This is an oil painting that my husband and I bought at an event for starving artists, when we were first married. The painting is hanging in the loft right outside of our home office. I’ve been fascinated with horse racing ever since my mother read the book, Old Bones the Wonder Horse, to me when I was a little girl. The book is battered and worn, but I still have it.
Why am I talking about an old painting and an old book that have to do with horse racing? I’m getting ready to check off another thing on my bucket list, because my husband and I are going to the Kentucky Derby this year. Our names were drawn in the lottery to purchase tickets. If you have ever watched the Kentucky Derby, you know that many ladies wear over-the-top hats. I have my derby outfit. Here’s the dress.
Here are my shoes. They are navy even though they look black in this photo.
I would show you a picture of my hat, but it hasn’t arrived. I fear that it will have to be sent overnight to the place we are staying if it doesn’t arrive before we leave. I have a small head, and I’m short. I wanted to wear a hat but not one that would overwhelm me like some of the hats I’ve seen ladies wear at the Kentucky Derby. If you’d like to take a look at my hat you can click on this link. I also have a white cardigan to wear with the dress in case it is cool. I learned that forty-six percent of the time there is rain on the day of the Kentucky Derby. I discovered this fact from a glossy magazine we received in the mail this week. Here it is with last year’s Kentucky Derby winner and winner of the Triple Crown, American Pharaoh, on the front cover.
I’ve been checking off things on my bucket list for years. I’ve been to all fifty states. I’m working on foreign countries now, and I’m also working on the US national parks. I don’t know that I’ll get to all the countries or all the national parks I’d like to see, but I hope to get to as many as I can. God’s creation is so fabulous that I want to take in as much as possible.
The heroine of the third book in my Village of Hope series, Melody Hammond, does something scary that is definitely NOT on my bucket list. I won’t say what it is because I don’t want to spoil the story. Do you have a bucket list? If you do, what’s the one thing on it that you haven’t done that you want to do the most? What one thing you’ve checked off your list have you enjoyed the most?
I’ll be giving away copies of the first two books in my Village of Hope series to someone who leaves a comment. I will give e-books to anyone who lives outside the USA. Anyone who lives in the USA can have e-books or print books, whichever you prefer. I will pick the winner on Friday, April 29, 2016 at 9PM PDT.
Merrillee Whren is an award-winning author who writes inspirational romance. She is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award for best inspirational romance manuscript presented by Romance Writers of America. She has also been the recipient of the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of thirty plus years, and has two grown daughters. She has lived in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Florida but now makes her home in the Arizona desert. When she’s not writing, she spends her free time playing tennis or walking while she does the plotting for her novels.
I have a bucket list of things I would love to do. One I did 3 years ago was visit Gettysburg. Up top of my list is to see falling snow. I have now seen old snow (it was the top of Whistler and it was just ice so not even really snow) I have never seen it falling or played in it etc. I have been to all states and territories in Australia and 12 states and one district of America, 2 provinces of Canada. I would love to also see New Zealand.
But snow is top of the list.
How exciting, Merrillee! I love the dress and hope that you’ll write a post in the future and show us the hat. One thing on the top of my bucket list is visiting Tuscany. Have a great time at the Kentucky Derby. I’ll be watching for you. :)
Merrillee, I live in southern Indiana across the Ohio River from Louisville (about six miles away). I’ve never been to the Kentucky Derby, but I usually watch it on TV. I’ve been to Churchill Downs a few times for other events, and it’s something to experience! I hope you’ll have a fabulous time. I haven’t heard a weather forecast yet, but hopefully it will be a bright, beautiful day for you. Even if not, soak in the fashions, the tradition, the fun! I wrote a blog post once about meeting Pat Day, one of the most winning jockeys in the history of horse racing, and a strong Christian. If you’d like to see it, let me know, and I’ll send you the link. My bucket list is usually something to do with traveling to far-off countries. Italy is my favorite, and I’ve been blessed to go there twice. Someone mentioned Scandinavia the other day, and that’s one place I’d love to visit one day. Blessings! :)
Enjoy the horse race! I would love to go to Hawaii some time. I’ve been blessed that we’ve been able to go to beaches on the east coast of USA. I love to watch and play in the ocean. I love to watch it snow. God’s creation is amazing!
Jenny, it’s interesting that you’d like to see falling snow. It is a spectacular sight, but I certainly don’t like to drive in it. We don’t see it much anymore since we live in the southern USA, but I’ve seen more than my share. Going to Australia is definitely on my list. I think that’s our next big trip.
JoAnn, how exciting to meet Pat Day. This summer we are taking a cruise to see the fjords in Norway.
I have always wanted to write a romance novel! However, I am so busy reading all the good Christian authors out there, yours included, of course, that I never get around to it!! So many books…………so little time! Oh well, maybe someday!
dlw, yes, God’s creation is amazing. We used to live near the beach, and I would walk there many days. The beach was different every day.
Wow, you ave already done a lot on that bucket list. When I was younger I read all The Black Stallion books and watched horse races on TV. Have fun at the Kentucky Derby. ?
Super cute hat! I’d like to go to all 50 states. I think I’m at 43 right now. I need to visit New England and I would knock out most of the rest of them. I’d also really like to visit England one day.
