Good Lord Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise

Well, the creek has definitely risen (rised? rose?) in Omaha! And by creek, I mean Missouri River. And by rise/rose/risen, I mean flooded.

In true farmer-fashion, we took a drive to look at the flood waters when I was in Omaha. In the photo below we are 6 miles from the actual river. Doesn't really look like anything unnatural, until you see the irrigation in the middle of the water.

The flooding is due mostly to the excessive rains in Montana, but it doesn't help that it continues to rain like this in Omaha and the water has no where to go. (side note - I DO miss good Midwest-style thunderstorms. A few rumbles in Colorado just isn't quite the same)

Seriously crazy clouds with this storm!

I thought my dad was exaggerating when he told me the airport was barely keeping away from the flood waters. Turns out, he wasn't. Look closely to see the farms and interstate under water - not natural!

And on to an un-related note... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KATIE! Love you!!

See ya in 2021!

Reunion Stats:

Plane ticket to O-town - $200

Ticket to the reunion - $25

Drinks at the reunion - $20

Airport parking - $25

Getting bumped from my flight, getting to spend another night in O-town, and getting a $400 travel voucher - well, not technically priceless, because I did come out about $130 on top. Now that's good math! 

The reunion was definitely worth the trip! It was a bit of a slim showing, but everyone there was someone that I truly enjoyed catching up with! (Okay, that's a lie, but 28 out of 30 isn't too bad.) (Okay, that might be an exaggeration, too. But you get my point.)

Some of my favorite moments:

• Learning that Bridget, when she studied abroad in London, lived in the same flat I did when I first moved there! WOO, Landward!
• Learning that two of my, ahem, favorite people may have finally found found happiness with each other. Anxiously awaiting my invitation. 
• "Why do the decorations say '01? This is 2011!"
• "This reminds me of..."   "The parties we weren't invited to in high school?"
• "Come take a shot with us! Oh, no. Not you, sorry."
• "Should I bring my jacket?"  "If you need your jacket we stayed too long."
• "That would fit a doll! Or Andrea."
• "Oh hi, [glance down at my name tag] Jill, it's sooo good to see you!" (Please see previous post for reference.)

 The much anticipated DUCK POND! (I forgot to actually take pictures of the pond.)

Dug Funny, Mahtha, and Naumann - love them :)

Erin and I may be planning the 20-year reunion at the lake - and only inviting the people we want. Don't worry, you're on the list.

Cheers to the class of 2001! Here is everyone toasting with a shot before they posed for the "official" reunion photo. 

Aaaand, here's us. Nice to know that some things never change. 

Dug has always been such a ladies man!

Of course there was some family time thrown in... We visited the pancake man and then planned on going to the Elkhorn Days Parade, but the rain rained on our parade (haha, literally!). But don't worry - we had a plan B. FIREWORKS! 

Alex was just a bit excited to buy fireworks. We used his walkie-talkies to talk between cars so we could make a list on our way to the fireworks stand. Seriously. They work up to 8 miles away. He saved up for them. 

A great day for fairy rain boots and umbrellas!

Aaand, Abigail does the driving!

In true Nebraska-fashion we had to go check out the flood waters. And it was seriously crazy! More to come. But for now, I've got to crash. Up at 4:00 a.m. to get to the airport makes for one tired panda. 

10 years?!

Am I really heading back to Omaha this weekend for my 10 year class reunion?! Yikes!

I have bitter-sweet feelings about this whole thing. There is nothing that makes you analyze your own life more than the opportunity to compare it against the lives of others! Yes, Facebook lets us do this all the time, but this is face-to-face. More intense! And while there will be the highlights of "I haven't seen you in forever and it's so good to catch up!"-s, they will likely be amidst the fake "I haven't seen you in forever and it's sooo good to catch up!"-s. Notice the slight difference - subtle, but it speaks volumes :)

Having never been to a high school reunion before, the only frame of reference I have is Hollywood. Which means that right now I should be freaking out about trying to lose those 10 last pounds and emptying my bank account for some killer shoes. I should also be lamenting the fact that I do NOT have a husband, do NOT have children, and do NOT own a house. According to chick-flicks and sitcoms, I am a high school reunion failure.

Luckily, I don't care to lose weight, I have an addiction to flip-flops over Jimmy Choos, and I have no voids in my life that aren't filled with great family, wonderful friends world-wide, a fabulous boyfriend (even though he refuses to listen to country music), and a global perspective that is just a teensy-tiny bit bigger than E-town.

Would it be nice to still be able to fit into my Elkanette uniform? Sure. But where DOES a 27-year old wear a fly away skirt without looking like a stripper on a smoke break?

Do I sound jaded? I sound jaded. I sound like I'm trying too hard to reassure myself. Ah well. It's my blog, after all!

