Rants and Rambles: Our North Shore anniversary vacation ~ day 1

We are on vacation! I kept saying that, probably a dozen or more times since yesterday when I got home from work. I'm still trying to let it sink in...that we are really, really, for real on vacation! We are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this week and have been planning this getaway for a few months now. I think we were both a little nervous that something would happen and crap on our plans and we wouldn't be able to actually go...but as we pulled out of the driveway this morning with our car packed and hit the road, it became a reality...WE ARE ON VACATION!!

First stop (of course, duh) was Cabin Coffee...sugar-free turtle frappes were our go-juice of choice. We decided to take the Rochester/Twin Cities route since it was mostly interstate and I much prefer that over two lane hwy driving. We hit downtown St. Paul around 1pm and decided to go to one of our favorite lunchy places in the cities...Cosettas Eatery and Italian Pizzaria because IT'S THE BOMB!

I got the same thing I got last time we were here...the meatball sub, which happens to be the size of a small baby and I only ate like 1/3 of it.

It was so nice not to be in a hurry. Our day to day lives can be so rushed that I forget to slow down sometimes and enjoy the things we experience. There are so many opportunities in each day, no matter where we are, to slow down and savor the moments.

Vince got us a cute little plate of cookies from the bakery to have in our room because he's just sweet that way.

We had our first glimpse of Lake Superior as we passed through Duluth, and we were quite excited! We decided not to stop there because we really wanted to get to the resort, but we will check out some of it's amenities on our way back. I'd like to see the bridge up close, and we know there is a lighthouse and at least one winery there.

Why does driving through tunnels feel so cool??

After an 8 hour drive (with several stops) we made it to Bluefin Bay ~ our home for the rest of the week! We are on the 2nd floor, in the Grand Superior Suite.

This little path down to the cove is not far from our door. Vince went down there shortly after we arrived to check out the shoreline...

...while I stayed back to get our room set up and take in the long anticipated view from our window. It was a bit overcast and there was fog forming above the lake. But it cleared up nicely later and we were able to get some great pics.

The sight of the water and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore is one of my favorite things in the entire world.

Once we were settled and finished ooo-ing and aaaaah-ing about our room and the view, we got ready and went out for dinner.

Vince likes to try local beers when we are out and about. It's his thing. He said this one was "not bad". After we got seated and ordered our food, I went outside to get some pics of the beautiful scenery (and listen to the waves again). It was still a little overcast and started to sprinkle a bit.

See the seagulls out on the end of the rock? Mine! Mine! Mine!

As our first course arrived we looked out the window and were blessed with this FULL rainbow! My camera couldn't get the whole thing in one shot, but I ran right back outside to capture it in the rain.

We shared a delicious dinner of almond buttered lake trout (caught in Lake Superior of course), vegies and wild rice with blueberries....which was an interesting surprise and very tastey.

After our lovely dinner, it was back to our room to enjoy the evening together. Mr. Wonderful built us a fire (oh how I've missed a fire!). He kept it going late into the night and it was heavenly.

After dinner we found a few things at the gift shop at the restaurant...the second I spotted this little gem I HAD to have it (my litmus test regarding if I buy something or not is my immediate reaction of "I HAVE TO HAVE THAT!" If I don't love it at that level, I usually walk away.) This one meets or exceeds my criteria for "perfectpurseawesomeness" except for one detail...it's pretty small, however that is the purpose of this one so I can comfortably take it when we are out on excursions. It has to be small, lightweight and have a long strap to go over my shoulder so I can be hands free while we are out and about for a day.

Seriously, I love everything single thing about it...red and brown leather, brushed brass accents, treble clef emblem (whah???), pockets inside and out, and lined with polkadot fabric! HELLOOOOO SWEETNESS!!!! It was made just for me.

We also found this candle for our room. It has three layers of scents which have smokey/fireplace scents and are different from the usual vanilla/baked goods scents that we use at home. I wanted something new for our room so that we would have a new "scent memory" of our trip to take home with us. It has a wide wick that sounds like a crackling fire and looks so pretty, and even puts out a little warmth...four of the five senses ~ BOOM!