Oh my...I am so late getting this post up! I've been so focused on doing a weekly update on my pregnancy and Seiden that this post has been sitting in my "draft" folder since June! Oopsie!!! Can I blame it on the pregnancy brain?!?!? Anywho...back in June, my dad, mom, Mimi, and I went on a road trip to Louisville, Kentucky. Did you know that's a 16 hour drive?!?!? Well...it sure is...and for a girl that was 21 weeks pregnant at the time...that's a LONG way in the car! Thankfully, on the way up there, we broke the drive into 2 days. We stopped in Memphis, Tennessee as our midpoint destination. Mainly because my parents and Mimi wanted to tour Graceland. We got to Memphis about 9:00 on Monday night and were up and out of the hotel early on Tuesday morning to get to Graceland by 10:00. I have to be honest, I was not the least bit thrilled or excited to go and tour Graceland. I mean...I know Elvis is a legend and all...but I have not once ever listened to his music. Unless I was with my dad or someone else who was randomly playing something of his. I was also not thrilled or excited because the fees to get into Graceland were about $40. Now, that's not really that expensive. But, when you could really care less (sorry if that offends anyone!) about something, that's a lot of money to spend! Now, if there was a clothing item that I wanted or some other tour like that that I wanted to do, I wouldn't blink an eye at spending that...or more. However, I was obviously outnumbered in the decision to go. And...looking back...I'm really glad that I went because his home is absolutely beautiful. It was actually really neat going and touring where he lived and all the grounds of his property. After we toured Graceland, we stopped at a really good BBQ place (I typically DO NOT like BBQ...but we were in Memphis and had to!) that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and after we gobbled up our lunch, we headed out to Louisville!
We got to Louisville on Tuesday night around 8:30...but it's an hour ahead..so it was really 9:30 and were there through early, early Sunday morning (the dreaded drive home!). The whole reason we went was for mom and Mimi to go to the Madam Alexander Annual Doll Convention. You may remember last year when I blogged about us going to Albuquerque, NM. Well, that trip was for the same convention, but this year's convention was in Louisville. There in a different city and state every year. Next year's is in Philadelphia, PA...but I won't be making that trip...not with an 8 month old! Anyways, I always tag along because we drive instead of fly because it's so much cheaper. Neither mom or Mimi feel comfortable driving that far, so dad is the chauffeur and I tag along to keep him company. And we get to spend a lot of time together as a family along the way. It's a win-win for all of us! The whole week, mom and Mimi did their doll thing while dad and I did a lot of sightseeing, touring the city, going to movies, and eating at really yummy places! There were a few times when mom and Mimi had breaks in their day from all their doll stuff, so we did a couple of things together...and that was super fun too! I'll give a recap of everything we did...Louisville is a really fun place to visit!
On Tuesday, we did absolutely nothing because we had been pretty much been driving solid for the past two days. Plus, we got there so late...we all got ready for bed, watched TV for a little bit, then completely crashed! The good news...we stayed at the Marriott and they had a Starbucks in the lobby. Guess where we went every single morning?!?! I love Starbucks...heaven in a cup!!! On Wednesday, mom and Mimi had some free time, so we spent the morning going out to one of the many distilleries that are right in Kentucky. The one we decided to go to was called Heaven Hill. Heaven Hill is located in Bardstown, KY...and this town is absolutely precious! They produce several different kinds of bourbon and other liquors. But, what they are known for producing is Elijah Craig and Evan Williams Kentucky Bourbon. Visiting the distillery was really, really neat. I had no idea that so much went into one little bottle of bourbon. But I'm not much of a drinker period, and bourbon or whiskey would be the last thing on my list, so every piece of information that I received that day was very new to me! At the very end of touring the grounds, we went back inside the main building for a taste test...obviously...I did not participate! But, my dad got to enjoy an extra tasty taste! The grounds of the distillery were so beautiful and getting to tour everything was really fun and definitely very interesting. After the tour, it was lunch time. So, we stopped at one of the precious little restaurants in Bardstown and had a yummy lunch before making the 45 minute drive back to Louisville. After we got back into town, mom and Mimi needed to stop and get some craft supplies for a workshop they were going to be doing on decorating a doll stand for one of the many dolls they got at the convention. So, before we headed back to the hotel, we did a little bit of shopping at one of the shopping centers in Louisville. And...you would be so proud of me. That was the only shopping we did the whole trip!
On Thursday, mom and Mimi had another break in the day after lunch and before dinner. So, we decided to go out to the horse races and visit Churchill Downs. Oh my goodness...that place is absolutely amazing and it was so fun to watch those beautiful thoroughbred horses race. They are absolutely magnificent animals. I've seen plenty of horses in my life, but none that are so well bred and taken care of as these. They are just simply amazing. We only stayed and watched a few races. It was so hot and humid that day and mom and Mimi had to be back early to get ready for dinner and all that jazz. But, I'm so glad that we were able to take time out of the day and go see such a beautiful landmark where such amazing animals race. Too bad we couldn't be there for the Kentucky Derby!
