The rest of the trip

Saturday, we did a LOT of scavenging for antiques. My mom is like a bloodhound. As soon as she walks into a store, she can smell the deals. She was giddy with excitement with each purchase.

We also went to the American Kennel Club Museum, which was pretty cool, if you're obsessed with dogs. Lots of oil paintings, statues, figurines, etc.

That night, we went to the Italian area of St. Louis, known as "The Hill." One of the antique store owners recommended Favazza's, so that's where we ate. Oh my- SO good! The lasagna was so insanely delectable. Too bad the portion was the size of my torso, or else I would have eaten every bite.

Our bellies full of carbs and tiramisu, we were asleep by 10 p.m. At about 5:15 the next morning, I awoke to my mom's grumbling snore and took that as an opportunity to work off my pasta dinner from the night before. I was in the hotel gym by 5:40, and I managed to jog 5 miles on the treadmill before someone else came in.

We opted to eat at Uncle Bill's for the second day in a row because we liked it so much the first time. I had the best pecan waffle I've ever tasted, and two fried eggs. Clearly, this weekend was all about indulging, but at least I worked out both days. Of course, that doesn't even come close to negating all the stuff I ate. My breakfast alone probably contained the amount of calories I eat on a normal day. Eesh. But, it was worth it.

We arrived at the zoo right when the gates opened, and boy am I glad we did. It was cool and breezy, and not at all crowded. We probably walked 2 or 3 miles during our strolls around the grounds.

I'm so glad we did it. My mom and I don't spend a lot of time alone together, and it was definitely cool to get in some mother/daughter bonding time. I think she genuinely had a great time, too.