Day 3 - Mobday June 28

Peter is not up to posting today so I will continue ahead.

We woke up to a good nights rest at our LaQuinta Inn after a late night of the kids fooling around and resisting sleep. We slept until we felt like waking up. Fortunately, we made it in time for the complimentary breakfast! Everyone had freshly made waffles and lots of other goodies.

We took off to the St. Paul's Cathedral (thanks to our GPS).

It was redesigned t0 resemble St. Peter's

Basilica in Rome. It was not exact, but very impressive! We did not have prayer as a family on the road, so we took it in front of the statue/altar of St. Peter. Many were in our prayers today. The kids loved the stained glass windows and the amazing dome. They even had a replica of the cathedral made out of LEGO downstairs in the welcome center.

The plan was to visit the State Capitol Building,

but the weather

started looking like rain and the practical search for a parking spot deterred us from going in. It does boast of the largest unsupported

dome in world, but we took their word for it and admired it from the

exterior. Our stomaches were growling and we left for the West Edmonton Mall rip-off, the Mall

of America.

The Mall of America was an impressive structure. As a family who really does not like shopping, we were more interested in some of the features of the mall, over the shops. Even with maps, we got lost easily. We tracked down the FoodCourt and all ate Chinese food and Peter had some fried fish.

From our lunch spot we found the LEGOLand Store - then the day was done and we could die and go to heaven (or so it seemed). We spent hours testing all the pieces and building things. They had every kit and possible package you could think of. Lori-Lou purchased out of the "bulk bins" to get all those hard to find pieces. Basically it was $14 for all you could cram into their container. We got lots into ours! Not a square millimeter to spare! The kids each bought something with their own money.

They have a huge amusement park in the center of the mall. Very pricey and lots of line ups. We let the kids pick ONE ride and leave it at that. I'm glad they lived with that and were eager to head back to the hotel for a swim in the free pool.

Everyone worked up another appetite after swimming. The water

was cold, but they quickly forgot once they were in it. In the meantime, I wandered around the lobby looking for suggestions for supper. We ended up at El Loro's where we devoured authentic Mexican food. The complentary nachos were gone in minutes! LL and I ordered some Margaritas and they were terrific! Well worth the adventure just for them. I had a taco, enchilada, and chili reino. Wonderful.

We concluded the evening with laughing at an episode of America's Funniest Videos and then into bed. Tomorrow will be a long day driving to St. Louis. Likely a good day for some fresh additions to Peter's "Roadkill Alley!"