My First Kentucky Derby Experience!

The Kentucky Derby is one of the most prestigious and well-known horse races. The race is one and a quarter miles, run by 3-year-old Thoroughbreds at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky on the first Saturday in May. It is also the first race of the Triple Crown.

My family is very into horse racing, going to the track every chance we get during race season! We not only like to gamble on the races, but love to gawk at the beautiful animals and wonderful atmosphere that is found at the track. The Kentucky Derby has been one of my favorite events for yearssss! I am obsessed. Or as obsessed as one can be without ever actually attending said event.

Until now.  And let me tell you, that obsession has only grown.  I have been dyingggg to go to the Derby. My parents have gone a few times but with school, finals and other factors it just has never worked out.  This year, I decided, was the year.  I convinced my dad that we had to go, found reasonably priced tickets on eBay, asked our wonderful friends if they were up for visitors, shopped for the perfect outfit, and off we went.

We left Wednesday night and drove the 11-something hours to Louisville, stopping to sleep at a rest stop, then to tour the Maker's Mark Distillery and finally the Louisville Slugger Museum/Factory. The Maker's Mark Distillery was great.  We walked around the historic grounds, listened to the springs of pure Kentucky water, touched the Mash, smelled the fermentation process, saw the numerous oak barrels, heard the bottling process, tasted the completed product, and most exciting, dipped our own bottles into the hot red wax.  It was such a fun tour and wonderful way to break up the drive.

At Louisville slugger we saw the process of how a bat is made.  There are different variations of the process depending on what the bat will be used for.  It was very interesting.

We then met Lisa & Dan for dinner and drinks, where we talked, laughed, and caught up before heading to their house to kick off some Derby festivities.  Lisa made Mint Juleps with her wonderful simple syrup recipe and my dad wore one of her hats, to really get in the spirit!!

Friday morning, my dad and I got ready and headed to Churchill Downs for a beautiful day at the Kentucky Oaks.  We walked around the the Grandstand and Paddock areas, soaking it all in.  The Kentucky Oaks Day has become a day of pink, since it's motto is in fact, "Ladies First"!  Oaks day is dedicated to the fillies (girl horses).

We drank Lillies (a drink made of Grey Goose, Sweet & Sour Mix, Cranberry Juice and Triple Sec... aka delicious), bet on the races, and watched from our 3rd row seats as the fillies rounded the final turn towards the finish line with the sun shining bright. 

We anxiously waited for the 139th running of the Kentucky Oaks with Princess of Sylmar taking home the lillies.  Unfortunately we did not bet on her to win, and had minimal success in previous races as well.

We left Churchill Downs on Friday eager for more on Saturday and hoping the predicted rain would either come quick and be done with or hold out until after the races.

No such luck.  After partying for most of the night- celebrating a true holiday in the state of Kentucky, and enjoying more time with our dear friends, we woke up Saturday morning to rain.  Lots of rain.  It rained all day long, and cleared up just before post time of the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby. 

Don't mind the flip-flops, I wasn't about to wear heels all day in the rain, especially when I wore them the day before ;)

While I was baring the rain and soaking in all the sights of this wonderful event, USA TODAY Sports photographer, Mark Zerof snapped this picture of me as I was walking through the paddock.  I wish I wasn't wearing that stupid poncho or had at least cracked a smile, but hey, it's kinda cool. 

We saw Luke Bryan and Rick Pitino (University of Louisville Men's Basketball Coach and part owner of Kentucky Derby contender, Goldencents) on the red carpet.  I also spotted Samantha Steele Ponder of ESPN and her husband, Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings QB walking through the crowd.  I'm a fan of Samantha's and think she is a great role model for women and those in sports.  I was thrilled to have met her.  She was so sweet and willing to snap a quick photo among the chaos.  (again, that dang poncho)

My dad and I continued to enjoy the day, not letting the weather stop us from enjoying the festivities and of course, sipping Mint Juleps!  We would wait in line at the betting windows, then stand in the rain to watch the races.  Unusual race conditions brings even more unpredictable race results.  It was fun to watch long shots winning races and having the weather be such a factor in the outcome, though I had little luck in choosing a winner!

The rain stopped just in time for the horses to parade on the track before heading to their posts.  From where we were sitting, we saw them start, come down the stretch to the first turn and then again as they rounded the final turn towards the finish.  It really is the fastest 2 minutes in sports and such a thrill.  ORB, a favorite in the race, pulled out away from the pack and won the race, with a long shot, Golden Soul to place and Revolutionary to show.  Of course I made numerous bets, including Golden Soul to win and Revolutionary to place, meaning once again, I was not a winner.

My bad luck and the nasty weather aside, the Kentucky Derby was everything I wanted it to be.  I had such a great weekend with my dad, life-long family friends and enjoying a sport that I love with such an iconic event.  I can't wait to see what ORB does in the next Triple Crown races and I can't wait to go back to the Kentucky Derby.

I loved this man's Secretariat Silks Suit!!! 

Early Sunday morning we started the drive home.  Once we broke from the storm in Kentucky, it was sunny skies and beautiful views through the mountains of West Virginia.  In between falling asleep and sing-a-longs with dad, I couldn't stop snapping away! 

