Umm Yeah I've Been Meaning to Write

So I know it has been a really long time since I posted and I also know last time I posted I said I was going to write more and I also know I haven't so well Oops! So much has changed since last time I posted. Jeff got a job not with the Chicago company and not with the St. Louis company but with ConAgra Foods in Omaha. So alas, we live in Omaha. When I was a kid my dad was in the Air Force and we always wanted to get stationed in Omaha because that would be the base closest to family. We never did and yet here 30 years later I am in Omaha. God is so funny sometimes. I now live in the same city as two aunts , an uncle, four cousins and four second cousins. It is so weird to live in the same city as family. I am still not entirely sure how it is supposed to work. On Monday I ran in to my aunt in the grocery store - seriously that is weird.

There are good things and bad things about Omaha. The good things first...
Our house - It is lovely and larger than anything we could have ever dreamed of owning, three times the size of our St. Louis house for 15k less. We live near a SuperTarget and a Super Wal Mart as well as a Hy-Vee. For those of you who don't know what a Hy-Vee is, it is a grocery store but ours is like a grocery store on steroids. It is brand new and has an eat-in area that has not only your standard market deli counter but a killer salad bar, chinese food and pizza.

Cost of Living - The cost of housing is the most noticeable decrease but the cost of everything else is slightly cheaper as well. Jeff also makes about 40% more than his old job so the money just seems to go so much farther.

Slower life - If I thought life in St. Louis was slower-paced, life in Omaha practically stands still. It also just feels like another time. I went to a Fareway today - another grocery store. (When I get to the bad stuff you will realize there isn't a ton to do here hence the daily grocery trips.) The Fareway had no prepackaged meat only a butcher counter. I asked for a roast and he asked how much I wanted. I had no idea, I usually just pick up the package that is the cheapest at the regular grocery store. Then I checked out and the nice young bagger wanted to help me out to my car with my one bag of groceries. I declined.

Family - It is nice to live near family. My prayer is that I can be a blessing to them and serve them the way I tried to serve my friends in St. Louis.

Now the bad stuff...

No Chick-Fil-A - Seriously, this currently tops my list of issues. When we moved her Jeff checked the web site and told me there was a Chick-Fil-A. I was okay with there only being one. Then I discovered yesterday that it is in the Mutual of Omaha cafeteria and I don't think it is open to the public. I have a few calls to make still to confirm but I am not holding out much hope. My next plan of attack is to find a friend who works for Mutual of Omaha so I can meet them for lunch and have Chick-Fil-A.

Lonely - I do have family here but I miss my friends. I know I will make new friends but it will be years before I am connected the way I was in St. Louis. I am just praying that God helps us find a church so we can start to meet people.

Not a ton to do - I think we will miss the plays, concerts and sporting events most. They have a nice zoo here although I think the one in STL is better. I will check out the botanical gardens and museums in the spring.

That is a snap shot of life in Omaha. On to other things.

Emmy is doing well, she started walking right after we moved here which was 10/27. Now she walks more than crawls and has a harder time siting still. My new obsession is her eating habits or lack thereof. She only wants to eat things she can feed herself and yogurt or ice cream. Every now and again she will let me feed her something but only for about 6 spoonfuls. She is refusing most vegetables and will only eat some fruit some of the time. Her desire changes daily. The one constant is cheese. She would eat my arm if i covered it in cheese. Today I made her a grilled cheese sandshich and smuggled peas in to it. I looked over and she was squeezing the chesee and peas out of the sandwhich, dropping the peas and eating the cheese. Seriously!!!

I will add a couple of pictures and then try to get back in the swing of things. It should be easier now that the computer is on the main floor and the monitor isn't out of range.




Our new house