 For those who like the classics! 

If you head out there you must visit them. Not only are they delicious the restaurant is also very clean and well kept and reasonable priced! Its family owned and they love what they do!

Check em OUT: http://www.martinoshotdogs.com/

 Its always a good laugh passing by county road PP! 

A Wisconsin road trip landmark!

Our last stop....we hit up a childhood classic...A&W! 

They are still a big thing all over Wisconsin!!

The floats were HUGE!!! 

They havent changed ONE bit! 

 They even had a classic Juke Box!!!!

 And this guy!!!

So if you in the mood to get your summer on...in case you havent yet because your just taking in the sunshine...it the road and have an adventure!

Share your summer road trips and plans in the comments!!!

Segway....

Notice our new look? 

Pretty snazzy heh?

Well i hope you all like it because it fits the new features of this blog! 

All of you have loved my random lists, my movie overviews, and my random pictures. But at the end of the day that doesnt seem like much....and it wasnt. I found myself not posting because i felt i was either ranting about something or repeating the same ideas or lists. 

With the new look comes a new idea.

I have decided that much of what i post is only from inside my head. Which is a lot sometimes. But on the flipside its only a small portion of what i want to share. I kept it that way because i didnt want to get too personal. I dont want to be another blog that post things about the regular weekend outing and has posts of the kids and bla bla bla. Thats not what this blog is. Nor is that what it is becoming. 

The new twist is this: 

my blog is going to be exactly what it was suppose to be in the beginning.  its an adventure. but not just my adventure, mr wonderful is there right along with me....so is our offspring and our canine companion. Yes ive left that out and i still plan to keep most of that to myself, because that is mine. But what i can share, and i think you will all enjoy, is the adventures we take, the places we travel to, the hole in the wall restaurants we visit, the small coffee shops that we visit (that are amazing), and the "i cant believe that just happened" moments. 

Well isnt that like all the other blogs? 

No. 

And i can say that because i am not the follow the crowd kind of person, im sure most of you have realized that from following my posts. I travel off the beaten path. I dont want the same pictures everyone else has. I dont want to travel some place that someone has "recommended". I want to travel in my own footsteps, make my own mistakes. I want to see things with my own eyes and that is what i do. THAT is the part that sets this blog apart from the others. I think you will find this blog transformed into what it was suppose to be in the first place.

I hope you enjoy the new features and are moved to travel your own path and seek your adventure. 

Yours Truly, 

Lil' Me

Big Deal......

The world wide interweb is a buzzin' with the topic of the new year. 

what you can do for the new year, what resolutions you should have, how to shed those pounds, all sorts of re-DONK-u-lu-NESS!!!!

it may be a new year, but its also a new month (Hey january! what IS UP?!) just like last month,

 a new day just like yesterday was.  (poor monday never had a good reputation.....)

Tomorrow your still gonna put the same shoes on you had LAST year (which is this year right now) clothes too. I bet your even gonna get in that car your had LAST year and drive it around.... 

(HOW DARE YOU!!!) 

Everything is 

 NEW!

           NEW!

                           NEW! 

NEW year! 

New YOU!!!

Its a procrastinators dream!!!!!

(you know who you are!)

 its a way to attempt to make up for all those things you SHOULD HAVE done ALL year LAST year.....

ya'll trying to feel better bout your selves......

YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY!!!

(you knew that though..didnt you?)

Well. 

This is for you. 

All you procrastinators. 

its straight up. (just the way we like it round here)

BUT 

(wow, thats a big but! :P ) 

 you will have accomplished all the things you ever wanted. 

never to have to have a NEW ME goal. just cause theres this calender thing.....

you might even start to enjoy January again.....(thats the month after december...ya'll seem to forget) 

(THIS IS FOR YOU JANUARY!!!)

(little shout out there...sorry....)

I wont make you wait any longer....the moment you waited for all year: 

GET IT DONE AND OVER WITH ALREADY:

 For those "looking for love": 

stop looking. you look desperate. 

