The River

It's all fun and games...




...until the hound pukes three times in the Jeep.

Eat this, Tiger

Congrats to Michelle who not only got a hole-in-one, she got a hole-in-one seven months pregnant! That's something I sure haven't seen Tiger Woods do.

Proof from the Omaha World Herald

Published Sunday July 27, 2008
Hole in one, double eagle
Hole in One • Elkhorn Ridge: Michelle Seger, 117-yard, No. 8, with a 5-iron. Witnesses: Emile Shannon, Callie Smith, Sarah Head.

When Fergie wrote the song “Glamorous” she wasn’t talking about air travel

Because, really. What is glamorous about air travel? Taking your shoes off and standing barefoot on a nasty tile floor where millions of others have stood barefoot before you? (And according to a quick, very scientific Google search, 20 percent of people have onychomycosis – also known as toenail fungus. I’m gagging as I type.) Nope, I’ve got it. The glamorous thing about air travel is exposing the others in the security line to the kind of toothpaste, hairspray, shampoo and other 3.4-ounce or less beauty products you use via your one quart plastic bag. Oh no. Wait. The glamorous thing about air travel is hauling ass in high heels to a gate halfway across the airport to attempt to catch an early flight only to see a “standby for this flight is closed” sign on the counter. More glamorous than that? Riding the monorail thing back to your original gate and having a bitchy American Airlines flight attendant basically push you out of the way and say “are you going?” in an attempt to exit the monorail. (What WOULD be glamorous is saying “listen bizo, I’m in a bad mood because of your damn company so I’d suggest being polite!) But I’ve got it. The most glamorous thing about air travel is, as I am currently doing, sitting in DFW airport since 3:30 p.m. waiting for my 5:50 flight that is now departing at 8:30.

When I started my job I remember being so excited to travel. Now, I can say from experience, many bad experiences, it ain’t so G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S.

Just a quick little post

I'm sitting in my hotel room in Dallas, Texas, getting ready for two days of pretty big meetings. But before I'm immersed in results, planning and budgets, I thought I'd give a quick update.

Saturday we went boating with five other couples. It was such a fun time! It was one of those days that reminded me how grateful I am for such good friends and the great times we have together. Thanks to Josh, Shannon, Denise, Mike, Annie, Sam, Emilie, Eric, Scott and Meghan for a wonderful day on the Muddy Mo.

Last night we went to the DMB concert. Honestly, I didn't think it was one of his best. He started out with some very new stuff that I didn't know. And he ended up playing classics, which was great, but overall I wasn't crazy about it. Maybe it was the fact I only had a few beers vs. the million I normally have at concerts (early morning plane trip today!). Maybe it was the fact that he played until 11 and it was a school night. (At one point we were all sitting down and it might have made us seem like the oldest people in the Qwest.) Anyhoo, all in all I'd give it a 5 out of 10. But, DMB is still pretty amazing.

The reviews are in

Three thumbs up for Mama Mia. I've always thought if I wasn't in PR I'd star in the Broadway production of Mama Mia (might need to learn to sing and dance before that happens) but now I might opt for being in the movie instead. It was fun, colorful, and all around great. The music was right on and, most importantly, Pierce Brosnan is a HOTTIE!

Mama Mia!

I've been a little down in the dumps this week, primarily because the vacation we were looking forward to so much is over, and we really don't have anything all that exciting coming up anytime soon. The next vaca day I'll take will be in August for Kristi's wedding and that just seems like an eternity away. Just a whole lot of work, business trips and nothing between now and the next 45+ days.

But just tonight, I had an epiphany. I DO have something to look forward to, and it's coming this Friday to a theater near you. I just can't wait!

Give Credit Where Credit is Due

I wrote to United Customer Service about the frustration with the cancelled flight, lost luggage and unexpected hotel charge in Toronto. (I also eluded to the fact I am very perturbed by their checked baggage policy.) Anyway, I thought I would let you know United has given us $200 in travel vouchers, which is nice. (Of course we spent $129+ tax on our hotel room so really they are only giving us $50 or so.) Regardless, my "you treat customers like dirt" line must have gotten through to them.

