Last day of class! Yahoo! The good news is that we get to be done with project management class and we get to go home. The bad news is we will be driving home late today. The good news is that I will be home for the weekend; the bad news is that I will be returning to Omaha next wek for another three days. (Not that I don't like Omaha, I'm just tired of traveling.)

Here I am in Council Bluffs, IA again. Some times it seems like I live here and not in Wisconsin. I have gotten to know the greater Council Bluffs - Omaha area pretty well over the last year or so. It has been fun getting to know the area. In fact, yesterday I decided to try something a little different from the nightly routine in the restaraunts near the hotel and went east one exit. I found the coolest park and campground.

There was signs for a park and campground, including a boat ramp and lake information. I did not know there was a lake in Council Bluffs, but was pleasantly surprised to discover Lake Manawa. Lots of people out fishing and enjoying a relatively warm day in the spring around this beautiful lake right on the edge of town. Along with that there is a ~75 site campground and many picnic paviliions.

The deer population here must b pretty healthy too. I think it was about 50 deer that I saw last night driving through the park. Many just stood in the weeds near the edge of the road as I drove through, not really all that worried over the automobiles.

What a great relaxing evening. I hope to get back out there again as it was a very enjoyable spot, and would probably be even better in the summer.

Another Birthday!

One of the things that I never thought of when we were having this many children was the number of birthday parties that we would be having. That, combined with the fact that the birthday parties involve many more children...

Today (actually last weekend) was 11 additional five year olds in the house. it was fun, and the kids were actually very well behaved, but the noise level was the equivalent of a 747 taking off from close range. This really is something that everyone should experience at least one time.

Kids, cake, presents!

Balloons, banners, and bows!

Hannah Montana, HSM, and noise!

Iowa...
I had to go to Omaha this week for a quick overnight trip so Mrs. decided to come along. I had hoped to be able to spend more time with her travelling and this seemed like a great opportunity. We drove out on tuesday and returned late in the afternoon on Wednesday. It was a fun little trip.

The truth is, driving from Wisconsin to Omaha, Nebraska is really boring. Iowa is pretty, in a farm setting kind of way. But seven hours of corn farms, cattle farms, pig farms, and open farmland is really not that exciting. I thought it was interesting to discover that Iowa at night is really not much different from Iowa in the daytime. Neither one will do much to keep you on your toes along I80.

A Great Moment...

Yesterday we stopped at Grandma and Grandpa's house and had a wonderful visit. I was sitting in the sunroom with Grandpa and we were talking about my trip to Louisville this week.

Grandpa got quiet and started thinking. Pretty soon he says, "I remember going to Louisville." I was waiting to hear what he had to say, wondering if his mind would pull this thought out after 97 years of memories. After a pause, he continued. "It was before I was married. We were downtown. It was Shorty S... and Jerry, and (pause) I can't remember who else. There was five of us. We started talking and decided to go to that race, the (pause) Kentucky race, (pause) the horse race, the, you know, the (pause) Kentucky Derby.

I was so happy to hear him get that thought out that I almost missed the signifigance of it. I had never known Grandpa to be a man of impulse. He had always seemed so straight and his every move so planned that this was news that surprised me. Now I got to hear that this man also had an impulsive side, even though it was from a story over seven decades old.

Grandpa continued to tell his story of how the five of them had driven overnight to go to the Kentucky Derby. He remembered going in the morning to get tickets to the race. As he wistfully looked out the window he smiled a little and said "I can't remember much else about it, but I remember going there."

Louisville Travel On Ice

Traveling to Louisville this week for Project Management class was supposed to be a nice break from winter. No such luck. So far it has snowed and iced over everything exposed for the last two days. The news says there is 400,000 homes without power in Kentucky right now. Thankfully our hotel is not included.

Last night we ordered pizza in at the hotel because the ice was treacherous on the sidewalks and we really weren't sure if anything was open. Most of the city appeared to have shut down. Tonight there were more signs of lifw so we ventured out to 4th Street Live - a really neat area a few blocks away. We had a great meal at The Pub there. The Hard Rock Cafe is next door as well.

The trees are covered in ice, so bad that many are breaking. Sidewalks are frozen yet, and the streets are in danger of flooding as drains are blocked with sluch that is now freezing to solid ice. Tomorrow will be the fourth day in a row that the schools are all closed. Hotel employees are staying at the hotel because they cannot get home. It seems to me like another winter day in Madison, except we are not in Madison...

I called the girls before bed time again tonight. It has been pretty smooth the last two nights, tonight was tougher though. Two are crying and "I miss you Daddy" was the mantra.

Business travel is overrated.