917.69 -- Mini Trip to Kentucky, day 2

After a restful evening on Saturday night, we got up semi-early to go to Mass on Sunday. (Because it was Ft. Knox, and because it was a Mass for soldiers in basic training, it was slightly amusing :)

We had a hearty breakfast back at Joe and Jenny's house before we headed to Heaven Hill, a bourbon distillery on Kentucky's "bourbon trail." Although they don't distill the bourbon at the Bardstown facilities anymore, the museum, tour, and bourbon tasting (none for me!) were fun and enlightening!

Bourbon has to age for several years. In that time, it's stored in oak barrels. The barrels are stored in "ricks" and the ricks are located in ... rickhouses! Original, huh? This is an inside view of one of Heaven Hill's rickhouses.

We only had time for one stop on the bourbon trail this time, but Matt and I will be back. We've visited three so far, and it's a pleasant drive from our house. It's only a matter of time until we get to them all!

After bidding farewell to Joe and Jenny, we had a pleasant drive back to Ohio. What a fun weekend!

917.69 -- Mini Trip to Kentucky, day 1

Matt and I spent part of Memorial Day weekend with his parents visiting his sister and brother-in-law in Kentucky. To make the most of our two-day trip, we headed from their house straight to Louisville for a much-anticipated trip to the Louisville Slugger Museum. It was more educational than I expected. Not only did we learn about bat-making, but we got information overload in the newly-renovated museum area. And we scored mini-Louisville Sluggers!

After the museum we made our way to the Louisville Slugger Baseball Field to catch some great minor league baseball action. The Louisville Bats (as in flying mammals, not wooden clubs) are one of the "farm teams" for the Cincinnati Reds. The game was not as intense as a major league game, but the experience was really fun. The stadium was amazing, and all the seats were SO close to the field! Plus, it was much cheaper than the cheapest seats at Great American Ballpark.

I don't know if you can see the golden retrieve (circled) next to home plate. He was the "bat boy" for the Louisville Bats. He came out after most at-bats and retrieved the bat! He and his handler also played catch on the field with a frisbee between innings and before the game. At the seventh inning stretch, the dog actually took a basket with towels and water bottles out to 3rd base for the umpires! How fun!

The ball park was really fun. You could walk the entire way around it, and there were fun things for kids to do when they get antsy during games. My favorite -- although I didn't ride it -- was this carousel!

At the end of the day, it was back to base camp for a relaxing night of summer picnic food and watching the Reds lose to the Cleveland Indians :)

618.2 -- First Big Purchase!

Thursday, Matt and I drove out to a gorgeous Hamilton subdivision to take a look at a brand new Pack N Play I saw advertised on CraigsList. Long story short, we loved it. It doesn't match the stroller we registered for, but the Pack N Play (and matching Swing N Bounce, both by Graco) will mostly be in our living room (or other people's living rooms). I'm guessing they won't come into much contact with the stroller :)

The future nursery is still a guest room until at least the end of August. Until then, we can't set up much baby stuff. Here are stock images of both our big scores. I love that they were so cheap, and that the black pattern will go nicely in our living room. I super love that these both come with the vibrate feature, and that the Pack N Play comes with all that extra storage!

636.7 -- Mirror Image

Several weeks ago, our neighbors bought a new puppy for their live-in grandchild. The first time I saw the little guy through the office window, I did a double take. I thought it was Charlie!