Category Archives: Wildewood

Fat Tuesday, Men of God, and Ralston Park

It’s been a fairly quiet week, after a February of non-stop activity. After a house party, Super Bowl, birthdays, Pinewood Derby, Valentine’s Day, snow-shoveling, sledding, and an anniversary, I think we were due for a few days of not doing much.

We still did a few things. I swung by the local car wash (run by Sal from our church) to clean off the mud and dirt from my spin-out on I-80. The next day, I took by bike out for my first ride of the year, going down to Seymour-Smith Park and back.

It was also Fat Tuesday, so Vivian made up some spicy jambalaya for us. Then I dropped by the Men of God dinner at church to have some roast beef and potatoes as we went through one more session of the 33 Series for the year.

We had a winter storm pass by briefly that left an icy glaze on everything, shutting down Royal Rangers and American Heritage Girls for the evening but leaving us happy to stay home and keep warm. Vivian went to a seminar at Wildewood over the weekend, and I stayed home tidying up and doing such things as going for a walk and drawing a still life with Hannah, just for fun. In the meantime, Aaron tried inventing his own version of Tic-Tac-Toe that included Super Mario power-ups.

On Sunday, it was nice enough outside for us to visit Ralston Park after church. We had some burgers for lunch and then took Aaron’s remote control car for another spin. I’d let it charge up ahead of time, so it lasted about half an hour as I and the kids took turns zooming around the park, along the pathways and over the grass. We stayed a little longer afterward as Hannah and Aaron had fun just running around. Then that evening, I made some fettucine alfredo for dinner just to try something new. (I think Aaron liked it.)

Dipwads, Chili, and a Charcuterie Board

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It’s been another busy week at the Johnson House, much of it spent cleaning up and getting ready for our annual Cheese and/or Hors d’oeuvres Party (in-between rounds of playing video games or Mini Monopoly with the kids).

On Tuesday, I and a bunch of my co-workers from the Institute got to hear from our new attorney general Mike Hilgers at the Business and Professional People for Life luncheon at the German American Society over lunch. He talked about his time in the legislature advancing pro-life legislation and now transitioning to his role in the attorney general’s office. We also got to hear from Marion Minor with the Nebraska Catholic Conference on current pro-life bills before the legislature. My dad was even able to join me at the luncheon as well, which was nice. He’d gotten to meet Mike back at the GOP pancake breakfast back in July. I did a much more detailed write-up of the luncheon on my political blog, if you care to read more.

Then on Wednesday, I met up with Vivian at Whole Foods to do a little shopping for our party on Saturday. Vivian wanted to make a charcuterie board, and that meant finding some interesting olives, cheese, and other things to add to an ensemble of mixed nuts and fruit. I was hungry enough to want to grab lunch while we were there, so we both grabbed a few things from the salad bar and ate together before I headed back to work.

On Thursday, Mayor Jean Stothert came down to the Pizza Ranch to talk to the River CIty Republicans about the State of the City. In her third term, she’d the longest serving Mayor of Omaha, and she managed to pack a fifty minute presentation with facts and figures on everything from the city budget to economic development downtown to public safety and crime and property taxes. She even brought her own personal property tax bill to go through line by line to show how much the city taxes in taxes compared to Omaha Public Schools. It was a very informative talk, which you can read more about on my political blog, as well as watch my live stream of the presentation (if that’s your thing).

I took Friday off so I could help tidy up before our party. Aaron also had the day off, so Vivian and I decided to take him out at IHOP for a special breakfast together. Aaron had been wanting to get French toast at IHOP for a while now, so we decided to take him to have a slice, He also wanted to have pancakes covered with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles, just like he saw on the ad next to us in our booth, so we let him have that as well. Then we had a busy day cleaning together while keeping Aaron distracted making levels on Mega Man Maker.

