If you have to ask what a Runza is, you're not from Omaha

So, while John does some work…let me give you a tour of Gypsy.

She's really awesome.

• 24 foot long (I don't know why people don't say `24 feet', but the RVers always say foot.)
• Brand new, we're the second people to rent her and she has less than 3000 miles on her
• Stove, Oven, Microwave (minus one glass plate to put things on)
• Flat screen tv with dvd player built in
• Retractable tv antenna, cable for cable tv
• Awning we can roll out if we need some shade
• Full size bed 
• Bathroom with shower
• Tons of storage space inside the RV and extra underneath
• Skylights with screens
• Extra seat behind the cab section
• Window shades

I know. This isn't exactly roughing it. Truth is, though, if we had to rough it we wouldn't go…so Gypsy is perfect for us.

After John was finished working we headed into Omaha from our KOA in Gretna, Nebraska. Just so you know, when I lived in Omaha we were pretty far west and Gretna was even farther west. Back in the day, the only thing in Gretna was a truck stop. Not so now. Gretna is apparently the biggest, booming section of Omaha--the place to be. 

Our first stop was Runza! If you're not from Omaha you don't know, but if you are from Omaha you do know that Runzas are some of the best fast food ever invented. We walked in and John started looking at the menu board. Oh, no, no, no…no freelancing here. I ordered us two original Runzas and two iced teas. From Wikipedia: A runza is a yeast dough bread with a filling consisting of beef, pork, cabbage or sauerkraut, onions, and seasonings. In Nebraska, the runza is usually baked in the shape of a bun.

Om nom nom. He loved it. 

Valley View Jr. High

Next stop: Valley View Junior High School. Looks the same, but isn't a junior high school anymore. 

Prairie Lane Elementary

After that we drove over to my elementary school, Prairie Lane. Prairie Lane is still an elementary school. Still has a huge playground. And is still less than a block from my house. 

So we drove down the block and stopped in front of the old homestead. Still looks great except for the hideous porch someone put outside the front door. John was taking my picture when the new owner came out. I introed myself and told him I grew up there. Actually, our parents were the original owners. The house was built for us. Since the mid 90s, there have been three other owners. This guy was really nice, just moved in, loves the house. There's now a screen porch on the back and the trees are lots bigger, but other than that things look about the same. I wish he would have offered to let me see the inside of the house. But he didn't offer, and I didn't ask.

We did a drive by of the neighborhood  swimming pool. I can't even imagine how many hours my sister and I spent there every summer. Still there and actually bigger than I remember.

Neighborhood inspection over, we drove out to West Center Road to see our old church. Torn down. Gone. Disappeared. A few years ago our church swapped buildings with another church that had a bigger building. So I guess in reality it's the building that's gone, not the church. Still…made me sad.

It's hard not to get all mushy when you're walking down memory lane.

Then it was time for our meet up with some friends. Facebook has made it possible for a bunch of us to reconnect after many, many years. So Patrick--grade school Patrick!!!, Julie, Susan, Jay, John and I spent a few hours together. Laughing, remembering, solving all the problems of the world, then laughing some more. 

Back to Gretna. And…if you're wondering, we've slept better in Gypsy than we have in a l-o-n-g time.



Kathryn