Omaha=eating out

Well the only thing we do aside from training is go out to eat. We are actually completely sick of eating out at this point. I have to admit though that Omaha has several very unique restaurants. Omaha is also very different than I ever pictured. There are several artsy areas of town with unique boutiques and restaurants as well as there are an abundance of organic restaurants.

Today at lunch we checked out Jones Bros. Cupcakes. I absolutely loved it. It is so unique.

They serve several different flavors of cupcakes

As well as several different super yummy lunch options to include sandwiches, soups, salads, wraps etc. Of course your lunch comes with a mini cupcake

They also serve lattes, mochas, etc. Another unique feature of the place is a wine bar with wine sampling

Of course Megan and I had to get some cupcakes to take home. We got sweet and salty chocolate caramel, vanilla bean, strawberry and cream, and chocolate raspberry. The vanilla bean and the strawberry were the best cupcakes Ive ever had.

Tonight we walked next door to a place called BG Tasty Food. I had to eat there for the fact that they advertise as "The Home of Loose Meat Sandwich".

And here are the ingredients they recommend for the loose meat sandwich

And here is my loose meat sandwich

I fly home for the weekend tomorrow. I was originally supposed to fly through Chicago but with the bad weather prediction, I changed my flight to later in the day and am flying through Dallas.

I head back to Omaha late Sunday and then five more days before I am home for good! I cannot wait.



Recap

I really cannot believe how quickly this week has gone by. Sounds like I will be out in Omaha for three rather than two weeks.  The days here are extremely intense and long. Sounds like Ella had a great week between my mom and Tom.
Tuesday my mom took Ella to her first movie, The Chipmunks. I hear she did awesome and lasted through the entire movie.

Friday evening, since there was snow in Ohio, Ella wanted to go sledding. We do not have a sled at home so Tom came up with a makeshift sled. This picture cracks me up. No that is not a dead child in the background, its Ella making a snow angel.

Today, Tom being the awesome dad he is, took her to buy a sled, snowpants, and snowboots, baked cookies with her, and played with her new barbie pool. It truly makes my time away so much easier knowing that she is in such good hands.

This AM Megan and I walked next door to Jimmy's Egg and had a big breakfast.

Today we only had to put in about two hours of training so Megan and I headed to the mall to kill time. We did a little shopping and got a pedicure. I am so thankful to have Megan here with me. I couldnt ask for a better suite and training mate (well aside from Ella and Tom)

Tomorrow we have another two hours of training and then the head psychologist is having us over to meet his family and have dinner. And then begins another exhausting week!

I am missing Tom and Ella terribly and it sounds like Tom is missing me as well. Tonight he bought me a ticket for next weekend so I can come home in between the three weeks. He really is the best!

Saying goodbye sucks......

Especially to your two year old sobbing child as you yourself cannot stop sobbing

This is Megan and I bored in Minneapolis on our three and half hour lay over. Megan is my program coordinator and my roomate in our two bedroom suite for the next two weeks.

After a long day of travel, Ray, the director of research for Behaven Kids picked us up from the Omaha airport. He took us for a quick trip to the grocery store and then to Staybridge Suites, our home away from home. We have a two bedroom, two bathroom suite with a full kitchen and living room. Its super nice. We have a shuttle to anywhere in five mile radius. Full breakfast service. Free dinner and drinks on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings and access to free washing machines. We are scheduled twelve hours or more each day so there wont be much time for anything but sleeping in the evening.
Our home away from home (bear with me on the pics, crap camera and no editting program)

Behaven Kids was kind enough to leave Megan and I both a gift bag and card in the hotel room. It is loaded with snacks, coffee, candy, crackers, cereal, etc along with a card.

Build A Bear before Omaha

We went to Build A Bear for the first time today. The lighting there is awful and everything is yellow so it doesn't result in the best pictures. Ella picked a hot pink valentine kitty. I really thought she would be one of the Chipmunks.
Waiting in line to get her kitty stuffed

Picking out a heart for the kitty

They then have you put the heart on your head so the kitty is smart, hold it to your knee so it is fast, put it on your belly so its never hungry, put it against your heart and make a wish, and give it a kiss.
Then she put the heart inside the kitty

Pressing the peddle for the stuffing

And fluffing and scrubbing her kitty when it was all done

She picked out Hello Kitty underwear, shirt, and slippers for her kitty. She named the kitty Zoe. She came up with that name completely on her own.
On the way home with the finished product

Well tomorrow I leave for my two weeks (possibly three) in Omaha Nebraska. We have been talking to Ella about it for the past week. Everytime we talk about it, her response is, I will miss you and Grandma Joyce, Jo Jo, and Leslie will be coming while I stay home with daddy. Today when we talked about it, she started sobbing and saying that she would miss me so much. It breaks my heart. She has also asked multiple times if I will stay with her or if she can go on the plane with me. The blog will probably be pretty quiet the next couple weeks. I am not taking my good camera with me (GASP) only my point and shoot. I have asked Tom to post Ella updates on the blog; however, this is unlikely with him playing full time employee, part time student, and full time dad. Here to safe travels and hopes that the next few weeks fly by

Blowing Dandelions

I meant to share these photos quite awhile ago. Then the holidays came and I got tied up with the festivities and slacked on the blog. In early December, during a bout of nice weather, Ella and I spent the morning at the park. Walking back from the park, she noticed hundreds of puff balls left from dandelions. She was on a mission to blow every single puff ball off of every single stem in the patch of grass. We must have spent thirty or more minutes clearing out that patch of grass. Of course I took tons of pictures while she was on her mission

Week off

 Last Friday was my last day at Cincinnati Children's. I leave for Omaha Nebraska on Sunday for training for my new job. I took this week off work to be with Ella before I go. It is going to be so difficult leaving her. I cry each time I think about it. I have only left her three times since she was born and for no longer than two nights. I know she will be in good hands with Tom and help from my mom, his mom, and our sitter but still it is going to be rough on both her and I. We have been cramming in tons of fun this week. We have gone to gymnastics, Chik Fil A playland, Run Jump, and Play, the library, etc. Today we went to The Museum Center.

She cracks me up....She will actually smile these days for the camera but a lot of the times she is randomly looking off to side or up

Final holiday post...

Over the holidays Ella made her first gingerbread house.....

Decorated Christmas cookies....

And tried her first hot cocoa....When asked at the coffee shop if she would prefer marshmallows or whipped cream, she chose marshmallows....