Friday, mom and Mimi were pretty much busy all day long, so dad and I spent the whole day piddling around the city. First thing that day, I had on my agenda to find a CrossFit box and go and do a WOD at another box in another state. I've been to several other CrossFit boxes around Texas...but none in another state. So, I absolutely had to do that! The hotel had an amazing workout facility, which dad and I went to every day. He would walk on the treadmill for two or three miles while I would run a mile and a half, then do a WOD. So, on Friday, we went down to the hotel facility and he walked while I ran. Then, we went back to the room so I could grab my CrossFit gear and headed out to the box that I had found. There are four CrossFit boxes in Louisville, but there was one that only 2 miles away from the hotel. So, that's obviously the one we went to! It is called CrossFit the Ville. It was a super nice box and the coaches there were also amazing. I didn't WOD with anyone else. In fact, I went during a time when they just had an open gym because I knew I shouldn't workout with anyone else...especially people I've never met before. I am SO competitive and I want to be the best if I'm working out with others, and being 21 weeks pregnant, that's not a good idea! So, I just did the WOD they had posted on the board that day by myself, got a t-shirt, then headed back to the hotel. I'm so glad that I was able to go...it's always fun visiting another box! CrossFitters are like a family...so I really did feel at home there. After we got back, we got ready for the day, headed out to breakfast, then spent the rest of the day doing whatever we wanted. We had lunch, then decided to go see Man of Steel, then found a place for FroYo (yummy!), then headed back to the hotel for a bit. That night, we had made reservations to go on a steamboat ride on The Belle of Louisville. We did the dinner cruise option where a delicious buffet style dinner was served. They had lots of options to choose from...which is nice since I'm so picky! There were 4 different kinds of meats, fresh veggies, a salad, mac and cheese, rolls, and 3 different desserts to choose from. It was yummy! As dinner was being served, the boat started to take off for the cruise. It was about a 2 hour river cruise down the Ohio River and it was absolutely beautiful. We had so much fun and the weather was absolutely beautiful...perfect! Here's some information I pulled from the website about the Belle of Louisville:
The Belle of Louisville is the oldest operating Mississippi River-style steamboat in the world. Though we know her today as the Belle of Louisville, she was originally named the Idlewild when she was built in 1914 at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was designed to be a ferry and day packet vessel (for freight work), and was also outfitted for her later career as an excursion boat. Completely paddlewheel-driven with a steel hull that draws only 5' of water, she was able to travel on virtually every navigable inland waterway, earning her the distinction of being the most widely traveled river steamboat in the nation. The Belle was named a National Historic Landmark on June 30, 1989. http://www.belleoflouisville.org/about-the-belle-of-louisville.html
Saturday was the last official day we were going to be in Louisville and there was still one thing that was left on our to-see list. And that was...The Louisville Slugger factory and museum. Mom and Mimi had some spare time that day after they had attended a breakfast that morning, so we picked Saturday to go and do that. Mimi decided not to go...we were going to be walking and that was just too far for her. The hotel was downtown in walking distance to pretty much everything, so we walked everywhere we went the entire time. I think the only time we got the car out was to drive to the CrossFit box, the movie theater, and the place where we boarded the riverboat cruise. Anyways, the Louisville Slugger factory and museum was awesome! We couldn't take any pictures inside the factory...so that was a bummer. But, the reason was because any pictures taken would probably be shared and posted on social media sites and their secrets could get out. Totally understandable as to why they would want no pictures taken! I'm just so glad we decided to go and tour the factory. We learned all about how they make their bats from start to finish. But, the coolest part was seeing the bats they were making for the pros. In fact, when we were there, they had Derek Jeter's bats in the process being made! Every single MLB player that has a contract with Louisville Slugger has their own specific dimensions on how their bat is made. I can't remember what they told us now since it's been so long since we were there. But, there were thousands of combinations that players could pick from to make their bat custom to them and their tendencies while they're playing. It's pretty amazing. And...you could have your own bat made! When my dad was little and playing baseball, he only played with Louisville Sluggers. So, he had a bat made and personalized with "Seidensticker" carved on the bat. It was so much fun and that bat is an amazing keepsake!
Sunday was the day every single one of us had been dreading since we left for Louisville on Monday. We decided on the way there that we would just drive all the way home on Sunday. That way, we could just get the driving out of the way and be home on Sunday night instead of dragging it out through Monday. We got up at 4:30 a.m. and were on the highway by 6:00 a.m. It was a really, really long drive home. But, we made lots of pit stops for potty breaks and breakfast, lunch, and dinner breaks. The only bummer was that Starbucks wasn't opened in the hotel lobby when we left, so we stopped at a Pilot gas station once we had gotten down the highway a bit. Pilot has great coffee...but it's definitely not Starbucks! I think we stopped every hour and a half to two hours for pit stops and food breaks. But, by the time we got to Weatherford, we were all stir crazy! The only thing that bothered me the entire drive was my back. Well...and my legs a little bit. I was just so tired of sitting for that long...I'm used to being up and moving and active. So, 16 hours of sitting was hard on my body...my pregnant body! Even though the drive was long and we were so ready to be home, we were all so glad that we just decided to get up early and tackle the 16 hour drive in one day. We were home by 9:30 with the time change and I think we were probably all in bed by 11:00 or midnight...not too bad! I had so much fun on the trip and I'm so glad that I was able to go. The family time was fun and it was nice to go on vacation, get out of Texas, and go and do things in another state. My favorite things from the whole trip (other than spending time with my family of course) was going to the Churchill Downs, going on the Belle of Louisville riverboat cruise, and going to the Louisville Slugger factory and museum. Every single one of us had so much fun, ate at so many yummy places, and got to go and do and see so much! And...what's so much fun to think about is that miss Seiden Grace is already quite the little traveler! She's been in 5 states already! Obviously Texas, then we went through Arkansas, Tennessee, drove over the Ohio River once in Louisville and were in Indiana for a brief moment, and then stayed for a week in Louisville, KY. Hopefully, we'll get to continue to travel to cool places with her...and she will actually be sitting our car with us next time! Pics to come in another post!!!
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