In the clear...

Hey, everyone, I'm back!! I was a little over-ambitious and still had planned to post in the last few days....hmmm....I'll think better next time and warn you. I was on call from Sun afternoon until Tues morning, and still worked my regular shift Tues. Wednesday was still kind of a blur. So, now my sleep schedule is now back to normal, which means I am no longer a zombie and will return to regular posting. I love my job, so understand that I'm not complaining about the overtime, but it does leave a little less time for other interests! Today's photo is one from the storms a couple of weeks ago. I heard an announcement a few minutes ago about a storm watch, so this might be going on outside again. Have a great day everyone!

Meet your thoughts here....

The title of my post was the inspiration of the name for this great new music venue, Myth, in downtown! I love the title, and I fell in love with the place as soon as I walked in the door. Omaha has a great local music scene, and we have been sadly without a great new acoustic music venue for a while. My friend Chris Saub (the best musician anywhere, in my opinion! Check out his website to hear some amazing music!) played there on the opening night. I got to meet the owners afterwards. They are the couple in the photo, with one of the bartenders in the middle. The place has a great atmosphere, wireless internet throughout (soon I will be blogging with a martini in hand!), and NO televisions, which helps a lot with the ambiance. I love the place and will be heading back soon!

If only I were still this flexible!!

These are 2 of my favorite kids in the whole world. They are my friends' and not mine, but I love them more than I can express, and I'm so blessed to be a part of their lives and to watch them grow up. It definitely is an amazing thing to remember back to changing the diapers of a little tiny baby, then to come back to the moment to watch them do things like this crazy jump!

In a galaxy far, far away.....

.....actually, it's still just Omaha. Not a quality photo, but I thought is was fun enough to post. The last time that I went out downtown, I came out of a club with a friend, and this is the scene we found in the street. Stormtroopers in the middle of the Old Market. I heard one guy walking by in the street say, "Dude, if I could get chicks like that, I'd dress like a Stormtrooper too!" I took some pictures, but we didn't go talk to them. I'm not sure exactly why they were there, but they were swarmed by people wanting to take pictures of and with them.

No lifeguard on duty....

This is Lake Manawa, another photo from our day at the lake on Sunday. The little girl by the lifeguard stand is a little friend of mine. It was a beautiful day at the lake. We're planning on going pretty much every Sunday during the summer, so I'm excited. Lake Manawa is actually in Iowa, but it's only a 20 minute drive from my house.

Donate life...

Saturday was the Life-a-thon, the yearly event sponsored by the Nebraska Medical Center. I work quite a bit with transplant patients, so this is an issue that is very close to my heart. There is a walk/run, a carnival for the kids, a pancake breakfast, and the Life Flight helicopter is there for people to explore. I took my friend's kids (like my niece and nephew) with me and had a blast

A day at the beach....

No, I was not lucky enough to go on vacation to an ocean this week! I spent the afternoon at the "beach" at Lake Manawa, with some friends. It really is a beach....it's on a lake, so not quite the same as the ocean, but it's the closest you'll find in the middle of the United States. My little friend in the photo here was pretty pleased with herself when she succeeded in completely burying my foot.

Street scene....

Here is the scene in the street in front of one of the buildings I showed the other day. I'm on my way out to go have a glass of wine on the patio of a French restaurant on this street! I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!
Update: We actually ended up going to the Upstream. It is the shorter, tan-colored building in the middle of this photo. We sat on the patio, right under all of the trees you can see in front of the building. The patio is right on the intersection, so there is plenty to see. Last night, there were some people across the street with some amazing telescopes. Our waitress told us that Venus was very close to the moon, or something like that (I'll have to Google it!) and people were paying for a look through the telescope.

M's Pub

Here we have a couple more of the beautiful old buildings of the market. On the first floor of the one in front, you can see M's Pub, which is one of my favorite restaurants in the Old Market. It is THE place to enjoy a nice relaxing glass of wine out on the patio, watching the people stroll by. Here is what the founder has to say about the place - quote taken from M's Pub's website:

We opened for business on January 18, 1973, to an enthusiastic clientele which we have tried never to disappoint. The present owners cherish the Pub, and have greatly embellished the menu which remains imaginative and unusual.

Is it a restaurant or is it a Pub? Is it, perhaps, closer to being a European cafe? You, dear customer, may be the judge. For it is you who rule in this establishment.

--Mary Vogel, founder of M's Pub in 1972

History and Omaha.....

One of my favorite things about the Old Market is that it is the heart of Omaha's history. Omaha was born and established as a town through these old businesses. As new businesses have taken over, some of the buildings have been torn down, or have had drastic makeovers, but many of them still show the original company names or advertisements. I hope that this sense of history is saved for many years to come.

