Baby Jacuzzi

We visited family and friends in Virginia a few weeks ago. To lighten our load, we decided to leave Josie's baby tub at home, and just bathed her in the kitchen sink at my parents' house.

She loved it! She propped herself up with her arms resting on the back of the tub, as if she was relaxing in a hot tub on vacation. Grandma gave her some cool bath toys, too - farm animals that squirt water!


Not only did she love it so much, but it was so easy that we don't use the baby tub at home anymore and give her baths in our own kitchen sink. It gets to be a really authentic hot tub experience when we let some of the water out and bubbles rush past her little hiney.

Pink Tie Ball Invitation

Our friends Morgan and Kyle have invited us to join them at Louisville's Pink Tie Ball, which benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure. My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor, so the event is particularly meaningful to me. We'll be leaving Josie with babysitter Oo Oo, and we'll dance the night away. I got a dress (along with three wardrobe staple jackets!) on Saturday from Sunny Daize, a local consignment shop, and I have my hair appointment for the updo all lined up for Saturday afternoon. I still need shoes, but those are in the works. Shelby and I haven't gotten gussied up in a little while (last time was the wedding, and before that, the USMC Birthday Ball I think), so we're both really looking forward to it. Shelby asked me to keep my dress a secret until Ball Day, so I won't go into detail about it yet.

In other news, W&M football beat UVa in Charlottesville Friday night. GO TRIBE!

Amtrak Travel

Over the weekend, the NYT Travel Section featured a story about transportation via Amtrak.  I've been wanting to travel somewhere by train - lo and behold, Amtrak's "Cardinal Route" stops at both the Cincinnati and Charlottesville stations!  I looked into train travel from Louisville to Charlottesville once before, but the only option was the Amtrak BUS.  (No thank you, I'll drive.) 

The trip from Louisville to Charlottesville is approximately 7.5 hours.  Very drivable.  But the trip from Louisville to Cincinnati to catch the train is only 1 hour!  

Before I get too wound up, let me lay it out for you:

The Pros:

• Cheaper than flying
  
• Appears to have fewer restrictions than flying
  
• Saves gas
  
• Keeps the miles down on  your car
  
• You can get up to walk around
  
• Sleeper cars!
  
• Dining cars!!
  
• Downtime to do plenty of reading, taxes, solitaire, etc.
  
• Children under 2 ride for free; children 2-15 are 50% off
• AAA discount for adults
• For children, the AAA discount adds another 10% off to the 50% off!  (aka 60% off!)
• The train actually goes to Charlottesville and not to Louisville.  We need to take the train just so Amtrak thinks this is a high demand destination and keeps it on their route.
  

The Cons:

• 11 hours travel time (plus an hour to get to Cincy)
  
• Train seemingly always leaves Cincy at 3am
  
• Train seemingly always arrives in Cincy at 1am
  
• Sleeper cars are $200 extra :(
  
• Could get BORING if you travel alone

This is just a rough list of my first thoughts on the subject.  Maybe we'll try it once?

The Virginian

We went to a birthday party on Saturday night, and I was enlisted to help pick out Shelby's outfit for the occasion.  On a hunch that I might find another VA/KY transplant, I decided he should wear his t-shirt from The Virginian, the restaurant/pub on the Corner in Charlottesville, as bait to lure in other Virginians out there.  Sure enough, a girl from Waynesboro approached us at the party and commented on his shirt!  She moved to Kentucky 12 years ago when her dad was relocated for his job.  We were fast friends.  It turned out to be a good party - not only did I find another Virginian, but there was another pregnant girl there, too.  No t-shirt logo needed for the expectant mothers to find each other in a crowd... :)

Hamburglar strikes again

So - FIVE GUYS BURGERS AND FRIES has made its way to Kentuckiana!!!!

That's right - New Albany, IN hosts the delicious burger spot that was once a Virginia trip treat. This new location has been confirmed by the Five Guys website and unknowing KY friends who raved about a "new burger place." Slowly, Virginia is moving west! Now if only we could get a Bodo's...

Dave who?

Saxophonist LeRoi Moore of the Dave Matthews Band died yesterday after suffering injuries in an ATV accident in June.  In all honesty, I probably would not like DMB as much if Charlottesville was not my hometown.  But I remember one of my band teachers telling my class stories about how he taught members of DMB, inspiring us to practice (but more likely making us listen to DMB instead of practicing).  Of course, their songs were played more often and everyone had a DMB t-shirt in the city where Dave, LeRoi, and the rest got their start.  I even went to their concert at Scott Stadium in 2001, a noteworthy performance 7 years after making it big.   I think it was 7, anyway.  

