The Whole Crew, Together Again

As most of you know, Mitch has three other siblings - two of which live out of state. This past weekend Mitch's cousin Tom got married, so the whole crew was back together for the exciting occasion. Matt and Jen flew in from California late Thursday night, and Nick ventured back from North Dakota that same evening. It's been a while since all the Helleen siblings were back together in one spot - so it was sure to be an epic weekend.

Friday was bittersweet for Mitch. He said goodbye to all his fellow Boston Scientific friends after nearly 6 years. They were nice enough to throw a mini "see ya later" party, which consisted of a bicycle pub crawl around Northeast Minneapolis. Yep, I said bicycle pub crawl. People cycling around from bar to bar, chaining up their wheels at each stop. I tagged along for the celebration, but opted to drive my vehicle. No bike for me. Since I haven't sat on a bike for nearly 10 years, I didn't think a pub crawl was the best place to hop back on the cycling wagon. 

Those of you who live here in the Twin Cities know we had terrible weather Friday night. Insane winds that knocked down 100's of trees, torrential downpours that resulted in flooded streets and power outages all across the state. While enjoying a couple drinks and wonderful company at our first bar, the lights began to flicker. Then BOOM - we were sitting in the dark. Since it was pouring outside and most of the people at the bar only had a bicycle as transportation we opted to wait out the storm. Another round was ordered and we hung out in the dark until the rain slowed down. Finally the rain stopped and we made our way to the next bar. Mitch's brother Nick and his girlfriend Tori hopped in the car with me as we drove down the flooded streets of Minneapolis. Tori was fascinated by the water, and rolled down the passenger side window to snap a few pictures with her iPhone. As we're wading through the intersection in my car, we hear Nick start to say "Tori, you should roll up the window because there is a car coming." He barely finished the sentence before a tidal wave came through the window soaking Tori, my front dash and sprinkling my right side. For a moment I think we all sat there with our mouths hanging open. It was like a scene out of a movie. We laughed the rest of the night about our crazy flood experience. Jennie, Mike and Matt met up with us later in the night, so it was a full Helleen extravaganza. We wandered from bar to bar cheers-ing Mitch the rest of the night. It was very fun, and a night I don't think any of us will forget. Mitch began the next chapter of his career yesterday at St. Jude Medical and is looking forward to this great opportunity. Harper and I couldn't be more proud!

Saturday was Tom and Ashley's big day, and we couldn't wait to celebrate with them. Our morning started off a little lazy and slow, but we were ready to watch the bride and groom walk down the aisle by 4pm. The ceremony was perfect. Ashley was a stunning bride, and Tom couldn't have looked happier. 

After pronouncing them husband and wife, we made our way to Como Zoo and Conservatory for the reception. What an awesome venue! The tables were labeled with different zoo animals, and I might be bias but I think the lion table was the best! :) Stunning flower arrangements covered every table, and fun pops of colored lights beamed up the wall. It was such a cool vibe. The food was great, even Harper loved her kids meal! After dinner my parents drove to St. Paul to bring Harper home for the night. (Thanks again for doing that, and letting us enjoy the night without a little one!) Once the DJ started, the entire family hit the floor. I think we only left to get drinks or go to the bathroom - the dance floor was dominated by the Helleen crew and it was awesome. We had such a good time dancing, singing and laughing. It was a great wedding, and an amazing party! Congratulations again Tom and Ashley Dunnwald!

Sunday morning we woke up and headed of to Tim and Tracy's for a post-wedding brunch. It was fun to see everyone again, and reminisce about the night before. As usual, the food was incredible. Harper was in puppy heaven, chasing Jasper and Lily all around the house. I think those pups were excited to see her leave. We said our goodbyes to Nick, Matt and Jen and headed home. It was such a fun weekend having the whole clan back together again!

Sunday afternoon we headed to Stillwater for Harper's 18 month photos. The location was awesome, a cute farm with amazing backgrounds. Harper did pretty good, and even wore bows in her hair! I can't wait to see what Kristen captured! I'll share a sneak peek as soon as I can.

Until next time...
The Helleen's