Then came the big day on Saturday! I decorated our whiteboard specially for the occasion, and Vivian put together her charcuterie board and toasted some pull-apart cheese and garlic bread. I took the kids to Grammy’s house to watch a movie or two and have pizza as our friends started to arrive. This year we had Phil with Grilled Galbi Beef Sticks, Jen with Cheese Bread, Tamra with a pretzel sticks and mustard, Ryan with “Crudités and Dipwads,” Jenny and Kody with Loaded pulled pork cups, Jon Paper with pull-apart cheesy pesto bread, Lisa Barrett with Plum Chutney, Ben Anderson with some cheeses, and Jolene with some Mulberry Jam.

I uncovered some cute cheese wine glass markers and some fancy stir sticks for some freshly-shaken martinis. I also had some entertainment courtesy of my Raspberry Pi, which played a couple “cheesy movies” on our mini-TV (i.e. MST3K) while pumping music some ripped Jazz CDs to my Sonos. We sampled and then voted with Tamra’s pretzel and mustard and Lisa’s chutney tying for first place. We had a run-off vote, in which Lisa won the coveted Pig and a Blanket by one vote. Afterward, we played a round of What’s Yours Like, which inspired some hilarious commentary. Vivian just said, “Don’t!” in response to a knowing look I gave her, which pretty much broke the room.

It was a fun, fun night, and well worth the excuse of doing a little housecleaning in advance to prepare for it.

We had some lovely weather on Sunday with highs around 50, so I thought it’d be a good time to break out Aaron’s remote control car, which he got for his birthday last year. We were able to take it zooming around the driveway a couple times, but when we moved to the park where there would be more room (and less crashing), the battery ran dry. The kids had some fun in the park anyway, and they didn’t even need coats.

Then that evening, we dropped by Wildewood for a Chili Cookoff. Vivian made a pot of chili along with a couple dozen other people, and I sampled about as many as I could up and down the line. There were prized form the car wash up the street for everyone who participated, abd special gift cards for the winners of first, second, and third place. It was nice to have some chili and fellowship, even if the weather wasn’t “chilly,” and of course we also had cinnamon rolls (because this is Nebraska).

The “Snowmageddon” that Wasn’t

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Welcome to winter! Our relatively warm spell on Monday ended long enough for a “snowmageddon” that really wasn’t (but closed the schools anyway). Things have been mostly quiet as we tidy up ahead of our annual Cheese and Hors D’oeuvres Party and keep warm in the great indoors (with the help of screens).

I went to the Men of God dinner on Tuesday, where Dan made some gumbo (and Ron brought chili) for dinner before we talked a bit about marriage in another session of the 33 Series.

On Wednesday, they closed down the schools for a winter storm that came passing through. I made Aaron some Waffle Cars in the morning before he did some tablet school. Hannah also had some homework from her own school that mommy and I helped her with throughout the day. I actually left work early as the snow started coming down, but we only got about an inch or so (which only qualifies as a “dusting,” I think). Vivian made some chili for dinner to keep everyone warm, which we had with cinnamon rolls, of course.

I’ve tried keeping active despite what little snow we got, taking a couple walks on the freshly plowed Keystone Trail and enjoying the scenery of a few freshly-frosted trees. We spent a good portion of the weekend tidying up and distracting the kids with a few video games in the meantime.

I did pay a visit to my parents’ house to return a book and play some Geo-Guesser with Uncle Jonny. Hannah also talked with Grandma about such things as our old Swedish family bible. Then I took Hannah by Menards and got her a treat down at Chick-Fil-A just because.

Then on Monday, I attended another luncheon with the Pachyderms down at Ahmad’s Persian Cuisine. This time around, they had a panel discussion on “The Future of the Republican Party,” and the guests were Jim Rose of KFAB, Jim Jordan of News Channel Nebraska, and Prof. Randy Atkins from UN-O.

The panelists talked about such things as what would win future elections, and all there panelists seemed confident that Donald Trump would be the nominee in 2024. Strangely enough, I was asked not to live stream the event, but I may have a write-up before too long in my political blog, if you care to check back later.

