Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Derby Recap


What a fantastic weekend we had!!! My first trip to the Kentucky Derby was a success!!! There were a few bumps in the road on the way there and on the way back, but overall, it turned out great. On the way there, we didn't want to take our chances going I-40 because we weren't sure if it had opened back up due to the rockslides. We decided to go I-77 instead. We didn't even think about the tolls and didn't have any cash so yes, we were the ones holding up the line for 15 minutes while the lady copied down the info from my license. If anyone reading was held up at the WV Turnpike this weekend, I sincerely apologize! ;) On the way back, I received a lovely $160.00 speeding ticket. Boo. I’m rather lucky though because he got me once I had slowed down a little. LOL




I normally use my iPhone for directions and I'd have to say 9 out of 10 times it does just fine. Not this time. We finally get to Frankfort and my phone takes us to a nice little area and tells me my hotel is right in the middle of a field. No honey, there is no hotel here. It wouldn't budge. Turns out we were about 4 exits away from our hotel. It only took us about an hour to figure that out. We had had plans to eat some dinner and then head to downtown Louisville for a look around. But by the time we got settled and ate dinner, we were exhausted and ready for bed.



I had my alarm set for 6 and when I woke up, I could hear a heavy downpour and thunder outside. I was pretty disappointed. We turned on the news and they showed Churchill Downs, soaking wet and full of mud. Oh joy! They also made me feel so much better by telling me that the rain wouldn’t let up all day. Thankfully they were wrong! We walked around the infield when we got there and through a few mud puddles but the rain tapered off after an hour or so and it was bearable. My fabulous hat turned out to be a fabulous umbrella as well!













My favorite parts of the day were:

1) looking at all of the hats and outfits. Some were classy and beautiful, some were silly, and some were just crazy!! Hats, dresses and rain boots and ponchos were the trends of the day.






I wish I had gotten a picture when he turned around. He had a matching bowtie! :)







2) betting on the races! I had such a grand time reading the program and deciding who we would bet on then watching the race on the big screen and cheering for our horse!







3) seeing all of the horses, trainers and jockeys in the paddock area





















4) getting to see a few celebrities! I was hoping to see Justin Timberlake because I heard he was there but no such luck! Check out these pictures though! Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz walked right by me. We also saw Bo Derek and Terry O’Quinn. We saw Mario Lopez as well but I couldn’t get my camera out quick enough.













If you’ve never been, I highly recommend going at least once!! We didn’t have seats of course, but to be honest, I wouldn’t have been in my seat very much anyway. I would have loved to have a seat just to see the race on the actual track…but my experience was darn near perfect. We did put $5.00 on Super Saver!! That was exciting. I know…I’m cheap. The odds were 8 to 1 so we actually came out pretty good on that one. We also won a few other races but my bets were usually only $2.00. We had such a blast though! Hope ya'll enjoyed my pictures! Have a great day!!
 
 




21 comments:

  1. you look really pretty :)
    I love your dress and hat they look like they were made for one another!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aren't you tiny?? (Said Kate, the great big lump, lol!) You look so lovely. I'm really glad you had a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This sounds like just so much fun despite the rain! I love your dress and hat! I will have to go sometime!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yay! Love all of your pics! So sorry about the ticket, but I'm sure all the Derby fun helped erase a little bit of the pain. Haha. Thanks so much for sharing! Your dress turned out to be a perfect pick. :)

    Oh, and love that you saw so many celebrities!!! I loved Ashlee's hat. So cute!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I’m glad that everything worked out for the most part, but sorry about toll incident and speeding ticket. Like you said, it’s a good thing he got you when you slowed down :)

    Can I just say that you look fantastic in that dress with the hat! I love it all and I’m so glad you went with the black and white dress.

    You got some great photos of all the funny hats and costumes. That guy in the Lilly pants and bowtie must have been priceless.

    The horses are beautiful!

    Good job on grabbing the cam in time to snap a pic of Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson. Look at them all decked out!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a cute outfit! You look just like a southern belle! Have a great day! ~Andrea

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great pics...and good job on the celebrity spotting hahaha
    I really wanna go someday too...I've been to Ascot which is a British racecourse and really enjoyed it...
    dee

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is such a great post. I loved seeing the Derby from your perspective. Your hat and black and white dress look fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Fun, fun! You look great in your dress and hat! How surreal that Ashlee and Pete were so close. I'm glad you guys had a great time despite the terrible monsoon.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm so glad to see that you had a wonderful time!! We all just watched on TV as the rain fell and everyone tried to stay dry!!

    Your dress and hat worked out perfectly, and you looked super cute!!

    I can't wait to go next year, thanks for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Looks like a lovely time despite the rain! Thanks for letting us live vicariously though you... it is definitely on my list to attend one day!

    PS - I just about died when I saw those Lilly pants (with said matching bowtie). LOVE it!

    ReplyDelete
  12. You look so adorable in your big white hat! Sounds like a really fun day, despite a few hiccups. I've never been, but I want to go someday. I love seeing all your pictures!

    xo
    Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  13. Sounds like you had a grand time despite the rainy weather and by the way, you looked absolutely fabulous!!!
    Just love all your pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  14. AWESOME Pictures! I would have been looking for celebrities too! Glad you got pictures. I was thinking about you Saturday. And you did look great, glad you wore that dress!

    Got the baby album pictures up.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Looks like you had a blast!! I really want to get to the Derby someday. Love your dress and hat! xx

    ReplyDelete
  16. Aww. So Pretty!! I have always wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby!! Pretty hats, and pretty dresses!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. You looked great girl...totally rocked that dress!!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. That sounds like such a blast...minus the rain. I have always wanted to get all dolled up and go but haven't made it there yet. I love the pictures and I adore your hat and dress! It's perfect.

    ReplyDelete
  19. You look great in your Derby dress!! What fun it looks like you had!! :-D

    ReplyDelete
  20. GREAT hat! I have tried wearing hats like these and my face just looks so fat! lol, but its look fantastic on you :)... Maybe I just need to find a better hat?

    Thank you for the follow and your wonderful comment, I really appreciate it! I hope you have fun backtracking my posts lol ^__^

    If you want to browse the Shopping Lists specifically I have links to all of them in the left hand column under the blog archive :)xxx

    Sarah @http://www.inkandbelle.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete