Runnin' through the 6 with my woes

The kiddo officially got her first passport stamp! She wanted this summer’s trip to be out of the country and we made it happen. We chose to go to Toronto for our trip. We warned her that she may not get an actual stamp due to technology, but she got it. Aruba, is it too late to get my stamp? 

We were originally going to drive to Canada, but hubby didn’t trust us to help with the 15 hour commute so we settled on flying. We were happy we did because that 1.5 hour flight time was amazing!

So what did we think of it? Overall we really enjoyed ourselves. There was plenty of sightseeing and shopping. This was the first country I’ve been to that did not want my measly US dollar. The currency exchange was one of our first stops. We were all amazed at the amount of diversity. It was a beautiful thing and a reminder that we need to continue exploring the world. 

The city of Toronto reminded me of being on the East Coast. The houses we saw on our journey downtown were very mostly brick and they were very close to each other. Once we got downtime we discovered Yonge-Dundas Square. This could easily be compared to Times Square with the hustle and bustle of people, music, and smells. 

The Toronto Zoo was something we all enjoyed. It wasn’t the biggest and didn’t have all of the animals we wanted to see, but the animals we saw were wide awake and gave us a show. There is nothing worse than going to a zoo where the animals look like they are drugged up and lonely. Mama finally got to see her kangaroos in action. I’ve tried to find kangaroos at the last three zoos I went to with no luck. 

The best part of the trip was taking the drive to Niagara Falls. It is a requirement for everyone to see the falls on the Canada side at least once in their lives. The view was absolutely amazing. 

The biggest disappointment was food. Everyone said how great the food is. We didn’t experience it. We had great breakfast meals. The dinners were mediocre at best. 

Where to next? 

Support Small. Support Local. Support Black

It is vital to support small businesses. It’s even more important for our family to support Black owned business. August is Black business month so make sure you choose to shop with a Black business this month and each month after. Your support will continue to allow these businesses to thrive. Our Instagram often spotlights some of the trusted businesses we shop with. Be sure to follow us at FamilyFindsMn

This beautiful dress was purchased from one of favorite local shops. You can shop with them at 24PearlsCouture

A second chance for great people and grilled cheese - All Square

Let me tell you how excited I was to finally get to try the jerk chicken grilled cheese from All Square Minneapolis. The sandwich was great and flavorful.  The food may be good, but the concept of the restaurant is even better! From their website - Different from most recidivism efforts, All Square is shaped by a team of people who have personal prison experience and criminal procedure expertise. We believe the contours of re-entry programs must be shaped by those who understand its pragmatic and historic roots. How dope is this? The icing on the cake is that they offer FREE yoga on Monday nights from 5:30-6:30. What are you waiting on?? Check them out. 

More info on All Square

Trying this pescatarian thing - Seafood boil at Grand Catch

Seafood lovers unite! We went to Grand Catch for a birthday dinner. They are a small restaurant in St Paul. They do not take reservations, but they do have a call ahead list. I tried a seafood boil with crab legs. I enjoyed my boil, but I would caution anyone who does not like spicy food to stay away from that menu item. The medium spice level was extremely hot. The crab leg boil is not nearly as filling as the shrimp boil is. It’s not your traditional boil that comes with sausage and craw fish. Instead all orders include a piece of corn and a potato and you choose your seafood. It was worth the experience, but not what I expected.

Did Cardi Rock the Target Center?

Press, press, press, press, press 
Cardi don't need more press.                           
Let’s talk Cardi! We got to check out the popular artist from one of the newly remodeled Target Center suites. The performance was entertaining full of raw lyrics and twerking. However, the show was WAY TOO SHORT. I’ve never been to a concert with an artist that only performs snippets of songs. Isn’t that reserved for artist with multiple cds out? I don’t know if the short set was a Target Center thing or a Cardi thing, but it was not the concert I was hoping for.

Let’s Network

The Pancakes, Belinnis, and PJs event hosted by Next Connect was an amazing event. I’m so happy I was able to attend. The event was hosted by an amazing trio of women entrepreneurs including Naz, Ina, and Keisha. They represent the brands Girl Boss Hustle, Ina Styled, and Motley Hues. These ladies provided us with amazing food, vendors, and most importantly, they dropped jewels of knowledge. They created a great atmosphere for like minded women to network and showcase their businesses. Be sure to follow them for upcoming events.
Next Connect

Treats

Who doesn’t love Treats? Well in this case we are talking about a new restaurant on Grand Ave in St.Paul. Treats is a new ice cream shop owned by siblings. The aren’t like any regular ice cream shop. They specialize in boba tea AND ice cream made with cereal.

Welp we decided to try it on a late Saturday night. There is absolutely nothing wrong with ice cream at 10pm. It was a hot and busy day and this was the perfect ending. My “treat” was called Crisp and Cream and it was amazing. My daughter had the Cocoa Party and she enjoyed hers as well. Check out this new business, but beware the serving size is BIG. I wanted to eat it all because it was so good but decided to save some for the next day. 

Date night! Let’s try a beer.

Date night! We have been trying to incorporate a biweekly date night in to our routine. We doubled up with another couple and went to try something different. We went to check out La Dona Cerveceria. Its’s a laid back brewery that serves tacos by Flagsmash. They have outdoor games and they also have salsa dancing on Saturday nights. If I could dance I would try it 

We learned that we still don’t like beer. Nope... none of the flavors worked for us,  but our friend enjoyed his beer and hubby enjoyed his quesadilla dipped in the custom queso. Overall this is a great neighborhood gem to check out and if you are a beer lover you will be in heaven.