HerKentucky Charity Event: Lexington Trivia Bowl

Once per month, we feature a non-profit or event benefitting a non-profit that serves Kentuckians. Today we spotlight the Lexington Trivia Bowl which benefits the Kentucky Neuroscience Institute for Parkinson's Disease Research at the University of Kentucky and the Parkinson Support Center of Kentuckiana. 

I have participated in lots of fundraisers over the years for causes that I support. None have come close to being as fun, or as personally meaningful as the Lexington Trivia Bowl. My mom was diagnosed with young onset Parkinson's disease when she was in her early 40's, and passed away at the age of 50 from complications caused by the disease. She had an atypical progression of the disease, and the awesome work being done locally at UK's Kentucky Neuroscience Institute (KNI) is something I can't promote enough.

This year, the trivia bowl also benefits the Parkinson Support Center of Kentuckiana, which is something I really wish I knew about when I was trying to decipher what was really going on with my mom as the disease progressed.

About Parkinson's disease:

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually, often starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand. But while tremor may be the most well-known sign of Parkinson’s disease, the disorder also commonly causes a slowing or freezing of movement. Friends and family may notice that your face shows little or no expression and your arms don’t swing when you walk. Speech often becomes soft and mumbling. Parkinson’s symptoms tend to worsen as the disease progresses. While there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, many different types of medicines can treat its symptoms. In some cases, your doctor may suggest surgery.

I got the wild idea to do a half marathon and raise money to go towards KNI. I will completely admit that going to and supporting the Lexington Trivia Bowl is a much more fun way to raise money!

me and my mom

How it works: You can have a team of up to 6 people. For $10 a person, you get a great brain workout in a fun atmosphere, and your team could win $500 plus the coveted Horseshoe Cup Trophy.

When: September 19, 2012 at 7:30pm
Where: The Cellar Bar & Grille, Lexington
Visit this link to register, or if you'd rather do it the day of, just come a few minutes early!

Kentucky Find: Maya Brenner Designs

Last year I started seeing these "state" necklaces everywhere.  I travel a lot in Mississippi and noticed some girls wearing Mississippi shaped necklaces and thought, "wow, what a cute idea".  I soon found out that these necklaces are by a designer by the name of Maya Brenner.  

You can choose any state, but the Kentucky shape is available in plain gold or silver, or you can choose to get a diamond anywhere along the border! 

How fun are these necklaces?  I think they'd make a perfect gift for the Kentucky lady in your life.  I know that this Kentucky necklace will definitely be on my next gift list! 

The Labor Day Rule

Every year, they almost get me.

Fashion blogs and women's magazines try to convince me.  They create dualities like "modern vs. old-fashioned" or "fresh and new vs. stifling and fussy."  And, they almost suck me in.   

via Neiman Marcus.

White jeans are, effectively, jeans, I tell myself.  It was the hottest July on record and a miserably muggy August. Most days, I couldn't have worn capris, let alone long pants. Maybe September and October would be a good time to wear lighter, more flattering jeans.  Maybe even ... white ones.

It all seems so logical and harmless.  And then, I realize what I've just talked myself into.  And I hear my mother's voice, giving me strict instructions about linen, seersucker, and whites.  And I shudder to think of the horrible faux pas to which I've tacitly agreed.

I guess I'm an-old fashioned girl when it comes to hard-and-fast rules.  Maybe I'm willing to accept the labels "fussy" and "old-fashioned."  Maybe I'm okay with being traditional and Southern, magazines be damned.  Or, maybe, like Megan, I'm just sick of wearing summer clothes.  

Things I wore this summer.

Summer 2012 included some absolutely amazing moments.  My cousin got married.  I got back into running, and entered my favorite 5K for the first time in years.  HerKentucky started to reach a wider audience -- we were featured on a Lexington news show, and we learned that a whole lot of y'all wanted a little bourbon in your popsicles.  It was really a fantastic three months.

But, it's time for this awesome summer to draw to a close.  Sometime in the next week or so, I'll put away my sandals and sundresses.  The Lilly Pulitzer prints and seersucker skirts will quietly sit on the shelf until next year.  My unworn white jeans will give way to seasonally appropriate, on-trend jeans in vibrant colors and eye-catching patterns.  I just couldn't live with myself any other way.

