Minnesota, what a place to live!

About three months ago I had the pleasure of chatting on the phone for about 1/2 an hour with a prospective relocating buyer. Now this buyer was potentially moving from Chicago but was concerned about our climate. She was very unaware of the similarities in the climate of our two communities so much so that I think she was trying to get me to answer whether we had grass or if she would need cleats for her ice boots year round! Where did she say she was moving from?!

She continued to ask me about local activities and if there was anything to do up here. If you know me well, you know I passionately talk about a lot of things but when it comes to knowing this great state that I grew up in, I get a little juiced up when I get to share my knowledge.

I have to tell you, after some recent events in my life, I wish I had the chance to talk with her for the first time all over again. If I had that chance, I would share these three experiences with her:

Experience #1: The Minnesota State High School League Boys Basketball Tournament.

The B-Ball Tourney is nothing new for me, in fact, my dad and I were talking and we have only missed one year since I was a freshman in high school. We were on a family vacation out of state the year we missed. That means dad and I have shared our annual tradition for 18 years. Wow, how time flies. This year was one of the best sets of games we have seen in recent years. Every year it seems we talk about the Red Lake vs. Wabasso game that we witnessed during the late 90's. It was a multiple overtime game with both teams scoring in the 100's. I don't think any game will ever top that one! Minnesota puts on quite a tournament every year featuring some very good teams.

Experience #2: My daughter in the great outdoors in March.

We have been having a very early spring complete with some temps in the 70's but the day I witnessed my daughter on her scooter on our driveway, the temps were more February like than June like. She decided she should put on her snow boots and helmet and ride around the driveway a bit. Now this normally would have been a great March activity if her main article of clothing wasn't a leotard. I think the neighbors were pretty close to calling someone. Note for my new Chicago friend: In Minnesota you can get by with hopping on your scooter in March in snow boots and a leotard.

Experience #3: Target Field (And the Twins too!)

Wow! Did I say wow? After painfully sitting for years in the blue plastic seats of the Metrodome which are more appropriately positioned for a monster truck rally, the fans of the Minnesota Twins are in for a treat that may just bring a tear to the eye. My brother-in-law Brad and I witnessed this past Saturday's Twins exhibition game at Target Field against the Cardinals. The weather could not have been more perfect. The food was great, the seats were pointed at home plate, and we got to see multiple jet airliners pass between us and the occasional white fluffy cloud in the mostly bright blue sky. There are so many perfectly planned little details around the stadium.  One of my favorites was seeing the photos of all of the fans and small town ball fields throughout Minnesota at the Town Ball Tavern. If you haven't made plans yet to see the stadium, make sure you make it a priority this year. You can still get tickets at the Twins official website or you can visit stubhub.com to buy tickets from a season ticket holder.

Don't forget, you don't have to be a relocating buyer to take advantage of and appreciate all our state has to offer. I have already been having a blast in 2010 and we haven't even gotten the boat out yet!

Leave a comment and share with me some of your favorite Minnesota experiences!

An Early Father's Day

A few weeks ago I heard a morning show describe the difference between Mother's Day and Father's Day. It was stated that Mother's Day is a day when mothers everywhere get to take a day off to enjoy doing something for themselves while dads watch the kids for the day. Father's Day was then described as a day very similar to Mother's Day in that dads get to be dads and spend a day by themselves with the kids.


I know they were attempting to be humorous and I did laugh quite a bit, but if their definitions hold true then I got an early Father's Day yesterday! Jessi and her three sisters spent the day shopping which left me alone with our three children. I decided the kids might get a little antsy if we stayed home all day and to be honest, I might go a little stir crazy myself. So what to do on a Sunday afternoon?

Prior Lake is just a few miles from our home so I pulled out my real estate map book to see if there was a park on the lake that we could picnic at. I immediately noticed the massive green space on the map that was labeled "Lakefront Park". In the 6 years that we have lived in Shakopee I can't believe I haven't discovered this gem until now.


I packed a picnic, loaded up the kids, and headed out to see what the park had to offer. This park has it all! We found a very clean picnic shelter fully equipped with bathrooms waiting for us to enjoy our lunch. The kids behaved very well and Tate and Avery were very patient as Beckett took his time finishing his lunch. We then headed past the skate park (which was of great interest and conjured up many questions from the kids) to the large playground. The kids loved everything but probably would say the pirate ship was their favorite.


After some playtime, I was able to coax the kids into taking a walk while enjoying some nature along a portion of the more than 3 miles of trails. We headed toward the swimming beach and on the way we saw turtles, dragonflies, and ducks to name a few. I found out that there is a sandy beach with life guards on duty as well as boat slips available to park and swim. I couldn't be more pleased about the boat slips. This will give me some more ammunition to hopefully convince Jessi that a boat would be a great idea for our family!

If you are ever in the southwestern suburbs looking for something to do, I encourage you to check out this wonderful resource. From party pavilions to beach volleyball, this place seems to have it all. They have a very comprehensive website to check out photos, maps, and more information on the available amenities. Just visit: http://www.cityofpriorlake.com/parks_lakefront.shtml With gas prices continuing to rise, this park may become a very popular entertainment venue for our family this summer!