I am actually REALLY looking forward to this weekend! It will be a quick trip but I will get to see my bestest ladies (minus Briana - off biking across Nebraska, or some silly thing), I will get to see my family, and the cute kiddos whom pictures don't do justice. AND I get to spend time at the Skyline Ranches Duck Pond, because after all, you know that is where I hold sooo many of my high school memories. (ahem)

I shall end with another picture stolen from Lori's Facebook... I don't have any of my own, and this one is just so darn cute! I can't wait to see them!

Much love from the Rockies!

We're in Joisey, Heeey!

A great time was had by all at Todd and Kelsey's wedding this weekend! The ceremony was lovely, the bride looked beautiful, and the dancing was outta this world. I've never been to a wedding where people burned up the dance floor for an hour BEFORE dinner was even served. Such a fun night! Capped off with a visit to Miami Mike's bar at the hotel... I sure am going to miss that uber-tan Joisey gent.

You could say we kept Miami Mike's in business last weekend, as this is how most days/afternoons/nights started out. Yikes.

Teeny-Tiny glasses at the rehearsal dinner - definitely a hit! 

 And on to the wedding. They had a great outdoor venue. 

They both looked so great! 

First Dance.

The Best Man had a surprise planned for the couple. Brought to you by Tyler and Napoleon Dymanite. (The song is The Rose, but is is mostly drowned out by shouting and clapping. Sorry bout that.)

The DJ had props - these glasses were definitely the best!

The only picture I have of the bride and groom at the reception. It captures them nicely :)

I realized that Travis and I do not have  a nice, normal photo from this wedding.We do, however, have several like this. 

And a HUGE perk of being in Jersey - Peanut came to visit me! She rescued me from the Ramada for a few hours and it was so great to catch up! Can't wait to have all the Aussie ladies together soon!

Back in the mile-high now - much love from the Rockies!

Jersey? Sure!

Get it? A play on Jersey Shore? Jersey? Sure! Well, I thought it was funny, anyway... Tomorrow morning Travis and I are Jersey-bound to go to the wedding of Todd (his best friend from college) and Kelsey. They are great people and I'm sure it will be a blast! We're not flying together, though. No, no, no, he is flying with his buddies and I am flying Southwest. Hello, CHEAPER! (But still not cheap at all by the time I finally bought my ticket. I've gotten spoiled by Midwest prices!)

Congrats Todd and Kelsey! 

"We may encounter some snow"

...famous last words! There were several signs along along the way that we were likely to encounter much more than just some snow on our Sunday hike...

Sign #1

 Sign #2

Sign #3

Aaaannd, after 1.5 miles to GET to the trailhead, we decided that post-holing our way the next 2.5 miles to Blue Lake just might not be a good idea. But we couldn't turn back without a self-timer photo, of course! 

It took several tries to get the above photo. Possessed camera kept spinning on the sign as soon as I would push the button and run. Ben raced to follow the lens... nice result!

Well, at least I got one nice lake picture! (This one was much closer to the plowed road.) Guess we'll have to hike below 10,000 ft for another month or so!

P.S. In case you didn't know, we're hard-core hikers. Only serious hikers pack in Frappuchinos. Obviously. 

Finally Official!

It is finally official! (6 months after my last class!)

The rest of the story. And by story, I mean weekend.

You didn't think the weekend ended with graduation, did you? Oh no. We had a lot to do. But first, one must fuel up with Santiago's burritos. And we got them in style

Off to hike to St. Mary's Glacier! It's only 3/4 mile - how tough can it be?

Oh right, everything is harder at 10,000+ ft. Here was our first glimpse of the snow - we still thought it was a novelty at this point.

We made it to the glacier!

The glacier is snow-covered now... as is most of the hike up. But so pretty!

Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!

Success! They were great sports... it wasn't necessarily easy. 

Slip-sliding back down - it really was hilarious! My "brrrr" look is totally an act - it was actually pretty warm despite the snow. 

 And on to Sunday - heading to Red Rocks with Sarah and her family. The people-watching is so great! I wish you could have seen this guy's "rear view"

See how I wormed my way into the family so nicely? Thanks for the invite!!

THE quintessential Red Rocks view.

DISPATCH!! So fun! 

And now you know, the rest of the story. 

Jill-o, M.A.

What a great graduation weekend! 

Thanks for making the trip, Mom and Dad! 

 A few photos before the ceremony... Dad was excited to wear his Crocs

They made it in! If only they knew it would be another 3 hours before they would be able to leave...

Travis made it to the ceremony! 

Wait... empty?! Really?! 

Nice family photo (We really needed Tom Z there as our photographer, like graduation at Northwest!)

Modeling my bat wings and hood

Mom's favorite part of DU

Pool-side BBQ to celebrate

Thanks for coming to celebrate, everyone!!

And a HUGE thank you to family and friends both near and far who supported me through my grad school journey. I couldn't have done it without you! Much love from the Rockies!