Last weekend, Tomkin and I drove up to Grand Forks, North Dakota, so he could meet some more of my friends and family members and see where I grew up. We drove up on Friday, February 1, and went straight to my grandma's. 
My mom had just gotten in, too (from Texas). Tomkin's excited to have a grandma again! We ate pizza and had a nice visit, and then Tomkin and I met up with Brenda at the Blue Moose. We caught the very exciting end of the UND Fighting Sioux vs. MN Gophers hockey game, then went back to Brenda's, where slept for the weekend.
On Saturday, we braved the cold to explore downtown Grand Forks. First we went to Badman Design and got a tour of the place from David Badman himself. (Brenda owns one of his tables.) Then we went to the Amazing Grains co-op, where Tomkin did his grocery shopping for the weekend. And of course we went to Widman's candy store--always a necessary stop. Dan Widman was working, so we chatted with him and tried some different treats. 
Tomkin even got some sugar-free Chippers! Keeping in the food theme, we headed to LaCampana for lunch--it's another of my favorite places in town. Then we checked out the Ralph Englestad Arena on the UND campus, "Home of the Fighting Sioux." 
And even though it was well below zero, we decided to walk around the English Coulee, one of the places in Grand Forks that's most special and meaningful to me. Well, we lasted about two minutes, didn't even make it all the way down the coulee, took some photos, and headed back to the warm car. 
Tomkin was ready for a nap, so Brenda and I dropped him off at home, and then we drove around a little more. At a nearby park we spotted some horses and a horse and buggy, so we decided to see what was happening. They were offering free rides, so we accepted! (Eons ago, Brenda and I went to horse camp together.) 
That evening, Tomkin and I went back to Grandma's to have hotdish for dinner with her, Mom, Mike & Renee, Ben, Alex, and Laura. We just sat and talked the whole evening and had a great time. Tomkin provided extra entertainment with a couple magic tricks.
It was still really cold on Sunday, but Brenda and Tomkin and I took her three dogs to the new dog park. Trixie and Itsy are hers; she's fostering Missy the border collie. Despite the frigid temps, the dogs had a great time. We were all a little frozen by the time we piled back in the car. Brenda and I dropped Tomkin off at home and went out for some Chinese food. That evening, Tomkin and I had dinner at Mike & Renee's. One of the highlights of the evening was playing Rock Band. 
Tomkin sang "Ballroom Blitz" like he was on stage with thousands of people watching. (Do any of you Carls remember Malt-o-Gasm?) Mom rocked out on the bass and drums--in fact, we took turns with the different instruments, along with Ben and Alex. It was awesome!
On Monday, I drove Tomkin around the East Side and showed him my old high school and a couple of the houses in which we lived when I was a kid. We even did some shopping at the Columbia Mall, where I used to work at a jewelry store. 
That evening, Tomkin joined the ladies (me, Mom, Brenda, and Barb) for our traditional Girls' Night Out. This time we dined at the Toasted Frog, which was delicious. Then we went back to Brenda's and enjoyed a chocolate cake she had made from scratch.
Tuesday morning, Tomkin and I headed back to Grand Forks. We literally just talked the whole time--didn't even listen to music. And the five hours flew by! We stopped at Rosedale Mall on our way home and got some new shoes. (I found some for the wedding!) We got home a little after 5:00, just in time to unload the car and get ready for the caucus....
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