Texas Gals Visit the Land of Bluegrass

This past week was a nice break from my usual work schedule. My mom and aunt came to visit! I only worked Monday and Tuesday, and they stayed through Saturday. One never quite knows what's in store when you get these ladies together... Wednesday was spent in Cincinnati and Newport. We were in the city for my annual appointment at the TS Clinic and stopped by Newport for some sun and seafood on the way back to Louisville.

Thursday was spent at the Downs: Churchill Downs. What was originally intended as a visit to the museum, complete with tours and a stop by the gift shop, turned out to be a full day! A valet handed us three free tickets for seats to the afternoon races that included our own personal waitress, flat screen TVs in case our seats still weren't satisfactory (trust me, they were), and freedom to go pretty much wherever we wanted! No no no, we did not bet on the races, but they were still fun to watch. The horse I rooted for was named "Goes"...yes, that was his name - how original.

This is how close we were to the action! It was pretty thrilling to hear the din of voices around us cheering for their favorites as these beautiful creatures tore past the finish line. My mom and aunt were raised riding horses, and my mom now actually owns one! I think this was a unique and memorable experience for them.

Oh, but the fun didn't stop after the Downs! We met up with my boyfriend afterwards and headed to Rocky's Italian Grill for dinner (see below for the picture from where we sat on the river). The weather was perfect: so perfect we didn't want the evening to end, so we managed to save room for dessert.

Ever since my car accident last month, I have gone back and forth with being somewhat homesick. I looked forward to my mom's visit for weeks, just to have her nearby so that I could hug her and so that she could see that everything worked out just as it was intended. We had a very relaxing visit, and we're already planning what to do when she visits next year!