internet in omaha

It's Saturday night. And I'm sitting in a Dodge Stratus, in a parking lot, in Omaha. Emily and I are swiping the wireless from a hospital. I'm in Nebraska for a friend's wedding reception (long story about the wedding in Texas in January and the reception in Nebraska in May...), and my parents and I have driven out here to spend some time with Dave & Emily as they get settled in Omaha (still looking for a house to buy, finding their way around, etc) and head on over to the reception in Lincoln tomorrow. Today we planned on visiting the airshow at Offutt, but it was canceled because of the weather! We hoped to see the plane Dave will be flying in, but alas, we had to settle for a view of it from the next parking lot over from the flightline. It was interesting to see the base housing and know that it's all so very similar to what I grew up with in Cheyenne--old red brick buildings with wrap-around white porches, the names of officers and families on signage out front by the sidewalk, a parade field, and lots of one-way streets. Later, we drove past our old house on Renee Street. It holds some of my earliest memories:: of a garden in the back, of moving away and playing on the front steps while boxes left the house. We drove past Welcome School, my preschool. And I'm somewhat sad to say that I actually have attended a Christian school! who knew? It's at a Presbyterian Church... and all that time I spent at ACSI, I thought I was a true public school kid? (but really: does preschool count?) anyway: we were sad to see that the sledding hill out back is now a parking lot. The kid at Walgreens let us know that the big oak tree was struck by lighting, so it's gone, too. Sad times. But I bought some cute ribbon at a local craft store. It's brown with multi-sized blue polka dots. And then, I bought something for mother's day from the red white and blue aisle while mom was lost in the fabric section. I snuck it into the car and hope to get it home to Colorado (with Dad's packing and hiding abilities) without her noticing. Dinner: honey raspberry beer of some sort, with a chipotle bbq burger. Then: emily and I decided to get our hair(s)cut. Somewhat spontaneously. Overall, it was an exhausting, family stripping me of my energy sort of day, but it was good. Yet I still kept thinking: I could be 2.5 hours away in Pella, Iowa, spending time with girlfriends from college who I love dearly at an annual festival called Tulip Time. Yes. It's all about Tulips. Think: Holland, or Holland, Michiagn, on significantly smaller scales. All the sunshine, flowers, wooden shoes, funnel cakes (with strawberries and whipped cream) and Dutch Letters you can handle.

random: I'm pretty much always inspired, color-wise, whenever I drive across the plains/midwest. Even on overcast days. Nebraska is full of such rich greens, browns, and tans, that it's hard not to want to translate that into a rich brown rug, a leafy green comforter, and bright yellow pillows. Or just grab the colors of paint and throw it on a canvas, in odd, abstract sorts of horizontal strokes.