Better late than never, huh?
Yes, I'm aware Fathers' Day was over two months ago. That said, it marked the first time since Christmas 2014 that all five of the Schwegs had been together in the same place, and it was, quite simply, the BEST weekend. Emily flew home for a long weekend, and we packed so much fun into the days we had that it made me want to forcibly kidnap her (and Jonny D) and keep us all together in Minny for good.
We reunited on Friday night the only way we know how: over drinks! Mom busted out her Pepino recipe, which we all obsessed over, and we savored cocktails and catching up on the deck before an over-the-top delish home-cooked dinner courtesy of Papa Bear.
One of our go-to summer traditions is to make a family pilgrimage to the Stone Arch Art Festival! It's our favorite...Dad and Jonathan obsess over the classic cars, we poke around in all the tents, and sometimes leave with treasures. This year was extra-fun because it was the first time all five of us have been of legal drinking age, so we took advantage at the Ribera y Rueda WINE TRUCK.
That's right. A WINE TRUCK. Because food trucks aren't cool enough. Emily freaked out over their branding, while I marveled at the unique business strategy...a wine region in Spain trying to gain a following outside the country, offering free tastings at cool events like the Stone Arch fest. Bonus: the wine was good. Very good. We tested the reds and whites, and they went down way easily!
Saturday was freaking hot, so after our (extensive) wine sampling, we made a quick loop through the rest of the fair and stopped at Pracna for a (very disappointing) round of vodka tonics. Even though we were all completely sweat-soaked and sorely in need of a good buzz, it was so fun and felt so right to get to spend time just as the five of us. Schwegmans like each other. It's pretty much the best thing in the world.
After a quick Schwegfam summit, we decided a Smack Shack dinner was exactly what the hot weather called for. Jonathan, being a total girly drinker, ordered a Hurricane, and we all laughed at him (with love and affection, naturally). Dick, being the consummate "Most Interesting Man in the World," of course ordered oysters.
Following dinner, we rolled...er, drove...home and headed out for a sunset family boat ride! Mom grabbed the Sancerre, Jon waterskiied, and I dipped my toes in and totally, completely relaxed. Nothing puts me on the default setting of "chill" like a summer on a Minnesota lake.
And to cap off the night: DOUBLE CAKES from Farmington Bakery! Emily's early July birthday and Father's Day provided the perfect excuses to try two flavors at once: our classic almond cake with raspberry filling, and double dark chocolate mint. Um, YUM. We even serenaded these two clowns with a weird, extra-special rendition of "Happy Birthday-and-Father's-Day TO YOU!"
On actual Father's Day, Emily and I pulled off a surprise that I'm still super proud of. Dad's notorious for never letting us pay for anything when we go out. Instead, he and Em have an official inside joke: she'll "just owe him a glass of wine next time." Of course, "next time" never comes, so once Mom decided we were doing a St. Paul Grill brunch, Em pulled out the big guns. We called ahead...on THURSDAY...to pre-pay for our brunch. Once we got there, I slipped my card out of the convenient pocket in my skirt (God bless you, Anthropologie!), and had happy butterflies all of brunch being excited that she and I would finally get to pay a bill for once.
Brunch was delicious, and when the bill came, Dad couldn't have been more surprised. I like to think that having adult children who are gainfully employed and capable of footing a brunch bill made a halfway decent Father's Day gift...although the real gift was getting to be together, which hasn't been the case for years.
We wrapped the day up back on the boat! The weather couldn't have been nicer...sunny, not too humid, and just the right bit breezy. Dad turned on the boat jams, we started talking about Europe trips, and joked and teased exactly the right amount.
An epic weekend to celebrate a truly epic man! Dad, thanks for being a father, a role model, a champion, and a friend. You're the best papa bear ever, on Father's Day and every day.
