#HerKentucky8 Charity Events
I appeared on Midday Kentucky this week to promote #herkentucky8. My Draper James dress is soo comfy and flattering and is on sale now!
Hey Y’all!
On Thursday, it’ll be eight years since the first blog post ran on HerKentucky.com. A lot has changed with this site — and with blogging in general — in the years since 2011! I’ve been so fortunate in recent years to have a great group of readers who share my interests as well as a fantastic network of professional partners.
I especially love that I have found a way to use my social media channels as a way to promote great causes. In the 2018 Fiscal Year, HerKentucky x Draper James Shop & Sip Events raised the equivalent of one month’s rent for Dress for Success Lexington!
To celebrate the eighth anniversary of HerKentucky, I’m participating in five charitable initiatives over a ten day period. I’m partnering with local and national brands to give back to charities that empower, enrich, and even save the lives of women in Kentucky and beyond.
Stop 1: Draper James
Tonight, Wednesday, Sept 11, from 6-8 pm, I’ll be at the Lexington Draper James store for a Shop & Sip benefiting Dress for Success Lexington! Dress For Success Lexington not only provides work clothing to low-income women in the Lexington area; they also provide training for economic empowerment and professional skills. I believe strongly in the Dress for Success mission, y’all. These folks are changing lives!!
Stop 2: Oxmoor Mall
On Thursday, Sept 12, from 5-7:30 pm, I’ll join the Ann Taylor team Oxmoor Mall for the Twisted Good Happy Hour benefiting Twisted Pink, a Louisville-based charity that raises funds for metastatic breast cancer research.
Stop 3: Anchal Project
This Thursday, September 12th, I’ll be partnering with Anchal Project to raise money through the @cflouisville #giveforgoodlou day of giving. Anchal is based right here in Louisville, but their scope is global. They help women (both in India and here in Louisville) to rise out of cycles of poverty, prostitution, abuse, and trauma by retraining those women as artisans. Anchal’s sustainably produced textiles — like the scarf I’m wearing above— are the softest, most beautiful pieces you’ll ever see; their impact is infinitely more beautiful.
Stop 4: Ann Taylor
On Saturday, Sept 14 from 1-5 pm, I’ll be at Ann Taylor in the Oxmoor Center for a Shop & Sip benefiting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. We’ll have champagne and special discounts, and I’ll be providing styling tips from the gorgeous new fall selection!
Stop 5: Recycle the Runway
Next Friday, September 20th, I’ll be at the Recycle the Runway fashion show benefiting Dress for Success Lexington. The event kicks off at 6 pm at Limestone Hall!
I hope to see y’all at these events!!
Louisville Palace Ticket Giveaway
Celebrate the Palace Theater’s 91st Birthday with two Fun Giveaways!
The Louisville Palace is one of the most recognizable and unique buildings in the Downtown Louisville landscape. The venue opened as a “movie house” — the Loews and United Artists State Theater — on September 1, 1928. These days, it exists as a beautifully renovated venue for concerts and comedians, drinks, the occasional movie, and even private events!
The Palace has graciously extended some fun giveaways for HerKentucky readers. Y’all can enter to win tickets to two events this week!
First up is two tickets to Wednesday night’s Rob Thomas show. Rob Thomas is, of course, the frontman for Matchbox Twenty and the guy behind about a million radio hits that you’ve sung along to. Enter to win using the rafflecopter widget below. You can enter until midnight Tuesday night; I’ll contact the winner first thing Wednesday morning and set up the will-call for your tickets.
The Palace is also offering one HerKentucky reader two tickets to see Tesla on Friday night. I know y’all ‘90s kids remember Love Song. (Love will find a wayyy — serious high school dance vibes right there!) Enter below to win — runs through midnight Thursday night, and the winner will be contacted Friday morning.
Thanks so much to the Louisville Palace for providing these tickets. Comment below and let me know if you have any great memories at the Palace Theater!
Frida Kahlo Exhibit at the Frist Art Museum
A review of the Mexican Modernism exhibition at Nashville’s Frist Museum
Self-Portrait as a Tehuana (Diego on my Mind) by Frida Kahlo
A couple of weeks ago, Bob and I took a quick overnight trip to Nashville for an appointment. I was thrilled that this schedule allowed us to see the Mexican Modernism exhibition at the Frist Museum! Several paintings by Frida Kahlo, along with several more by her husband Diego Rivera, were the focal point of the show. I couldn’t contain my excitement that we’d get to go see these works, as Frida Kahlo has been my very favorite artist since I was a teenager. In fact, I kept a postcard print of the above painting, Self-Portrait as a Tehuana (Diego on my Mind), on my dorm room bulletin boards throughout college.