For those "wanting to get organized in 2014":

stop being gross and clean up after yourself. 

everyday. 

For those "looking to hit the snooze button less":

Go to bed before midnight. Be an adult.

For those "looking to save money":

stop spending all your money on things you dont need "just cause its on sale". 

dont go to the store to "look" 

say no to yourself. you can handle it. 

For those "looking to lose weight": 

Stop eating everything just cause you can. 

Have some self control. 

Make healthy eating choices. EVERYDAY. 

For those "looking to get to the gym more often": 

aint no body got time for that! 

save your money. 

Go for a walk. 

Thats also exercise. and FREE. 

For those "looking to improve ones inner-self": 

(this one kills me) 

stop being a jerk. 

stop saying you dont care, when clearly you do. 

and be patient. that will improve your attitude 98%!

For those "looking to bury the hatchet": 

stop dwelling on things that happened 

FOR.

EVER.

AGO.

boom. 

hatchet buried. 

For those "looking for a fresh start" :

you can do that any day of the week. 

but maybe you should be more specific. 

what do you mean "fresh start"?

"Fresh start" usually means starting ALL OVER some where else.

are you gonna do that?

having a "fresh start" actually takes some planning...

its not something you can suddenly do because 2013 was holding you back! 

Well, there you go. 

You got it all accomplished, and it took less than five minutes. 

 Did i miss any? 

Leave yours in the comment section!!! 

Love: the source of life

Everything you do encompasses love. 

The way you think. 

Feel. 

Talk.

Act. 

It is evidence of your love.

The definition of love is: 

 "a profoundly, tender, passionate affection for another person; a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection"

 The definition of affection is:

"fond attachment, devotion, or love; the emotional realm of love; the act of influencing or acting on; the state of being affected" 

Does your inner self show that love?

I thought i knew what love was....now i know better.

This is not the love you have for another person. 

This is the act of love. The things you DO. The things you SAY.

How you respond, verbally or otherwise, to anything, to everything.

That is how you know if you have that love. 

The true definition of love. 

I learned that love, real love, earlier this week. 

 I learned that love goes deeper than your words.

I learned that love is loyal.

Love is perfect. Even if we are not.

Love does not run away. Love is firm. Definite. 

Love doesn't see the wrong, it sees the rights. 

Love remembers.

Love is solitude. 

Love is calm, love is reassurance, love is steady. 

 Love will never leave you.

Learning this was not painful,

 it wasnt some horrible tragedy that changed my life forever....

...it was  a person. 

SIDEBAR: 

for those of you who dont know me, I didnt fall off a cliff in love....

im not single. I have been married for 10 years. 

So, this isnt one of those gross mushy googly eye love posts. 

 END SIDEBAR. 

this person  has showed me a side of love

 i have never know my whole life......

....this person showed me the loyalty, 

the security, the happiness, the peace. 

Everything that love IS and SHOULD BE. 

We should all have that kind of love in our lives....

SUMMER BUCKET LIST

Its been requested 

and since we have just under a month until the end of....

(dont worry im not gonna say it).

It is here, your:

SUMMER BUCKET LIST

There is no time to waste so lets get started: 

1. No summer is complete without going to a baseball game.

http://www.uniquelyminnesota.com/activities/superior-hiking-trail-five-great-hikes.htm

2. Hiking. The sights, the sounds, THE SMELLS. Enjoy the nature before its frozen!

 

3. Bug catching. Grab a kid they will show you how its DONE!

4. Climb a tree. 

5. Eat a Popsicle.Quick before it melts!

6. Sprinkler.
Need I say more?

7. Have a beach day. 

 8. Watch the sunset. 

9. Watch the sunRISE!

10. Grill. 

11. Road Trip

12. Stay up late and enjoy a fire. 

13. Stop & Listen.

http://tinfishmpls.com/

14. Eat out on the Patio

Well there you have it. Now go and finish up  your summer right!