4th of July in Fargo

If you could chose anywhere to go over the 4th of July weekend - wouldn't it be Fargo, ND? Some may say no, but us Helleen's disagree. We had our car packed and ready for a long weekend in Mitch's old college town. It wasn't just Mitch's alma mater that brought us back to North Dakota - but his brother Matt and his wife Jen graciously invited us into their West Fargo home for the holiday. 

Matt and Jen have been the travelers of the Helleen family. His job has given them the opportunity to live in many fun places, but ultimately after 6 years living from state-to-state they made their way back to the Midwest. I think they enjoyed their time in Nebraska, Arizona and California but after being away so long it's nice to have them just a few hours away. It gives us the opportunity to spend holidays together, which we haven't always been able to do!

Mitch and I opted to take advantage of the 4th falling on a Friday, and both used PTO Thursday to make a long weekend of our trip. After dance class Wednesday night, we headed North. Three hours is a manageable drive and the trip to Fargo is something I think I could do with my eyes closed. I spent many weekends toting myself back and forth from St. Cloud to Fargo during our college years, so the drive always seems easy peasy. Harper decided NOT to sleep on the way up, which was not part of our plan. I should have learned by now, nothing goes the way you plan it. So when we arrived to Matt & Jen's - we were all tired and ready for bed! 

Since Matt & Jen both had to work Thursday, we had our own little family day. Mitch wanted to drive around campus and check out his old stomping grounds. We drove by his old college house and remembered there was a school right across the street with an awesome playground. The sun was shining and it only seemed appropriate to stop and let Harper play on a picture perfect day. Both Mitch and Harper ran around sliding down slides, crossing monkey bars and climbing up the different equipment. Harper was in playground heaven and her smile and giggles were infectious. 

Austin was in town with his frat bros, so I had scheduled to meet up with him for lunch. After wrapping up our time at the playground, we drove over to the Bison Turf for greasy food and brewsies. Well, since I'm pregnant and Austin's only 19 - Mitch is the only one who got to enjoy a cold frosty mug. It was fun catching up with Aust before the holiday and enjoying some good greasy bar food.  

After lunch we headed back to Matt & Jen's for a little relaxation and hopefully a nap. Bob & Deb had made it into town - so we met them there. After an epic battle, Harper finally gave in took a little nap. Being away from home and her usual "big girl bed" and normal nap routine really throws off her sleep schedule. It's something we struggled with all weekend, but we managed to make it through. Later that night Nick joined in on the Fargo fun - and we were ready for the holiday! 

The morning of the 4th, the boys had planned a golf outing. With the men gone playing 18 holes, that allowed us to have some girl time! We decided to hit the downtown scene, but unfortunately almost every shop was closed for the holiday. I think we still had fun walking around window shopping. Downtown Fargo is adorable, and has a great "old Main Street" vibe. 

After our short lived Downtown experience. we were off to our next stop - Bonanzaville! When Mitch started college back in the fall of 2003 - we kept noticing the tourist signs for Bonanzaville. It became an on-going joke that it's somewhere we would go someday. Well, it finally happened this past weekend. It only took 10 years for me to fulfill my Bonanzaville dream and it's pretty much what I expected. It's advertised as an old pioneer town and historic museum. I love the look and feel of old towns and establishments, so I knew I wouldn't' be disappointed. Deb and Jen were nice enough to join us for Bonanzaville's 4th of July celebration. Harper climbed on the trains, checked out the ponies and tractors. We popped in and out of old homes and shops and ended our experience with their 4th of July parade. It was a fun unconventional girls morning at the pioneer village! 

After wrapping up girl time, we headed home to meet up with the boys. Harper finally got to touch Matt's guitars and a few people enjoyed N64 battles. While they played Mario Kart - Harper and I played her newest game, Hungry Hungry Hippos. That night was pretty low key. We grilled, hung out and lit off a few fireworks. Even though it was raining, we still let Harper enjoy a few sparklers before bed. I mean, it was the 4th of July - she had to! She thought they were pretty awesome, but kept calling them "sprinklers." After a few "sprinklers" we convinced her it was time for bed. It was a great 4th with the Helleen fam. 

After waking up Saturday, we noticed the lack of sleep and being off schedule was catching up with all of us. We decided to cut our trip a day short and head back home for a night in our own beds. Before we started our 3 hour trek home, we had a morning of fun planned. 

The Red River Zoo is just minutes from their town home, and since it was absolutely beautiful outside it seemed like a no-brainer. The zoo was itty bitty, but seriously one of the cutest zoo's I've ever been to. The exhibits were so nice and ducks and peacocks roam free on the premises. I was obsessed with the peacock until it screeched at us. We roamed around checking out the animals and ended at the zoo's playground. It was a hot sticky day, but that didn't stop us. Afterwards we let Harper pick out a stuffed animal to bring home. We were all trying to convince her to chose our favorites, but she insisted on a rabbit. We didn't even see rabbits! We didn't argue, and she quickly named him Peter. He's made it into her "night-time friends" group and is part of our regular bedtime routine. 

We wrapped up our time in Fargo with a nice lunch at Granite City. It was fun seeing Matt & Jen and we can't thank them enough for letting us come in and take over their home. The three hour drive back to Maple Grove went pretty fast and we were home by 6pm. Harper fell asleep the last 15 minutes of our drive (because why would she nap during our 3 hour drive? Ugh.) and was clearly exhausted. We pulled into the driveway and brought her inside. She could barely keep her eyes open and even crashed on the stairs. It was an early night for all of us. 

After a good nights sleep, we all woke up well rested. It was nice to be home and have all of Sunday to do whatever we wanted. Mitch ran a few errands and Harper and I decided to make it a pool day. We spent hours at the outdoor pool. Harper's kept swimming on her belly saying, "Look Mom, I'm like Ariel." It was the cutest thing. It was nice relaxing way to end our long weekend!

Hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th! I know we enjoyed our North Dakota trip!

Until next time…

The Helleen's