Ahhhhhhhh......Relaxation!

On Friday, Eric and I dropped off Nic and Brody and went to Red Wing for a much needed mini vacation! We started our trip with a little lunch. At White Castle!! We had not been there since our living on the East Side, closing down the bar days. The restaurant was completely remodeled but the burgers were just like old times. :) After lunch we headed somewhere a little more sophisticated. The Alexis Bailly Winery in Hastings for their June open house and wine tasting. It was rainy and cold outside so we didn't get to walk the grounds, but inside the wines were great and the live piano music was lovely to listen to. We met the owner Nan Bailly. She was very sweet and even recommended a great restaurant, Staghead, to eat at in Red Wing. After we left the winery we headed out to Treasure Island Casino to do a little gamblin'! We left with twenty extra bucks in Eric's wallet and headed over to our hotel, The St. James. Our room was beautiful! Antique furnishings and a HUGE bathroom with a whirlpool tub. A big THANK YOU to Eric's friend Travis and Travis' dad for hooking us up! For dinner we headed over to the Staghead a block from the hotel. The food was really good. Eric had steak (surprise, surprise) and I had shrimp scampi. We would definitely go back there again. After a little shopping we went back to the hotel and spent a couple hours up in the lounge where we had a few drinks and listened to some good live music. After a fabulous nights rest (we slept until 8:30!!) we went to some antique shops. Eric likes to buy old, kitschy beer/drink glasses. For example, he bought a Schmidt's glass with a handle that says "I HAVE A HANDLE ON DRINKING". The buffett at the casino was our last stop of the day, and then it was time to go on home to our little boy (and Brody dog too!).

Thanks for the great trip honey! I love you!