While I love Omaha, I wish I was still in Nova Scotia

We just had the most incredible trip; it was the vacation of a lifetime. While I have been on many, many great trips in my 27+ years this one was unforgettable and one of the tops. I'm not sure what made it so amazing - perhaps the fact we stayed at the most gorgeous home on acres of oceanfront land and were treated way too well. Perhaps it was the fact we just needed a vacation. Or maybe because my mom, dad, Trevor, Kalin and I have never taken a trip together besides the trip to South Bend, Indiana, for my cousin's wedding. It could also be that while it was busy and nonstop and crammed full of activities it was extremely relaxing.

I have to admit I was a little concerned about how our trip to Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia would go after we landed in Chicago to see this on the monitor:

See the Halifax flight? That was supposed to be ours. We instead hung out at O'Hare for five hours and made it to Toronto around midnight EST. Upon arrival in Toronto we, of course, had no bags. At this point we just laughed. Trevor and I checked into the airport's Renaissance hotel and, after the guy could not look up my Marriott rewards number and I got a little ticked, we brushed our teeth with airline provided toothpaste and called it a night around 2 a.m.

Alarm clock went off at 6:30 and we caught the shuttle to the airport at 6:50. It's amazing how quick you can be out the door when you sleep in your clothes. This is the point at which Trevor said "It feels like we are on the Amazing Race" and his eyeballs were the color of Barney since he had his contacts in too long.

All was well though - we landed in Halifax around 11 a.m. and were greeted by "Carl" in the baggage area - holding a sign that said "Fitch" of course :-). Our bags, at this point, had made it from Chicago to Toronto, but we were told we wouldn't have them that day (Wednesday). After about an hour car ride, we arrived at paradise and immediately hopped in the sailboat. (I owe my mom a big thanks for letting me borrow some clothes so I didn't have to sail in the capris and polo I'd been wearing for 24 hours!) After that it was nonstop. Hot tubbing. Cornhole. Dark and Stormies. Homemade strawberry daquiris. Huge home-cooked steak dinner. Wine. More wine. A third bottle of wine. Great conversations, lots of laughs and a night cap in the guest house/sports bar. Our luggage arrived Thursday -yay!- which was another nonstop day. The boys hopped aboard Mrs. Maverick - the speed boat - and the girls piled in the Explorer and headed to Mahone Bay for a little shopping. We met up with the fellas at the Lunenburg Yacht Club and parted ways again, where we went back to Mahone Bay for more shopping. It's a darling little area. We reconvened at the "compound" and all headed to Lunenburg where we toured the fisheries museum. My mom and I hit up a few shops in the area and met up with everyone to wet our whistles with a dark and stormy. It was then time for dinner and we feasted at a great Italian restaurant. Trevor and I opted for Penne pasta with lobster and vodka sauce and it was incredible. Back to the house, listening to McGinty's sea songs - a CD that Dave bought. (Apparently it is his eighth one because Peggy keeps throwing them away. This copy was gifted to Trevor and is now in our library.) More drinks in the sports bar and another fabulous day comes to an end.

Friday = Happy Fourth of July! We started our day with a relaxing boat ride aboard Mrs. Maverick where we tooled around and visited the Bay of Chester. Back to the house for Deluxe nachos and then steamed mussels. That was also the day we kayaked and played a lot of Bocce and Cornhole. (Trevor and Kalin are horrible at that game, BTW.) We had an Americana dinner of burgers, brats and dogs and capped the night off with fireworks at the firepit. Mom, Trevor and I did take the Bobcat for a late night drive on the trails to try to look for wildlife and it was pretty damn funny - especially mom pretending she was a ghost. WEIRD - we had a few more "for the ditch" at the sports bar and it was nighty night for all.

Saturday - our last full day in Nova Scotia :-(. We woke up and headed to Peggy's Cove, which is home to the most photographed lighthouse in North America. The setting was gorgeous and picturesque. We then had an appetizer and beer lunch at a pub back in Mahone Bay - one of my favorite meals. Here we were introduced to poutine which is a staple of the area. At lunch we had Clancy's Amber Ale but throughout the week we had been drinking Alexander Kieth's which is awesome. The boys went sailing and apparently had a lovely day. Mom, Peggy and I got massages and briefly lounged by the pool at the spa which was awesome. We met back up with the boys at the house and had a very yummy dinner - an outdoor boil consisting of corn on the cob, potatoes, shrimp and sausage. We wrapped the night up by playing a very fun game. We each had a person taped to our foreheads and had to guess who we were by asking questions to the others around the table. It was a hoot.

We flew home Sunday aboard a private jet, which, let me tell you - is THE way to go. If I had the option, I'd never fly commercial again :-).