Zoey, the Zoo, and a New Pair of Shoes

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Christmas is over, right? Our tree is finally gone, and Hannah finished the last of our Christmas Tree Ice Cream pops, but it seems we’re still recovering) from all the Yuletide joy . Old man winter has laid off for a bit, making going outside a fairly nice option over the past week or two, though it sounds like we’ll be getting a dump of snow on Wednesday this week.

On Tuesday last week, we celebrated Zoey’s “birthday.” It’s been five years since we adopted this lovable little “fuzz-butt,” so we marked the occasion with a few treats for her. I got some kitty treats and a tuna fish dinner down at Pet Smart. I also got a few catnip toys, which Zoey seemed to love right away. This made for some cute photos of her rolling around with them on the floor.

Zoey has been a wonderful little addition to our lives, and I’ve honestly been surprised at how good of a pet she’s been. She completely eliminated the problem of mice coming into the house in the winter, she’s never had a problem using the litter box, and she’s very playful and likes to snuggle up in the evenings. I hope she stays with us for many more birthdays to come.

The weather’s warmed up a bit over the past week, so I broke out my bike and got some quality time on the trail again. Unfortunately, the city decided to tear up part of the Keystone Trail, blocking my access to some of my favorite routes. I was able to ride up to Democracy Park, however and play a bit on the playground up there instead.

Then on Wednesday, I used a gift card from my parents to buy a pair of New Balance shoes. My old ones had been thoroughly worn out over the past seven years. I broke the new ones in on a nice walk up and around Aksarben Village that afternoon. I’ve been trying to make it a priority to stay active, particularly during winter months when it’s hard to get outside.

Then that evening, I took Aaron back to Royal Rangers and started on a new book, The American Story by the Barton brothers, which “Commander Jeff” had given me.

On Saturday after breakfast, I dragged our tree all the way to the tree dump up the street — only to learn it was closed for the season. I hauled it on home and then borrowed a few tools from my dad and taking the tree apart instead, saving parts of the trunk for a possible fire pit later this year.

That evening, Hannah and I went by the Lenarts’ house to have dinner. Aaron had been sick, so he stayed home with Vivian. I broke open a bottle of my favorite wine and caught up with our friends for the evening as the kids played hide-and-seek and watched a movie. Then on Sunday morning, we bumped into them again at church when we all went early to get some pancakes and sausage from The Pancake Man for breakfast before the service.

Then on Monday, we spent a long, exhausting day at the Zoo as a family — taking advantage of a free pass we got at the Bellevue Library. School was closed for MLK Day, and a number of others spent the holiday at the Zoo — including our friends the Lenarts (making this the third day in a row we’d bumped into them). We hit all the indoor exhibits — the desert dome, gorilla valley, and of course the aquarium. The jungle was closed (to repair a broken roof), but we got to watch the monkeys while having a snack at the TreeTops restaurant.

We also ventured out to see the sea lions, who were still swimming their route by the viewing window, just as they were in the summer. We also let the kids have a little playground time at the “Alaskan Adventure,” though the Children’s Adventure Trails was closed for the season. It was cloudy, wet, and cold, but not too bad for mid-January, so I’m glad we made the trip (particularly ahead of whatever snow we’re supposed to get on Wednesday).

Christmas lights, choir, and breakfast dates

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Looks like it will be a white Christmas after all, as we’ve had a dusting of snow and temperatures dropping down to single digits and below. We’re keeping warm in the meantime with some chili and cinnamon rolls and hot coffee in my Christmas tumbler. On Wednesday last week, I went out to breakfast with some co-workers and got to ride my bike before the snow came last, and I even went out to go riding again over lunch to grab a free Chick-Fil-A sandwich (thanks to the app).