You better believe, that if I don't go back to the Kentucky Derby next year I will be throwing a full-blown themed party.  Invitations to follow!  :)

Band of Brothers

Back in December Connor and Caden Long were awarded Sports Illustrated Sports Kids of the Year.  Caden is a young boy with cerebral palsy who is confined to a wheel chair.  His older brother Connor competes in Triathlons with Caden in tow.  Their story touched my heart and completely brought me to tears, but my words don't do it justice.  Below is the video of the Long brothers.

Video

Now, once you've whipped your tears I want to share another story with you.

 This is my cousin, Drew.  He has Batten's Disease.

Drew developed normally until the age of 3 with only a slight speech delay and was then diagnosed with epilepsy when he started having seizures.  We knew this was not the answer.  My aunt and uncle continued to search as our family watched Drew gradually lose his speech, use of his hands and the ability to walk and eat. 

Drew was diagnosed with this rare neurological disease just days before his 5th birthday in January 2007. Batten Disease is a fatal degenerative neurologic disease that leaves children blind and bedridden with a life expectancy of 8-12 years. Those with Batten’s Disease are unable to produce an enzyme needed to clear toxins from the brain. Without it, permanent brain damage occurs that affects the child’s ability to talk, walk, see and even eat. Its onset usually occurs between the ages of 2 and 4 years. (source)

Drew has since been a part of stem cell research and has undergone surgeries on his hips and extensively on his back.  (Before and After pictures as well as info of his back surgery here)

Though we currently do not see any degression with Drew's disease, we do not see any progression either.
There is no known cure for Batten's Disease. 

Though Drew can only communicate through few facial expressions, we, as a family, know he loves being involved in our activities.  Drew is a part of us and is always included.  

Drew is included in wiffle ball games, fishing on the boat, bowling, attending baseball games (he loves the Phillies), among countless other family activities!

With this post and story of the Long Brothers as well as Drew, I wanted to bring emphasis on the fact that children with special needs not only on rely others to enhance their life, but that they can enhance others' lives so much more.

I thank God everyday for Drew and the lessons he has taught me.

Drew participating in the Special Olympics, April 2013

Family at Hershey Park, June 2009

Drew and I at the Drew's Hope Fundraiser, 2010

With Drew at the Special Olympics, April 2013

To learn more about Drew and his Foundation, Drew's Hope, please visit his website at www.drewshope.com

Currently Listening To....

There have been so many country artists releasing new albums and singles these past couple of weeks.  While I regret to say that I have not listened to the albums all the way through yet, I hope to soon and will let you know what I think.  For now, here are a few new releases that I am loving:

The Band Perry :: Done

Lady Antebellum :: Downtown

*This album hasn't been released yet, but it's coming and I just heard another song off the album, Goodbye Town and can totally tell this album is definitely not going to disappoint! :) 

 Luke Bryan :: Crash My Party

He messed up a little in the beginning of his performance at the ACMs, but that's okay!  Was anyone else a little surprised that he won Entertainer of the Year?  His speech was wonderful though, so heart felt.  Gotta love him!

Blake Shelton :: Sure Be Cool If You Did

Have you listened to the new albums in country music yet?  What do you think?

Music Review :: Little Big Town

I'm sure you've heard Little Big Town's Pontoon, which was the summer anthem of 2012.  It's the song that was on the verge of being over played by country radio stations, TV Channels and everyone who downloaded it, but no one could get mad because it's that good!

Every time we were on our boat this past summer that was the only song my dad would let us play.. truly a Summer Anthem!

And now I'm sure you've heard their next single Tornado and current single Your Side of the Bed, thinking that Little Big Town is on a roll.  

What you may not know is that Little Big Town is not new to the country music industry.  After 13 years of working together, 5 albums and 3 different record labels, Little Big Town has finally topped the charts for the first time and they couldn't be more deserving.  

Pontoon became Little Big Town's first #1 hit as the summer of 2012 came to a close.  Their newest album Tornato (released on September 11th) was debuted at #1 and held that spot for 4+ weeks.

Have you heard it yet?  If not, you should.  

I had the pleasure of meeting Little Big Town when they made a stop in the Philadelphia area late last summer on Rascal Flatts' Changed Tour.  They were so nice and friendly!  I told them how we listened to the song all the time and especially on the water, they loved it!  While my co-worker and I were waiting in line to meet them, Philip Sweet kept coming around the back-drop to take a sip of his drink.  He kept joking around with us that we put something in his drink.  Later when we saw him again backstage as he was getting ready to perform, he joked that he was still awake and that we didn't do a job of roofie-ing him! That day as a whole was my top 3 favorite days of working at the radio station.  More details of the day can be found on this post.  

 

Now, let's talk music... Pontoon is a great song, but what about the rest of the album?  Is it worthy of that #1 spot and recent nominations/awards?  

The answer: Absolutely!

Little Big Town has shown us something we haven't seen before.  Four unique artists whose sounds compliment each other wonderfully.  I love how each song produces a different feel due to the variety of strengths in each of them.

 Little Big Town took home 2 ACMs this past weekend:  Vocal Group of the Year and Video of the Year, "Tornato".  And like I said before, they are so deserving.  They have shown that it's not always easy, but the wait is so worth it.  I know they are enjoying & appreciative of every bit of their success.

The album is for sure worth a listen, but here are a few of my favorite songs off the Tornado album that you haven't heard on the radio:
 
Sober

Pavement Ends

Front Porch Thing

What do you think of Little Big Town?  What's your favorite one of their songs past or present?