Music in the Market

I love the street musicians in the Old Market! I played the flute long ago (and still can - just not nearly as well as before), and I love that this guy played all sorts of songs, with no sheet music, calmly leaning against the railing as the people sped by.

On the patio...

Mr. Toad's is a great bar on one of the main roads of the Old Market. I have many memories of great get-togethers there with friends for birthdays or other celebrations. This patio, in the picture, is a great spot to have a drink and watch people enjoy the Market.

Hello again!

Today I'm sharing two photos to make up for the interruption yesterday! I was with my mom, celebrating Mother's Day, and arrived home late at night....to find that my computer would not connect to the internet!
I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! In the first photo, you can see a family ready to head out on a carriage ride....I don't know them, but my story is that they are a mom and her children in honor of Mother's Day!

Here you can see one of the second floor hallways of the Passageway. Walking down this hallway, you can look through little windows on one side to see the great hallway from my photo the other day, and on the other side the entrances to the shops that line the Passageway.

Souq

This one of my favorite stores down in the Old Market! They have beautiful clothing, decor, and jewelry items. I can almost imagine I am in a far away place as I browse through the beautiful hand-made items from India with the fragrance of incense all around. This is the first store in sight as you enter the Passageway that I showed the other day. This photo shows the outside entrance, but there is a door inside the store that leads to the Passageway. Most of the stores that you can access from inside the Passageway also have doors leading to the outside. It really makes the Passageway seem like a secret world inside.

Stretch....

So, the other day, I showed you an old-fashioned trolley with a wedding party touring around the Old Market. Today, we see another, more modern mode of transportation for special occasions. Along with spring, comes prom season. I saw from far away that this stretch limo was filled with high school students going to dinner before prom. I did the same thing when I was in high school, and seeing them sure brought back some memories!
**As an added bonus, you can see the air freshener hanging from my rearview mirror, along with the great necklace that my sister brought to me from Namibia! I was on my way home when I saw that the limo was on that street, and had to snap a quick photo. :-)

Worse than legal charges.....

Yesterday, I mentioned shopping in the Passageway. I tried on a few things, and was delighted to find this sign in the dressing room! I did not shoplift anything, but I did, however, buy a beautiful pink shirt made in India and some pink and sparkly bangle bracelets to match!
I'm not sure exactly how the spotlight effect showed up as I played around with the contrast of the photo, but I thought it was kind of fun and decided to leave it.

Old Market Passageway

One of my favorite parts of the Old Market is the Passageway. As lovely as it is inside, you can't really tell that it is there from outside. The door looks like the entrance to another store, but upon entering, this is what you see. Along both sides of the bottom, and also of the second floor where I was standing, there are lots of really fun, eclectic stores. I couldn't resist doing a little shopping, and bought some great new bangle bracelets at a store that has lots of different things from India! I haven't eaten at Trini's, the Mexican restaurant in the photo, for a long time, but it was really good the last time I was there - and the delicious smells were making me hungry as I walked around with my camera!

"Just Married"

Dsole has a good eye! Down in the lower corner of yesterday's photo, you can see the back of this trolley and it's announcement! I almost switched yesterday's photo because it would give this one away. I thought maybe no one would notice, but Dsole was quick! The wedding party in the trolley seemed to enjoy themselves immensely as they toured around the Old Market. Many pedestrians cheered and yelled congratulations as they saw the trolley pass by. This trolley can be rented for weddings, but also for other groups. I have seen it around town since I was little. He is "Ollie, the Trolley", and I will show a couple more pictures of him in the next few days, but today was for Dsole! (Make sure to check out her site, also! She takes some great photographs of Madrid!)

Old Market

First of all, thank you so much, everyone, for your very nice comments and birthday wishes! I really appreciate them!
A while ago, I posted a couple of pictures of The Old Market, and promised more to come. I went downtown for lunch with my mom for my birthday, and spent some time wandering around with my camera afterwards. In the next few days, I will try to share with you what life is like in the Old Market. This is the place where Omaha was born. Many of the buildings have been there since Omaha first started to grow. For those who take the time to look up, you can see the original names on many of the buildings, giving an idea of what this business district used to be like. With stretch limos driving alongside horse-drawn carriages on the streets of uneven brick, the Old Market is an amalgam of history and modernity, and people from all walks of life, from the very formal to the most casual. Something is always happening. In and among the old buildings, there are restaurants, bars, clubs, pubs, and a great eclectic variety of fun stores to shop in. One of my favorite things to do is people-watch. It's so interesting to see different kinds of people downtown for all different reasons.
I hope you enjoy this little trip through this enchanting part of my city! I recommend clicking on the photo to see the detail of the street musician, pedestrians, restaurant fronts, and even Ollie the Trolley (more on him in the days to come).

I guess I asked for it!