On Wednesday evening, the Royal Rangers had an award ceremony where Aaron and his little friends got their patches for the activities they’ve participated in this year. It was a rare occasion for Vivian come to by and see what the boys have been up to the Mills family was also there with their boys while Sammy was with Hannah have a pizza and movie night with the American Heritage Girls.

Then the next morning, I had a breakfast date with Vivian down at IHOP, just as we got our first legit snow of the season. The snow was coming down heavy, but it was nice to sit and have some breakfast together before heading off to work. The snow wasn’t too bad, though, and it didn’t even stop me from a brisk walk up to Aldi and back over the lunch hour.

On Saturday morning, we took the kids down to the Goldfish Swim School for a free half-hour swimming lesson for the kids. We got it through a promotion deal with a therapy center next door, and it was fun to watch the kids learning some strokes and kicks one-on-one with a pair of instructors.

Then afterward, I took them down the street to Graley’s to have some ice cream for lunch. I also got a tasty ham and cheese hand pie, which we’d wanted to get when we were in downtown Papillion last time for the lighting ceremony. (This time there was no long, long line.)

Then that evening, we took the kids out to see some Christmas lights once the sun went down. We stopped by Washington Park in Olde Town Bellevue to see their synchronized music and light show. We walked through all the displays and let the kids swing for a little bit as well. The temperature was around 23 degrees and dropping, however, so we didn’t stay long.

Then we drove over to Wood River Drive, which was decorated once again for the season. We also got to see Santa, who had been there a few years before handing out candy canes but had been absent since 2019 or so. Hannah remembered him, though, and it was very nice to see him out once again. Then once we’d had our fill of lights, we returned home to watch A Christmas Story with the kids before bed.

On Sunday, I put on my Santa Shirt and took the kids down to church by myself, since Vivian had gone on ahead to sing with the Christmas choir. It was something she’d done before at Twin Valley Church and seemed very happy to do once again. The kids got some Happy Meals for lunch, which included basic versions of famous board games like Monopoly, which I played with Aaron that afternoon (before going out to get groceries and do some Christmas shopping with Hannah).

Then the next morning I got stuffed again at the Institute’s annual Christmas brunch. It’s the time of year when packing on a few extra pounds seems almost inevitable, but I’m still doing my best to get outside and move around, even when it seems to be snowing every other day.

Hummels, Oven Mitts, and A Star is Born

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We’re busy counting down the days to Christmas, with the kids crossing them off on our whiteboard calendar. Vivian and I also got a batch of our annual Christmas letters out to a handful of close friends and family members. (If you got one, consider yourself special!)

My parents had their birthdays this week, so my brothers and I had a kind of joint celebration down at my parents’ house. My dad wanted to bring up my grandmother’s antique Hummel nativity set from the basement and assembled for the first time in many years. It came in a bunch of boxes, which unpacked and then set up on a folding table in front of the fireplace. It included a wooden stable along with a green felt tablecloth my grandmother also used with it.

My parents got to open a few presents afterward, and then my brothers and I took them out to lunch down at Luigi’s in Olde Town Bellevue. I got some chicken parmesan with spaghetti along with some calamari rings as an appetizer, which my mom tried for the first time (and didn’t like). It was the first time we’d have a family dinner with just the Johnsons in quite a while, and we all left stuffed.

Then that evening, Vivian and I went to a Christmas party with Jenny and Kody up in Bennington. Uncle Jonny came by to watch the kids, and Vivian and I got to wear a pair of Christmas sweaters we’d been saving for an entire year (with some lines from the movie “Christmas Vacation” on them) along with my Christmas socks. Kody made his stuffed pork loin for dinner along with some venison summer sausage, and I made some roast brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar and dried cranberries, which turned out much better than I expected.

We had some candy cake thing for dessert and then played a round of that annual game where we try to unwrap some gifts in a giant ball of plastic wrap with a pair of oven mitts. Vivian and I walked away with some pens and toothpaste, along with some leftover dessert, which I consider a “win.”

