The Kentucky Derby

The day began with us prying ourselves out of the bed and into our dress up clothes. To Churchill Downs we go. We prepaid our parking online in a lot next to a house about 2 blocks from the entrance. That was so nice, but a tight squeeze through the roads.

For the Kentucky Derby we had tickets in the ITW Carrels. For those that have no clue what this is, we feel your pain. All we knew is that they were inside and we had access to the 2nd and 3rd floor Clubhouse. That in itself was worth the price.

We made it in and over to the paddock. From there we find our access to the 2nd floor. After searching around a little we ask someone where our tickets are leading us. They had no clue, seriously, he called someone on the radio and they could not help him. A lady finally showed up, she also had no clue. She disappeared for a few minutes then returned and said, “okay, I think I know where this is.” She led us to the Inter-Track Wagering. We had our own secluded space with about 100 other people. This also allowed us access to stand anywhere on the 2nd or 3rd levels.

Time to get serious and start studying

The Paddock pre Kentucky Derby:

I’ll Have Another in the Post Parade:

And they're off . . .

And here they come! Who is that? I’ll Have Another?!? Was he even on our radar? Nope. He was a winner, we were not.

Here come the flowers!

The winner’s circle

Now off with the roses, and jockey, and saddle . . . ahhhhh that feels soooo much better

And we finished up a great day with a great evening at Lynn’s Paradise Café. Yum Yum. If you are ever in Louisville you have to stop here. The ambiance is awesome and the food is tasty.

Just “horsing” around

And that’s a wrap!

Oh WAIT! Let’s not forget the hats . . .

Kentucky Oaks

This morning as I grabbed a glass for milk, I was reminded of our life a week ago.

We were at the Kentucky Oaks in Louisville, KY. We being Chris, Amy, Jeff, and myself.

Our adventure began several months ago when Amy asked if we knew anything about the Derby since Chris went last year. Well, actually we have 7 hotel rooms reserved, you want one? This conversation spurred us to find tickets. Everything worked out pretty good. Our “ticketmaster” managed to get us section 125 for the Oaks and something crazy called the ITW Carrels for the Derby.

One random evening while FaceTiming with the grandparents, we mentioned them meeting us and hanging out with the kids. Oh what a blessing! They met us at a hotel in Franklin, KY, which is Central time.

So Friday morning we leave Central time and enter back into the Eastern time zone, something we were not expecting. Whoops, just lost an hour! As we drive up, Chris pulls out his phone and begins watching YouTube videos of people teaching people how to tie a bowtie. 4 videos and 30 minutes later, wa-la! He has on a bowtie with his T-Shirt. I think he did a pretty good job.

Holy HATS & HORSES, batman! We are at Churchill Downs!

We take our seats and Amy takes a peak at our options:

A little betting here and there as we approach the race of the day . . . the Kentucky Oaks. Just like any other smart people, we turn to our horse experts, JBlair and Kelly. Oh and they do not disappoint. While we wish they were with us, they were only a text away. What did they give us? Only a small suggestion that turned out to be the top 3 horses.

A few of my favorite hats from the Oaks: