This Kentucky Derby / Cinco De Mayo Weekend was definitely Epic. From Franklin to Vernon, Sparta and back we had many laughs and memories that we will never forget, especially after that bizarre Kentucky Derby finish. Even though Awesome Girlfriend Megan had the girls in Hackettstown this week, and we're both trying to keep down mileage on our cars, we were able to meet up for a quick drink in Sparta. Success!
Fridays are usually pretty crazy busy days here at the radio station. By Friday night, I'm either ready to go out or just go straight to my couch. Friday night, it was time to see some of my besties at Kite's in Vernon on Campus. I was able to catch up with my besties JG and Steve, plus Steve's kids Tory and Kyle. This was just what the doctor ordered after a long week, fun night out laughing with friends while we're busting on each other. Nothing better than laughing with friends, right? My bro Nate texted me Friday night a picture of himself drinking his first Sam Adams Summer Ale of the season. He motivated me to do the same. Even though we were apart, it felt like I was still having a beer with my guy. By the way, the past several seasons I have not been a huge fan of Sam Summer. It's been too lemony + citrus for me. This batch that I had wasn't over the top lemony + citrus as in previous seasons. I'll be sampling more Sam Summer this season for sure.
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Saturday morning it was time to have fun erranding. Dry cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping and Walmart, oh my! I went to Walmart in search of Poland Springs bottled water, but they were out. Fortunately, Weis came through for me in the clutch. Happy times for sure. Then, I was able to have a drink with Awesome Girlfriend Megan and Awesome Daughter Amanda at Krogh's in Sparta. Once you're in it's fun, just sometimes parking in that area can be a bit of a hassle / adventure. After our round of drinks and mozzarella sticks (mozzarella sticks for Amanda of course, because we know I am a freak who doesn't do cheese,) we walked down the boardwalk for a moment and enjoyed the beauty of Lake Mohawk. Always one of my favorite places in Sussex County. I love it when the weather is lackluster and you almost have the whole place to yourself and can enjoy the peaceful quiet. Meg then had to go back to Hackettstown, and it was back to the greater Vernon area for me.
Saturday afternoon - evening, time to celebrate our bestie Kim Eid. Her birthday isn't for another week or so, but we can all agree it's never too early to celebrate, right? Especially when the party coincides with The Kentucky Derby! We had so many laughs at the party with our friends. Some of them we of course haven't seen in far too long. While there were many highlights, I think my personal funniest highlight was when we were teasing my bestie Shawn. If you know Shawn, you know she's amazing. She can also be tightly wound, we always joke that she is 300 miles per hour at all times. She was recently pulled over by a police officer, and I joked that I felt bad for the poor Cop who had to listen to her. We all had a great laugh over that one.
Then The Kentucky Derby. WOW! I have probably seen every Kentucky Derby since I was 12. My friends the Benvies back in Boston always do a fun party every year with fancy hats, mint julep and more. So many times you remember this event so well. I remember watching American Pharaoh win The Triple Crown in 2015 at my besties Douglioso and Sally's home. They do a great job hyping the event for several hours, despite the race usually lasting less than three minutes. By the time the race finally started we were all amped up for it. Then, as we know, something happens that had never happened in the 145 year history of The Derby. Despite watching this every single year, I didn't even know that they had rules in horse racing. Apparently you basically have to stay in your lane which makes sense for animal's safety. Those 22 minutes during the replay were intense. Everyone kept asking me at the party what was going on, and all I could say was that I had no idea. I just kept saying "Woaaaah - there is so much money riding on this decision right now, wow." Unbelievable. I don't know whether this was good for horse racing or not, but I know more people are talking about it today than on a normal post Derby Monday, where most talk is usually about the celebrities attending and their outfits.
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Saturday night, time to leave the party and hit the road. The girls started dancing on the deck, and dancing usually has me running in the opposite direction. I'm Wicked Irish with basically two left feet, Steve and dancing don't mix well at all. Again we ask, how lucky is Awesome Girlfriend Megan? ;) I then went to Kite's, and was able to watch the Bruins win their playoff game. Woohoo! Kite's was packed with a lot of energy from large golfer groups and weddings. I LOVE this time of year. Wedding season on Campus in Vernon is always fun, you're always seeing happy, smiling people everywhere. It's a great feeling.
Right after the Bruins won, the DJ started playing music. That's when I hit the road. You are probably sensing a pattern here since I dodged dancing twice in one day, lol. I then saw Adam Sandler's return to Saturday Night Live. I haven't watched SNL in quite some time for a few reasons, but I've always loved Adam Sandler, fellow New England boy. His opening monologue he made fun of SNL for firing him in the 90s, and he even brought on Chris Rock who had also famously been fired. Despite being fired from their dream jobs, they went on to have enormously successful careers after that which is a great reminder for all of us to never give up on our dreams.
I didn't see it until Sunday morning when I woke up, but Adam Sandler's Chris Farley tribute song was phenomenal. I can't believe he made me laugh and cry, all in four minutes. I put both videos at the bottom of this so you can enjoy. Well worth the watch.
Sunday morning my allergies were killing me. My eyes are still blotchy today and my throat still sore, but the sun will help. I'm one of those freaks who have allergies attack far far worse during rain than sunny weather believe it or not. It's apparently the mold that hurts me more than pollen.
By afternoon, I was able to celebrate Cinco De Mayo at The Cottage in Franklin. Nothing like celebrating Cinco De Mayo at an Irish Pub, right? Comedy gold. I was able to laugh with so many friends. Buckeye Paul bought me and Packer Fan Patrick a round to celebrate his Kentucky Derby victory. Great to see friends like Damian, Paul Crowley (who always has a $2 bill handy,) Artie, Marge, Rob, Tom, Bill, and many more.
Then, Sunday night I was able to go out with our weekly Sunday night Kite's crew of Brad and Steve. Great times catching up with our friends, enjoying more laughs.
Overall we had a wonderful weekend with many friends, making memories we will never forget. I hope your weekend was wonderful too. Now time to start planning next weekend!
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