Hastings Getaway

Owen's extremely delayed mini-vacation finally happened! It was nearly 2 years late, but life is a bit crazy like that. 

We wanted to do something special to celebrate Owen's 15th birthday. Most Colombian girls get to celebrate their 15th birthdays with an extravagant party, and it made me think, why don't the boys get to do something special?  

I had asked Owen how he'd like to celebrate his big One-Five. He didn't want a big party but instead picked a weekend getaway to the Holiday Inn in Maple Grove. They have a pool with a small waterpark which Owen has fond memories of when he was little and he had wanted to return for his 15th birthday bash. 

We had it all booked when Owen became under the weather with a cold bug. He didn't want to be sick on his mini-getaway so we canceled. We had planned to re-book the trip, but that was nearly two years ago.

Finally, this summer, we wanted to reschedule. But now Owen was indecisive on where he wanted to go. A hotel? A resort? A rental house? Do we stay in town or venture away? There were so many options. He was a bit overwhelmed and  went back and forth before eventually settling on an Airbnb in Hastings. 

The Airbnb was a short 45 minute drive away making it quite convenient for our large family and crazy schedule. It was packed with amenities including an arcade, pool tables, dart board, indoor pool, and hot tub. With all the amenities of a hotel right in the house, everyone could do what they wanted when they wanted to.

After check in, Owen wasted no time and jumped right into the pool fully clothed. 

For dinner, Owen chose his favorite pizza - Dominos. The rest of us tolerate it, but he LOVES it and scarfed down nearly an entire extra large pepperoni pizza! 

That evening Nana Judy and Popi Dave joined us for some fun in the pool and hot tub.

The pool had a diving board in the deep end that Owen and Rose quickly put to good use. It took Kate a while to get the courage to give it a try, but once she did, she jumped off it over and over again.

We only stayed for two nights, but that was the perfect amount of time. The house itself was not at all conducive to wheelchair users with its many stairs and sunken living spaces. It made it difficult to maneuver the two youngest around. But we made it work.

The next morning, we headed off to breakfast. There aren't many culinary options in Hastings so we settled on breakfast at Perkins. As my mom would say, "Perkins is always good."

After a late breakfast, it was time for more swimming and arcade games. Nana Judy, Popi Dave and Uncle Jason popped in to play with the kids and join us for dinner. 

Rose, Kate and Cole enjoyed the vast array of arcade games to choose from. Rose and Kate's favorite was most definitely the Simpsons. 

Owen loved soaking in the water while streaming "Avatar The Way of the Water" on the big screen. It's one of his favorite movies and seemed quite fitting. He's obsessed with how long the characters trained for the movie and how they learned to hold their breath underwater for many minutes. Kate Winslet reportedly had the longest record holding her breath for over 7 minutes! 

Owen attempted to break her record with a deep breathing technique, but sadly didn't come close.

Owen was very pleased with his getaway choice and said it was all he could have hoped for, which melted my heart. I was so happy that he throughly enjoyed his very belated special getaway.