Tag Archives: Easter Egg Hunts

Easter Weekend 2023

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We had a wonderful Easter weekend with the family in Omaha and have had a week of the most perfect weather ever to enjoy it. Naturally, that meant multiple Easter Egg Hunts and extra time outside all around.

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On Wednesday, Sam came by to spend some time with Hannah for the evening. She brought along a 1990 board game called Meet Me at the Mall, which Lexi apparently used to play when she was little.

Jake was back from Mexico and brought along a giant sombrero (which Aaron tried on) and a poncho, both of which he wore to Royal Rangers that evening. Aaron, in the meantime, got to make some cardboard “Armor of God” on his little group, dressed up as little soldiers in the Lord’s Army for evening. Yes, sir.

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On Thursday, I dropped by the Pizza Ranch to hear from self-professed “tax geek” Bryan Sloan with the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He talked mostly about taxes, specifically the EPIC tax being proposed and Gov. Pillen’s current tax cut plan before the legislature. I also got to chat with a handful of other people about politics, including current craziness happening in the state legislature.

Then that evening, I made some unleavened bread to celebrate Passover, which we had with a little Kosher wine. Aaron got to try kneading the dough as well, which I found to be quite therapeutic to smash repeatedly on a flour-covered cutting board.

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I took Good Friday off completely, specifically so we could take the kids to Lincoln for a long-overdue trip to Lost in Fun. They hadn’t been there for over two years — and will be aging out of it soon — so we wanted to give them both another chance to bounce on a jumping pillow, jump into the Space Pit, and run around playing with a few of the games and climbing through an obstacle course together for the afternoon.

Afterward, we got some smoothies from Pho Ngyuenn down the street and then explored some of the park and trails over by 22nd and Q. There was a small playground and some stone statuary and furniture for the kids to explore, and Aaron and Hannah walked around the river going through a “level” before we called it a day. Then we got some Chinese food at Egg Roll King before heading home (though I was tempted to explore the “Meat and Beer” across the street, which I presume has plenty of both).

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The came Saturday. We managed to take the kids to two Easter Eggs hunts (out of the dozens and dozens happening in the area). The first was at Christ Cathedral up the street from us, which is where the family who started the Our Gathering Place dinners happens to attend. I got to meet Pastor Kevin Johnson, and the kids got to gather a few egg and get a few prizes from the prize table before having some hot dogs for lunch downstairs. We also got a nice family photo out in the foyer.

Afterward, we went down to Everett Park for a second Easter Egg hunt with Bellevue Christian Center. Hannah got a bucketful of eggs with candy as Aaron got some time on the swing and had his face painted (and Hannah got a spider on her hand). He and I did a little sword-fighting afterward before heading home.

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Then came Sunday! We got up wit h the kids and let them look for their Easter Baskets to start the morning, which contained candy and a few UV “invisible ink” pens that U showed them how to use. We put on our Sunday Best and got a family photo before heading to church. We got to see several classrooms decorated as various scenes from the Easter story in the bible, including Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Empty Tomb. Someone also left Pastor Ron a giant Marshmallow Peep.

We returned home, where the kids got to have another Easter Egg hunt in our yard. Vivian and I spent a little more time afterward getting Easter Dinner ready and tidying up the house a bit. Vivian made a lovely glazed ham with pistachio fluff and broccoli casserole, and I made some mashed potatoes and deviled eggs. We had the whole family over — Vivian’s parents and mine, Uncle Jonny, Uncle Nathan, and even Cheryl. Donna brought a trio of pies and Uncle Nathan brought some donuts, so we had more food to go around than we knew what to do with.

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Happy Easter!

Week of Easter 2022

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We had a fun-filled Easter weekend with the whole family, and even though we had a passing storm and a frigid cold snap afterward, we still got plenty of time outside hunting for eggs, among other things.

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We had a fairly busy week leading up to Easter weekend, as well. On Monday, I dropped by the Garden Cafe to have some chicken fried steak and hear Donald Kleine talk about his work as Douglas County Attorney, including his involvement with the tragic case of Jake Gardner back in 2020. The next day, we had a line of storms pass through Omaha, which set off the tornado siren and sprinkled our lawn with tiny bits of hail, but fortunately didn’t cause much more damage (though there was plenty of lighting to go around).

