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I’m sitting with my coffee in a rare moment of silence reflecting back on all that has happened over a fast and furious week.
I always give thanks for the precious moments with my children, but two events out of the ordinary are the main focus of my reflections today. And they bring great big smiles to my face.
On Friday we closed on our new house. I feel I can exhale now; a huge release as I’ve held my tension and emotions in check while we went through the house buying process. I want to give a big shout out to Christy, our awesome realtor.
Finally, closing day was upon us and to show you how the best laid plans can go awry, despite my checklist, I forgot to bring the cashier’s check for the closing costs. My husband took one look at me – you know THE look – and I felt mortified. At that moment I wanted to sink into a hole or to laugh hysterically, or both at the same time! To his credit, he took a deep breath, turned around in the car and went back to get it while I proceeded to sign my part of the documents.
For us, buying a house means a commitment to put down roots in the area and in the community. And so to knock on the neighbors' door and introduce ourselves.
Last Saturday, May 9, was the running of the 68th Annual Iroquois Steeplechase at Percy Warner Park; one of the premier steeplechase events in the country and a Nashville tradition. As my new friend, Pam describes it, “It’s soo Nashville.”
I jumped at the opportunity to go to Steeplechase when Carrie, another new friend and kindred spirit, secured some tickets for the exclusive Hunt Club tent (la di da) – a private tent offering beverage service and a gourmet catered lunch – and asked me to be her guest.
As a mother of young children, it’s rare for me to get dressed up to the nines and I certainly haven’t worn a formal hat for a while. I love elegant hats, perhaps because I grew up in England and wearing hats on formal occasions, such as weddings and other posh dos is a very English thing.
As you upstate New Yorkers can image, think shades of opening day at Saratoga Springs race track.
Imagine ladies with hats of all designs and colors in posh frocks and rain boots, or welly boots as we say in England, albeit designer ones. As this is Nashville, think cowboy boots as well.
Yes, plastic boots won over high fashion and heels to cope with the extremely muddy conditions on the ground caused by a wet week preceding the race and a downpour the morning of the race.
Still not everyone heeded the weather reports and wore sling backs and fashion shoes, and it was a sight to behold formal dress and mud encrusted shoes, feet and legs as the afternoon wore on.
Carrie and I dubbed the day “Posh Woodstock” – Posh as in a fashion display to rival Royal Ascot and Woodstock as in the bad weather and mud of the 1969 music festival.
Despite the less than ideal conditions, the main thing was to experience and to have fun. And we certainly had fun judging people’s hats. We scored you one if you wore your smelly old baseball cap dug out from the bottom of your closet and ten if you wore a knock out creation fit to meet the Queen of England.
We decided to leave before the end to avoid being stuck in traffic. My poor compact Toyota Corolla has never been off-roading before, but here I was bearing down on the gas pedal praying the wheels wouldn’t spin out of control and we’d be stuck in a muddy field!
Yes, it has certainly been an out of the ordinary week as I’ve experienced a Nashville tradition and feel I’ve arrived, and hurrah we have a new home to create lasting memories in a new neighborhood in our new home town.
By SUSAN S. CHEUNG
Susan is a freelance writer originally from London, England. She moved to Brentwood, Tenn. in July 2008 when her husband accepted a position at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The family relocated after eight years in Albany, New York. And now they have a new home in Franklin, Tenn. and will move shortly.