I was so excited to see Frida’s paintings that I ordered a copy of my favorite non-required-reading book from college, Hayden Herrera’s Frida: The Biography of Frida Kahlo. I wanted to remember all of the important details of Frida’s life, influences, and work before I saw her paintings!
Y’all, this exhibition was amazing. I’m not kidding you, I was in tears several times as I looked up close at works I’d previously only seen in reproduction. Even if you aren’t a Frida junkie like me, it’s a very well-done series. The works in the exhibition are from the Jacques and Natasha Gilman collection, and include many of the most celebrated and recognizable works from Rivera, Kahlo, and several of their contemporaries.
Self-Portrait in Red and Gold Dress by Frida Kahlo
Self-Portrait with Monkeys by Frida Kahlo
In addition to the fantastic array of paintings, the exhibit includes over fifty photos from Frida and Diego’s lives together. The photos cover the major events in the Frida & Diego mythology, from their two weddings to their political activism (they even helped house Leon and Natalia Trotsky in exile in Mexico City) to the ravages of Frida’s lifelong health issues, the result of a childhood bout of polio and a trolley car accident she survived as a teenager. A video of Frida and Diego plays against one wall, and several traditional Tehuana costumes, like those favored by Frida, are on display.
The exhibit runs through September 2nd; I’m seriously considering running back down for a second viewing over the holiday weekend! It was such a great reminder that Nashville hasn’t become all Bro-Country bars and bachelorette parties. Stay tuned for more adventures in how to do Nashville like an adult!
How to Write a Sorority Recommendation Letter
Tips for recommending a college woman to a sorority chapter.
As summer nears its end and school starts back up, I find myself getting a few requests every year for recruitment recommendation letters. And, in recent years, I’ve also gotten some requests for a blog post about how to recommend a young woman to a sorority chapter. I actually completed a recommendation yesterday, and I have to say that it’s way easier than it used to be!!
Striped Tee: Vineyard Vines | White capri jeans: Denizen by Levi (can’t find a link, but they were at Target last week) | Sneakers: Superga 2750 | Necklace: Elva Fields
When I was in undergrad, I served my sorority chapter as Recommendation Chair. In those days, as well as when I was a new alumna and an adviser to my chapter, we relied on handwritten letters that were mailed directly to the individual sorority chapters. With stamps and everything! Over the years, this shifted first to “download a PDF, complete it and mail it to the chapter” to the new standard of “complete a quick recommendation form on the sorority’s national website and it will be integrated into the ranking portal. It’s a little less personal, but a whole lot easier — not to mention more reliable and standardized!!! I’ve put together a few tips to remember when writing a sorority recommendation letter. While, of course, I only have first-hand experience with my sorority, Phi Mu, most of these tips should extend to your organization. You may want to check with your sorority’s national website and with the chapter to whom you’re recommending the Potential New Member for specifics!
Keep your purpose in mind!
A recommendation is an introduction. It’s a way of saying to a sorority chapter that you, as an alumna, would like to make an introduction. Think of it as serving as a reference for a job interview — the hard work is there for the applicant to do, but you’re laying the groundwork to make it a little easier for them! Now, a lot of mythology lies around the value of a recommendation letter, and I’ve found that these things vary strongly among individual sorority chapters. Some chapters are rumored to find more value in recommendations from alumnae of their own chapter or from in-state alumnae; others count all recommendations as equal. Regardless of these variations, your recommendation isn’t a guarantee that a potential new member will be invited back to multiple rounds of recruitment parties or that she will be extended a bid. You’re simply alerting the chapter that an alumna vouches for her.
Gather as much information as possible!
Just as with nearly anything else in life, the more prep work you do ahead of time, the easier your letter-writing process will be. Ask the woman whom you’re recommending for digital files of her resume and photo. Be specific — my sorority’s portal asks for high school GPA, high school activities and leadership potential, and any sorority legacy information. This helps introduce the young woman to a sorority chapter and it reinforces that you’re recommending someone whom you actually know! Additionally, make sure you know the recruitment dates for the university where she’ll be rushing, and get your recs in on time!
Be honest!
I know that I shouldn’t have to say this, but be as candid as possible in your recommendation process. Don’t claim to know someone better than you do; you’re doing a disservice to both the rushee and the sorority chapter!
Be gracious!
