138th Kentucky Derby

This week Ryan worked days, but still a split shift.  It was from 9am-9pm, so the kids didn't see too much of him this week.  We did get a chance to go meet up with him for dinner on Tuesday.  Now that my running only season is over for the summer, I tried to get into tri training, and with the Derby on the weekend, I had one less day to get even more done.

On Monday, it was a pretty normal day.  Keira went to school, and I took Soren to the gym to swim.  Keira had ballet in the evening. 

I thought our day was going to be over, but then it started to cloud up.  Graeters has a promotion in April where if it rains during business hours anywhere in Kentuckiana, sundaes are buy one get one free.  Being the LAST DAY of April, I was hoping we would get an evening shower.  It got super dark, and then I felt a few drops.  I checked the f/b status and sure enough, it was raining somewhere!  We hopped into the car and got the kids their BOGO sundaes.  With the Derby coming up, I really didn't want my own treat.  I was actually thankful I didn't order one for me, because Soren left me the perfect amount to finish up.

On Tuesday, we again got Keira to school, and then took Soren to the gym and then storytime. 

Keira had been really sad last week when she didn't get to play with her friends last Thursday.  I had arranged for some of her friends to come over this afternoon.   Heidi and Kaylee rode the bus home with her, and Gracie stopped over for a little bit.  The girls had fun playing for a good portion of the afternoon. That evening, we headed over towards the plant so we could meet Ryan for dinner at El Nopal.  It was a full day!

On Wednesday,  Keira went to school and Soren and I went for a run and then to the gym. 

 Keira brought this home from school.  She made it at the beginning of the school year, and it was hung in her classroom all year.

We did our errands, and then after Keira got home from school, we played outside for a bit. 

Keira and Soren played at Gracie's that evening so that I could go for a short ride, my first since before Boston!

Thursday was a really fun day. 

This was a short week of school for the kids due to Oaks/Derby, so it was like a Friday, and it was really hot. I went to the gym with Soren, and then when we got back, he got invited to play in the pool with Hannah. Once Keira came home from school, she wanted to play too, so it was a big pool party!

I was able to get in another ride this evening too!  Yeah for riding two days in a row! 

Friday was a day off of school.  We started the morning with errands, and then did an exchange with Shannon.  Gracie came over first, while Shannon ran errands, and then I ran while the kids played over there.  They had a great time.

Ryan got home rather early, and we headed to Lowes to purchase new countertops, sink, and faucet!  We are very excited about this. 

We had dinner at Zoe's Kitchen, and then waited for my parents and sister to get in.  They were coming to watch the kids for the Derby.  Sarah made a last minute decision to come with us before heading to Nashville, so I ran out with her to get her a hat.  She had brought a dress just in case.  We hit Target right before they closed, and found a hat, and then went to Meijer to get our adornments.  I think we did pretty good for such short notice and limited stores!

Saturday was Derby day!  I was very excited, and it was fun to get all dressed up.  Here we are before:

We had ordered box lunches from Panera to take in with us, so we picked up those on our way.  We parked near the Cardinal Stadium and walked over from there.  We got into Churchill Downs a little before noon. 

It was really hot.  We placed our bets, and walked around a bit before eating our lunches.  After we ate, we worked our way towards the fence at the paddock, and watched the horses for the 6th and 7th races.   We could see them very close up!

Sarah was able to perch on a garbage can to rest her legs and get a better view.

We had enough sun for a while, and we ready to move.  Sarah wanted to go to the infield on her way out, so we walked her over there.  We did a lap over there.  It was a different world from the paddock.  You wouldn't even know that there was a horserace going on.  It was like a festival anywhere.

We headed back over to the paddock, and went to the other side of it.  My feet were killing me, and I was able to sit on a bench that a lady named Tia had secured by getting there at 6am.  I was so thankful to be able to sit!  We spent the rest of our time there.  It got really crowded, and if you stood on the bench, you could get a view of the horses being warmed up and walked around.  We were able to watch the national anthem on a screen and then they sang, My Old Kentucky Home.  Ryan was able to take a picture of each horse as it walked to the track.  This is the winner, I'll Have Another,  being walked out to the track before the race.

We watched the race on the screen, and it was so exciting!  Bodemeister had an early lead, but then lost it at the very end to I'll Have Another.  Sarah had bet on Bodemeister to show, which is third or better, so we have some winning to cash in still!  We left after the Derby, skipping the final two races.  With our long walk to the car, we didn't have hardly any traffic to deal with!  We actually beat my parents home.  It was such a fun day.

On Sunday, we went to church.  My parents hung out while they waited for us to return. 

We went out to lunch.  We had hoped to go to Mark's Feed Store BBQ in the Highlands, but the wait was too long.  We ended up at Q'doba.  We were right by the entrance to Cherokee Park, so we drove my parents through, and then stopped to let the kids play.

That evening, we rode bikes as a family in the neighborhood.

We also found a nest of baby bunnies in the yard!  Hopefully they do OK.  We'll need to make sure we  keep our gate closed to keep some of the bigger animals out.