The Biggest Shopping Center in the World

Hi everyone.  Tonight we are in Minneapolis, actually Bloomington, Minnesota.  And all you girls know what is in Bloomington.  The Mall of America is here.

We got here about 4:00 this afternoon, found the Marriott and stopped in the parking lot.  Our GPS lady gave us not only the directions to the Marriott but also the address and phone number.  So I called to see if they had any rooms available under the Friends and Family rate that Richard was so kind to give us certificates for before we left home.

Yes, they have a room so I reserved the room for two nights from the parking lot !!!
We  pulled up front, a very nice man all dressed in red came out to unload our car. We went inside and registered and to the top floor we came.

Now this is the nicest hotel we have stayed at yet, I love Marriott.  And the biggest reason that I like Marriott is that it has THE bed!!  The bed is the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in in my entire life.  It's wonderful!

We are almost across the street from the MOA (Mall of America) and plan to go there tomorrow and check it out.  I have been wanting a new pair of shoes so I think that will be on the agenda tomorrow.

Looking at the website tonight, I find the MOA has over 400 stores employing over 12,000 people.  Amazing.  It's on 4 levels and has movie theatres and lots of other entertainment venues.

Note to Pat:  We think we will be going through Lake City on Friday when we leave here.  We will stay somewhere between here and Sioux Falls Friday night and then be in Sioux Falls on Saturday.

Note To Lil:  Thanks so much sweetie for your comments and compliments.  We really appreciate your following us.

Note to Todd:  No more dummy moves today!  Have been very thoughtful about the use of my Flip!

Today when we drove around Fargo a bit before leaving town, we encountered a peaceful protest in front of a Women's Clinic in old town Fargo.  There was a shoulder to shoulder line of approximately 12-14 young people holding signs that said "Pray for the End of Abortion"........The clinic was in the middle of the block and on each corner were 2-3 young people wearing vests that said "Clinic Escorts".  They were there to escort patients past the protesters.

After thinking about it, I asked Wayne to drive back around so I could video the protest.  He drove up to the clinic, stopped, and stared at the protesters.  I held my breath thinking for sure that they would say something and he would  respond, we would BOTH respond and then one or all of the cops who were stationed a safe distance away would be all over us.  I could see them pounding on our car with their signs and everything.  Well, actually we just had a staring contest, no one spoke, and off we drove.

Todd, I almost needed you again!!!  But once again, we got through it without the feel of the cold steel handcuffs on our wrists!

Note to Mom:  Really good to hear your good news today.  Glad your shoulder is healed and all is good.  You needed some good news!

Again today we had a great ride and some beautiful green landscape.  Really great farms, little settlements, and green green hills.  The weather was clear as a bell and nice and warm today.

Note to Todd:  Added to previous comment, today we came upon a traffic stop on the freeway just before getting into Minneapolis.  As we approached, we noticed there were no markings on his car at all.  It was a dark  colored four door sedan looking as normal as any other car on the road.  There were no visible lights or any other marking or object that would make him look like a police car.  However, there were lights coming from several places, still not sure how though.  He was dressed all in brown with those silly looking round brimmed hats.  I grabbed the Flip and tried to get as much as I could as Wayne gasped  "I wish you wouldn't do that"  !   So, contrary to what I said earlier, maybe this was a dummy move on my part!

Bye for now .....I promise I will try to stay out of trouble now!!!

Love to all
Wayne and Colleen