facing in the same direction (7/23)

Omaha has a great youth program filled with lots of different ages and personalities but where members are united simply by facing in the same direction. They participate diligently, find time for each other outside of organized activities, include their leaders, and genuinely enjoy being goofy together as a reprieve from the typical noise. Jack has some great church friends who catch frogs together and play spikeball at campouts, serve and put up flags every holiday together, rough-house at the lake, and even try golf lessons together. 

It Takes a Long Time to Grow an Old Friend (5/22)

2022's annual Fave Things party with my very favorite people was the ninth and last I hosted. Every woman pictured as a favorite for different reasons and a unique, lifelong connection:

• Tessie as a zany friend from years past as teenagers in the same stake
• Stephanie as a friend who supported me fiercely as YW president
• Katie as a friend that originally needed ministering but to whom ministered to me & my family
• Mia as the second mother to Dalia and anyone else who needed mothering
• Stacy as a kind-hearted spinning companion 
• Lora as my fit friend who kept all my secrets
• Lori as my walking buddy and mom mentor
• Becky as my sister in law and friend 
• Christina as a sassy friend whose recipes I still use today 
• Heidi as a silly friend who I connected with when our husbands did 
• Keri as my quietest, most spiritual friend
• Heather who was always along for the ride

Unpictured faves from years past include: Amber who overcame arch nemesis status to be one of my very faves, Andrea whose best friendship far outlasted Omaha, Sheri who moved often but kept showing up in my life, Jen who is a jack of all trades and free to share opinions, Neeley my boss lady friend with a heart of gold, Clare whose busy life kept her away but who I loved seeing on the lake, Shauna with an oopsie baby that lined up with Dalia, Beckie who gave her friendship freely from day one, Karla who was a sweetheart but didn't last long in Omaha, Heidi who was full of introspection and likely a bit hesitant about silly parties, Nicole who was the newest convert and most capable of swoon-worthy crafts, and Whitney who flew in as the youngest of the bunch and kept us cool!  

Rhyming without Reason & other HS formals (4/23)

After heading to HOCO in Omaha with a gigantic friend group for her first formal, Kindin next had to be the brave new girl and do the asking for Sadie Hawkins in Mesa. She and her date chose to go as James Bond and Legally Blonde for the rhyming duos theme. Mom loved last minute costuming so much that Kindin invited her along to the next dress hunt (and shoe hunt - courtesy of Last Chance) for prom with her friend, Kenedee!!

He flies - there's proof! (2/22)

David is so fit that he flies! To many, David's all around athleticism is a hidden, humble talent. He's been underestimated his whole life in that regard. And if someone asks  about his favorite sport, the unlikely and unpopular Ultimate Frisbee answer doesn't give any hints either. But to anyone who's seen him on the field (or any sports surface really - with the exception a golf course or basketball court), his enthusiasm and ability is obvious. He quickly becomes legend as the old man outplaying and outreaching his 20 something opponents. Dave really loves it - the thrill of the chase, miles and miles of running, and some sociality as a team. No other sport gives him quite the same satisfying workout. 

Paving Paradise (9/23)

Our new backyard came beautiful. No features except the wild outdoors and we got used to it for about a year. Plenty of room for both lounging and frisbee practice. Lots of orange trees to juice. For quite some time, we considered adding a pool. (After all, we'd promised our kids we'd move to a home with a pool or build one!) However, after multiple consultations, we just kept dreading the upkeep and questioning if we'd ever get a return on our investment. We also strategized for months about building a mammoth boat shed, got it all approved through the HOA and city, but couldn't justify the cost. Thoughtfully, but surprisingly, we landed on a pickleball court and hot tub pad instead. During the construction process, we spent considerable time discussing things such as: how to preserve the irrigation to our lot by reconfiguring the irrigation gate and what new plants/ trees to replenish with. Unexpectedly, the hardest part of the project was the requisite tree removal! Removing 19 trees simply felt like betraying Mother Earth. The song Big Yellow Taxi by Counting Crows played on repeat in my mind and I cried multiple times and multiple days over the lyrics: 

"They took all the trees and put 'em in a tree museum 
and they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them. 
Don't it always seem to go that you don't know what you got 'til it's gone? 
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot."  

Our backyard is still beautiful. We prioritized and preserved wild but will also enjoy the paved parts as our own paradises. Pickleball is a hobby that David and I began enjoying together since our move to AZ and seems a logical addition for a tennis-loving family. The hot tub pad allows for the largest hot tub available and will be a nice treat for 3 teenagers who have ready access to pools but infrequent, instant access to a heated hot tub.

Traveling to Omaha, Traveling with Plants (6/23)

If you find a pretty plant while you're out, it's ok to purchase it - even if you're a few states away from home, right??? There were lots of giggles when this plant was purchased on our first trip back to Omaha... and a few stares as it traveled through the airport. But I love it as a member of my growing jungle in Mesa. My collection started with a Monstera which was lovingly saved by David with the move. Tending plants is an unlikely hobby likely after my horticulture friend, Deb, gifted me a Bromeliad which is "the easiest plan to take care of" and I failed! My dad smartly observed that I likely inherited an interest from my grandfather and says that when he sees me tending to my plants, it reminds him of his dad. 

[I don't have many memories of Grandpa Eichmann. He lived alone in a house on a large lot next to the state penitentiary - most definitely in the wrong part of town. He had a particularly unattractive dog named Duke. I remember the koi pond he kept - which was probably near impossible in the cold of South Dakota. He walked with a cane and hadn't worked for some time but I didn't really understand why. He was fairly stoic and hard of hearing but I remember a smile that snuck out here and there. He watched a tiny tv in his living room. I don't remember ever seeing him outside of his house. On one visit, my Dad recalls discovering a large bullet hole in his front window and gathered that grandpa had fired his shotgun directly through the window at a rabbit bothering his garden. For Christmas every year, he gave us brown paper bags filled with apples, oranges, shelled peanuts, and ribbon candy. Of course I remember wishing it was something different when I was a kid but it stands now as one of my strongest memories of him. His skin turned yellow from jaundice when he was dying of cancer. And when he died, my driver's safety awarded dad got into the only car accident I remember him having - it was a surprise to see how sad my dad was.] Finally, I remember that he insisted on plants not flowers at his funeral. Maybe we're connected after all!? And that brings me joy.

An Omaha visit brought us all joy. We played with cousins at Adventureland, reunited with friends - Kindin was hardly seen, and were spoiled by grandparents who wished we hadn't left.

 

Our beautiful Omahome (8/22)

This home welcomed us to the Midwest. Snuggled in the block of the elementary, middle, and high schools, we loved the location. (We were also a quick block from the Lake Zorinsky loop for fabulous walks.) It was just right for us in so many ways - the staircase where Kindin always stretched out, the red door that Mom painted, the unfinished basement that Jack lived in, a grey shade that everyone began copying, the gigantic garage featured lovingly named purgatory, a bedroom (albeit hot) with double closets for the girls, the cozy living room that started as an off the kitchen playroom, that catwalk that didn't hide party noise but gave an airy feel, the 19 foot floor to ceiling windows, the squeezy entry made swanky by Dad, Mom's first big bath, the swingset and trampoline for wiggles, and even that ninja-friendly, Birch tree allergen out front! It was a wonderful and beautiful place to house our family!