I won your Village of Hope giveaway last time (thank you!) so please give the books to someone else.
Hope you have fun at the Derby!
Tammy, thanks. I loved the Black Stallion books, too.
I don’t have a bucket list but there are several things I would love to do. I could check visit Hawaii off the list because I got to do that a couple of months ago.
Love your hat.
Thanks, Katy. You’re close to getting to 50. If you do get to New England, it’s easy to pick up all those states because they are small. We lived near Boston for about 3 years, and I picked up the nearby states, except Vermont. The week before we moved I took my kids on a day trip and we canoed on the Connecticut River.
Would love to go to the Kentucky Derby!!! Congrats on being picked
to receive tickets.
Love your hat. Enjoy the Derby
I don’t really have a bucket list, but I would like to go to Australia some time.
Love the hat! I hope it gets to you in time. As far as a bucket list goes, I don’t have an official list. But if I did it would have places I’d like to go to on it. A few years ago I went to Disney World. That was something I’d watned to do since I was a kid.
I’d like to someday travel around Europe.
Thanks, Carol. I’ve watched the Kentucky Derby on TV for years. I’m excited to see it in person.
Margaret, I’m with you there. I’m hoping Australia will be our next big trip.
Lori, if you have an idea, you should just sit down and start to write. That’s what I did, but I do have to say that becoming a writer really cuts down on your reading time. That’s the one downside of writing.
Susan, Hawaii is a beautiful place. I’m glad you got to go there.
Thanks, Kimberly. I will get the hat in time only because I ordered a second one and paid for 2-day shipping. I will send the first one back. That was my hubby’s idea, and it will be cheaper than having to send it overnight to where we are staying. I should have done that in the first place, but I thought I had ordered it in plenty of time. I had to find a dress before I knew what color hat I needed. Disney is fun at any age, and Europe is filled with so much history. I feel so blessed that I have been able to do a lot of traveling.
Jill, we visited Florence which is in Tuscany. We traveled on the train, so we didn’t stop to see the countryside.
Fun post, Merrillee! I look forward to seeing the hat. Hope you have a wonderful time at the race. I have many things on my bucket list but the first that comes to mind is taking our kids to Alaska and show them some of the wonderful places I enjoyed growing up.
Very neat, love the outfit! It’s always fun to watch the derby on TV , what would never dream of being able to go .
Heidi, yes Alaska is a unique place. When we visited it on a cruise, that was my 50th state to visit.
Patty, thanks so much. I’m looking to seeing the Kentucky Derby in person.
My husband and I were in Saratoga Springs, NY, last year and learned way more than we ever wanted to know about horse racing. The tracks are amazing, and I could definitely picture the ladies’ hats and envy them. We were there in winter so we didn’t get to see any racing or hats, but the hat’s stores were really nice and we ended up buying hats and now we try to wear them whenever we can. (Of course they are not fancy as yours.)
Priscilla, cool that you saw the tracks even though you didn’t see any racing. I hope my hat looks okay. I’ve tried on the dress and the shoes. I’ll have to wait to try on the hat. It should arrive tomorrow.
Goings to all of the National Parks is on my bucket list.
I already have both copies of your books so I don’t need to be in contest.
Linda, thanks for stopping by.
The Kentucky Derby sounds a bit like our Melbourne Cup here in Australia. As for bucket lists- I am a history teacher and would LOVE to visit some of the places I teach about. Interestingly, my seniors are studying the American Revolution at the moment, and the creation of the US Constitution. Blessings:)
The Kentucky Derby sounds so exciting – Be sure to share photos from your trip! My dream trip is to tour the British Isles and take a cruise and tour of Alaska. Unfortunately I am a long ways from retirement, so those dreams may have to wait until I have the time to do them properly. I’m currently reading about Melody Hammond…she hasn’t done anything risky yet!
The Kentucky Derby! That sounds so very exciting and I certainly hope to hear about your experience in a future blog post. Your Derby outfit looks perfect! You will be sharing a photo all dressed up in your new outfit?
I was an equestrienne growing up and still love horses. Of course, I also read just about any horse story I could get my hands on :D
Have a fabulous time!
What a fascinating experience. I’ve seriously never made a bucket list, but maybe I ought to! Hubby and I are hoping to spend a month in the UK in 2020. That’s how far out the few things on my list are! I can’t wait to hear about the Derby.
Wemble, I find that so interesting that your students are learning about the American Revolution. I’ll have to check out the Melbourne Cup. Visiting Australia is definitely on my bucket list.
Stacey, you have two good choices on your bucket list. I hope you are able to do them some day. Just wait, Melody is going to do something way out of character for her. :)
Thanks, Mary. I hope to share a lot of photos in my newsletter, blogs and social media. I just looked at the weather. I hope their prediction of 76 degrees and sunny holds true.
Valerie, those are some long-range plans. I know you’ll enjoy the UK. I just realized over time that I was starting to get close to visiting all 50 states in the US. So when that happened I started making lists of other things I want to see and do.
Buy a 5th wheel and truck to travel the USA! That’s about the only thing I want to do, there so much to see isn’t there??
And don’t put my name in the pot for the books :-)