Dinner plans…

We decided not to go out for dinner and ordered in Chinese instead, which was the best decision ever since we were tired of being the car by this stage.

The next day we went out and explored Omaha a little, and even found a bridge that connects Iowa and Nebraska. It was really cool (however, not as cool as a place named after two states.)

After all that fun we started on the long trek back to Milwaukee, after another successful road trip.

Ordering Chinese food to our hotel room was the best decision EVER! After all of that driving and going out and being so busy it was nice to have something delivered right to us so we could just sit in bed and watch movies.

The next day when we got out to see Omaha I was honestly impressed, it is not a great tourist town as they don’t have a lot of stuff to go visit or see, however as a place to live I would say it looked like one of the better places we have seen, it was clean, had a nice downtown with lots of nice restaurants and shops, and everyone seemed very friendly,  I give Omaha an A!

Welcome!

Two places at once...on a bridge!

Omaha, NE

OK City…

We drove through OK City and stopped to see the Memorial for the 1995 Oklahoma city bombing. The memorial is so beautiful, yet the story is so sad. Below I have included the explanation of the memorial…

http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/secondary.php?section=2&catid=30

Gates of Time

These monumental twin gates frame the moment of destruction – 9:02 a.m. – and mark the formal entrances to the Memorial. The East Gate represents 9:01 a.m. on April 19, and the innocence of the city before the attack. The West Gate represents 9:03 a.m., the moment we were changed forever, and the hope that came from the horror in the moments and days following the bombing.

Reflecting Pool

The pool occupies what was once N.W. Fifth Street. Here, a shallow depth of gently flowing water helps soothe wounds, with calming sounds providing a peaceful setting for quiet thoughts. The placid surface shows the reflection of someone changed forever by their visit to the Memorial.

Field of Empty Chairs

The 168 chairs represent the lives taken on April 19, 1995. They stand in nine rows to represent each floor of the building, and each chair bears the name of someone killed on that floor. Nineteen smaller chairs stand for the children. The field is located on the footprint of the Murrah Building.

Survivor Wall

On the east end of the Memorial stand the only remaining walls from the Murrah Building. These walls remind us of those who survived the terrorist attack, many with serious injuries. Today, more than 600 names are inscribed on salvaged pieces of granite from the Murrah Building lobby.

The Survivor Tree

The Survivor Tree, an American Elm, bore witness to the violence of April 19, 1995, and withstood the full force of the attack. Years later, it continues to stand as a living symbol of resilience. The circular promontory surrounding the tree offers a place for gathering and viewing the Memorial.

Rescuers' Orchard

Like the people who rushed in to help, this army of nut- and flower-bearing trees surrounds and protects the Survivor Tree. An inscription encircling the Survivor Tree facing the orchard reads: To the courageous and caring who responded from near and far, we offer our eternal gratitude, as a thank you to the thousands of rescuers and volunteers who helped.

Children's Area

In the aftermath of the blast, children from around the country and the world sent in their own expressions of encouragement and love. That care is represented today by a wall of tiles painted by children and sent to Oklahoma City in 1995. In addition, buckets of chalk and chalkboards built into the ground of the Children's Area give children a place where they can continue to share their feelings -- an important component of the healing process.

The Fence

The first Fence was installed to protect the site of the Murrah Building. Almost immediately, people began to leave tokens of love and hope on the Fence. Those items now total more than 60,000 and are collected and preserved in our archives. Today, more than 200 feet of the original Fence gives people the opportunity to leave tokens of remembrance and hope.

We also visited the State Capitol and the area called Bricktown.

Then we went to Earl’s ribs for lunch, it was delicious and super messy! Tyler was given a discount since he was wearing a Menomonee Falls Firefighters shirt, and the server thought he was a fireman. LOL

Now, onto Omaha, NE (Nebraska)…let’s go!

The Oklahoma City Bombing memorial was absolutely beautiful, it was a bit surreal for me because growing up in this country I remember the day that it happened and hearing the news and seeing all the photos. It is one of those things that as a kid those images are just stuck in your head forever. It is sad that at the time I was 8 years old and I can’t remember anything else from when I was 8 but those images are clear as day. Being at the actual site where everything happened gave me chills, but it was very neat to see that they had turned the area into a beautiful quiet area where people could go to reflect and feel at peace.

On a positive note Earl’s Rib’s was fantastic, I had read about the place online and knew that we had to stop. If anyone is a regular reader of our blog you will know that I have a soft spot for southern barbecue. 

The Capitol

Last day…but it’s OK…

The next morning was a little lazy to start, but once we were up we packed showered and were ready to go! We stopped in Tyler, TX on the way to Oklahoma City. We kinda just wanted to go there since Tyler had never been there before. We had dinner at the Sonoma Grill, which had really great food.

Next we headed to Cowboy Stadium. It is huge!!! And the guy (Jerry Jones) that owns the Dallas Cowboys (the NFL team) has way too much money! (Although we did learn that the wood in the men's locker room is from South Africa!)

Lights that look like a football

Football flag

Men's locker room (with SA wood)

The Cowboys Star

TV set above the field (49m x 22m...crazy right?!)

Touchdown!

Cowboy Stadium!

Then we headed to Oklahoma City, OK. 

Day two…and repeat…

So basically the process of enjoying a Texas Potjie fest involves this 7 step process…which you just keep repeating

Shower

Eat

Drink

Swim

Eat

Dance

Drink

When you’re eating you can’t wait to swim, since it’s so hot and as soon as you start dancing you wonder when it’s an appropriate time to shower again.

Dinner that night…was Potjie kos! Although we made our way around the camp sites to say hi to all our new friends and at every stop we ate a little, so when I told Tyler it was dinner time he looked at me like I was crazy and said, “Again? But we just ate.”

Like I mentioned above the second day was CRAZY hot, I don’t even know the temperature but I can assure that it was over 38C (100F), I have never sweat that much in my life, but I had so much fun! It was pretty much identical to my South Africa vacation, I ate, ate some more, drank, drank some more, slept and repeated… it was AWESOME!

Our tent :)

Onto SA-ville…

After breakfast the next day we headed to Rusk, TX. This is where all the South Africans gather to eat, drink and be South Africans. I love it!

On route to Texas we stopped in a place called Gunbarrel, TX where they were having a grand opening of their gas station. We even got a free hot dog and 50 cent  lemonade! Yum!

Once in Rusk we registered, and found a camp site. Then we quickly put up the tent (like professionals) and headed out to go find people. In which really fun although suddenly when people ask where you are from you aren’t sure if they are asking about South Africa or America. You also get to see where alliances lie, as Shark fans will always be Sharks fans…and Blou Bulle fans, well they can’t help that they don’t know better.

Home Sweet (away from) Home

That night ended with a boerewors dinner, vetkoek and sokkie dancing! And yes, if you’re wondering, I brought out the SA dress again. I am actually hoping to design a new one, so if anyone wants to help with ideas, sewing etc. LOL I would love that!!!

I was a little bit concerned about camping in that Texas heat, I figured I would be able to manage fitting in with the South African crowd as I was prepared by actually being in South Africa so I was able to at least speak a little bit knowledgeably  There was plenty of American jokes to go around, but I gained a lot of “street cred” when they found out that I had been to South Africa and loved it. Luckily enough that Texas heat that I was concerned about went away at night and actually made for a quite comfortable sleeping temperature the first night… then the next morning came…