Lusting after Lilly

This past weekend was Mom's Weekend for my sorority. Unfortunately my mom wasn't able to make the trip but it really has been great to be able to see everyone else's mothers! I feel like I always see the "school side" of people so it truly is special to be able to meet everyone's parents and it's really neat to see the immediate connection them all. I hope in twenty years all of the moms and daughters will still be able to meet up once a year and have brunch together. I can picture it now!

Yesterday, we sponsored a luncheon for all of the Moms. It was a time for them to come, grab a bite to eat and mingle with everyone. These types of brunch meet-and-greets are something that I really miss when I'm at school. Apart from yesterday I can't tell you the last time I've been to one but frankly, I love a good luncheon. Tea sandwiches are one of my favorite things in the world and more importantly, I love dressing up for a luncheon. First off, I think dresses are the way to go. A conservative sun dress is a must for any girl's closet and I am a firm believer in this. Whether this is a simple J.Crew shift dress or an Anthropologie Maxi dress, the style is your choice, but having that go-to dress that you could wear "to see your Grandmother" is a definite necessity.

For me personally, Lilly Pulitzer brings back so many good memories of spring. Every Easter my mom would buy "Mommy and Me" Lilly dresses. She would have the colorful shift and I would have the matching loose A-line, little girls version. It really was adorable and of course my daughter will be running around in those one day too! For me, Lilly is an understated celebration. It's classic, conservative, feminine and fun. It's truly the epitome of Southern style. It's horse racing season, mother-daughter tea, Easter Sundays and luncheons. At school I don't have any of my Lilly dresses with me because I haven't seen a need to keep them here before but I was really regretting it yesterday. With flowers blooming and a Mom's meet-in-greet I was flashing back to Mommy and Me days in those brightly printed dresses.

I jumped on the website and fell in love all over again. Here are some of the one's that particularly caught my eye. I am totally obsessed with the Lexington dress! (Fine, that's partly because it's the name of my hometown but mainly because it's absolutely adorable!) I mean… Easter is just around the corner, I think that's excuse enough to add another one to my collection!

The Becky Dress

The Delia Shift Dress

The Robyn Short Sleeve Dress

The Piper Shift Dress

The Lexington Dress

Lusting after Lilly,

Emily

Home Town Lovin

So I debated doing this post mainly for the reason that I don't want to be hunted down and killed but I'm going on with it anyways. So with that said, please don't hunt me down and kill me but also, if you were to do that your stalking skills are pretty commendable. But don't. Really.

Moving on.

Being back home has been good. Heading back is always a weird mix of emotions. On the one hand, driving back into Kentucky is pretty nostalgic. The white fences on the highway are when I know I'm close. The bourbon distilleries and the horses are all things that I love about my state and all of the things that welcome me home the last two hours of my drive from school. On the other hand, I do feel more distant. Obviously independence does come with college and I'm definitely starting to feel that. Kentucky will always be home but it's starting to feel more like the place that I grew up rather than the place that I live. And really I'm fine with that. I will always have so much pride for this place and I can guarantee that I will bleed blue for the rest of my life.

Kentucky was a great place to grow up. And I mean truly great. I really think I got a little of everything. For a city in Kentucky, I lived in one of the most open-minded cities in the country and I am so proud of that. In the horse capitol of the world I got to be around a million dollar industry.  I definitely did not come from a horse industry family but I had friends who owned derby horses (that won), friends' parents who trained and bred those derby horses and friends who knew how to go to the track and come home with thousands of dollars each time they went. Unfortunately I was not one of those people. I would illegally (when under 18) electronically bet on the horse with the best name and come out losing every time. Along with this, I got to skip every friday during racing season to go to the track. I mean, how could you not? A chance to wear a Lilly dress and waltz around the paddock with millionaires was never too bad.

Also, with Keeneland being so gorgeous it meant rocking senior pictures if you were able to stand the fact that everyone and their sister had taken their photos there too. At the time I was too "original" for that but now I regret it a little…

I grew up downtown and apart from there being only enough children that I could count on one hand I loved it. It was big enough that people get confused driving around but small enough that well, driving shouldn't have been a problem, but also for a kid to feel safe and explore a little. Bike rides were a common thing and after investing in a Vespa my brother and I gained even more independence. I think living downtown is what gave me my sense of direction at a very young age but also my "street smarts". After living in a medium sized downtown this definitely sparked my craving for bigger cities.

While Lexington is moderately sized it still has the gossip of a small town. Maybe that's a southern thing or maybe that says something about the group my parents were in but I'm not sure I liked it. I did however like the balance of a southern city. Let's say that Lexington is southern to the point some restaurants serve unsweetened tea. Truly blasphemy I know. But I'm one of those people who appreciate a conversation with the checkout lady at the grocery store and on the other hand I can handle not being called "honey". So I'll take the balance any day.

In an effort not to make this post exhaustingly long I'll cut it straight to the point: I loved growing up here and I would recommend it for anyone. However I do think I've slowly grown out of it. Moving to Memphis for school was a step that I really liked and I am looking forward to exploring more larger cities after graduating. All in all, Lexington will always be home for me and I'm so thankful that I can say that that.



Feeling nostalgic even though I'm here now,
Emily