Oh Minneapolis, how I love you.

I have had the privilege of spending the past 5 days in Minneapolis seeking closure from graduation, catchup online and with support thank yous, shelter from the relentless storms, and hang out time with the greatest Becca Oehrig on earth.  Suzanne headed back to WA already, so I took advantage of my time in one of my favorite cities in the world to take it all in.

Here are some things I love about Minneapolis.
* Bethel, of course.
* Today, I got to hang out with Becca at her work at Urban Ventures (http://www.urbanventures.org/).  This organization does innercity ministry in a huge way.  She teaches art at a summer/bible school camp thing and the kids are just phenomenal.  So many races and ethnicities coming together.  It's eye opening and makes me smile.  (Plus, I got to hang out with middle school and elementary school kids for a whole day... life doesn't get much better than that!).
* This town is a melting pot of African countries, Latino cultures, Mexican cultures, and so much more. It's fascinating.
* Because of the fascinating array of cultures, there is a fascinating array of food.  Take this drink, for instance. It is a Red Bean, Grass Jelly freeze served at a Malaysian restaurant.  Who wouldn't want that?

(talk about strange texture!)
* Becca Oehrig... the model of the interesting drink is also a great reason to love Minneapolis.
* Leah and other great friends and good food!
* Then, there's the biking.  The fact that I got to go on a 29mi bike ride with a professor and we rode on the road for maybe 2 miles... the rest was paved bike trails.  AND it was a loop!
* Tea and coffee shops... EVERYWHERE... and all of them are independent!
* Crazy things that give Minnesotans pride... like Lego Land in the Mall of America

*Bike traffic... like Portland :)

* An intriguing gay pride festival that we stumbled upon.  Arguably also like Portland.
*AND...at the festival, there was very little adherence to the police rules

"NO PARKING: By order of the Police"... on every parking meter along a street littered with parked cars.

Now, I'm setting out on my own... taking a scenic route back to WA.  I'm sure adventures will abound.