Run for the Roses...

Tough girls come from New York. Sweet girls, they're from Georgia. But us Kentucky girls, we have fire and ice in our blood. We can ride horses, be a debutante, throw left hooks, and drink with the boys, all the while making sweet tea, darlin'. And if we have an opinion, you know you`re gonna hear it. ~Ashley Judd

Secretariat - 1973 - became the first U.S. Triple Crown champion in 25 years.

I dare any of you native Kentuckians to hear this song and not get teary. It's pretty much impossible.

This will be my second year in a row to NOT be in my home state during the Kentucky Derby. I actually thought I would be there this Derby, but with the recent unexpected events in our family, and the two trips home, I knew I couldn't make it back so quickly.

Sooo many great Derby memories:

They go way back to childhood when our whole family would have a big Derby party and we'd all "draw horses" from a hat. Our earnings were usually one or two dollars. Big gamblers! :)

I remember being intrigued by the horse "Unbridled" in 1990 - and then it won.

I'll never forget one of my earliest infield experiences with Zeke, Christie, and Peter. Wow, the things we saw! I don't even know if I saw a horse that year.

Then the year William and I were so poor that we decided to take the opportunity to work the Oaks and Derby as tellers (taking the bets). What an experience it was to be on the OTHER side of the window with a bunch of drunk, confused betters...most of whom considered you personally responsible if the horse they picked did not win, place or show. But, the perk was the great tips from those same happy gamblers who might have won a buck or two by getting in your line.

I'll always love the fact that, no matter what the odds are, William ALWAYS picks the winning horse. Always.

My favorite year was 2007 when we went again with Christie and Peter, but to the paddock. Ahhh...to actually dress the part. The dress, the hat, the shoes. Is there any other sporting event where you can go and feel rich even when you're not?!

Watching the tear-jerking stories of each horse's history and how they came to be a contender...the owner's story...the trainer's story...the jockey's story...all part of the Kentucky Derby tradition.

I think what I love to see the most is the way the Derby winner seems to "know" they won - it's in their prance when they finish the race.

So, this weekend, I'll be honoring my Kentucky pride from the state of Georgia...likely sipping on sweet tea instead of a mint julep (not that I ever could thoroughly enjoy a mint julep).

Liam celebrated his first Derby with his very own hat - May 2006

A tribute to the past decade of Kentucky Derby winners...

Charismatic - 1999

Fusaichi Pegasus - 2000

Monarchos - 2001

War Emblem - 2002 (William picked this one early on)

Funny Cide - 2003

Smarty Jones - 2004

Giacomo - 2005

Barbaro - 2006 (R.I.P. beautiful Barbaro)

Street Sense - 2007

Big Brown - 2008 (very special to our family...)

Mine That Bird - 2009

To anyone who hasn't experienced in the Kentucky Derby, you're really missing something special.

Written by me in 2007, after returning from the Derby

I don't know what it is about Churchill Downs that gives me an incredible rush, but it just does. Yesterday was no exception.

As we drove up Southern Parkway toward the track, I started to get those excited butterflies in my stomach. They aren't the butterflies that make you want to be sick, they are the kind that make you think, "I'm about to part of something pretty incredible!"

Even as we were searching for one of those "cheap" $15 parking spots, I became a little preoccupied at the ladies (and guys) walking in dressed from head to toe in Derby attire. The hats are amazing! Soon after accepting a parking spot for $20, in the hopes that we would still have a car when we left, we made our way to Gate 10. This was going to be my first year of dressing up, wearing a hat, and NOT going to the crazy infield. You can imagine my excitement.

For those of you who have not been to the Downs, the Paddock area is usually where you hang out if you don't have actual seats in the Grandstand. So, that's where we headed to meet up with our friends. Even as we were walking to get to the Paddock, I was nearly skipping at the thought of, "I am actually going to see a horse." Wow! Even better, I just might see the Queen of England! (Or Bruce Willis, George Strait, Kid Rock) Any of those would do.

Well, we did see the Queen, and William saw Kid Rock. I passed a few famous athletes along the way, as well. But let me just say, being star struck is nothing compared to the feeling of watching the Kentucky Derby with my very own eyes. Having the absolute privilege of singing, "My Old Kentucky Home" with thousands of other people from all over the world, listening to everyone screaming for their horses because they literally bet their last dollars on the ones they swear are going to win it, hearing that famous trumpet call which tells you the horses are posting, and then seeing them open out of that gate and run like they've never run before. It's like magic.