State Traditions Giveaway

 The Big Game is today, and we want to hear what you're wearing.  Red, Blue, or Neutral?

To help us out, the awesome folks at State Traditions are giving away a prize pack -- a koozie, stickers, and the Kentucky Gameday Hat of your choice-- to one lucky HerKentucky winner.

To enter, use the Rafflecopter widget below, and leave a comment letting us know whether you'll be wearing Cardinal Red or Wildcat Blue today.  If you're covering all your bases, like Governor Brown famously did in the Eighties, we want to hear about that, too!

Giveaway ends at midnight Monday September 3.  Winner will be contacted on Tuesday the 4th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gameday Outfits

The First Lady of Kentucky Football: an interview with Dr. Leslie Phillips

As Sunday's big UK - U of L game draws near, I'm obsessed with all things college football.  I was so thrilled that Dr. Leslie Phillips agreed to an interview.  Leslie is a busy lady -- in addition to her duties as Coach Phillips' wife, she's a professor of Kinesiology at Georgetown College.  I really enjoyed getting to know Leslie through this interview.  She's smart, gracious, and lovely -- important qualities for the First Lady of Kentucky Football!  -- HCW

Like many of our readers, you're a native Kentuckian. Tell us a little about yourself. 

I was born in Fort Worth, TX but only lived there for about a year. I grew up in Lexington. I graduated from Henry Clay High school and UK (3 times!). 

How did you and Coach Phillips meet? 

 Joker and I met while in school at UK. His roommate was Lexington native, George Adams, who I knew because my father was a volunteer basketball coach at Lafayette High School for a period of time when George was there. George introduced us in a sociology class. Also, I worked part-time at the Rec Center on campus (Seaton Ctr.) at that time and would see Joker there when he would come over to play basketball. 

You earned your PhD while traveling on the coach's wife circuit. How did you choose kinesiology, and how did you make the logistics of your education work while Coach was putting in his time at different schools? 

Well, my PhD is in Educational Psychology with an emphasis on health psychology. It is really an applied psychology degree. My masters degree was in exercise physiology. I took classes part-time at UK for a few years while working with UK’s Employee Wellness Program. Then, when Joker took a job at the University of Minnesota, I moved away and was ABD (all but dissertation). I began my dissertation research study there in Minneapolis but then Joker took another job after 2 years in Minneapolis at Notre Dame. That move really hindered my ability to recruit subjects for my study and the study “went down the tubes.” I was very frustrated and thought many times about quitting – I would joke what I may be going from ABD to NGD (Not Gonna Do!). But, I had begun studying yoga extensively while in Minneapolis so I decided to start over and chose a dissertation topic that related to my interest in yoga. After one year at Notre Dame and then one season at South Carolina we packed up again moving back to Lexington when Rich Brooks hired Joker on his first staff! The move back to Lexington was a huge help to me in being able to meet with my professors and buckle down and complete the PhD program. It was a long road but worth it! 

You are married to one of the most high-profile men in the state and you have a great career of your own. How do you balance the roles of "First Lady of Football" and "Professor"? 

It’s very challenging from a time management standpoint. To me, my college teaching work is my priority but, my “second job” is my role related to football! Although there is no defined role for wives of football coaches I do like to be involved in the recruiting as well as hosting players and staff at various times. All of the wives on this coaching staff are involved to the extent that they can be in recruiting weekends and hosting players at various times. It contributes to the close-knit, family atmosphere that we try to cultivate with the program. 

What is it like watching a game from a coach's wife's perspective? 

Leslie and Joker on a Service Trip to Ethiopia.

 It can be pretty nerve wracking but I love it! I love college football in general. But, when you have gotten to know the players and you know how hard everybody involved has worked you just want so badly for the team to have success. 

I doubt there's much down-time in the Phillips household, but what do y'all do when you "turn football off"? 

Very little down time is right! We might workout or go for a walk. We might watch a movie. We do go out for dinner quite a bit. We love to travel to see concerts when we can get away to do that. 

What advice do you have for women who are aspiring to careers in academia? 

Well, I once read that even a bad job in academia is better than most other jobs. My path into teaching is a bit different in that I entered into the field later after working for a number of years in the health promotion field. I have always enjoyed the work that I have done but I find academia very enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong; it has been a lot of work to transition into academia but I enjoy interacting with young people. I continue to learn as I teach and I find the mentoring aspect of teaching very rewarding. 

