SA-WEET!

Andy and I did a silly thing and took an impromptu and completely last-minute trip to St. Louis for the weekend with little Ariana. We had intended to go to the zoo and to the City Museum, but we only managed to get in the first one yesterday, as this morning got off to a sluggish start and we thought it best to take it easy, hit the pool one last time, and not try to rush off. We'll see it next time.

However, we did manage to fit in a trip to one of the places featured on one of our favorite shows: Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. It's called Sweetie Pie's, and it's a St. Louis landmark with the most amazing soul food you could ever hope to eat.

Andy asked one of the cashiers: If someone could only eat here once, what would you recommend? Her Sunday suggestions: fried chicken wings, mac-n-cheese, and greens. Which is exactly what Andy ordered.

I got the chicken wings with two sides: dressing and mashed potatoes and gravy. Ari had her very own mac-n-cheese, which she excitedly talked about for the 15-20 minutes it took us to move through the line, order our food, and pay.

Mind you, this was not at all wise for our diets or our intentions to eat healthy and watch our weight. NOT AT ALL. But ohhhhhhhhhh - it was the BEST food we've eaten in a long, long, long time! The dressing was the most fantastic I've ever had. Andy loved the mac-n-cheese, and we both agreed the chicken was phenomenal.

Did I mention we also got dessert? (Peach cobbler and pecan pie... again, the best we'd ever had.)

Naughty, naughty food day, but oh so good!

Shifting Gears

We were on the highway today experiencing heavy traffic heading into St. Louis, and eventually we came to realize it was due to an accident in the east-bound lane.

It's so easy to feel frustrated on the road... to be taken over by impatience, or anger, or frustration. Forgetting about the destination and - more importantly - the journey.

Having lived in a city for a long time, I know what it's like to finally discover the mind-numbingly slow traffic was all due to gawking or slowing down because an accident has occurred on the other side of the road.

Impatience.
Frustration.
A shaking of the head and rolling of the eyes and heavy sighing as the pace picks up and people again begin to zoom around on all sides.

But what happens to the persons or people involved in the crash? What effect might a quick prayer or thought for them and their families have? How does it change the subsequent minutes/hours/days if I can feel grateful for my own safety and empathy for those who slowed out of concern or fear or curiosity or sadness? That shift might make all the difference.