Again, I know that HerKentucky readers are, as a general rule, a polite and gracious group. But, I do want to remind you to mind your manners when interacting with the sorority chapter. The chapter doesn’t owe you an explanation if the woman whom you recommended is ultimately not invited to join your organization. Remember that recruitment is a very stressful time for collegiate members and recruitment members alike; as an adult who is at a remove from the situation, please ignore the temptation to incite additional drama. It doesn’t matter how involved you were with your sorority during your college years — the sorority chapter has, very likely, evolved since then. A woman who may have been your “rush crush” back in the day may find a far better fit with another organization.
“I believe in pink” — Audrey Hepburn
I hope these simple, common-sense tips help you introduce a PNM to a chapter of your organization. Let me know in the comments if you’ve written a rush letter this year!
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Ensley's Make-a-Wish Story
Ensley Ogden on her Make-a-Wish trip to Hawaii
Today’s post is so very special to me. I want to introduce y’all to my friend Ensley Ogden.
Ensley is a very special young lady. She’s a hard-working, smart, and compassionate high school student here in Louisville, and she was diagnosed at age 13 with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), a rare type of cancer, in her brain. I’ve had the good fortune to know Ensley’s family for years and actually was sitting on a charity board with her mother, Lauren, when this diagnosis occurred. I watched the Ogdens fight this terrible diagnosis with a remarkable degree of grace. Ensley was awarded the Dick Vitale Award for Hope from the V Foundation, which carried a special message from Dickie V that even Cats fans (like me) and Cards fans (like Ensley and her parents) can agree upon: Miss Ensley is one tough lady!
I’ll be sharing updates from the Make-a-Wish Foundation gala tonight over on Instagram, and I wanted to share Ensley’s story of all the ways that Make-a-Wish can help an ailing family heal!
Ensley Ogden on her Make-a-Wish trip to Hawaii
Ensley, do you mind telling me a little about your illness and your diagnosis? I know it had to be so scary.
I was diagnosed with LCH when I was 13 years old after having symptoms for about a year, such as uncontrollable thirst, loss of appetite, weight loss, nausea, low-grade fevers, headaches, delayed growth, and low thyroid. I had my craniotomy on March 3rd, 2016 and was diagnosed around that time. Luckily, I was able to keep hold of hope (for the most part) because of the overwhelming support I had from my family, friends, school, nurses, doctors, and even people that I had never met! I could not have done this alone.
Ensley Ogden and her family on their Make-a-Wish trip to Hawaii
Your treatment took close to two years, if I remember correctly, and y’all were traveling a lot. I’m sure that made life so different. Can you tell me a little bit about how traveling for treatment affected school and life for you?
When I was first getting my surgery and being diagnosed, I was in Houston, Texas for a long time. It was really hard not being able to see my friends and family back home and not being able to participate in school. But, even though I didn't have everyone supporting me in person, I received so many messages, letters, and packages from friends back home and even teachers at my school! Each and every one that I received really brightened some of the hardest days. After I was diagnosed, I was able to do treatment in Louisville, which was so amazing because I had my support system right there with me along the way. Even though I had to go to Houston regularly, it was comforting to be able to treat at home.
Ensley Ogden on her Make-a-Wish trip to Hawaii with her mother and aunt.
You are so blessed to have such an amazing support system. I remember talking to your mom several times during your illness and she always stressed the value of keeping your life (and hers) as normal and positive as possible. I know that having this kind of support had to make a scary situation a little better, right?
Yes! As I said previously, I couldn't have done it without my support system. Everyone from my friends and family to my school to my nurses and doctors to complete strangers served this role. I would always make sure to have plenty of visitors while I stayed in the hospital. It made me feel like everything was normal when I was around people.
Ensley Ogden and her parents on their Make-a-Wish trip to Hawaii
Can you tell me about your experiences with Make-a-Wish and your Wish Trip? It had to be such a great way to change your outlook and celebrate your prognosis!
My experience with Make-A-Wish was absolutely incredible! My Wish Trip was a cruise throughout the Hawaiian Islands. I got to bring my mom and dad and because I don't have a sibling, I got to bring another person. I chose my Aunt Mary. I had the best trip I could have ever imagined. Since I had to wait until I was finished with treatment because I couldn't be that far away from a hospital and I couldn't swim in the ocean with my port, I had something to always look forward to. My mom even bought be a book about Hawaii to look through during my hospital stays. It felt like such a huge accomplishment when I finished treatment and this trip was my reward. Also, it was the first time I got to swim in the ocean since I received my port two years beforehand! I will always remember this trip and all that Make-A-Wish has done for me and my family.
