Elizabethtown: The Movie

I was born and raised in Elizabethtown, Kentucky. After my senior in high school, all of the buzz was that this big Hollywood movie was going to be filmed in our town. Everyone got really excited as the preparations drew closer for the filming to begin. I had several friends that even auditioned and were cast to be "extras" in the film. One of them got to meet Orlando Bloom. Yummy!

The movie came out in 2005 and it was such a big deal for Kentucky and our town. They had a special premiere that locals were allowed to attend. I personally chose to wait and see the movie on DVD as I am not much of a movie-goer.

I had a couple of bones to pick after finally seeing the movie. First of all, they filmed maybe 1 or 2 scenes in our actual city while everything else was filmed in Versailles (nearly 2 hours away) and Louisville (about 40 miles away). Hello- isn't the movie called Elizabethtown? Apparently our city was too "modernly updated" for what they wanted to film. Second, the movie portrays our town as a small backwoods town. Again, we have a population of nearly 30,000 and the vibe portrayed in the movie is just a bit off.

While I'm glad the movie brought attention to the ole E-town, I have to say it wasn't one of my favorites. Have you all seen the movie? What did you think?

In Photos: Barns

Sure, they aren't as majestic as a mountaintop or as peaceful as a lake. However, barns have a beauty all their own and Kentucky is FULL of them. It's too cold and bleak to be photographing anything in Paducah today so I took to Flickr for some of the prettiest barns Kentucky has to offer.

Via SeeMidTN.com

Via gerrybuckel

Via JKlinger

Via Margaret Taylor2010

Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all!

Wishing you a warm hearth,

Via Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill

a bountiful table,

via Beaumont Inn.

and Hot Browns on Friday!

via Southern Living

Cheers,
The HerKentucky Team

The Madness Begins

Today I was off work and had to run a few errands as I've been out of town the past couple of days for work. I planned on a quick run to the grocery store, which I knew was a ridiculous notion since it's the day before Thanksgiving. Prior to going to the grocery, I thought I would go get some new eyeglasses I've needed for a while now. Yeah, dumb move.

If you're in Lexington, you know what I am going to lament about: that stretch of Nicholasville Road between New Circle and Man O'War. Between Thanksgiving and New Years, it is a complete disaster with bumper-to-bumper traffic, idiots who don't know how to merge, ill-timed traffic lights, and a test of people's brake lights. This is because it's where Fayette Mall resides, along with other holiday favorites like Best Buy and Target. Pure insanity.

My eye doctor is also located in the "stabby zone," therefore I nearly lost my marbles dodging out-of-town license plates, people who ignore traffic signals, and those waiting on a green light to make a perfectly legal right-on-red-as-long-as-you-yield.

Nerves frazzled, I'm now making it a point to avoid the stabby zone for the next 5 weeks. I advise you do as well.

In Photos: My Quilts

When I was growing up, I thought everyone had a stack of quilts in their closet.

Hearts.

Some were used on the beds, and some were used to just throw around. 

Max models a Lilly Pulitzer patchwork.

Sometimes, you used a quilt as a picnic blanket.

Double Wedding Ring.

Sometimes, you used a quilt to pack furniture when you moved.

Grandmother's Flower Garden.

Only in recent years have I realized that my grandmother has sewn me an entire gallery of heirloom art.

Dresden Plate.

And some will be used,

"Scarlett's Barbecue."

while others are displayed,

Morning Glory

and still others serve a utility.

Max's very own quilt.

Sophie gets her diva on.

But they all remind me of my Appalachian heritage

UK Patchwork

.

"Only a Game": a response

I told myself that, whatever my fellow Her Kentucky contributors wrote in the "I Don't Get It" series, I would keep my mouth shut.  Everybody likes different things.  Besides, the whole point of the exercise was to explore Kentucky traditions from a fresh viewpoint.  We wanted to be a little edgy, a little irreverent.  To constantly post responses that argue the contrapositive would simply be a defense of the status quo.  And, you know, Kentucky Tourism already has its own website.

