Family Day Trip to Omaha

The Fun Begins with Brooms, Mops and Forklifts
Becky and I had already planned a temple trip when we learned that our ward's turn to clean the Bishop's Storehouse was the same day. So, we added that to our list of agenda items and set out for Omaha after a quick breakfast. By 1030 we were at the Storehouse just outside of the city and began our service.

Upon arrival, we were issued cloths, window cleaner, brooms, dust mops and shovels and we all went to work. Christopher and Meile were very busy clearing some of the 4 inches of snow that had fallen the night before, while Becky and the little kids worked on the bathrooms and vacuuming the offices. I took Daina and Jared for windows then mopping around the cannery, while a few other members of the ward arrived and began sweeping and mopping the warehouse. Matthew spent most of his time running around, being passed from Becky to me to Meile.

Within an hour, we were all done and each of the kids had done quite a bit of cleaning. I was very impressed that they all dived right in and began cleaning and seemed very eager about it. It was a nice thing to see them so involved and proud of their work. Afterward, the missionaries there gave us all a banana. Apparently, they were too ripe to ship and were likely to go bad. So, with bananas in tow, we loaded up in the van and headed to the second phase of our trip, the Omaha Zoo.

Mama's Taken' Us to the Zoo!
Becky felt that to take the kids all the way to Omaha, clean the storehouse and split time between our temple sessions, we should treat the kids to something special. The Omaha Zoo is one of the best in the United States. Established by the Mutual of Omaha people, it has a large number of exhibits that provide an exceptional show, even in the winter.

So, while Jon went to complete a temple session at 2pm, Becky and the kids remained at the Zoo. Some of the great exhibits were the Desert Dome, Jungle Room, aquarium, gorillas and the Nocturnal Animal room. The kids had a really great time racing from building to building in the cold weather. Becky said that there was never really a good time to sit, nor stop, as there was so much to see. Becky particularly liked the aquarium. The fish tank was all around you as you entered a tunnel to the center of the exhibit.

Under the Sea

Jon's favorite part of the Zoo was the gorilla exhibit. There is a very large gorilla area, but it was empty because of weather. Instead, the apes were all in their indoor confinements. They did not look too happy about it either as the ones I saw were sitting on the floor, folding their arms, and looking amazingly pouty. Perhaps, in the Spring, when they can have all their outdoor areas, we'll see a more "lively" animal.

Following his session, Jon met up with the family and stayed with them until closing time at 5pm. Then, Becky went to the temple at 6pm while the family had dinner at KFC.

Our day ended with the kids and Jon visiting the Mormon Trails Visitor Center. The kids love the museum, and the missionaries, probably quite accustomed to helping folks entertain children when one of the parents is in the temple, gave us a private showing of some missionary films.

As a reward for her temple service, Becky was treated to cold chicken and mashed potatoes on the interstate as we made our way home. Thank goodness for Hy-Vee and a dozen ice cream sandwiches to make the drive home more pleasant. The kids, exhausted from the long day, were almost completely silent on the trip. Half were asleep; the others much too tired to tussle in their cramped quarters.

Coming home, both Becky and I were thrilled with the way the day had gone. It was one of those photo album days that I think we will all remember for some time. Realizing that I am somewhat of a fun-killer, I was really glad that Becky had insisted on the Zoo trip. I think it made the trip fun for us all and since we purchased an annual membership, will make it easier for us to attend the temple in the future.