Junior League Horse Show

The Lexington Junior League put on its 74th annual Charity Horse Show last week.  Like most people, when I think of Kentucky, and horses, my mind automatically goes to "thoroughbreds."  The big, hulking horses who are bred to do two things: race and breed.  These are the ones we see at Keeneland and Churchill Downs -- the ones who get the glory of big-money racing.  Before I was involved with the Horse Show, these were the only horses I'd ever really seen.

Image via Lexington Junior League Horse Show

The Horse Show, which has been the Lexington League's primary fundraiser since the event's inception in 1934, showcases Saddlebred horses, a breed originally used for farmwork and for the Civil War calvary, but with modern prominence in horse shows.  This event kicks off the Saddlebred Triple Crown and draws approximately 30,000 spectators.  It's a little more elaborate than your usual Junior League cookbook sale, to say the least...

The Red Mile Racetrack at set-up

Since this was my first year as a member of the Lexington League, I thought I'd take a low-impact Horse Show placement. I spent the week manning the League's merchandise booth. We had so many adorable products; it was hard to choose among the hats, t-shirts and Tervis Tumblers for my favorite product! Needless to say, I helped the League's fundraising efforts out just a little by taking home a few pieces of my own...

Just some of the JL swag that was available for purchase

This year, the Junior League paired with the American Saddlebred Horse Museum and the local Lilly Pulitzer store to put on a fashion show luncheon as part of the Horse Show festivities. Seriously, y'all. I had the chance to drink afternoon champagne while catching a sneak peak at the upcoming Fall line  (BTW, there are two navy dresses coming up--a maxi with a bit-and-buckle print and a knee-length, graffiti-inspired print -- that are simply TDF. I see them both in my immediate future.)  And did I mention Carson Kressley was the event's host?

Kindly forgive the distant photo; there were glasses to drink and people to see!

Fashion Maven Carson Kressley not only emceed the event, he actually was in attendance at most of the Horse Show daily classes.  He is a dedicated horseman and a member of the ASHA board. And, he designed an equestrian-themed print for Lilly this year. The event was so much fun; I could listen to Carson say "Hermès" all day long!

I seriously loved the second model's navy-and-white "Sloane" equestrian-themed maxi-dress!

It was amazing to see the Lexington Junior League's hard work and planning take shape into such an incredible event. I hope to see all of y'all at Horse Show next year!

I didn't let a little rain get in the way of the Lilly luncheon!

I could not be more excited...

Y'all, Francine Pascal has written a novel about the grown-up Sweet Valley Twins. You can read the first chapter here.

I assume everyone has one of these...

Where I've been....

Oh, my goodness! So much has been going on here that I haven't had time to sit down and blog in ages. Blogs to come, but here's where I've been:

First of all, remember the teeny-tiny puppy we brought home?

Baby Sophie; her head was the size of an iPhone!

Well, she's not so teeny-tiny anymore. At each veterinary appointment she's had so far, she has weighed in five pounds heavier. She's progressing at a rate of 5 lbs every three weeks, which R says puts her on pace to weigh 80 lbs by the end of her first year. (I knew that all that practice doing cap tables would finally pay off into something useful...)

Silly Sophie

Sophie is a hilarious and refreshing addition to our family.  She's also into everything, like most four month-old puppies! She has certainly eaten into my Internet time.

Horse Show!

This week, I've been too busy to even check my Twitter, because I've been working at my Junior League's big fundraiser.  The Lexington Junior League Horse Show is in its 74th year. Y'all, I had attended it before, but this was my first year working at the event. (I transferred into this League when I moved home last year.)  I was amazed to see all the time and energy and different components that made it all work. There were so many fun events; I'll be blogging about them all soon.

'Til then,  I'd love to hear what everyone else is getting into this summer!

Permission to be Here

A few years ago, I moved to a new city.

I transferred into my new city's Junior League with a little trepidation. You know what they say about the Junior Leagues in Big Southern Cities. As soon as I attended my first meeting, however, I realized I was home. The League President, Mary, a lovely, friendly lady who has since tragically passed on, made me feel welcome right away. Then, she made an announcement that will stick with me forever: "Give yourself permission to be here."

Now, anyone who knows anything about Southern Ladies knows that we have ways of getting our point across without resorting to harsh words. Mary was, of course, asking us to be fully in attendance. She was also providing the gentlest of reminders that it is horribly bad manners to check one's BlackBerry during a meeting.  She began every meeting for the remainder of the League Year with the same words, and they provided so much comfort to me.

Give Yourself Permission To Be Here. Think about it.

How often do we really do that? How often do we fully enjoy a meal, a conversation, a moment of relaxation, or even a rewarding work task without obsessing about something else? How often do we allow the moment to be enough?

I don't want to go into a lot of detail, but it's been a terribly stressful year at my house. We've been dealing with a lot of big issues, things that are stressful and exhausting and, to some extent, out of our immediate control. I've cried and I've worried and I've prayed, and I've realized that I just need to take some time every few days to heed the advice of my friend Mary. I need to give myself permission to be here. I hate to get all greeting-card-touchy-feely-pop-psychiatry and all those other things I generally mock, but the truth is that we're only guaranteed this moment. Sometimes we have to give ourselves permission to live in it.

Devotion by Donna DeMari

Max in Nashville, 2008

For some people, dogs are dogs.  I grew up in a family like that; our dogs were important, and we liked having them around, but they never earned "person" status.  Part of this attitude stemmed from the fact that my parents were both raised in the country, with a very "farm" mentality toward animals.

The first day we met Sophie

For other people, dogs truly are members of the family.  They have birthday parties and go on family vacations, and are treated like human children. R. and I fall into the latter category. To us, Max and Sophie are "the kids", and we try to treat them with as much respect and care as possible. Miss Sophie has gone from a roadside orphan to Princess in a matter of three weeks, and Max has let us know, in wearisome detail, that he prefers hotels with marble floors. And filtered water.

Baby Max on a walk, 2007

 If you love your dogs like people, you should check out the June issue of The Anthropologist. (On a side note, how much do I hate that I no longer live in a city with an Anthro location? That is, quite simply, inhumane.) This issue features a "Devotion," photographer Donna DeMari's amazing retrospective of the nearly 13 years she spent with her stunning Chocolate Labrador boys, Forrest and Luke.  Like so many of us, she thought she was rescuing dogs, but learned that her dogs were rescuing her. Her boys came into her life as she was embroiled in a messy divorce; they healed her spirit and gave her focus. It's a beautiful story. You may want to wear waterproof mascara.

"Devotion" by Donna DeMari, image courtesy The Anthropologist.

Phi Mu Cheers!

This week, I learned that one of my sorority sisters was having a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad week.  The details aren't mine to share, but it suffices to say that she is faced with three or four major life events -- some wonderful, some terrible-- within the span of a week. Within a few hours of learning of our friend's bad week, several of our sorority sisters had banded together via Facebook to send cards and flowers, and generally offer up prayers and good wishes.  Some of us haven't seen each other in nearly a decade, but we immediately assembled (albeit virtually) to send good wishes to our sister.

Now, I hate to be one of those gals who is all "Woo-hoo! Let's all go Greek!" because I'm well past sorority age. Still, there is a beauty in knowing that there is a group of a couple hundred women with whom I've shared the misery and glory of rush skits, formal dances, and a shared set of ideals.

So, in honor of my Phi Mu sisters, I offer up a virtual toast. The drink? A Pink Carnation, natch.

The Pink Carnation
(recipe courtesy idrink)
2 parts cranberry juice
2 parts grapefruit juice
1 part vodka

Cheers, y'all!

H