A Really Fabulous Weekend

Hello!

I hope you survived your Monday. I more than survived mine, so I am calling it a success. :)

We were cattle-show free this weekend and took advantage of our freedom. Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out on a showbox and working with cattle, but sometimes, it's nice to actually do your hair, dress up in cute clothes, sit on a patio, drink a beer and just relax.

We started the weekend with a grill-out featuring fresh guacamole, brats on the grill, watermelon and Sierra Nevada's SUMMERFEST. And of course, my adorable niece & nephew.

{Check back tomorrow for more on that shiny red car they are driving!}

Bright and early Saturday morning, we road-tripped up to St. Paul to visit Summit Brewery. I am a huge beer fan and have a goal of visiting as many breweries as possible in my lifetime. As we were pulling in, my husband informed me that he believes once you see one, you've seen them all. Glad we are on the same page.

Since I vow to hold nothing back from you, the tour itself was not fantastic, but you do get three free samples at the end, so it's good enough for me! :)

Here's your Summit Fun Facts for the day:

• 90% of Summit beer is consumed in Minnesota and 65% in the Twin Cities. As of now, it's not distributed west of the Dakotas.
• Their most popular beer is the Summit Extra Pale Ale, but my personal favorites are their new Summer Ale, their classic Pilsner and the Oatmeal Stout. In fact, you should add the Oatmeal Stout to your list of things to drink before you die...yes, it's that good.
• The Twin Cities sits on top of five excellent aquifers, meaning we have exceptional water to brew beer with, which is part of the secret behind Summit's success. Who knew?
• If you work at Summit, it's totally acceptable to drink beer on your lunch break. Do you think that is true in the marketing department, too? :)
• At any time, they have nearly 3 months supply of beer on hand. Not a bad place to get lost in. 
• And perhaps the most important, while they might not charge you anything for the tour, three not-so-small samples later, you'll make it worthwhile to them in the gift shop. Be warned.

{Of course, we all walked out with new Summit apparel and proudly wore it for the rest of the day!}

Plus, when you start your beer tour at 10:30 am, there is still a lot of day left to fill. Ours consisted of a patio lunch & bloody mary bar with Mark's Grandpa, a quick game of euchre, my first ever stop at Trader Joe's (I scooped up some butternut squash raviloi -- any tips how to make it?), another patio dinner by the river and a perfect night listening to acoustic music in downtown Northfield.

We spent Sunday cleaning, doing cattle chores and some TV time with a season of Gossip Girl.  

Sounds like a pretty darn good weekend huh?

And if you are still following today's random thoughts, here is one more. I heard on the radio last weekend about some research that shows the summer when you are 24 will be your best ever. I am 24 and last weekend was the first weekend of summer. So far, it's definitely right for me. Was 24 your favorite?

Cheers to the rest of the best summer of my life!