Then on Sunday, Wildewood rolled out the red carpet for its annual Christmas program, which Hannah was a part of this year. She was a shepherd, along with a handful of her other classmates, singing in a choir behind the other performers for much of the performance. The title of the play was “A Star is Born,” with a meta theme of a Christmas play-within-a-play as a prima-donna Madonna (the mother of Jesus, not the singer) caused chaos for a director and cast members. It was a very cute little production, especially the Wise Men (fighting over who had the best gift), Tabitha with the giant TV camera, and little ones they had dressed as animals singing “Away in a Manger” at the end.

Grammy came by to watch, as well as Sammy and Lexi, who surprised Hannah by bringing her candy and a bouquet of flowers after the show. Our friends the Lenarts also came, since their son Matthew played Joseph in the production, and our other friends Craig and Debby came to watch as well. We stayed afterward to have some cake, and Hannah got an ornament as thanks for her participation.

If you missed the program, you can watch it here.

Trunks & Treats

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It’s Halloween time again, which means enjoying plenty of fall food such as acorn squash and Halloween-themed pasta (which I call “Spook-Ghetti“) — along with all the usual Halloween sweets, of course.

Aaron has a few days off of school (thanks to some parent/teacher conferences), so Vivian took him to BSF on Thursday. Afterward I biked on up to join them for lunch at Chick-Fil-A, something I’d done this a number of times with Vivian and Hannah, but never with Aaron. It was nice to spend a little time with our son having some chicken sandwiches — and an ice cream cone we got for free. He even spent a few minutes in the play area before we went home. Likely, he’ll have outgrown it the next time we come by.

We had some beautiful weather on Saturday for Hannah to sell chocolate bars with the girls from AHG outside Sam’s Club. Then in the afternoon, I dragged the kids to my parents’ house to help rake up some of the leaves that had fallen in their backyard. Naturally, they got to play in them a bit as well, but we wound up bagging five giant bags of leaves before we were done. There are more than enough leaves to have to do this again soon. Hopefully when they all fall down it will still be warm enough to rake them up without jackets.

Then on Sunday, Vivian and I wore orange and black to church for Halloween eve. Then that afternoon, we took the kids out for for a couple Trunk or Treat events. The first was down at Wildewood, where we met up with the Campbells and the Lenarts to get candy from a handful of our friends from church. We saw some creative trunks decorated with themes such as Pac-Man, Monsters Inc., and even Insurance mascots. One had a quiz on the Ten Commandments, which I think had approval from Farmer/Pastor Ron. The kids got to play a few carnival-style games afterward and have some hot dogs and cotton candy before we headed on.

Then on the way home, we stopped by Heritage Hill Church of the Nazarene for their Trunk or Treat event immediately afterward (where we coincidentally bumped into our friend Debby, with Emily in tow). There were some swings and a bounce house for the kids to play in, along with a hayrack ride where they got to “pick” a few pumpkins from the bottom of the hill. Hannah jumped into a haystack, swung around with Aaron, and somehow lost a tooth. We got some chili for dinner before collecting some more candy and chucking a few pumpkins. and then the kids got to watch It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown as the sun went down.

Then at long last came Halloween night! We had some pizza for dinner before Grammy came by with Bella to watch the door at our house, and then we took our kids for a long evening of trick-or-treating. We started off at my parents’ house and then walked their neighborhood as the sun went down. Then we drove up the street to visit a few neighbors by Grammy’s house, specifically Tom and Toni next door. Then we finished off with our own neighborhood, including a handful of nicely decorated houses just down the street.

I probably had more than my fill of candy throughout the (including some the treats left at work), but I hope the nice, long walk did a bit to offset it. Happy Halloween, everybody!

Zoomerang and a Four-Day (Working) Weekend

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We’ve had another ridiculously busy week here in Omaha — a week where I actually took two days off work just to fit in everything that I wanted to get done. Those two days had some lovely, cool weather for working on the house, and Vivian and I had loads of fun with the kids on all the other days as well.

