The Open House

Because I will be gone for a year and a half, my family and I decided to host an open house so that I could say goodbye! 

We themed it using the colors of the Kentucky flag (blue and yellow). This included blue and yellow M&Ms, frosted blue and yellow cupcakes, blue and yellow plates, blue and yellow cups..... The list goes on. Basically imagine anything blue and yellow and it was probably at my open house. 

The food table - yum!

In an attempt to be creative, I placed interesting Kentucky facts around my house (on blue and yellow paper, of course). For your entertainment, here are some of those facts:

1. The state bird of Kentucky is the cardinal. 
2. The state flower of Kentucky is the goldenrod (another yellow thing). 
3. Cheeseburgers were first served in 1934 at Kaolin's restaurant in Louisville. 
4. The song, "Happy Birthday to You" was the creation of two Louisville sisters in 1893. 
5. Post-it Notes are manufactured exclusively in Cynthiana. The exact number made annually of these popular notes is a trade secret. 
6. The public saw an electric light for the first time in Louisville. Thomas Edison introduced his incandescent light bulb to crowds at the Southern Exposition in 1883. 
7. The name "Kentucky" is based on the Iroquois Indian word "Ken-tah-ten," meaning "land of tomorrow". 
8. Kentucky has more miles of running water than any other state except Alaska. 
9. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Kentucky's population was 4,269,245, with 1.5 million in Louisville alone. 
10. While it may not be scientifically proven, it's believed that Kentucky's pure-filtered limestone water provides the state's famous Thoroughbred horse with the competitive edge to reach the winner's circle so frequently. 
11. Some church history: Kentucky has 33,455 church members, 1 mission (woot woot!), 77 congregations, 1 temple, and 23 family history centers. 
12. More church history: Joseph Smith, the first President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, likely preached in Louisville, Kentucky, on his way to Missouri. He stayed in the city for three days and later revisited in 1832. An Indiana convert began the first congregation in Licking River. In 1835, two missionaries baptized 22 people. The first group of Kentucky Saints to join other Church members in the West left for Missouri in September 1836. In July 1843, Church leaders Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff preached in Kentucky. Though persecution existed, some 1,170 members of the Church lived in the state in 1900. 

A big thanks to everyone that came!!