louisville girl

where i'm from today is more than a holiday. it's a generational ingraining of culture and heritage. it's the culmination of a never-ending festival that teaches and re-teaches us what it means when we sing "the sun shines bright on my old kentucky home." growing up in louisville, you just assume everyone all over the country is celebrating. maybe that's b/c the whole country is really just your neighborhood. nevertheless, you learn early on that there's never school on derby eve and most of your assignments april through early may will revolve around the festivities: history - history of horse racing, english - write a derby essay for the derby contest, math - count the horses (i don't know, i hate math.) music class - sing derby songs, art class - draw derby pictures. by the by, i did indeed win an honorable mention as a first grader in the Kentucky Derby Festival Student Art Contest for my painting of the Belle of Louisville. (that's a steamboat for those who don't know. she - yes, we call her "she," races the Delta Queen down the Ohio River every year in The Great Steamboat Race the wednesday before derby.)

louisville kids learn about the first saturday in may like they learn thanksgiving is the fourth thursday in november. little girls dream of being Derby Princess and making an appearance in the Pegasus parade. and everyone hopes someday they'll actually have the chance to sit in a seat at Churchill Downs. but many are just fine cramming into the infield or throwing a derby party.

today kids are running around at cook-outs, dads are drinking mint juleps and moms are baking derby pies. i'm sure jen h. is still in the third turn, and dannette has left chicago for the weekend to celebrate with her family. 

every year i think to myself, it won't be a big deal this year. if i ever get cable and can actually have the coverage on the t.v. , maybe i'll have a party. i'm too busy. but then the week leading up i catch a blip on the news about it or something and i start feeling poopie. my sister and i attended a baby shower today and from there she had to go to a wedding no less. where i'm from, you don't get married on derby day. but around here, it seems it's just another day.

yes, i pout a bit on the first saturday in may. heck, i even fantasize about moving back "home."

while i don't think baby stella would stop jen from spending 12 hours at churchill downs today, maybe with 3 little girls, dannette has passed this year. i'm sure kate theil is out in crestview hills, digging in her garden as she mumbles "i can't even look at the t.v., it's too depressing."

we don't expect you to understand. we just ask that you pardon us if we're a little down today or in kate's case, a little cranky. tomorrow we'll be fine. and us cincy transplants will cheer on the flying pig runners and all that stuff. but today... well, it's just that today we know the greatest place to be on earth is a place we've called "home." we're louisville girls.  

post time is in 2 hours. i think i have some Jim in the cabinet so there's still time to get in the spirit. after we watch the race, davidrussell says he's taking me to joe's crab shack for some over-priced seafood to cheer me up. we have gift cards and watching mac dance "carwash" with the hostesses is always a pick-me-up. oh, and did i mention, i actually do have cable now. if we still have it a year from now, maybe we'll have a derby party. i promise i'll post wonderful blog postings all about it, complete with recipes and photos and i won't be such a poop.

or maybe we'll just go...