Big Day in Louisville

A week ago today, we got to experience a big day in my hometown of Louisville! My dad was elected to Louisville's Metro Council, and since the city got a new mayor too, there was a full day of festivities to enjoy!

The day started with a big breakfast that was free and open to the public, where we listened to speeches from various officials. That's about as exciting as it sounds, but it was still cool to be there. There were some musical groups, and a procession of folks bringing books and other things representative of their neighborhoods to put in a big time capsule.

My gorgeous parents:

Then we walked over to the beautiful Cathedral of the Assumption for an Interfaith service of prayer and music. Leaders from a variety of religious traditions shared prayers and brief messages, and choirs and other ensembles played and sang. I think this was our favorite part of the daytime festivities!

Then it was time for the actual inauguration ceremony, at which the mayor and the new and reelected Metro Council members were sworn in. It was SO COLD out there, and everybody kept their speeches short for that reason.

Here's Dad processing in. I managed to get his attention, but failed in telling him that his own wife was right next to him! (Matt and I sat separate from Mom since there weren't three seats left together.) So there's Mom right next to him, in the black coat, talking to the lady on her right.

We got to sit in the "VIP" area, which meant that we had really bad seats behind the action (obscured by good old Thomas Jefferson). I think there were more people on the stage than in the spectator section in front! We watched the monitors they set up to show us what what happening twenty feet away!

The real view was not so great, though I liked this guy's fedora.

And the view while Dad was taking his oath (which includes not fighting in any duels! Everybody chuckled as the council and mayor repeated the 18th century vows!)

 That evening was the Inaugural Gala--I love fancy events!

Kate had two fun playdates that day. During the daytime events, she played with her second cousin Ian, and in the evening with Jack, son of Mommy's best childhood friend Lindsay. (Older boys--woo hoo!)

Instead of a "good Republican cloth coat" (Dad tells me this is a Nixon reference from 1952) I got to wear my grandmother's fur wrap! Nana inherited it from a friend, and never actually wore it anywhere herself, but I felt rather glamourous in it! (Actually, I was a little self-conscious, like I should have been rolling down the window and asking for Grey Poupon.) It was fun for a night, though!

The gala was absolutely gorgeous. Bold black and white prints covered the tables and fleur-de-lis hung from the ceiling. I didn't take a camera to the gala, but here's a pic from The Courier Journal of the new mayor and his wife leading the first dance:

Aside from the inaugural festivities, we had a fun long weekend in Louisville. Kate played with the dishes from my own kitchen set when I was little.

We went "visiting" on New Year's Day, dropping in on my great aunts and uncles. Uncle Al Purnell (of Purnell's Old Folks' Country Sausage--"It's goooood") showed us his cows. It sounded like Kate kept saying "Elmo!" but I think (I hope) she was actually saying "a moo!" She likes putting indefinite articles before things--"a Mommy!" "a Daddy!"

It was pretty cold, so Kate had to wear a hat and mittens whenever we went outside.

Kate napped too long on Sunday for us to catch the final day of the Sesame Street "Body" exhibit at the Louisville Science Center, so the next best form of toddler-entertainment was going to Feeder's Supply to see the animals! (It's like a PetSmart, but don't dare call it that! We witnessed a shopper say on his cell, "yeah, we're at PetSmart" and a clerk flared up with "This is NOT PetSmart!" Reminds me of the time I ordered a grande caramel macchiatto at an independent coffee shop. I was quickly reminded, "This is NOT Starbucks!") Anyway, we saw a baby bulldog and two GIANT great danes, plus a kitten and some mice. And, clearly, I didn't get any very good pictures.

We had such a fun time! Thanks, Mom and Dad, for having us and for taking us along on the fun day of festivities! We're so proud of you, Dad!