Louisville (Part 2)

After a 4 days in Lousiville, we were very ready for Nana and Pawpaw Spangler to arrive. Jackson was especially happy to see them.

They got there on Saturday afternoon, and the mommies were more than happy to hand Jackson off to them so we could go play the ponies. We (Rach, Suz, Kelly, and Staci) headed to Churchill Downs and bet on two live races and the Belmont. Of course we put our money on Big Brown and you all know how that turned out, but still it was fun to say we bet on the Triple Crown and when it was all over, we ended up breaking even on the night. Then we went out for Japanese food, which was excellent! It was a much needed night on the town.

The next day Susie was back to work, but Rach and Jack took Nana and Pawpaw to Churchill Downs to watch the Sunday races. We saw three live races, and each had a horse win at some point during the day. Nana even placed a bet all by herself, but she did also refer to a man there as an "everyday gambler," by which it was clear she meant a degenerate gambler. We had a great time, got to see a famous sporting sight, and walked away with a few extra dollars. Not too shabby.

The next day we went to the Muhammad Ali center, which was really cool. Ali is truly an inspiration, and I highly recommend the center for anyone passing through the Louisville area. I don't have any pictures from inside the museum, so hopefully Nana and Pawpaw got some good ones of Jackson in the boxing ring. I did, however, get a good picture of Jackie in his little outfit. Isn't he cute?

On Tuesday it was off to the Louisville Slugger Factory and Museum. We were a little worried about taking Jackson into the factory because of all the noise, but Pawpaw held him so we could see everything, and he was a trooper. Pawpaw and Mommie Rach got in the batting cages at the end to try to relive our youth, and while we both did ok, no one came around to offer us major league contracts or anything.

That night Rach had a reading and signing at the Borders Book store in town. She was kind of nervous because, well, it's Kentucky, but everyone was pleasantly surprised. There was a good turn out, and the audience asked great questions. Rach sold out of books, and the manager said it was one of the most successful readings he'd hosted. It probably helped that there were over 1,000 English teachers in town for a major conference, but it could have just as easily been Rach's talent and charm that won them over, right?

So all in all it was a great trip to Louisville for everyone except Susie, who had to work early and late every day of the week and eat crappy food for lunch, but even she got to have a little fun at night. Still, there were plenty of subtle reminders that we were, after all, in Kentucky, not the least of which were the rules posted by the hotel pool.

Seriously, corn plasters? Bunion pads? Contagious diseases? And check out number #6! You know they have to say it because someone tried it.

Ok, on that note we were off to Cincinnati.