First off was a full five days of an Australian-themed VBS at Wildewood, most of which revolved around being “fearfully and wonderfully made,” a la Psalm 139:14. For five days straight, the kids got to do crafts like make boomerangs, dot paintings, sun pillows, fossils, blood bags, and fingerprints. They also got to do quite a bit of running around with 139 other kids, playing freeze tag with pool noodles and relay races with hula hoops.

Of course, they also had scripture time with a few “Aussie cos-players” in our congregation, doing a bible “game show,” and memorizing scripture in exchange for tiny koala bears as a reward. Hannah even got to be a part of an impromptu presentation of the Nativity Story (as a sheep). They also raised over $700 for the Children’s Hunger Fund, a charity that seemed to be tied in with the VBS program. Around 60–70 volunteers helped out (including Vivian and me, who took pictures) with just a few cute snacks to keep us going through the week.

It was exhausting, but quite a rewarding experience, particularly all the quality time we got with the kids being a part of the whole program.

I had a relatively quiet week at work otherwise. On Tuesday, Vivian brought the kids by for a picnic lunch down at Memorial Park. We ate underneath a shady tree and then gave Hannah and Aaron a while to roam the park, playing in the sandy playground area of “fighting bosses” elsewhere before it was time to return to the car.

Then on Friday, we took the kids down to BCC for a special movie night. They got to spend some time on the playground beforehand (putting on a show for us), with Hannah discovering some of the playground equipment had mysteriously shrunk since they’d been there last. Hannah and Vivian got some popcorn and ran around a bit before the movie started. Then we all sat down to watch The Little Rascals, a movie I hadn’t seen since high school. Among the films many cameos was a certain President of the United States, who Hannah commented later “looked a lot like Donald Trump.”

In the midst of all this, I had a bunch of actual work going on. On Wednesday night, we discovered leaving VBS that we had a flat tire, and the jack in my car somehow wouldn’t get loose. We also discovered the jack our friends had on hand, and the one I down to Walmart to buy just for the occasion, weren’t high enough to lift our CR-V off the ground. We had about three or four men from Wildewood helping us with this predicament, one of whom eventually decided to lift the CR-V by putting the jack under the control arm rather than the frame, which seemed to do the trick. Even after changing the tire, however, we weren’t out of the woods, as the air pump we used to fill the spare wound up draining the battery, and I eventually had to change it a few days later once we discovered it could no longer hold a charge. We’ll also have to replace all four tires, since there’s not enough tread to repair the one that went flat (but least we still got home)!

I spent the rest of my free time busy with home projects, such as power-washing the siding and the deck and then doing some painting and waterproofing on them, respectively. I rented a pressure-washer for this and enjoyed getting a couple years’ worth of dirt and grime blasted off our deck once again (especially comparing before and after). The weather was also quiet accommodating, with highs in the 70s and 80s no rain to keep me from finishing up before the end of the weekend.

All in a week’s work!

Soaking up the Sun

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It’s that time of year again, the corn is tall, temperatures are pushing 100, and Memorial Park welcomes thousands of people for a free concert. Vivian and I brought our kids back to the park for the first time since 2019 and shared a blanket with our friends Sarah, Jenny, Kody, and the “other Matt Johnson” for a steamy evening of music and fireworks. The opening acts were a local group called “Da Crabby Blues Band” and Dave Mason, who first found fame with the rock band ” Traffic.” The headliner this year was Sheryl Crow, whose music I heard non-stop on the radio from the late 90s to early 2000s.

The kept hydrated as the sun went down, and I was able to take Hannah close to the stage to see some of the singers up close, and take photos, just like daddy. Many of the other concertgoers were very happy to let Hannah sneak up close with me, which was nice. Vivian kept the kids occupied with snacks and a few funny rounds of Mad Libs, which the kids seemed to enjoy. Then we got a lovely fireworks show lasting at least ten minutes to finish off the night.

