The year that felt like a lifetime is finally over, but 2020 was a lot more than just some pandemic! Let’s take a look back at everything that happened throughout the year!
- In January, we went to Pump it Up for one last time, had dinner and a movie at First Presbyterian, and had a birthday for Zoey. We had an hors d’oeuvres party with our friends, and Vivian and I celebrated a “Burgerversary” at Sickies. We also had visits from Andrew Yang and Mayor Pete before the Iowa Caucuses went FUBAR. Vice President Pence also dropped by and autographed a book for me.
- In February, Don Bacon had a town hall and we spent a long, fun day at the Amazing Pizza Machine. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl, and I had a daddy/daughter date with Hannah. Vivian and I celebrated another Valentine’s Day at JAV (with a three-legged cat), and then I got to see Joel from MST3K with my dad, brothers, and Richard. We took the kids (and Grammy) to the circus and had the Lenarts over for chicken parmesan. I met David Bereit at the St. Thomas More Society dinner and had an early fish fry with the Simpsons. Vivian and I also saw Kevin McCarthy and the Terry clan at the Elephant Remembers dinner.
- In March, we watched 101 Dalmatians at First Presbyterian, I learned how to prune a tree, and I got one last breakfast with my folks before Covid-19 took over the world. Store shelves emptied, and our church had to go online. (but we still celebrated Uncle Jonny’s birthday in person). We had ice cream in the Old Market and visited the Fontenelle Forest, and we also had Omaha’s Best Burgers at Hanscom Park (with a twisty tree) followed by a drive-by birthday parade for Billy.
- In April, we used Zoom to have bible studies, visit grandparents, and even have a fish fry. Omaha lit a building and bridge blue for autism, we had dim sum at Memorial Park before it closed — then came back for burgers and blossoms when it re-opened. We had a drive-by Palm Sunday, a drive-by parade, and a drive-in church service on Easter Sunday (and an egg hunt in our yard). We got a freak snow, which melted in a day, and Werner Park had some fireworks. Aaron lost a tooth, Daddy rode his bike, and Mommy did BSF via video. We also discovered Aldi’s Red Bag Chicken.
- In May, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo with ceviche and enchiladas, and we got to see fireworks at Werner Park (again). Flowers bloomed, toilet paper and hand sanitizer returned to the supermarket shelves, and we continued doing Virtual Church (with cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy). We celebrated Mother’s Day with our three moms, had Memorial Day with ribs, got a TV dinner from Johnny’s Cafe, and visited Hanscom, Elmwood and Memorial Parks. Harold’s mom also came to visit, and I rubbed elbows with the Bacon Brigade before the primary and after a riot.
- In June, we kept cool with ice cream at Dairy Queen, dipping our feet in the Hanscom Park lake, and playing in the splashpad at Banner Park. Aaron had a birthday at the park with his friends (and King Dedede) and had burgers with my parents. We dug out our basement for a major plumbing project, and then Nate helped us replace some siding. We also celebrated Father’s Day with steak, sushi, a new grill, photo albums, Aunt Jemima, and a haircut.
- In July, we celebrated Independence Day weekend with pancakes and fireworks and smoked brisket with grandpa. We broke out the wading pool and took the kids to a splash pad. I took Hannah to the SumTur and “Backed the Blue” with a crowd at Memorial Park. Vivian and I celebrated 12 years of marriage with steak, lobster, and ice cream. We also had a reunion picnic with the gang from Classical Conversations (and a walk in the woods).
- In August, we went on a family road trip and saw Windmill State Park, Lake McConaughy, Chimney Rock, Scotts Bluff, Carhenge, Toadstool Geological Park, Mount Rushmore, a Presidential Wax Museum, Sylvan Lake, Needles Highway, Wonderland Cave, Sturgis, Pactola Reservoir, Storybook Island, Wall Drug, the Badlands (with buffalo, prairie dogs, and mountain goats), and Smith Falls — along with some quality camping at beautiful Lake Roubaix in-between. Uncle Andy and Aunt Nancy came to visit, Aaron and Hannah started school, and the Trump Team opened a victory office. We also beat the heat at Louisville Lake, Mahoney Park, and Banner Park (for Emmett’s Birthday). Daddy also celebrated a birthday with breakfast, a banana split, pizza, wine, ceviche, and an ocean cake!
- In September, we saw outdoor movies at BCC and Brookside. I grilled beef short ribs for Labor Day, we saw the Pig Leader at Louisville Lake. We had a steak fry with Pete Ricketts and Kristi Noem, and I went politicking with Scott Presler, Lara Trump, Donald Trump Jr. (twice), Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Charlie Kirk. We saw some balloons at Ditmars, and we had birthdays for Vivian and her dad, as well as Lily and Sammy.
- In October, we spent a long, fun day at Vala’s before coming down with a case of Covid 19, which kept us inside for two weeks. After quarantine, I went to a rally with Brandon Straka and the #WalkAway Gang and then saw President Trump when he came to Omaha in Air Force One. It was warm enough to trick our lilac tree into blooming before dusting us with snow. Then we had trunk-or-treat events at Beautiful Savior Lutheran, Lifespring, and Grace Bible Church, before a fun, full night of trick-or-treating.
- In November, Vivian and both voted, and I bumped into Ben Sasse and Don Bacon doing some last-minute campaigning. The kids played in leaves and we visited Dreamland Park and Stinson Park. We celebrated birthdays for Hannah and Harold, and we had a Thanksgiving weekend filled with food, football, and a fir tree in our living room.
- In December, we kicked off the Christmas season at Union Station with Santa and some Muppets. We went caroling with the Mills, visited a Living Nativity, saw a Great Conjunction, and celebrated my parents’ birthdays. We also saw lights on Larimore Avenue, Wood River Drive, Olde Towne, and even Werner Park, and then Vivian and I had a first date anniversary at Luigi’s (followed by fudge in the Old Market). We also celebrated Christmas with Vivian’s folks and my own before ringing in the New Year with some fireworks.
Three cheers for the beginning of a New Year!