So, the other day, when I posted the storm picture and mentioned how excited I was for thunderstorm season to start, maybe I should have clarified WHEN I wanted a storm! It seems that someone was paying attention to me, and wanted to give me a nice birthday present. Yup, today is my birthday!!!!!!! (Nope, I'm not saying how many:-) )
Last night, I was supposed to go to a concert for a while, and also two parties. (that might give you some idea of what age range I fall into!) However, there were crazy storms, and it seemed safer for a little while to stay at home. My mom, who lives about 20 minutes away from me, called and said that a tornado had touched down between where she is and Omaha. The storms were headed pretty much straight for Omaha. So, I stayed home for a while, and missed the concert. I kept myself busy, though, taking 8,000 pictures in the hopes of getting a fun lightning shot! So, today's post represents nature's early birthday present to me!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!

I hope everyone has a very Happy Cinco de Mayo!! Here in Omaha, there is a parade and a carnival. Here is a photo of the Mexican Consulate to tide you over until I get a few pics of the carnival. I went to everything last year, and it was a lot of fun. I'm only going to pass by the carnival for a few minutes today. El Seis (6th) de Mayo (tomorrow) is my birthday! So, I have lots of plans with my family, and this year, there is way too much going on this weekend to be able to do everything. The Air Show is also this weekend. I'm hoping to be able to go to that tomorrow, and I will be sure to post pictures.
Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Cinco de Mayo:
Cinco de Mayo ("The Fifth of May" in Spanish) is a national, but not federal, holiday in Mexico which is also widely celebrated in the United States. It commemorates the victory of Mexican forces led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin over the French occupational forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

Tis' the season....

...for awesome summer storms! This is not the sky today. However, it is finally Spring for good (just in time for my birthday, which is coming soon!!) I love the sky and especially the sky during spring/summer storms. Here in Nebraska, the weather changes so fast sometimes that a common saying is, "If you don't like the weather in Nebraska, wait 5 minutes." The storm in this picture came on pretty fast. Looking in one direction, it seemed like a bright, sunshiny day....but in the other direction there were these amazing dark clouds.

May Theme Day - City Exchange!!

Update: HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY, RUDY! I saw after I posted this photo that Rudy, from Antigua Daily Photo is having a one year anniversary. I enjoy his blog quite a bit, and I loved his city when I went there in January. So today's photo is in honor of Rudy and Antigua Daily Photo!
Ok, I'm a little late, but it's still May 1st here! For a little while, at least! This picture was taken on my trip to Antigua, Guatemala in January. I loved Antigua!! It is a beautiful city, and I would love to go back. I have a loooot of pictures from Guatemala, so I'm glad to be able to show one off.
Check out these other Theme Day Photos!

Monte Carlo, Monaco -
Rome, Italy -
Singapore, Singapore -
Tenerife, Spain -
Rotterdam, Netherlands -
London, UK -
Montréal (QC), Canada -
Melbourne, Australia -
Naples (FL), USA -
Bastia, France -
Hong Kong, China -
Mazatlan, Mexico -
Buenos Aeres, Argentina -
Manila, Philippines -
Arradon, France -
Madison (WI), USA -
Evry, France -
Seoul, Korea -
Shanghai, China -
Bucaramanga (Santander), Colombia -
Sequim (WA), USA -
Singapore, Singapore -
Budapest, Hungary -
Baziège, France -
Hamburg, Germany -
Toruń, Poland -
Nelson, New Zealand -
Madison (WI), USA -
Vantaa, Finland -
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Mainz, Germany -
Dubai, UAE -
Saint Paul (MN), USA -
Cork, Ireland -
Stockholm, Sweden -
Menton, France -
Tel Aviv, Israel -
Albuquerque (NM), USA -
Kitakami, Japan -
Stayton (OR), USA -
Szentes, Hungary -
Stavanger, Norway -
Grenoble, France -
Villigen, Switzerland -
Paris, France -
Hyde, UK -
Moscow, Russia -
Joplin (MO), USA -
Jakarta, Indonesia -
Greenville (SC), USA -
Cape Town, South Africa -
Asheville (NC), USA -
Seattle (WA), USA -
Kyoto, Japan -
Tokyo, Japan -
Madrid, Spain -
Auckland, New Zealand -
Oulu, Finland -
Lubbock (TX), USA -
Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina -
Baton Rouge (LA), USA -
Sydney, Australia -
Maple Ridge (BC), Canada -
Vancouver, Canada -
Seattle (WA), USA -
Selma (AL), USA -
Chandler (AZ), USA -
Sharon (CT), USA -
Manila, Philippines -
Lyon, France -
New York City (NY), USA -
Los Angeles (CA), USA -
Brookville (OH), USA -
Hayle, UK -
Wailea (HI), USA -
Saarbrücken, Germany -
San Diego (CA), USA -
Boston (MA), USA -
Saint Louis (MO), USA -
Cypress (TX), USA -
Anderson (SC), USA -
Torino, Italy