I'd imagine LeRoi's death is the buzz around Charlottesville.  Not so much Dave-love in Kentucky, so I've noticed.  Kind of like no one in Charlottesville has heard of My Morning Jacket (you know, a Louisville band, also successful, played on the Waterfront on Saturday)...  But the Cville connection is there, and I'm a little sad to lose LeRoi.  I'll have to play a tribute "Ants Marching" on the way home tonight.

Up, up, and away!

If I had a list of things to do before I die (which officially I do not), I would have to list a hot air balloon ride. Granted, I'm scared of heights, but no matter. Back in Virginia, I remember seeing two or three balloons in the early morning on a fall day, just above the Blue Ridge horizon. Or maybe it was spring. Anyway, I always wished I could have a turn!

Now that I'm in Kentucky, I have the chance to see many more balloons in action at the Great Balloon Race. The race started in 1973, with only 7 balloons. This year, nearly 50 balloons competed! What a sight!

UK wins against UVA

No, they didn't play a game against each other, but UK definitely won a spot on all of the televisions at our favorite brewery last night during dinner. The UVA game was on one tv when we sat down, and all of the rest were on the UK game. I don't think the UVA game had gotten into double digits before someone changed the channel to UK, making 100% of the tvs show the UK game...

"Cavs" is so close to being "Cats" - close, but no cigar.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the grass really blue?
Not really - the grass is green, but it produces bluish buds that make the rolling hills appear to be blue.

I thought it was The Commonwealth of Virginia , not Kentucky!
Evidently, Virginia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania are all commonwealths. According to the Kentucky State website, a "commonwealth" means a "government based on the common consent of the people...Kentucky, once part of Virginia, chose to remain a commonwealth when it separated from Virginia."

Wait, Kentucky was a part of Virginia?
Yes! The Kentucky state website explains, "Kentucky was originally declared to be a part of Virginia and was made a separate county of that state in 1776. Soon after the end of the American Revolution, a separation movement began in Kentucky. In 1792, after nine conventions to discuss the separation, Kentucky was made a separate state and was admitted to the Union as the fifteenth state. Isaac Shelby was chosen as the first governor. Kentucky's first constitution was drafted in April and May of that year (the constitution was rewritten in 1800, and again in 1850 and 1891), and Frankfort was chosen to be the site of the state capital. In 1818, the westernmost region of the state was annexed, following its purchase from the Chicasaw Indians." So now we can joke that I never actually left Virginia - haha!

Is Louisville a big city?
Depends on who you ask and when. If you asked anyone before 2003, they would have probably said it was about average. But 2003 was the year that the City of Louisville merged with Jefferson County to create Louisville Metro, which now boasts the title of 16th largest city in the US. Some would now argue that the merger is cheating and that it's actually not that big. Seems big to me, but with a small town feel.

Cats or Cards?
The big rivalry in Kentucky is between the University of Kentucky (in Lexington) and the University of Louisville. These two large schools seem to depend greatly on the success of their sports teams, represented by the Wildcat and the Cardinal respectively. 99% of Kentuckians strongly prefer one team over another. The jury is still out on which team I favor.

Why is UofL's mascot the Cardinal?
Like Virginia, Kentucky's state bird is the cardinal. You will come to find there are more similarities between the two states...

How far is Louisville from Charlottesville?
Some say 7 hours, some say 9. Depends on who you ask, how you drive, what your bladder can hold, and if you have a dog.

And it's only 2 hours from Indianapolis?
Yes, Indianapolis is 2 hours north and Nashville is 3 hours south. St. Louis is 4 hours west and Charleston, WV is about 3.5 hours east.

Doesn't it rain more in Kentucky?
More than in Virginia? Not likely, but this year, definitely not. For approximately all summertime, we had no rain. 0". We do get tornadoes though.

Are you in the Central Time Zone?
Surprisingly, no. The time zone line wiggles its way around Louisville to keep it in the Eastern Time Zone. Compared to Charlottesville, we have about an hour more of sunlight every day. In the summer, the sun is just going down at 10:00pm!

When can I come visit?
Anytime!

Preface

In exactly one month from today, I will have lived in Louisville, Kentucky for one year. As this anniversary approaches, it seems likely to me that someone has probably wondered, "What is Emily doing out there?" So to fill you in and to celebrate the life I have chosen to make in the Bluegrass State, I submit to you my blog, "Wealthy in the Commonwealth." Not the Commonwealth of Virginia, but another Commonwealth that has become my home, where I am richly blessed beyond man's measure. I have learned tremendous and invaluable lessons which I hope to share here, along with accounts of my continuing "education" and my own humble opinion of what everyone needs to know about Kentucky. As life goes on, my goal is to keep the blog updated to keep you updated on my new/"Old" Kentucky home. Life beyond Virginia actually exists - who knew!