Weekending - April 16, 2021

This weekend was a huge dose of happiness to my soul!  My friend Linda came for a visit for the first since the beginning of the pandemic.  This was the longest we have ever gone without seeing each other in person in 45 years.  That's right, 45 years!  We've been best friends since the 6th grade and have always visited each other frequently even though we live in different states.  Through the pandemic, we talked on the phone daily and Zoomed often, but it's still not the same as being together in person.  Now that we are both fully vaccinated we can safely resume getting together!  

Linda arrived on Thursday night and after hugs and tears of joy, we wasted no time checking items off our list of things we wanted to do.  We realized a while ago that neither of us had seen the classic movie Citizen Kane.  After dinner, we settled in and started watching.  Sorry Orson Welles, neither of us was impressed.  Have you seen it?  Did you like it?

Friday morning we had a leisurely breakfast and headed to the outlet mall for some retail therapy.  The effects of the pandemic slapped us in the face with all the shuttered stores.  We still managed to find a few things to buy!

After shopping, we explored The Mural Mile in downtown St. Louis.  Located at the east end of Chouteau Avenue and S. Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard, this striking display of graffiti art is so impressive.  Now, I have to say, it's not in the best area and we were a little skeptical but truly enjoyed seeing this piece of work.  It was created by over 250 graffiti artists from all over the county who have come to St. Louis to paint this mural on the Mississippi River floodwall. 

A late lunch was in order and we decided on a St. Louis classic - Crown Candy Kitchen. 

This landmark has been around since 1913 and it's famous for its Heart-Stopping BLT and milkshakes.  So, guess what we ordered...

If you want to learn more about Crown Candy, they are being featured on the Discovery + show Restaurant Recovery airing now.  

Friday night we headed to an actual movie theater to watch Nobody.  It was great!  Great to be back in a theater and great to be seeing a movie on the big screen.  

Saturday we lounged around and watched all four new episodes of Younger.  It was so wonderful to have my friend sitting in the same room laughing and talking with me!  

We might have also watched the entire first season of Emily in Paris.  We had each watched it separately, but it was wonderful watching it again together.  It was just as fun to watch the second time around!  

We did haul ourselves off the couch in the afternoon for some more shopping and then went out to dinner.  Sitting down in a restaurant to enjoy a few cocktails and good food was on our list and Mungo's did not disappoint!  Eric and Linda had steak and I had a chicken dish.  All were fabulous!  

On Sunday, we met up with our son and daughter-in-law for lunch at Old Herald.  It made my heart so happy to be sitting outside, enjoying good food and great company!

Linda sadly had to leave after lunch, but seeing her in person was nothing short of epic.  We already have many plans for future get-togethers!

In the afternoon, I had a Zoom book club gathering.  We discussed the book Fast Girls:  A Novel of the 1936 Women's Olympic Team.  I highly recommend this book!  Everyone in our book club enjoyed it.  Here's the synopsis from Amazon ~

“Fast Girls is a compelling, thrilling look at what it takes to be a female Olympian in pre-war America.... Brava to Elise Hooper for bringing these inspiring heroines to the wide audience they so richly deserve.” (Tara Conklin, New York Times best-selling author of The Last Romantics and The House Girl)

Acclaimed author Elise Hooper explores the gripping, real-life history of female athletes, members of the first integrated women’s Olympic team, and their journeys to the 1936 summer games in Berlin, Nazi Germany.

Perfect for listeners who love untold stories of amazing women, such as The Only Woman in the Room, Hidden Figures, and The Lost Girls of Paris.

In the 1928 Olympics, Chicago’s Betty Robinson competes as a member of the first-ever women’s delegation in track and field. Destined for further glory, she returns home feted as America’s golden girl until a nearly fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything.

Outside of Boston, Louise Stokes, one of the few black girls in her town, sees competing as an opportunity to overcome the limitations placed on her. Eager to prove that she has what it takes to be a champion, she risks everything to join the Olympic team.

From Missouri, Helen Stephens, awkward, tomboyish, and poor, is considered an outcast by her schoolmates, but she dreams of escaping the hardships of her farm life through athletic success. Her aspirations appear impossible until a chance encounter changes her life.

These three athletes will join with others to defy society’s expectations of what women can achieve. As tensions bring the United States and Europe closer and closer to the brink of war, Betty, Louise, and Helen must fight for the chance to compete as the fastest women in the world amid the pomp and pageantry of the Nazi-sponsored 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

This weekend was so special!  Just seeing Linda and doing normal things (even while still wearing masks) was incredible!  Life as we knew it is slowly coming back and I'll never take it for granted again.