I got out my bike for some quality pedaling around town in the meantime, heading by Hanscom Park one day and Trader Joe’s the next for a bottle of kosher wine, which we broke open on Maundy Thursday to have with some unleavened barley bread that I baked, just for fun. (Oy vey.) Then on Good Friday, Vivian cooked a rack of lamb for our Passover dinner, which we had with some rice made with “bitter herbs” to go along with it. Then we watched Prince of Egypt with the kids downstairs, a movie that’s quickly becoming a tradition for around Passover time every year for us.

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Then on a chilly Saturday morning, we took the kids down to Stonecroft Park for an Easter Egg Hunt with Bellevue Christian Center. They each got a turn to rush onto a field to scoop up plastic eggs filled with candy, and there were a couple bounce houses that kept them occupied while they were waiting their turn (when they weren’t climbing up slides the wrong way or rolling down a hill).

That afternoon, I put The Ten Commandments on the TV for us to watch as I struggled to make some deviled eggs, which didn’t want to be peeled without getting turn to pieces. Vivian made some hot-crossed buns in the meantime, and then that evening we colored some eggs with the kids. I got some markers to go along with the dye this year, so Hannah could draw a family portrait on one of hers. I even got into the fun and made an eyeball egg.

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On Easter Sunday, our kids got to find a couple baskets hidden in the house by the “Easter Bunny” before we put on our Sunday Best and headed off to church. I’d given up coffee for Lent and was quite happy to have a Cup of Joe once again instead of Postum for a change. Grammy and Pop-Pop came by with a turkey, which Vivian baked in the oven in the afternoon for our Easter Dinner, and the kids got to run around with Bella a bit before hunting for some Easter Eggs in our yard.

I put out my dish of Deviled Eggs later in the afternoon when my parents dropped by, along with Uncle Jonny, Uncle Nathan, and his girlfriend Cheryl. Vivian made Watergate and Potato Salads along with some roasted asparagus, and I carved up the turkey before dinnertime around five. It was the most people we’d ever had sitting at our dining room table, I think, and I could barely fit everyone into a single picture. Cheryl brought some cassava cake and flan for dessert, which we had with some key-lime pie Grammy made. The kids played on their iPads while I queued some Google Street View on the Raspberry Pi so Cheryl could show us her hometown in the Philippines before we called it a night.

It was a fun and busy weekend, but always a joy to have so much family under one small roof. Happy Easter, everybody!

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Happy Easter from the Johnson Family!

An endorsement, an egg hunt, and Jack Posobiec

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It’s been a week heavy with politics for some reason, particularly following Brett Lindstrom and the race for Nebraska’s next governor. On Monday, his campaign got a boost when Jean Stothert came by to make an official endorsement for governor. I got an invite to the press conference along with a handful of people from media, so I got to enjoy snapping a bunch of photos and even sending a few along to a guy from Nebraska Sunrise News to use in a story.

Then on Wednesday, I got to attend a debate forum with three gubernatorial candidates — Brett Lindstrom, Charles W. Herbster, and Theresa Thibodeau. Jim Pillen was a no-show, as usual, and that pretty much writes him off as a choice on my ballot. An anchor from KETV served as moderator and asked questions about taxes, education, and critical race theory. You can watch the full debate here (and get an eyeful of my bald spot in the corner during the first several minutes).

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We had some absolutely gorgeous weather on Saturday, after a week of cold, gray cloudiness (with even a bit of snow). Vivian and Hannah went on an overnight camping trip with the American Heritage Girls, so I got to have some quality time with Aaron. I was able to install a “Mario Maker” game on his little Mini PC, which kept him busy as I tidied up a bit.

Then we went by Swanson Park to have some lunch and then have some time together outdoors. We went walking through a wooded area, climbing on logs and going into a makeshift shelter somebody left behind. He also got some time on the playground and rolled down a hill a couple times.

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Saturday night was exciting for me, as I got to spend the evening with Jack Posobiec, one of my favorite Twitter follows and podcast hosts, and a bunch of folks with the Nebraska Freedom Coalition. They’d had an event earlier that day that was crashed by some local antifa thugs, and oen of them got the bum’s rush off stage by Matt Innis (who primaried Ben Sasse in 2020) and was taken away in handcuffs. The “cocktail reception” was held at Don Carmelo’s in Elkhorn and outside of a few angry phone calls had absolutely no problem whatsoever.