I spent some time the next day mowing the lawn and scraping paint on the house in preparation for a fresh coat. I also dragged Vivian and the kids down to Walnut Creek for an ice cream social with the Sarpy GOP. It was around 100 degrees but still nice and breezy. Our kids got a couple scoops and then sat and played nicely as a series of politicians gave brief speeches to a couple dozen people in the pavilion. Among the guests were our new Congressman Mike Flood, Sen. Deb Fischer, Lt. Gov. candidate Joe Kelly, Congressman Don Bacon, Secretary of State Bob Evnen, and several people for city council, OPPD, and other county or city level positions. Bacon also brought along with him two Members of Parliament from the UK, who he was showing around Omaha for some reason.

My parents were also there, course, as was our friend Luke and the Sandines. Mostly, it was nice just to introduce Vivian and the kids to some of these chat it up again with some elected officials I keep talking to them about.

And because we didn’t feel quite busy enough, we decided to take the kids to a week-long VBS (our third this year) at Wildewood Church. I came along this time to keep an eye on the kids as they participated in various Australian-themed activities, such as making boomerangs and learning about Ayres Rock and the Aboriginal people of the area.

The fun never stops!

Springtime, Funfest, and Swag

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We’ve launched headfirst into spring, and the trees are exploding with blossoms as tulips and daffodils bloom in our front yard. The cold has persisted for a couple of days, but it’s also been warm enough to have ice cream on the front porch and bring Harold out to graze in the front yard once again.

We also had a few fun activities at Wildewood. On Tuesday last week, the Men of God had dinner again, with spare ribs Woody smoked up for us his smoked and beans as Scott had everyone brainstorming about what a men’s group ought to look like in the coming year. Hannah also came by on Wednesday and got to do an Easter-themed “escape room” with her youth group (which was fun for me to watch through the window).

On Sunday afternoon, we took the kids to Omaha Funfest at Werner Park, sponsored by the Autism Society of Nebraska. Aaron got some time in the bounce house and I got to spin around on the carousel feeling nice and sick for a few minutes. Aaron and another boy got to play a legit game of chess together in the game tent while Hannah tried her hand at Jenga for the first time. Hannah got a painted tattoo and Aaron learned about juggling afterward. There were a few cosplayers on hand as well, featuring Ghostbusters and Star Wars characters, as well as a heavily modified “Stormy” mascot. They had a walk around the park before closing up for the day, and I did a lap with Aaron before heading home.

In other news, I got a couple pieces of political swag in the mail. First as my Daily Wire “leftist tears” tumbler, which came on the same day Elon Musk bought Twitter, which couldn’t be better timing. Next was a custom t-shirt I had made up for my Twitter handle, which I planned to wear at a certain rally later this week, just in case I’m seen by OANN, Newsmax, or RSBN and can get some free advertising.

I also wore this shirt on Tuesday, when I had meetup with a few friends down at Don Carmelo’s pizza in Rockbrook. I have events like this every so often with anyone who wants to talk politics “off the grid,” so I picked this little pizza joint to give them a little extra business after they were brave enough to host Jack Posobiec a few weeks ago. It’s darn good pizza, too.

I also got Matt Walsh’s book on the same day and had some fun reading it to Hannah and Aaron before bedtime.

The Cornstalker's Journal: Matt & Vivian's Blog

Family, friends, and food (and sometimes politics) — our life in Omaha since 2006!

Category Archives: Wildewood

Fat Tuesday, Men of God, and Ralston Park

Dipwads, Chili, and a Charcuterie Board

The “Snowmageddon” that Wasn’t

Zoey, the Zoo, and a New Pair of Shoes

Christmas lights, choir, and breakfast dates

Hummels, Oven Mitts, and A Star is Born

If you missed the program, you can watch it here.

Trunks & Treats

Zoomerang and a Four-Day (Working) Weekend

Soaking up the Sun

Springtime, Funfest, and Swag