So here we are, back in Omaha. It's back to work tomorrow, which I am dreading but if I learned one thing this week it's work hard to play hard. Cliche? Yes, but so true.

We are so, so grateful for the vacation we just had and words can not express our thanks to Dave and Peggy for opening their home to us for some of the best days of our lives. Thanks to Dave, Peggy, Peggy's mom or "GG" as we came to know her, mom, dad, Kalin and Trevor for the memories and the laughs while in Nova Scotia. You're the best. And a thanks to the Hites for watering flowers, taking out trash and looking out for the Fitch abode and to Joe, Kathy, Griffin and Cassidy for taking such good care of Macy while we were gone. Somehow she's more wiped out than we are!

Happy 4th of July!

Just wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and safe 4th of July! We're heading to Canada (eh) tomorrow to spend the week in Nova Scotia and we absolutely can not wait. Photos and a recap will definitely be posted upon our return to Nebraska - if we decide to return to Nebraska.

One of the scariest moments of my life

We were in Denver Thursday and Friday for a new stockholders meeting. (Congrats, Trev.) We landed in O-town around 3:30 p.m. Friday and headed west to my parents' house to pick up Macy, as she shacked with them while we were gone. On the way there the sky to the west looked ominous, but the sky was clear blue to the east.

As we were chatting with my mom at her house, the tornado sirens went off. Stupidly, we didn't stop talking about Denver, Macy or what we were going to pack for our upcoming trip to Nova Scotia. A few minutes later Macy, TFitch and I headed in the car for the mile drive to our house. It just started sprinkling at this point. By the time we got out of my parents neighborhood, you couldn't see a damn thing. Wind was blowing rain sideways. It was do dark and dense-feeling, it was almost claustrophobic. Trevor forged ahead in the 4x4 and turned left onto Fort street, where we saw a STOP sign rotating 180 degrees in the wind. Slowly, we cruised down Fort. Cars were pulled off to the side and after we nearly ran into a subdivision sign because of the poor, poor visibility, Trevor decided to do the same. We were sitting at the light at 156th and Fort and at this point it was hailing so hard and was so loud, we both thought the windows were going to shatter. Trevor grabbed my head and covered it, and we both had a hand on Macy in the backseat. Her heart was about to beat through her little furry chest, it was thumping so fast. At that moment, I really, really thought a tornado was going to pick us up or the hail was going to shatter the windows or a streetlight would fall on our car. We sat for a few minutes and Trevor decided he could white knuckle it and we headed home. As we pulled into our neighborhood, he said calmly "Okay, when we get home let's just go straight to the basement."

This storm was absolutely like nothing I have ever witnessed in my 27+ years living in the Midwest. Cell phones weren't working - either because of damage to towers or because so many people were on them. Two people died when a tree fell on the car they were in. More than 126,000 OPPD customers lost power. The Qwest Center, where the Olympic swim trials began this weekend, sustained damage and forced the swimmers into the hallways of the arena after sirens sounded. Water poured into the Qwest, down arena steps and onto the deck of the competition pool. (Ironically enough Trevor's sister's 21st birthday was Friday night and because the Dell, Crescent Moon and other midtown bars we were going to go to had no power, we went to the Mattress Factory across from the Qwest. When we arrived at 9:30 p.m. Kiewit was already on the scene repairing the building.) Friday was also the annual Memorial Park concert and fireworks. People were already at the park when the storm hit and were told to evacuate immediately. Fortunately no serious injuries were reported there.

It's reported this storm had hurricane-strength rain and winds conservatively estimated by meteorologists from 80 - 115 mph. Apparently this was not a tornado, but the damage sure seemed like it was. All of the photos below are those I've taken around the city in the last 48 hours. It's simple unbelievable.

Trevor holding a piece of hail from my parents' deck

Hail in Ron & Mare's grill cover that was blown off
Krispy Kreme (120 & Center) lost its awning
One of hundreds of broken/fallen trees (this one at 42nd and Center)
A tree landed on a home (Leavenworth street, I believe)
Mom and dad's neighborhood - a trampoline on the golf course. Pretty sure that is not supposed to be there.
The stop sign at 168th and Fort we saw rotating in the wind an hour before
The wind took mom and dad's patio furniture for a joy ride
Hail damage on mom and dad's gutter
More crazy furniture and hail
Our neighbor's For Sale sign from the wind (still on the market if anyone is interested...)

