My Little Vacay to Nebraska

When one thinks vacation, they probably don't think about Nebraska, especially in November! But when I heard that a friend of mine was going be having surgery in Omaha, I began thinking about how great it would be to go down that way. That, and the fact that my sister, Tesa has lived in Lincoln for 17 years, and I have never had the chance to visit made me seriously consider the possibility. 

Lo and behold, my dad had also been talking about heading South to Texas in November to hunt wild pigs. My two respite care workers were available to look after Faith starting on a Friday morning through Tuesday evening. All I had to do was book a flight so I could get back home. 

Despite all the details falling into place, I was still anxious about it. I haven't flown since Faith was a baby, so I was especially nervous about that part. I prayed about it and believed that everything would be okay. 

On the morning of my departure, Faith woke up just in time and her respite care staff was able to get her dressed and take her to her day program. I gave her a big hug goodbye and told her how much I loved her. She had known about my little getaway for about 3 days, and we spent a lot of time going over her schedule (which she memorized). She didn't fight or cry or anything and I was so proud of her for how she was handling the news. 

Our first stop in Watertown, SD. (Sporting an NDSU shirt in enemy territory!) 

Dad helping some guys out! 

After driving several hours, we finally made our first stop in Watertown, South Dakota. My dad had noticed a Ford diesel pickup truck at a gas station with its hood up, surrounded by people and a few other trucks. Of course, he just had to go over there to see what was going on. 

The young driver had run out of diesel fuel and had barely made it to the gas station. The pickup wouldn't start though, since it had run out of fuel (something you're not supposed to do with a diesel engine!) My dad, who has been around diesel engines most of his life, was able to help them get the pickup running again. After saving their day, we grabbed a bite to eat and didn't stop again until we reached Lincoln. 

We made it to my sister's house in Lincoln! 

My sister had made a delicious supper of meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I was so happy to be there and to finally see her home, along with her hubby, my nephews, and their dog. I felt bad that Preston had to resort to sleeping on an air mattress in my sister's office, but he didn't seem to mind giving his room up to me. 

The next morning, after being awakened by Josie, who was excited to have someone new to give her attention, I ate breakfast, drank my coffee, and relaxed. After Preston got up and ready, we ventured to the mall so he could find a one-year anniversary gift for his girlfriend. 

Getting ready to shop! 

Tesa and Preston at the mall. 

Once we were done shopping, we headed over to Granite City for lunch. We then drove around and Tesa showed me where the boys went to school, as well as where the Cornhuskers played football, and some other fun and interesting sites. We then went downtown to the Haymarket where I bought Faith and I some apparel at From Nebraska Gift Shop and a few tasty treats at a bakery called The Rabbit Hole. 

As we drove around, I was impressed by how easy it seemed to navigate the area. I loved the Midwestern homey feel of Lincoln, NE. Everyone I came into contact with was so friendly. I felt like I had never left North Dakota! (Except for the fact that no one in Nebraska seems to have an accent like we apparently do!)  But like here, Nebraska was having an unusually warm autumn season, so it was nice to venture out with just a sweatshirt. 

Later that evening, the whole family, along with Preston's girlfriend, had an entertaining and fun dinner experience at a Japanese Hibachi Grill. The food was delicious, and Preston and Don were able to catch a few pieces of shrimp tossed to them by the chef. 

The Historic Haymarket in downtown Lincoln 

Where the Cornhuskers play football! No game when I was there, though! 

Time for supper at the Japanese steakhouse! 

Our chef was lots of fun! 

Preston impresses his girlfriend by catching shrimp in his mouth. 

That night, Tesa and I searched and searched for a movie to watch and the only one we managed to find was something called Frozen (not the Disney movie!). I don't really recommend it, but honestly, neither of us could stop thinking about it, even well into the next day.

The next morning, the whole house was empty as Don and the boys were outside doing yardwork and Tesa was taking Josie for her long walk. This gave me the chance to watch church online. I saw that my sister and Faith had made it to church, which I figured Faith was pretty happy about. 

One thing Tesa wanted me to do was take family photos so they could use one for their Christmas card. She even had a place on the walking trails all picked out. This involved going to a nearby store to get Preston some Jeans as his current wardrobe of sweatpants-only wasn't going to cut it for the photos. 

When we got back, it was a mad rush to get everyone dressed in their matching outfits before we ran out of daylight. We made it to the scenic location and took lots of pictures. It was fun, and Tesa was so happy with how they turned out!