Ensley Ogden on her Make-a-Wish trip to Hawaii
Is there anything you’d want a kid facing a diagnosis like yours to know?
Just to stay strong and keep people around you. You are stronger than you know. (Click to tweet these remarkable words of wisdom!)
Ensley Ogden on her Make-a-Wish trip to Hawaii
Thanks so much to Ensley for sharing her story! Follow me on Instagram for more from tonight’s gala, and feel free to touch base with me if you’d like to learn more about how to get involved with Make-a-Wish in your area!!
Old Forester 100 Proof
My go-to bourbon.
Sometimes, people, especially non-Kentuckians or bourbon newbies, often ask me what my go-to bourbon is. Of course, that’s never an easy question. Everyone in Kentucky knows that a whole lot of factors go into that answer. Is there someone in the room who works at a particular distillery? Then their employer is definitely your favorite. Other factors include where your tastebuds are at the moment, whether you’re sipping or mixing in a cocktail, etc., etc. But, even with all of those disclaimers out of the way, I find that my answer usually is Old Forester 100 Proof.
I straight-up love Forester 100 as a sipper. I’m a huge fan of the warm butterscotch aroma, the apple and spice palate, and the toffee and clove finish. I also love that it’s at an incredible price point, and that it makes a fantastic cocktail. I think that this one belongs on every home bourbon bar.
I’ve had the opportunity to get to know a few of the folks on the brand team at Old Fo, and I can tell y’all that they are incredible. Master Taster Jackie Zykan is the coolest lady ever, and the entire team has an incredible vision for the future of the label. If you love Kentucky history and good whiskey, you should definitely visit the Old Forester Distillery and learn all about the first bottled bourbon! (My t-shirt is available in the distillery gift shop!)
I’ve also had a few people ask about my bourbon barrel bracelets — I always wear these to whiskey-tasting events. These are by Bourbon & Boweties and are available exclusively at Sweet Mash Goods in Lawrenceburg. These are my very favorites, and are a subtle way to reflect my love of bourbon every day!
What’s your go-to bourbon?
Stoneware & Co Summer Gift Guide
Stoneware & Co pieces for everyone on your summer gift list!
Summer is a time of new beginnings — people move after graduation, they get married, and they purchase new homes. I feel like I’m always on the lookout for meaningful keepsake gifts, and I find myself, time and again, giving presents from Stoneware & Co. I especially like to give pieces from the Embossed Running Horse collection. The neutral tones and subtle pattern complement nearly any decor, and are a great way to add a piece of Kentucky heritage to a home.
I’ve teamed up with Stoneware & Co. to show you some of my favorite Embossed Running Horse gifts, and Stoneware has graciously extended a coupon code for HerKentucky readers. Use code SUMMERTIME at online checkout, in-store, or on phone orders to take 10% off your Stoneware order. (This offer is valid from today, Friday June 21st, through Thursday June 27th at midnight.)
Here are a few of my favorite Stoneware pieces for summer gifting.
For a first apartment or dorm room
The Embossed Running Horse Julep Cup Soy Candle is such a great present for someone who’s just starting out in their first apartment or dorm room. It’s a clean-burning candle AND a keepsake julep cup. I love using Stoneware julep cups as small vases for fun, informal flower arrangements.
For a first home
The Embossed Running Horse 1 quart bar pitcher and julep cups are such a lovely housewarming gift for the new homeowner. Whether they choose to serve lemonade or Manhattans, they’ll entertain in style!
For the newlyweds
The Embossed Running Horse Wine Cooler and Saucer makes the absolute best present, y’all. It’s not only an elegant serving solution for chilling wine (you can store it in your freezer ahead of time to keep your wine appropriately chilled!); it also makes a gorgeous vase for tall flower arrangements! This is such a great present for newlyweds!
For the home chef
If you’re giving a gift to a serious home chef this summer, I suggest the Embossed Running Horse Large Oval Platter. The serving possibilities are absolutely endless with this piece. I plan to use mine as an elegant way to present my next charcuterie board, and it’s always fabulous for serving main courses!
I love that Stoneware has been producing unique Kentucky pottery — made from local clay and hand-painted and -fired by local artists — since the early 19th century. I love to gift Stoneware because it carries such a lovely story and provides your loved ones with a true heirloom. Let me know if you’re giving Stoneware gifts this summer, and don’t forget to use the special coupon code! Use code SUMMERTIME at online checkout, in-store, or on phone orders to take 10% off your Stoneware order. (This offer is valid from today, Friday June 21st, through Thursday June 27th at midnight.)