Mall of America Play-A-Thon 2011

Yesterday we headed down to the Mall of America so Laura could play the piano at the Minnesota Music Teachers Association's "Play-a-Thon," which is a fundraiser to collect money for music scholarships. Laura jumps at the chance to go to the Mall of America, so having to play on stage in the middle of a huge, busy, noisy shopping mall was absolutely no problem.


With the performance out of the way, it was time to shop. We discovered the Hello Kitty store. Being in it makes you want to cover your eyes and run away screaming, "Ahhh, no more girly pink trinkets! I can't take any more expressionless Japanese cuteness!"

Laura likes Hello Kitty, but not so much that she was in awe of the vast, endless selection. She was happy to get a Hello Kitty charm for her charm bracelet. Whew.

We also made the obligatory visit to the Lego Store, which makes you want to close your eyes and scream for a different reason: all the crying little boys clutching $100 Lego sets that their parents won't buy for them. Karl and Laura were happy filling a small plastic tub with assorted loose Legos. Whew again!