Kentucky - Baseball, Turkey, Bridges, Derby - and more!

It never ceases to amaze me what putting a desire out in the universe can do. One day I mentioned I want to go to every state, the next my friend Emily told me to come to her place in Kentucky for Thanksgiving - "if you don't already have plans"...so I bought a plane ticket :)

And what a great trip it was! I think one of my favorite things about traveling and visiting new places is to get a glimpse into what life is like for people who live there. And when you stay with people who live there, that is even easier to do.

Weather conspired against me, but luckily it did not prevail. Even with the very cold temperatures and a little snow, we managed to get out and about and get a real taste for what Louisville has to offer. On my first full day there we went to a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich shop - they also had grilled cheese doughnuts. Quite the experience! I would recommend it, for the record:

After eating lunch, we bundled up again and headed to the store "Why Louisville?" that had some gems. This is where I first noticed that there were a lot of mustache themed items in Louisville, and found a great gift for one of my mustache loving friends. They also had scratch maps for the US. Emily helped me see this was a perfect way to track my progress on my goal to have a meaningful experience in each state. So excited to use it!

Outside there was a great picture board - where Emily's daughter Lily and I created the incredible two-headed bearded woman :)

The factory that makes most of the major league baseball bats is in Louisville - so naturally we went on a tour there. At the end of the tour they give you a miniature bat to take home (that can't be in your carry-on luggage...) which is in stark contrast to the HUGE bat in the front of the museum. In addition to the larger than life bat out front, there is a stone baseball glove inside that Lily and Ewan had a blast climbing up and sliding down. I stand by my opinion that most things are better when kids are involved - their joy is contagious.

Of course, Thanksgiving Dinner was a huge part of this trip. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays - I love the reminder to focus on what we are grateful for, the chance to slow down and spend time with people we love. It is also true, though, that I haven't spent Thanksgiving with my family in nearly a decade (that's weird in and of itself...) So it was nice to be with a family for the first time in awhile.

Emily and the kids had put up a ton of fall leaves in fun decorations around the house, which added to the festive atmosphere. And we went all out - making name cards even.

Lily requested an apple pie as she went to bed Thanksgiving Eve. As we adults were discussing it, we talked about how there were already going to be several pies...eventually we decided that Thanksgiving celebrates having more than we need, and there was no reason not to make an apple pie, so we may as well - and if we were making it, we weren't going to go half way in the endeavor. The result was beautiful and delicious, if I do say so myself!

One of the highlights of the trip was the post Thanksgiving dinner rocket launching...I wish I had pictures to share! There were several families that got together for this, and despite the cold, it was a smashing success - a hit with both adults and children alike.

We had talked about making this trip into a two for one state adventure since Indiana is just across the river from Louisville. There is even a walking bridge that connects the two states. So, we loaded the kids into strollers and walked across the beautiful bridge.

As fun as it was, it didn't end with us in Indiana. A chain link fence and some architectural drawings marked the end of our trek signaling that we'd have to turn around since the bridge isn't yet open on the Indiana side. Oh well - we still had fun (including watch and elderly couple dance to music played over some loudspeakers on the middle of the bridge) and this means I'll just have to go to Indiana another time!

We also did a drive by of some beautiful, large Victorian houses on our way to dinner.

We had tacos for dinner, but I think what really stuck out to me from the evening was the proof hanging on the wall that this restaurant believes in reducing, reusing, and recycling :)

Emily and I finished the evening going to "Light Up Louisville" while Kyle took the tired and cold children home (what a great dad and husband!). The Christmas parade reminded me of other fun adventures in Marble Head watching Santa come in on a lobster boat and then having the whole town in the parade, or watching the local parade in Buena Vista, Virginia while in college. In Louisville, Santa brings a large plug, which he plugs in and all the Christmas lights in Louisville turn on. And there are FIREWORKS! This was totally up my ally!

While this building above wasn't officially part of the festivities, I was captivated that there was a fake lighthouse on top of one of the tallest buildings in downtown Louisville...want to know the story behind that one!

Saturday morning we had a leisurely start and put up the Christmas tree and decorations. Such a fun post-Thanksgiving tradition and activity! And, once again, more fun with small children around. On our way to the airport we went to Churchill Downs (where the Kentucky Derby is held). The museum was fun, and the videos were entertaining. Since I had a flight to catch, we decided to only join the tour of the racetrack for a few minutes - and I'm glad we did. We were just in time to see a horserace! It was exciting, and the perfect end to my trip to Kentucky.

Special thanks to Emily, Kyle, Lily and Ewan for hosting me and helping me explore their city!