The city of Omaha is decked out for Christmas!
I feel like I’ve been telling people about Omaha for months. Not because I had ever been there or because it is a great city. Honestly, I never really knew anything about it. More so because it was the first city we booked for this giant six month road trip, so naturally, it always came up first when people asked where we were headed.
This really is my first trip to Omaha and I’ve been pleasantly surprised. It’s nothing like I thought. The city seems to sit directly on a series of rolling hills. I pictured it flat. There’s SO much to see and do here. I pictured it smaller than Green Bay. We’ve barely made it out of our hotel and I’m just itching to explore. We do plan to mostly enjoy free activities of course, but there’s still plenty to do – especially by the river.
Rewinding a bit, let’s talk about the trip here. We drove just over five hours from south Minneapolis to west Omaha, arriving around 5 p.m. on Saturday evening. Travis and I both agreed it was a smooth drive. Despite some complaining and crying from the back seat, mixed with freezing rain in the first few hours of the drive, we came out of it smiling because both children managed to nap in the car AT THE SAME TIME. We doubted if Levi would ever dare close his eyes during one of our state-long drives. He doesn’t sleep outside of his bed… ever. But lo and behold, the Lord heard our desperate cries and came to our rescue in the form of closed eyelids. Thank you, Jesus. Of course, the almost two-year-old did wake up screaming bloody murder for about ten full minutes after that nap, but we’re trying to forget about that part. He redeemed himself by using the iPad case as a hat for ten full minutes.
With the help of my entertainment, the kids have been busy bees on the car rides. From drawing on their travel trays, driving cars around their car seats, demanding snack after snack, and even partaking in some family question games, we’re all greatly bonding during these drives. I thought being together 24/7 might make me quickly go insane, but thus far, it’s only made me love spending time with my children all the more. Shocking, I know.
The bonding has continued as we’ve explored the hotel, swam, and even grabbed pie together at The Village Inn tonight. I can’t imagine what the kids are thinking. Do they miss home? Are they loving the adventure of it all? It certainly seems like they’re enjoying themselves, but you never can tell what kids are thinking.
We visited a thrift store right across from our hotel today. And wouldn’t you know, as we were walking up to the store, we noticed “50% off store-wide” signs all over! What luck! Though we really don’t need anything else to shove into our car, we did find a few things worth buying for a buck or two. We’ve also explored the downtown “mall” in the heart of the city. It’s called Gene Leahy Mall, but it’s more like a mile-long exploration and entertainment area to explore and walk around. I’d say it would be way more enjoyable in the summertime. However, with zipped up coats and snacks in hand, we tried to make the best of the windy day. We even found an enormously tall Christmas tree.
I’m thankful for all the individuals giving us suggestions and ideas. I only knew one person to ask advice about Omaha from, but he was plenty helpful to let us know which areas of town are safest and what church to visit on Sunday. Combined with a family-friendly hotel that has served us well for the past few days (at a great price) and we’ve got a recipe for a pleasant stay in Omaha. I mean seriously guys, what kid wouldn’t love this pool?!
Tomorrow, we hope to score some cupcakes from a local shop that posts leftovers on the app called Too Good To Go for mere dollars. Everyone needs to fall in love with this app the way we have. Eating out just got way more exciting… and cheap!
Next stop, North Newton, Kansas. See ya on the road!
