Where shall I even begin? There has been so much change since the last time I have been able to blog for you all and certainly so much has happened! So let's just jump in and see where it takes us!
As most of you know, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Kentucky Derby and witnessed California Chrome win the first race of the Triple Crown. More importantly, I was able to experience this with my bestfriend, my momma. To say we made a few memories to last us a lifetime would be an understatement. I am almost certain we laughed the entire time she was in Kentucky and of course it was at my expense as I am known to do some silly things every now and then. I won't even describe the experience of forgetting our Derby tickets on my desk at home and not realizing until we were well over halfway to Churchill... oops! Instead, I'll share the story of what Momma calls "Orange Hands."
The morning of the Derby we had gotten up, showered, and were getting ready for the race by putting on our dresses and hats, along with making our preparations to head to Churchill Downs where the Derby is held. I'm not entirely sure which glowed more, my white dress or the beacon's of light I call legs, anyway... Momma offered me some of this "magic lotion" she had with her and said it helps with taking the "sharpness of pale color" off your skin when you are in the actual sunlight. So being the incredibly good daughter that I am, I apply this (crap) to my legs and honestly thought nothing else of it other than I just slapped on this bohemian smelling goop to my body for no reason. It wasn't until we were in the car about 10 minutes from the track, after eating breakfast and running some errands, that I realize the palm of my hands are this horrendous shade of burnt orange and begin to mildly freak out. After flipping my hands over and showing the loving woman sitting next to me, she calmly asks me if I washed my hands after applying my "magic potion lotion" which my response is a pretty exasperated eye roll and a sigh of "of course not, who does that?!" I am almost positive I have never heard my mother gut laugh as hard as she did in that moment and continued to do so throughout the day as it seemed like every time the sun would even slightly touch my hands they turned darker. Luckily for my legs they survived the lotion and only turned a nice shade of Caucasian, but for about a week after my derby experience my poor hands looked like rust to say the least! All in all though, we had an amazing day and looking back now it's a hilarious story to tell and I'm sure Momma will always cry with laughter when she thinks of self-tanning.
Moving on, not only was I able to attend Churchill Downs for the Derby, but also had the opportunity to go to the opening night of live racing and did so in the Jockey Club Suites in the WinStar Suite. I will never be able to form the words to describe how incredible this experience was. First off, live night racing in the spring is a beautiful thing in itself. But to do so in the Suite of the farm you work for and enjoy the balcony on "Millionaire Row" is on a completely different level! We thoroughly enjoyed the night of food, beverages, and racing, as well as the company of industry professionals! I was also granted the opportunity to stand in the paddocks and watch a horse that was running for us get ready to make his debut. I was also able to sit in the owner's box while he ran his race and made an impressive comeback after an injury last season. It was truly a night I will remember forever, and thankfully it was so early in the season I didn't have to worry about tan hands!
Some other experiences I was able to have was watching the Derby horses work and train one morning a few days before the Derby was run and I had the opportunity to walk through the barns on the backside and meet some of the world's most famous trainers! One of my favorite memories I'll always have though, was going catfishing and enjoying time with some of the friends I made during my internship!
Now for the sad stuff and the reason behind the title. As I have explained in previous blogs, my internship was a 22 week program and it was going to end at some point. Well, it has ended officially and I have made the move back to Virginia as discussed. I was offered the wonderful opportunity to stay on the farm and stay with the broodmares and foals throughout the summer to continue learning from them and learning about the Thoroughbred industry, but politely declined the offer. I needed to come home and regroup and spend some much needed time with the ones I love. I felt the title for this blog was perfect as it is a lyric in one of the most meaningful 4-H Camp songs I grew up with. At the end of every camp "Linger" was a song we would sing at the last campfire and essentially say "goonight" to all of our friends. I have learned that nothing truly ends in life although there's the saying that "All good things must end." I refuse to believe that. All good things hold strong in our hearts and therefore can never truly end as we keep the memories strong and living with us every day. This is how I am choosing to view my experience in Kentucky. There were times I hit extreme lows and days I thought would never end. There were also times I wanted nothing more than to quit, pack my bags, and move home. But I didn't, and I persevered and graduated from the program with an "A." Something I was certain wouldn't happen. I am so thankful for the opportunity I had and will forever keep the memories made close to my heart.
My next steps in life are a little more scary. The road ahead is exciting and in time I will reveal my new plans. For now, just know that I have accomplished what I have been working hard for and although I am so excited to bring on this new challenge, it wasn't an easy decision to make. So here's to one chapter closing, a new one beginning, and to having the faith that everything will work out the way I would like for it to in life, love, and my happiness.
...this is goodnight and not good-bye!