Some people here where I live, and they say "Omaha?" "Really - what is there to do there?"

YES! OMAHA! NEBRASKA! And there is plenty to do here! No, we don't ride horses to get to work, we don't have to manually pump water into our houses, and we even have indoor plumbing! ;-) It is a little oasis in the heart of the country. Small enough where you know your neighbors, but big enough you can run to the grocery store without makeup, and not run into anyone you know. And other than having horribly high real-estate taxes (we pay out the nose here! We need more tourism!) and being stuck in this cold weather streak things are pretty good.

O is big enough that in the same week I can stand in a 6 block line with 12,000 people waiting to listen to Barack Obama one day (let me whisper "I'm currently a Republican"), drive for 3 1/2 hours and still only be in the middle of the state to visit friends over the weekend, attend a Lincoln Park concert last night, hope to attend "The Phantom of the Opera" for Valentines Day (hint-hint dear husband- I hope you were listening) and I need to run to Wholefoods for groceries later today!

And we even have a nice big airport to fly us the heck out of here when the cold weather gets to be a bit too much to handle!!! Which reminds me - not following through with our trip to San Francisco was about the stupidest thing I've done in a while. Any kind of above-freezing temperatures are sounding GREAT right now. Leaving this deep freeze and watching professional cycling in the hills of California http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/ sipping local wines and exploring a great city in a warmer climate is sounding a bit better than a high of 10, scraping off a layer of ice at the front door and having to start the car 5 minutes before I can even leave my driveway.

Anyway, as I am sitting here looking out my window onto the frozen white tundra, wearing a turtleneck sweater for the umpteenth day in a row - I digress.

Here are a few of my Omaha favorite things ...

TASTE - yumm! What can I say - the BEST lunch spot!!! http://www.tastedining.com/

The Urban Wine Company :-) http://www.urbanwinecompany.com/

Do I see pattern? Food and wine? Why stop there?

Corkscrew - What a fun place to discover new wines! http://www.corkscrewwineandcheese.com/

Henry Doorly Zoo - http://www.omahazoo.com/

Second Chance Antiques - a once undiscovered little gem - now mentioned in national magazines! Shoot! http://www.countryhome.com/shopping/weekendaway/omaha_1.html

College World Series - its when the nation eyes Omaha for "the greates game ever played on dirt" - http://www.cwsomaha.com/stadium/omahas-johnny-rosenblatt-stadium.html

Crescent Moon - the absolute BEST little bar with great food and an endless variety of beers on tap! Plus - there is alwas Das Huber Haus!!! http://crescentmoonalehouse.com/

Omaha's Farmers Market - you will find my husband and I there nearly every weekend from May to October picking up some of the greatest local produce, plants, art and more! http://www.omahafarmersmarket.com/index2.html

Bonefish Grill! I could use some Bang Bang Shrimp and a Pomegranate Martini! http://www.bonefishgrill.com/

Other places you will find me -

The cheese island at Wholefoods (its like HEAVEN!)
Sams Club - hovering over the wine section
Village Point Mall wandering about - that is when its a bit warmer!

Random favorite things -
Currently - hats and scarves
Politics
Live music
My Ipod
Cooking at home
Crock pots
Cuddling with my husband next to the fireplace!
My new camera!!!