Run for the Roses

It's the fastest two minutes in sports they say. Others call it the most exciting two minutes in sports. My grandma would call it the most nerve wracking two minutes in sports. A true horse lover, my grandma always spends those two minutes hunched on the couch hands clasped under her chin, hoping both horses and jockeys make it to the finish line unscathed. With a grandpa that has always been involved in the horse racing business, the Kentucky Derby has always been a big deal to my family.

There are always two things that are guaranteed at our family get together on derby day:

1) I could always count on my grandma to give me the scoop on which horses to watch.

2) My family could always count on me to go to town on the platter of shrimp as soon as it hit the living room coffee table.

This is the second year that I will be watching the Kentucky Derby in a college dorm, and it does not hold the same appeal as a family gathering at home. This Saturday is one of the first really nice spring days we have had in a while, but the Kentucky Derby only happens once a year, so I will be spending my day inside, eyes glued to the television.

This year my grandma will be watching the derby in a hospital room with my grandpa as he deals with some health issues. Even though we will not be watching the race together, we will all still be watching, rooting for our favorites. And by the time the Preakness rolls around, we will all be together again.