Predictions for the U of L game? 

I predict it will be really hot so I will dress appropriately and hydrate! (Haha) No predictions from me - I got out of the football prediction business a long time ago. I’m looking forward to it, though!

On Wildcat Football

November 2002. Oh, we've all been tailgating for a while and this LSU game is over, I think. Good job 'Cats. I'm gonna sneak on out, pick up some beer, and have people over for a post-victory party. That one didn't quite turn out the way I planned. Some miracle.

December 2006. My beau and I are newly engaged and joining in the Music City Bowl festivities. We walk from our downtown Nashville hotel amidst friends and fans, jubilant in the experience of our first bowl game in six whole years, y'all. As we enter the gates, my mood starts to dip. The ticket lady points me toward a little basket, the kind they use to measure carry-on bags at the airport. She briskly informs me that if my purse doesn't fit in there, I can't take it in the stadium. Fighting back tears, I start to visualize the trek over the bridge, up the hill, and back to the Hermitage. Another ticket lady promptly takes pity on me and announces "That's a real nice bag; you take that right on in, baby." Louis Vuitton saved the day. So did André Woodson -- we wound up beating Clemson!

Music City Bowl, 2007.

I love Kentucky football. Now, as y'all well know, I love Kentucky basketball, too. The thing is, I probably love Kentucky basketball too much. In the lingo of women's magazines, my relationship with the football 'Cats is far more healthy. I have fun with football and honestly enjoy the entire experience. I have a full set of cute little anecdotes about the zany experiences I've had at tailgates and games. When it comes to basketball, though, I'm obsessed. I think of Rich "Paw Paw" Brooks as a nice man who turned our program in the right direction while I consider Coach Cal to be the demigod who single-handedly saved the Commonwealth. To me, Bear Bryant was a savvy coach who got called home while Rick Pitino is a treasonous infidel. I'm always up for a tailgate party, while I prefer to watch the basketball 'Cats with minimal distractions. I'm the consummate hostess in September, whipping up small bites and fun drinks, but I prefer a March with no distractions. You never know how that 8-9 matchup in the West Region will impact the Wildcats' chances of winning it all. There will be time for food later.

I actually have more fun at football games because I'm not an insane fan. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. Every play doesn't have the ramifications of potentially impacting our historic next title. I'm not moved to tears when I talk of football players' motivation, athleticism, or leadership, while the mere mention of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's name can evoke waterworks. I've never floated "Jared Lorenzen" or "Tim Couch" as a potential baby name. Perhaps jokingly -- even I am not quite sure -- I've suggested "DeMarcus" many times.

UK-UT game, 2009.

I always assume that I love the Football 'Cats the way people at normal, non-SEC schools love their teams. I want them to win, but I don't talk about them every day of my life. Maybe that's what it's like to be a sports fan outside of the Greatest Conference in Collegiate Athletics. (This article sums the SEC up far more hilariously than I ever could.) I'm not alone; Kentucky girls don't need to tailgate in our Lilly Pulitzer the way they do at The Grove, because we've got two whole months of Keeneland to dress up for every year. We enjoy our football, but we grew up in a gym.

I come from basketball-mad Eastern Kentucky, just down the road from the great "King" Kelly Coleman's hometown. My aunt was John Pelphrey's high school teacher. Where I'm from, basketball is an all-day, every day occurrence. You can't go to a church, hospital or grocery store without engaging in an intense conversation about recruiting or scheduling. (This year, everybody's worried about the lack of small forwards. And, you know, the poor widow at this funeral. But mainly those forwards.) I suppose if I'd grown up in Alabama, I'd be calling into the Paul Finebaum show every day. I'd say things like "PAWWWWLLLL, don't you think Chizik and Miles should both just forfeit this year instead of coming to Tuscaloosa? Yeah, me too. Roll Tide." (Ok, well, I might still do that, because Finebaum calls are awesome.)

I love that football season gives me a chance to be a regular old fan. I wear my blue, cheer for my team, and tailgate with my friends. I watch games, cheer for teams I like, and enjoy myself. It's a fun time to be a UK alumna and a native Kentuckian. Most of all, it's just fun.