On Wednesday we had a quick breakfast and then walked over to the bus stop to take catch the number 54 bus to the Mall of America. The only thing missing from are arctic walk were penguins and polar bears!

Ok, I know you have heard, but this Mall of America is enormous! We headed right for the rollercoaster rides. My daughter Casey insisted I ride with her. I did not argue, as I love riding rollercoasters. Other than thinking we were going to bump our heads on the roof of the building, it was a blast. We then shopped and ate, ate and shopped etc. Casey tried to convince my wife to buy her a Coach bag, and I tried to convince my wife to let me buy the Ferrari that was parked in hall. Neither Casey nor I was successful. The Mall was so big it even has an aquarium. Casey and my wife, Tammi, had enjoyed the aquarium the previous day. Their favorite part was walking under the shark tank. I would have been lost finding Nemo.

We then took the bus back to the arena to watch the junior men short program and the senior pairs short. Curran Oi and Adam Rippon both skated great in the men's event! Curran's "Phantom of the Opera" number was incredible. The Boston crew was holding up the bright yellow "Skate with Passion" and "Light the Fire Within" banner that hangs in our rink back home. This has been a good luck charm for all of the SCOB kids this week. The senior pairs were excellent as well.

To top off the night we walked in the balmy -13 degree temperature to see the ice sculptures in Rice Park. Yes, it might be crazy to go out in the cold, but, St. Paul is a beautiful city, and it was nice to see the park lit up at night. I tried not to blink too much as I did not want my eyes to freeze shut.

All in all it was a great day!