Today, though, I was reading Sarah's thought-provoking piece on Kentucky basketball.   She made some fantastic points-- regardless of the Lexington-in-March mindset, college basketball is just a game.  And, I suppose, there are other things one could be doing than constantly obsessing over lineups, opponents and recruiting news.  But, there was one sentence in Sarah's essay that has stuck with me all day.  In response to the Worst Game in College Basketball, she noted, "the fact that so many Kentuckians recall that game as if a loved one had received a tragic cancer diagnosis blows. my. mind."

 

I grew up in a huge, tight-knit family.  We just happen to also be obsessive Kentucky basketball fans.  Because we do have such a strong tradition of cheering on our Wildcats, I find that my family's timeline often intertwines with basketball events in our collective history.  I can remember my late grandfather getting too nervous to watch the end of close games -- a habit I've unwittingly picked up in recent years.  I can remember my little brother -- six years old at the time -- taking the '92 loss to Duke so personally.  And, I can remember times when the love of the game provided levity and comfort in otherwise difficult situations.

When I was in eighth grade, my father was diagnosed with a rare blood disease.  The kind that Dr. House's patients contract.  We honestly didn't know if he was going to ever leave Central Baptist.  During those horrible days, it just so happened that Kenny Walker was visiting a patient on the same CBH floor -- I think it was his girlfriend's mother, but that's largely irrelevant.  My mama, understandably exhausted and terrified, just happened to run into Kenny in the hallway one day.  She's a tiny little blonde lady, with no more than a passing interest in sports.   Kenny, whom we all know to be a bulky 6'8, was at the height of his career with the Knicks.  I can only imagine how odd their conversation must have looked, but the SkyWalker graciously obliged her request to briefly visit my dad, a basketball coach and Wildcats fanatic.  To this day, it's the only thing we discuss about those horrible weeks of illness. And, I have to admit, I'm still a bit starstruck when I see Kenny Walker at the mall or a game.

A decade or so later, I was in graduate school at Kentucky when a beloved aunt suffered a freak heart episode. She lay in a coma at the Med Center on the night that Kentucky played Utah in the '98 National Championships.  I took in the festivities at the corner of Lynaugh's and debauchery that night, then awoke the next morning to visit the hospital before class.  My aunt recovered and my team won.  That's what I consider a successful week.

The loss in 1992 is still heartbreaking nineteen years later.  It stings every time they replay that damn shot during March Madness.  This fall, a loved one of mine did receive a cancer diagnosis.  I have to say, it hurt a whole lot more than Laettner's stomp-shot maneuver.  In true Kentucky fashion, among the cards and well-wishes and prayer chain requests were a family friend's "get well gift" of  UK tickets.   They seemed most therapeutic. 

I Don't Get It: Kentucky Basketball

We are all Kentuckians. We all love the Bluegrass State in different ways and for different reasons. However, we do not all love the same things.

For example, I do not love Kentucky basketball. I don't even LIKE Kentucky basketball. And I certainly don't understand people's (Heather's) obsession with Kentucky basketball.

Now, in full disclosure, I don't really like sports generally. I was never involved in sports as a child (apart from my brilliant turn at T-ball). My family took me to the occasional baseball game, which I remember enjoying, and I attended a handful of high school football and basketball games. I think I might have even watched a soccer game. However, I was never EVER close to what you would call a fan.

Sports always seemed so superfluous. In my opinion, there are approximately a hundred other things I'd rather spend my time and money on (the list starts with Oprah and ends with gin rummy).

Now, that is not to say I'm immune to the entire UK basketball experience. It's sort of impossible to escape. I even remember the infamous 1992 Kentucky v. Duke game. When Christian Laettner made that shot, I even felt genuine disappointment that Kentucky had lost. I'm sure it even lasted ... until I got to my car that night. However, the fact that so many Kentuckians recall that game as if a loved one had received a tragic cancer diagnosis blows. my. mind.

It's not that I wish ill on the team. Every year I hope they win the championship - mainly so I don't have to hear my stepfather complain so dang much but still!

It's just - for this Kentuckian at least - it really is only a game.