We are just filling up with gas in Pembina after a ten to fifteen minute border crossing. Luckily, there were no hard questions :). We are heading to the Comfort Inn near the Mall of America after a lunch stop at the Olive Garden in Fargo, where we will have our last fill of breadsticks for a year. We also just realized this will be our fourth visit to the Fargo Olive Garden on this trip alone!! Sorry, but you can't beat $6.95 for all you can eat soup, salad, and breadsticks - same price as fast food, and we much prefer this. Holly has been asleep since filling up with gas and Brooke and Cooper are watching a movie. This leg of the trip seems to have flown by with only half an hour left until Fargo. Highly satisfied, we have repiled ourselves back into the van and have crossed into Minnesota. James has happily just informed me that any minute now the odometer will read 11111.1 km's! Sending out bushels of sympathy to the drivers and passengers stuck in the neverending line of traffic going in the opposite direction from us, paling of course hugely in comparison with the recent traffic jam in China that made the news with people stuck there for nine days!! Thanks to the friendly waves from the little grey car with the Manitoba plates - very appreciated. I still don' t understand all the wasted time and efforts spent on changing Manitoba from Friendly to Spirited Energy..... Imagine the good things we could have done with that money...alas, seems to be the general way of things lately. We are nearing the Mall of America and we will all be glad to get out of the car. We will be thinking of Pam and Kathryn as we sit at the old fashioned ice cream counter in the American Girl store (where it looks like we will be having ice cream for supper as no one is even remotely hungry after our big yummy lunch). Unfortunately, however, after waiting for what seemed to be a long time for two members of our party of five, the ice cream counter and restaurant closed. Brooke was devastated after waiting for over six months to go :(. However she was able to make her purchases, having saved her allowance for about six months. She walked away with two outfits, an old fashioned roll top desk with matching chair, and a school set for her doll, which we purchased for her. Holly decided last minute to buy a movie and a book, and chose to not get a doll, but get something of equal value from LuLuLemon. Unfortunately the LuLuLemon at the Mall of America is still under construction, so she will have to wait until we get home. Holly and James are off rustling up supper (to deal with appetites acquired all around during the seemingly endless mall tour we took) and then he will take the kids for a quick dip in the pool. A few words on this hotel: big older hotel, decent room and bathroom, a strange smell, free wireless and a continental breakfast. We are happy here only because it is $85.00 including tax. If money was no object we would be at the Holiday Inn or Country Inn and Suites. Oooooo, I have just been informed by James (who just found out himself) that if we get the free Comfort Inn points card, that if one stayed two nights here, then the third night would be free. Also, the hotel has an Outback Steakhouse here and James and I just split a filet foccaccia sandwich and it was insanely delicious. I do not have a photo for today so i am putting up a photo from our time with the Delightful Decksheimers :) I ache for a long hot shower and a lush mattress, however it seems I can only be granted one wish this evening. Since the beds are very utilitarian, I had better run and be the first in the shower. I wonder if the hotel will know exactly who the hot water hog will be....