Curtis and I lived in Omaha while he was in dental school at Creighton, and I still think of Omaha as our first "home". We owned our first house there, had school and jobs, and some of the best friends. An added bonus of living there was going to the College World Series every year. It was a magical time of year in the city and we loved going to the games and enjoying the atmosphere. At the time, there was a song that played at the games and on the televised feed that sang about being "Back Home in Omaha". Well that song plays though my head whenever we get back there, although it is no longer used and Rosenblatt is all but gone. The city built a new stadium and the Blatt has been reduced to a memorial type attraction. We did stop by to pay our fondest respects. Many an afternoon and evening were spent there watching great baseball.
The last time we were in Omaha, I was 6 or 7 weeks pregnant with Maxwell, so it had been a little over 4 years since visiting last. We always marvel about how much has changed, and yet how familiar it all seems. We tried to hit all the thing we loved to do while in Omaha, and we added a couple of new things to the list as well. Our friends Maggie and Scott were sweet to let us stay at their house and their girls Adi and Evie became instant friends for Max.
The Rosenblatt memorial is conveniently located across the parking lot from the Henry Doorly Zoo. We didn't go there too often when we lived in Omaha, but it was nice to take Max and share in some of the memories we had from our occasional outings there. It has changed quite a bit from when we left, but some of the attractions are still the same. The Desert Dome had just been finished right before we left town, but only half of it was opened at the time. It was neat to go back and see it completed. We had to cut it a little short as Max was in need of a nap and it was pouring rain in the afternoon. However, we did get to meet up with Tiffani and her two youngest for a couple of hours. It was great to see them again.
Max is obsessed with bones so he wanted me to take a picture of the beetles and the skulls they have cleaned.
This ape was showing us his best side.
The gorilla exhibit is huge compared to what it used to be when we were there. However, in the grand tradition of gorillas they completely ignored everyone that walked by them.
The aquarium is still the same and still awesome. Always a favorite!
A kid after my own heart... while most kids love the penguins or sharks, Max gravitates towards thinks like the jellies. I always love the nautilus display, which was no longer there.
Max and Nola, his "zoo buddy".
That night following a nap, Maggie and Scott hosted a get-together and invited some of out friends that still live in the Omaha area. I was so excited to see everyone and play catch up on our busy lives. One of our favorite families there are the Whites. Jeremy and I worked on our Master's degree at the same time and he met Karrie towards the end of our program. She was pregnant with their twins on our last visit, and we were due around the same time. The twins were born a couple of week early, but they are all really close in age. I have a feeling that if we had more time together Max and Sam would be good buddies.
Jeremy and Marlee
Karrie and Sam
This ended our first full day in Omaha. It was exhausting, but oh so much fun! More about or trip to follow soon!
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