Duluth Trip: Visiting Family

My husband and I decided to take a trip to Duluth, MN, for New Year's to visit family. After five hours of driving, we made it to the hotel. Getting into the room was hectic with kids, bags, and all the stuff. By the time we were in the room, I was frustrated and tired. I wasn’t exactly in a fun mood. Our boys showed none of these negative emotions. They were so excited to be in a new place; everything was interesting. The elevators! A swivel chair! Something that looked like a phone, but it had a cord! Their excitement became contagious.

After we settled in, we decided on dinner. We were having pizza, which, to my boys, is basically a vacation in itself. On top of that, after dinner, we went to the hotel’s indoor pool. It was so cold. Almost immediately after getting in, their lips were blue. Of course, to them it was awesome, but we had to go. I felt a little defeated as we took the short walk back to the room, but they were anything but. They were just as excited to “swim” in the bathtub as they were in the pool. They played until the water was cold and got out wrinkly and content.

The next morning, New Year’s Eve, we found a small breakfast diner where we fought the cold to get in and shoved our crew into a tiny little booth. My husband and I fueled our bodies with weak coffee and started the day a little frustrated. The boys had Mickey Mouse pancakes, so their day was already promising to be magical. Next, we headed to the Great Lakes Aquarium. This was fun! Our oldest son was elated. He was able to touch a sturgeon, and there was a slide. Could life be any better? As my husband and I fought through crowded exhibits, the boys’ faces lit up as they took in all of the colors, fish, and people. 

A few hours later, we were all ready to leave the aquarium…the adults because adulting is exhausting, and the boys because they were sure some other awesome adventure was in store. (Note: While planning this adventure, I did not take into consideration the holiday schedules.) Most things were closed, and because of record-low temperatures, we couldn’t just go walking around. Luckily, there is a portion of downtown Duluth that is connected by a skywalk. Initially, we thought the boys would not find the skywalk exciting because of the grey walls and unremarkable sights. But, they found the empty hallways to be an opportunity to test their foot racing skills. They ran themselves into exhaustion. 

That evening, we found a place for dinner, Duluth Grill. They assured us they were normally packed, but on New Year’s Eve, they were always very slow. After a morning in a packed aquarium, very slow sounded perfect, so that’s where we went. After dinner, we decided to treat ourselves to desserts. (What’s vacation without dessert?) The boys ate dessert with gusto, soaking in every sweet morsel. We finished the night blowing noisemakers and watching the Times Square ball drop festivities on television from the comfort of our jammies and hotel room.

As the boys went to sleep that night, long before midnight, I realized my second resolution; I wanted to be a more positive person. My children spent our mini-holiday finding excitement in everything we’d done or hadn’t done. They focused on the experience. Being realistic, I understand it’s impossible to have the same outlook on life as a child. However, I do think that by keeping their outlook in mind as I approach something, I will find joy, even in some of the most mundane tasks.

Original post by Heather on 1/22/18