Friday Favorites {#206}: Kentucky Oaks

Hello and happy Friday!

Wow! This week feels like it flew by. Honestly, we had less going on in the evenings thanks to some rain, but this week still really seemed like a quick one.

As always, I’m linking up with Andrea and Erika for this week’s Friday Favorite.

Well, I never got around to sharing about the Kentucky Oaks races last Friday, so that’s what today’s blog post is all about!

It’s definitely a favorite tradition.

In true Jen fashion, I like to wait until the last minute to figure out what I’m going to wear.

By now, I have a few fascinators in my collection (and a friend who is always willing to share what she has), but I picked up this bright pink one at Macys on Thursday. My dress is the “Tatum” from Shop Style Your Senses, and my purse and heels are Amazon.

A quick selfie before my friends picked me up.

Travis always goes to the Thurby (Thursday before Derby) races, so he’s already in Louisville.

We met up with him and headed to Churchill Downs. I was very nervous about the weather because our seats were at the first turn and not covered! There were some showers throughout the day, but it ended up being overcast more than rainy.

Midway through the day, there is a “survivors walk” for the Breast Cancer survivors, and pink is definitely the color theme for Oaks.

The “Lily” is the drink of the Kentucky Oaks.

My friend Megan!

Overcast skies and a sloppy track!

After a few races, we walked around a bit and got a bite to eat. After Covid, the food and drinks are all inclusive with the ticket which makes everything so convenient.

We found a covered seating area because it started to rain a bit. Then, we walked around a bit more.

The new paddock area is amazing. We walked around up top…

I didn’t get a picture on my own, but ESPN shared this one on Facebook. The paddock area is really pretty!

After that, we met up with some friends and then made our way to a covered box. One thing about Travis is that he will always figure things out, and he found us some seating where we would for sure stay dry.

We watched the rest of the races, and had a few more drinks and food. They had cheesecake on a stick…but I forgot to get a pic! It was so good.

We snapped a group pic…

…before I placed a bet on Gin Gin in the Kentucky Oaks.

She did not win (win!).

After that race, it was time to head home. We knew traffic would be crazy, and we needed to get home to check on the kids.

The main rain happened right as we were leaving…enough so that Megan and I pulled out our ponchos for the walk to the car. Every year, we get pretty lucky with parking as one of Trav’s clients owns a parking lot right by the track, but it’s still a bit of a walk. This was the first year, I brought some sandals to wear when not wearing heels, and I’m glad I did. I wore my sandals for the walk to and from the car, and that made all the difference in the world.

I wish that I’d gotten a pic of us wearing our ponchos. haha

We navigated traffic and made it home around 8:00. After we checked on the kids, the four of us went out to dinner which was nice. Then, we were ready to be home and go to bed.

I’ve been to Oaks off and on through the years, but I think this was my fourth Oaks in a row. It’s a fun tradition that I’m glad we make happen.

Derby:

Derby on Saturday was so low-key that I don’t even have any photos.

Did you see the photo finish though? What a race!

We took it easy most of Saturday which was so nice. Trav’s boss called with two tickets to Derby, but we were so tired (and besides Thursday and Friday, Travis was in Louisville on Wednesday too). Also, Hayden had a race, so we made the decision to stay home.

Travis watched the races, placed a few bets and made some work calls throughout the day.

After Hayden’s race, we headed to our friends’ house as they hosted a little neighborhood get together.

Overall, it was a low-key day which was very much needed after a long Friday.

Per usual, my mom hosted her Kentucky Derby party back in KC, and had quite the turn out. She’s collected some cute Derby decorations through the years. The pics are always fun to see with the winners and their money and the losers with their loser cups. haha

Oaks and Derby are definitely fun traditions here in the Bluegrass State!

Share Our Lives:

On Monday, we have our monthly Share Our Lives post. This month’s topic is “5 Favorite and Least Favorite Foods.” We’d love to have you join us.

Weekly Recap:

Here are my posts from the week:

What are your weekend plans?

We have a busy Friday night, but then not too much going on tomorrow. Sunday is Mother’s Day, and I’m hoping we can go to church and maybe out for lunch.

As always…

I hope you have a great weekend.