Carson's out of town and the girls weren't scheduled to work today, so we adventured. Our first stop was the zoo and the conservatory (greenhouse) that's right next to the zoo. The seals and sea lions were showing off and fun to watch.
This week my physical therapist suggested I wear my knee brace less and see how it goes, and I would find out if my knee's ready or not. I've been taking the brace off around the house, and now I tried a full day outside of the house without it. I underestimated how many stairs we'd do throughout the day, how many times I would get in and out of the car, and all the turns and pivots. I made it a full day without the brace but there was pain and maybe I'll keep it off at home but still wear it when I'm out and about, which was one of the options my physical therapist gave me. Also, the strengthening exercises she has me doing are straining my knee and bringing out the pain more this week, so that probably added to it.
Our next stop was clothes shopping … again … because another goal this summer is to find business clothes in Leah's petite size which has not been very easy. The right clothes that fit Leah do exist but we hunt hard to find them every time. She starts the dietetic program this fall, and there are strict clothing guidelines for presentations. It's been hard for Leah to choose neutral, plain clothes when her style is more about bright colors and fun patterns. After many days and many stores and many online orders, we've now gathered enough good interchangeable options that meet the requirements and fit Leah well. She looks so professional in them and ready to do some awesome dietetic presentations.
Saturday will be the day I visit a million stores and the post office to do all my returns and be done with shopping forever, I'm serious, but first I'm waiting for 6 more dresses coming in the mail tomorrow for Paige. Then we'll finalize the family picture clothes.
Next we visited the American Swedish Institute in Minneapolis for the first time. It's been on my list of things to do for years. The mansion is stunning and has ornate, detailed, unique woodworking throughout it. It was built in 1908 by a Swedish immigrant who owned a successful Swedish newspaper.
My very favorite part was the 11 tile stoves imported from Sweden. They're beautiful and I loved the varying colors and patterns.
Lastly, we talked Dan into joining us for the Barbie movie and I laughed the whole way through. I would watch it again and again. They get so many things right about stereotypes, expectations, and the way things are but shouldn’t be.