Hail, ruined plants (they were looking SO good!) and leaf remnants all over our front porch and house
Looks like snow but it was 80+ degrees outside
Fence at 156th and Fort surrounding our neighborhood
The stoplight at 156th and Fort we were parked under for a while. This was right after the storm. Sky still looks freaky, eh?
Saturday at Big Fred's - they used a generator to prepare food. We ate there and it was surprisingly busy (and obviously dark and no TVs for the watching)

The line of cars dropping debris off at Tranquility Park yesterday. This is one of four directions. It was quite the place to be in Omaha.

Home-aha

I'm a little late to the blog game in posting this, but a work friend visited Omaha last weekend and was talking about how great the city is. I pointed him to a recent Kiplinger's article that listed Omaha as the third best place to live. (Article found courtesy of Heavy Soul.)

The article is pasted below and be sure to check out the virtual walking tour of this great city. As a product of Omaha (and Millard Public Schools which gets a nod in the article and video), I couldn't agree with Kiplinger's more.

No. 3: Omaha, Neb.
By Marc A. Wojno
From Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, July 2008

PARADISE ON THE PLAINS
Population: 821,356
Population Growth Since 2000: 6.6%
Percentage of Workforce in Creative Class: 30%
Cost-of-Living Index: 89.4 (100 being national average)
Median Household Income: $51,627
Income Growth Since 2000: 15.1%

Don't pigeonhole Omaha as insurance, Warren Buffett and mail-order steaks. This one-time Great Plains pioneer town has a stereotype-busting cultural scene. Walk through north downtown and discover the indie-rock club Slowdown next to Film Streams, a cinema art house. In Old Market, red-brick roads run past open-air restaurants, galleries and chic boutiques.

Funky, yes, but the city's success is defined by its midwestern values. People preach and practice a strong work ethic and modest lifestyle. They also believe in giving back to the community, and that includes the chief executives of the five Fortune 500 companies headquartered here.

Consider the 175,000-square-foot Holland Performing Arts Center. Built with private funding from corporate executives, philanthropists and civic leaders, this $100-million facility is a symbol of 21st-century urban modernism. A 2,000-seat, state-of-the-art concert hall -- with chiseled acoustic panels -- is the place to experience the classics, performed by the Omaha Symphony Orchestra.

And encouraging news: Businesses here are hiring and recruiting young professionals, especially in finance, health care, information technology and insurance. Entrepreneurs can also find fertile ground to make their mark. Rachel Jacobson, 29, who owns Film Streams, says that she wouldn't have opened her theater anywhere else. "Omaha is very open to new ideas."

Omaha continues to expand westward. Venture 10 miles southwest and you'll come to Millard, a suburb known for its top-rated, nationally recognized public-school system. It's a peaceful community with well-manicured lawns, sprawling subdivisions and shopping malls. Home prices are affordable, too. For example, a 3,000-square-foot, four-bedroom home sells for about $350,000, while a 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom home goes for about $200,000.

Sales and property taxes are high -- upwards of 10%. But, says Tammy Lane, a mother of two whose kids are enrolled in Millard's public schools, "I love living here. It's the growth and quality of the schools that make the taxes worth paying."

Such a great story

Many of you will remember an e-mail I sent a few months ago about an Omaha man, John Atkinson, who was entering a contest to play at the US Open. (It was a "Vote for this Omahan" type of e-mail.) I, and many of you I'm sure, saw the story on WOWT here in Omaha. It was actually the second piece on that station I had seen about John . (He had recently been diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and the fact that he caught the disease as a non-smoker forced him to contact the local news to raise awareness of lung cancer.)

Anyway, guess what. John won the contest and played at Torrey Pines - home of the US Open! Not only did he play this championship course, his foursome consisted of himself, Justin Timberlake, Tony Romo and Matt Lauer. How rad is that!!?? Two weeks ago I actually caught the very, very tail end of his story on the NBC Nightly News. His story has also been on NBC Sports and he was featured on the Today Show this morning. Be sure to check it out.

I think it's a very cool case study on local media helping out a community member. It's also a testament to the city of Omaha, because - while I don't know for sure - I bet many, many people saw his story on TV and voted online. (The winner ultimately was chosen by who received the most votes). It's also great to see an uplifting, hopeful, feel good story after the recent Little Sioux Boy Scout camp tragedy, monumental and devastating flooding in Iowa and the sudden passing of Tim Russert.

