Celebrating the Kentucky Derby

This Saturday, Dustin and I drove the 45 minutes south to the Poplar Grove Plantation in Wilmington to celebrate the Kentucky Derby, known as the most exciting two minutes in sports! The Junior League of Wilmington hosted their 3rd annual Mint Julep Jubilee. It was a really fun event, and I am glad Dustin and I decided to participate.

Everybody showed up in their Southern finest fashion, with ladies in sandals, sundresses, and amazing hats. Some of the gents were even wearing cute little bow-ties! We spent the afternoon sipping mint juleps, wine, and beer, and had some great Southern-style fare, complete with fried chicken, creamed corn, squash casserole, and fluffy biscuits.

They also had raffle tickets for picking the winning horse, a silent auction, and a live band. The plantation was such a beautiful setting, and I could just imagine they must hold gorgeous wedding receptions there! We mingled and met some other marine couples, who actually live in Wilmington and commute to Lejeune. It is amazing how much of this region of North Carolina is influenced by the military! I was really pulling for Pants on Fire to win the race, because the jockey was a woman AND how awesome of a name is Pants on Fire? But unfortunately, that was not the case. Here is a shot of us after the race:

I am thinking about filling out an application to join the Junior League this year, because it seems like a great way to meet even more people, especially once Dustin is deployed. Not too mention, they have social events going on ALL the time, from what I saw on their web site.