Preston driving during a mission to get some jeans! 

My handsome nephews, Preston and Donnie. 

For supper that evening, the boys were happy to stay home and eat pizza while Tesa, Don, and I went back downtown to a restaurant called Screamers Family Restaurant. It was very interesting as the waitresses were also singers and they would periodically get onstage and sing a few songs. 

We all thought it must have been musical night, because all of the songs were from musicals (which meant we didn't know hardly any of the songs!) The restaurant also hosts fun events like an 80s Prom Tribute Show (which I would love!) as well as other events like Songs of the Season and tributes to ABBA and other artists. 

Supper at Screamers! 

Don and Tesa 

The next day, Tesa and I left for Omaha so that I could see my friend who was a patient at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC). After rolling into town and checking in to our hotel, we ate lunch at Beacon Hills. We both had salads, and they were amazing! Following lunch, my sister dropped me off at the medical center and I had a really nice visit with my friend. Thankfully, she is doing well! 

Upon picking me up, we made our way to the Blue Sushi Sake Grill. Neither one of us realized that the other liked sushi until we started talking about it a couple nights before. I tried really hard to eat with chopsticks, which is something I never could get the hang of. I asked Tesa to take a picture of me eating with them so that I could send a picture to Faith. I told her to hold on until I had picked up a sushi roll, but she proceeded to take pictures the entire time I was trying to pick it up! 

Back at our hotel, we watched Judy (the biographical film based on the life of Judy Garland). It was good but really sad at all she had endured during her lifetime. The next morning, I was nervous about flying, but Tesa had given me lots of handy tips! 

She was going to go into the airport with me, but we couldn't find any open parking spots in the garage. I told her I would be fine. We gave each other a teary-eyed hug even though we would see each other again in a couple of weeks for Thanksgiving! We had so much fun together and so many laughs. It was just so great to be able to hang out with her! 

Saying goodbye to Josie. She's such a sweet dog! 

Enjoying our salads at Beacon Hills. 

Thankful to have been able to visit a friend in the hospital. 

Trying to eat sushi with chopsticks! 

Old Market in Omaha (free parking on Veterans Day!) 

Tesa getting some work done at the hotel before heading to the airport. 

Going through security was no problem at all (even with my pacemaker, which I did have my ID card just in case!) I really didn't have to wait long until we boarded the plane and then the flight to Minneapolis was very quick. Upon landing, I hustled from Concourse C to Concourse A and found my gate. Within minutes of arriving, however, I realized the gate had switched to the next one over. 

But then about 20 minutes later, the group of people flying to Bismarck was told that our gate had changed to an entirely different concourse, so we all made our way to that gate. After a while, the lady at the counter got on the loudspeaker and said there was a plane change and because of that, they had to find a crew who could fly the bigger airplane. 

At first, they needed to find the pilot and then minutes later she announced they also had to find a different copilot. Then she came on again and said the copilot was on his way, but it could be 90 minutes before he arrived. 

By that time, it was about 4:00 p.m. and we were supposed to have left at 3:15 p.m. Thankfully, the copilot arrived sooner than anticipated and we were able to fly out at about 5:15 and made it to Bismarck in about an hour. 

Waiting at the airport in Minneapolis. 

My mom picked me up at the airport and brought me home to someone who was very excited to see me! She screamed very loudly when I walked through the door and when I was getting her ready for bed she said, "I'm so glad we're back together again!" 

Faith and I had video chatted every day when I was gone, so that helped her immensely with me being away. I was so happy that her respite care staff kept her routine as normal as possible, and she didn't miss her adaptive ballet class, therapy, or her day program. She even had a haircut and made it to her dentist appointment! 

I have not been on a vacation like that since I went to Minneapolis with my sisters a couple of years ago. But this time, I was gone much longer, and it was so nice for my brain and my body to have a break and not constantly have to be thinking about what I needed to be doing next to keep Faith's routine on track. 

Faith is all smiles with me on the way to therapy! 

I am very blessed that one of my sisters helps with respite care and that my other sister was so willing to drive me to Omaha and stay with me there. I feel like as their older sister, I should be looking after them, but they are always looking after me, and I so appreciate that! 

Since I realize that flying really isn't so scary, I can't wait for the next trip that I might be able to go on someday! For now, though, I'm glad to be back home, and I think someone else is pretty happy about that, too!