If anyone wants to experience Kentucky, they need to experience the Kentucky Derby. You don't have to wear a hat and you don't have to drink a Mint Julep. You don't even have to pick the right horse (we sure didn't!). Just be a part of it - it's something special.

If you build it...

...they will play in it for hours.

I sort of always knew we'd build Liam a sandbox, but because I wasn't sure how long we'd be here, I kept putting it off. Then I realized this spring that if we were going to do it, he would probably get the most enjoyment out of it this summer. So...we got our supplies on Friday afternoon...had to break from it due to all day rain on Saturday...but finished it on Sunday.

He was so stinkin' excited about having his own sandbox...that he just kept calling it a sandcastle until it was built. And let me tell you...once it was built, well, I think he played in it for 2 hours straight. (Why didn't we think of this sooner?)

Liam helped with every bit of building it, and actually, it appears in these pictures that Liam is doing most of the work! ;)

Well, I guess William did a LITTLE of the work :) I'm not sure this pocket-knife saw was going to do the job, though...



But...with the help of Grandpa's saw, the sandbox was built on Sunday afternoon!

Look who had to try it out first.

Wow! "This is MY house," he said.

Just in case it rains...

Well, someone has to have the job of hanging on it :)

I look so cute doing it :)

Transporting it to its final location.

There must always be dinosaurs.

Looking out our window, two hours later...

...pure bliss (for all 3 of them).

The prime purpose of being four is to enjoy being four - of secondary importance is to prepare for being five. ~Jim Trelease

It's Earth Day...everyday!

"There are no passengers on Spaceship Earth. We are all crew."

-Marshall McLuhan Communications theorist, educator, philosopher

Yesterday I made Earth Day treats for Liam's class - completely spontaneous decision, but thank goodness for it because it REALLY got me thinking about our planet.

(By the way, these were basically rice crispy treats but with cheerios...)





Something else that really got me thinking about our planet was a show I caught on television last night called, "Food, Inc." -- the part I saw included farmers talking about how consumers really need to view themselves as MORE than consumers...that we need to lose our thinking that we can only choose from what's at our supermarket. "Be one with the land" was the theme. As my interest in gardening has grown over the last few years from simply flowers to vegetables, I can truly appreciate that concept. I've already made full use of my herb garden...and once I can figure out how to keep my happy deer and rabbits out of my veggies, I will start the garden!

This is the container garden I made last year...which the deer enjoyed more than we did :(


This year, I am actually going to get an area tilled up.

And I'm also going to use every trick known to mankind to let this garden live!!! :)




Here are just a FEW ways you can spend Earth Day with your family. Today, I am hanging clothes on the line instead of using the dryer. (I get that from my mother.)

A fun craft!


Earth Jug Planter - use milk jug, blue and green felt, cotton balls, glue.

Then fill it with some rocks, potting soil, and plant seeds!




Here are some things I found online that you can do!

Your kids can:

• Shut off the water when they brush their teeth
• Walk, ride a bike or take the bus instead of traveling by car
• Take faster showers or baths in just a small amount of water
• Help hang clothes on the line instead of putting them in the dryer
• Choose products that are not over packaged

Make nature crafts. Make a bird feeder to encourage the local bird population, which plays an important role in every ecosystem.

Get children to recycle their old toys and games. By giving their old toys and games to younger children who could make use of them, older children learn two lessons: One is about giving to others and the second is about reusing and recycling instead of throwing things away.

Wear green and/or brown. Dress in environmental colors for the day; think "tree"!

Cook a special Earth Day meal. Plan a menu that uses locally produced foods, is healthy and has minimal impact on the environment.


"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." (Genesis 1:1, 31)

Blooming Heart.

No matter what winter slump I'm in, the slightest hint of a spring blossom brightens my spirit.

One thing I miss dearly is my garden at our old house (I say "old" but it's only been 2 years since we moved). Still, I drove by our house last week to see how the plants were coming along, and it was so exciting to see that all my hard work had paid off. The gardens were FULL and overflowing with tulips, irises, lilacs...not to mention all the green from the anticipated summer blooms. I miss that.

Tulips, Daffodils and Phlox - blooming now at the old house

We do have some BEAUTIFUL azaleas blooming here at our house in Georgia...and I've looked forward to their arrival this year.



For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Nostalgic.

There's just something about going back home. This trip, in particular, sent me back to my roots.

A video from way back...before my time.