Posobiec himself was terrific, giving an hour talk and Q&A. He talked about China locking down Shanghai, the Whitmer kidnapping case going up in smoke, and how Trump enjoys watching angry reactions to his tweets on Twitter. He’d also come with his wife and kids and had spent some time in the Old Market at the Hollywood Candy store and Imaginarium, which was nice to hear. There were several familiar faces in the crowd (which was packed wall-to-wall, standing room only), including gubernatorial candidates Breland Ridenour and Theresa Thibodeau, Chris Baker, and a handful of other people running for office. Naturally, I got a photo with Posobiec afterward and also took a goofy selfie of me literally “following” him inside (which got retweeted by Beard Vet).

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Vivian and Hannah returned from camping the next day, a little tired and sunburned. Then we went down to Renewed Hope church in midtown Omaha to go on an Easter Egg Hunt. They had some hot dogs and chips for everyone for lunch, and then kids in various age groups go to collect eggs in three squared off sections of the lawn. Hannah and Aaron each got a group of their own to compete in. The eggs were filled with candy, small toys, and “coins” they could redeem for bigger prizes. Lexi and her kids joined us on the lawn, which was nice, and the weather couldn’t have been better for an egg hunt and picnic outside.

Park Time and Easter Prelude

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Spring has sprung, and that naturally means more quality time outside. Gov. Ricketts declared last Saturday (March 20) as “Meat on the Menu” day, so we naturally grilled burgers on our back deck. Then on Sunday, we took the kids down for some quality time running around Dreamland Park, spinning around their carousel and even having a picnic lunch before it got too cloudy.

One person was selling Girl Scout Cookies, so we got some Lemonade ones for the ride home. We’ve been having some experimental treats with cookies, even concocting a mint/chocolate sandwich just for fun (when we’re not trying Aldi’s Macrons).

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The following week, we took the kids down to Halleck Park for an Easter Walk. They had volunteers handing out eggs and also an Easter Bunny and Chick on hand for photos with the kids. It was a bit chilly, but still a good day for some quality time outdoors, and Hannah was even able to break out her scooter for a bit.

The next day was Palm Sunday, and Hannah got to practice walking through a gauntlet of plastic fronds with her Sunday school mates at church. Then that afternoon, we got Harold outside for a little time grazing in the yard and even a walk around the block.

In other news, Hannah and Aaron got to try Egg in a Hole.

Easter Weekend with the Grandfolks

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We had a lovely little Easter Weekend here in Omaha, now with both sides of the family on hand for the egg hunting and basketing fun. Vivian and I were at JNO to set up on Friday night, then got up (relatively) early on Saturday to take Hannah for her first big Easter Egg Hunt at the Bellevue Christian Center. She and a mob of other kids got to pick a playground lawn clean of plastic eggs, much to the approval of my folks (and the local Easter Bunny). They had games inside afterward, and Hannah got to “think outside the box” by walking around the tape in such games as bean bag toss (nobody said she had to stay behind it). We had some hot dogs for lunch afterward and Vivian said hello to a couple familiar faces before calling it a day.

That evening, an emergency call went out to volunteers at Gifford Farm. A brush fire was raging near the railroad tracks and the animals had to be evacuated. I helped Donna load up a van full of snakes, hedgehogs, lizards, and other critters we’d rather not have running loose and toted them to a shelter across town. Fortunately, the fire department kept the blaze under control, but things were smoky for quite a while.

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On Easter Sunday, we dressed up and went to church to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection properly with the gang from Twin Valley Church (and dedicate Baby Jonah). We returned home afterward for lunch and then took Hannah on an Easter Egg Hunt in our front yard. For the first time in over a decade, my parents were on hand to celebrate Easter, and they got to see Hannah picking up all sorts of plastic eggs around the yard (including plenty of animal-shaped eggs she didn’t want to let go of).

We wet inside afterward to nibble on a few hors d’eourves, and then we got to find some Easter Baskets filled with goodies hidden around the house. We topped off the day, naturally with our traditional un-kosher meal of ham and other things. It was the first time ever that both sets of grandparents got to have Easter Dinner with the Johnson Family, the first of many traditions of togetherness to come, I’m sure.