Mankato on a Whim...

Sunday, we just decided at breakfast to see if Chelsey was available for an impromptu trip to Mankato. Nothing makes a trip more spontaneous than the two hour drive to get there. Once we finally got out of the house we were on our way...kinda...every road seems to have some sort of major construction project. So, once we detoured around the Twin Cities trying to navigate the major freeways that were closed, we were off...this is almost thematic since Laura Ingalls Wilder spent some time in Mankato and there was even Laurapalooza going on at MSU that weekend...but we weren't attending.

Ella was so excited to see Chelsey and turned into an absolute nut-ball once we got there. Tearing around the apartment, playing with the exercise balls. Just a crazy girl. She had to show off for her auntie. We took her to Sibley Park which has an adorable little petting zoo. She was really enjoying the animals until she heard something that intrigued her even more than adorable baby animals....

...drums.

She had to find the drums and music source. There was a worship band doing their sound check nearby and Ella was amazed by them. The actual music didn't start until much later, but she was content to watch them warm-up and check their levels. Lily was less than impressed and had to be escorted away.

Chelsey was mostly focused on the ducks. To each their own.

After the park extravaganza, we treated Chelsey to some sushi. Apparently, the top-ranked restaurant in Mankato is a sushi restaurant in an unassuming strip mall. It was so good. Next time you're in Mankato, try out Tokyo sushi and hibachi. mmmm...


I figured Ella would be completely wiped out from our time at the petting zoo/worship band/playground and restaurant and would pass out immediately in the car. Lillian was out by the time we left Chelsey's apartment parking lot. Ella was wide awake the entire ride home. And, our ride was extended an extra hour in our attempt to bypass the construction, we drove by a terrible accident. So, three hours later, we walked in the door at 10:30 and night owl still wasn't tired. We were in bed, listening to her chat away on the baby monitor. She is such a ham.