The Sun Shines Bright...

...on my Old Kentucky Home. One of the most affecting experiences in the world of sports is the playing of “My Old Kentucky Home” at the Kentucky Derby. The University of Louisville Marching Band, strikes up the ballad as the horses make their way to the starting gate and the crowd sings. For anyone attending or watching the Derby, the song is a point of pride and one many know by heart.

I was in Kentucky last week for the Derby and Oaks festivities. The nostalgia of the first weekend in May in Kentucky was just too much for me to handle, so I hopped on a plane across the country to take it all in...

Last year, Maggie and I went to the Oaks - we had covered seats in the Grandstand, we dressed in our fancy dresses and fancy shoes, donned our hats, decorated in pink (the official color of the Kentucky Oaks, honoring the official flower, the stargazer lily) to celebrate the fillies and soaked up the first Friday in May at Churchill Downs. It was an incredible experience! Maggie bet the winner, I'll Have Another, so to celebrate, I drank another Oaks Lily (the official drink of the Kentucky Oaks). We still have a lot to share about our trip to Kentucky. Back to this year...

Upon my arrival in the Bluegrass State, it was beautiful (so green and slightly humid - coming from southwest Montana, these are a few things I have come to appreciate), but calling for a rainy couple of days. However, Friday, the running of the Kentucky Oaks, the weather looked sunny and warm. I whimsically called my friend Schuy to see if she wanted to spend a day together and go watch the ponies. She did. We went. To the infield. Fine fashion was ever present with another pink out event and so was the casual side of the Oaks. It was a thrilling crowd with lots of hats, lots of booze and even a slip n' slide, as the long-shot Princess of Sylmar rallied to win the Oaks.

It really doesn't get any better than the first weekend in May in Kentucky. I spent Derby Day with my family celebrating the 139th Running of the Roses. My brother, Ian, chose Shug McGaughey's first time Derby winner, Orb, in our pool. And, if you were wondering, we were definitely drinking mint juleps - the official drink of the Kentucky Derby, with Woodford Reserve (90.4 proof), the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, as we cheered on the horses. Even though it was a rainy day, the sun was shining brightly, on my old Kentucky home...

Cheers,
Emily