Did I mention that Louisville is the most wonderful city in America?
A completely true statement as long as my daughter, Jenny, and her darling husband, Chris, live there.
Hal and I drove up on Friday for an action-packed long weekend. Here are the fun things we did.
Friday night, 8 pm. Romeo and Juliet at the Young Actor’s Theatre. My favorite part of the production: the real swimming pool. My second favorite part of the production: the opera-like juxtaposition of Act 3 scenes 2 and 3 when Romeo is banished. Wow. Who would have thought to play the scenes at the same time on two separate areas of the stage? Powerful directing.
After the show, we had a late night supper at Doc Crows, (Chris’s favorite!) an open-air main-street restaurant featuring the best bbq I’ve ever tasted. Chris took a break from studying for a dental school exam to join us. It was a perfectly breezy, early fall evening, not quite cold enough for a coat, but definitely not Florida. Natives,Jenny and Chris, love finally living in a city where the seasons actually change.
The next morning was Jenny’s birthday. We woke up and she opened presents–her favorites: shirts, sweaters, a necklace and scarf from sisters Megan and Morgan, and this awesome Northface cold-time jacket from that awesome Chris.
Next, we headed out to discover yet another lovely Louisville eatery, this time, Toast, for birthday brunch. Lovely morning Mimosas, fluffy omelets and yummy pancakes.
Then, an afternoon matinee. Wicked. Oh, my. Have I ever seen such a wonderful show? I don’t think so! What a sadly beautiful story of good deeds being completely misrepresented and converted to evil by egocentric, power hungry acquaintances.
But, in the end, in the best possible way, love is able to conquer all. Makes me completely re-imagine that last scene in the Wizard of Oz. Ding Dong, neither the good witch nor the bad witch is actually dead. And which is actually the witch? Makes me want to always ask, “why?” And besides all that, the music is fabulous.
After the show, Chris worked hard to make certain all of his plans for Jenny’s surprise party between Wicked and the FSU/Clemson game went off without a hitch. And it did. What a guy! She was completely surprised and delighted. All of their friends from Community Group at Sojourn brought food, flowers, a pinata and crazy awesome decorations.
There was the small hitch when the party mistress locked herself out of the apartment shortly before it was to begin stranding the partiers outside rather than inside, but it was all worked out, and Jenny had the best birthday of her life.
And FSU did beat Clemson. Phshew. That might have been her favorite birthday present of all.
Sunday morning we woke early and went to see a member of Jenny and Chris’s community group, Ivan, baptized. What a sweet, happy moment. The highlight was the reading aloud of his testimony just before the baptism.
We followed the baptism fellowshipping with the sweet people at the church, including pastor, Jonah Sage. After church, we went on a quest for Goetta sausage, which we found at the local neighborhood Kroger. Hal cooked it along with eggs and toasted bagels and my cheese grits. We sat down for a Sunday feast at Jenny and Chris’s lovely condo.
For the afternoon, Chris studied, Hal investigated Trader Joe’s, and Jenny and I went to the Princess Diana exhibit at the Frazier Gallery. What a lovely, heart-wrenching exhibit.
From the wedding dress that my friends and I copied for our own weddings, to the overwhelming number of condolence letters to Diana’s family at her death, Jenny and I walked through her life. What a woman. I had forgotten what hard work she did for the elderly, the underprivileged, for miners, AIDS patients, abused children, families with members in prison. Her charities reached out and touched even more people than her hollywood perfect smile. So happy to share the life of such a great woman with my daughter.
After Diana, we went to JoAnn’s fabrics. Is the Louisville JoAnn’s the biggest in the country? I don’t know, but it sure felt that way. They had everything. It was sewing heaven. Jenny had an idea for a basket of goodies she wanted me to embroider for her friend, Juli, who had just had a baby.
Jenny and I set to work, embroidering all afternoon and evening. We ended up with a basket of the following: two onesies, three burp cloths, two blankets, a hooded towel and a snugly.
We had a blast sewing while Hal cooked us his specialty, hamburgers. No one cooks hamburgers like my husband. He needs to open a restaurant. Maybe when he retires. Which is no where in the near future. Three more to get through college.
Monday morning, we slept in while Jenny went to her classes (biochemestry and molecular biology masters–one semester away from graduating!) and Chris went to his.
Later, I wrote, Hal read, and our first-born grandchild snuggled behind him. 
Later, Jenny took us to eat lunch on Frankford Avenue at Shiraz. Who knew mediterranean food could taste so good? Could they just open up one of those restaurants here in Panama City? 
Happy, Happy eating!!!!
After eating, we walked down Frankford Avenue and visited the bookstore, a pottery store, and finally the Pie Kitchen. Louisville. I love it!I
That afternoon might have been the highlight of the trip. Jenny has been teaching Pure Barre classes for a few weeks now. She loves, loves, loves teaching, and is obsessed with the sweet community of women she works with, learns from and teaches. I got to join them for a class. Ok, so it wasn’t easy. In fact, I thought I was going to die a little. But, the feeling after the class was wonderful. Thank you to Jenny and wonderful Pure Barre friends!!