Congratulations, John. And riddle me this: are Tony and Jessica REALLY headed toward Splittsville???

Some things just really irk me

I got this e-mail from United Airlines today.

Really? REALLY? United (and the other airlines following suit): do you realize you can not carry liquids greater than 3 ounces on board? Do you realize if you are going anywhere for more than a few days - and would actually like your hair to look nice versus using the cheapo hotel shampoos - that checking luggage is almost a necessity? Of course you do and that's why you are doing this: to make money - in a completely asinine way might I add.

This just puts a very bad taste in my mouth. A second piece of luggage - sure, I can understand charging for it. But a FIRST piece of luggage. That's just a money-making tactic. Pad each plane ticket by $15 so the consumers don't REALIZE they are helping to make up for your bankruptcy issues.

The irony is we were talking about something very similar last night. We went out to dinner after golf and my dad asked for a side of pico for his tacos. Tacos and pico - they go together, right? One might expect pico to accompany tacos, right? That's not crazy to think. He was actually charged a DOLLAR for the little condiment cup-sized pico. The dollar is not the issue - the charge period is the issue. Another story came up about my parents' friend who went to a breakfast joint and was charged when he asked for syrup for his pancakes. Just ridiculous. They were not asking for vats or kegs of pico/syrup. Restaurants: you know your customers are likely going to ask for pico/syrup. Raise the price of your tacos/pancakes $1 so when someone says "can I please get some syrup for these otherwise dry pancakes" the waitress can say "of course" with a smile.

I just do not understand businesses that don't think about things from the customer's point of view.

Severe Weather Season is Upon Us

As I write this post, I sit listening to the sound of tornado sirens outside. I was in class learning about parabolas or something when the first sirens went off. That was around 6:30 p.m. Then the sirens went off a second time. Word from a girl in my class - who was checking radar on her phone and not listening to the logarithms lecture - was the tornado was near 168th and Fort...aka 13 blocks from our house. I sneak a text message to my dad and Trevor and my dad's response was "hide" and Trevor's was "we are in a bad area. Do not drive home." Because everyone is preoccupied and not paying attention to the whiteboard, our professor finally gives us a break. (I should state our classroom is a designated tornado shelter so we were not in danger.) Eight total tornado sirens later, class is dismissed. It appeared clear outside - relatively speaking - so I decided to make a run for it and head home. Needless to say I was SOAKED after the quick jaunt to my car.


This is not the first area tornado of the year. Just Sunday at 2:30 a.m. a tornado touched down in Southwest Omaha, damaging numerous homes and businesses. Fortunately and amazingly, there were no fatalities. The sirens went off AFTER the tornado touched down, and being that it was the middle of the night no one heard them. (I did because I was still up.) Trevor actually had his crew help out with tornado clean-up Monday because his jobsite was too muddy to work, which I thought was very cool and a great idea on his behalf. And, he was actually interviewed by KFMB-AM. Too bad I wasn't able to arm him with talking points and a little media training beforehand, but everyone who heard him said he did a great job :).

I love storms. I do. Blizzards. Thunderstorms. Whatever. I think I like them because - except for this week - they are rare and a change from the normal. But I forget the threats associated with them. I drove home from Kansas City this afternoon, arriving in Omaha around 5:30. The reason I left KC so early was because I had class tonight - otherwise I'd be driving in the heart of the storm. Thankfully, I and my friends and family members are safe tonight. But unfortunately, this evening's storm doesn't come without sad news. A Boy Scout camp in Little Sioux was apparently hit and at this time four fatalities are reported, with 30-50 injuries. My heart goes out to those with sons, brothers, husbands, dads and other friends and family members there.

Kongrats Kristi

My mom and I had a great shower for Kristi this weekend. I can't wait for her and Andy's big day in August!

June 5, 2007

Look how little she was!

Work's not out for summer

Mi madre and I just had an mmm mmm good sushi lunch at Hiro. A mom and her two kids were there as well - maybe 15 & 13. When they got up, I realized the boy had swim trunks on and the girl definitely had swim suit straps peeking out from under her tank top. You know their next stop was the pool. It made me uber-jealous. It's always this time of year when I wonder 1. why am I not still in school and 2. why am I not a teacher?

Five years

at Barkley. Today. It's kind of crazy. The time has flown by. The last time I was in one place for for this long was kindergarten through fourth grade at Masters elementary school.

Congrats, self :-)