I just came home tonight from the most FUN weekend with childhood friends in Le Mars, Iowa! It was awesome!

Zoolightful is fabulous and, if you possibly can, go!!! The decorations are fabulous, the atmosphere magical, and there are lots of opportunities to get family photos.

As many of you know, I like to spend time at the Iowa Great Lakes (Okoboji). It is one of my growing list of happy places. 😁 I love to sit and enjoy the water lap against the shore and take photos of the lakes and the natural beauty of the area.

I recently started taking classes at the Hot Shops in Omaha, Nebraska, and I have absolutely adored it! The Hot Shops is an artistic haven just north of downtown Omaha in and up and coming refurbished warehouse district

I have so many fond memories of loading up the family in the car when my kids were young and heading out to spot Christmas lights.

Last Wednesday evening my family and I attended one of the Bright Nights events at Lauritzen Gardens. If you love any of the things on this list - lights, poinsettias, flowers, good food, outdoor games, plants, or the holidays this event is for you!

Today I am thankful for my family, friends, and my readers!

One of the best things about travel is taking advantage of local special events. I got to go on a lovely holiday tour of homes recently in the Iowa Great Lakes area. The homes were all decked out for Thanksgiving and Christmas with many beautiful decorations.

Yay, the holiday season is semi-officially here! I love this time of year! There is so much in the Omaha metro to do

A friend and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather on Monday and did some exploring at the re-imagined Gene Leahy Mall in Downtown Omaha. I have to say I was completely blown away by the park. It is AMAZING!

As you may have guessed, I am very fond of the Arts in general. It wasn’t always this way. I did not enjoy art in school because I didn’t think it was fair that it was graded.

As mentioned before, Okoboji is a fabulous Fall destination, sunrises included. Nothing will motivate me to get up on time me like ke a beautiful sunrise…

Some people think the Okoboji (Iowa) area is only a place to go in the Summer. I love to go there year-round! Today was no exception.

Good morning from Lake Okoboji, one of my many “happy places!” I’m here for a little adventure, part of it with my mom.

Watch the video all the way to the end! 🎃😜😉

This is rather an unusual topic for a travel blog, but it is Sunday and I do love glass churches, so here we are. I love buildings of all faiths created with prayer and worship in mind - historical ones, creative modern ones, and especially those designed to take advantage of a beautiful outdoor setting.

Ready for some indoor fun (and learning)? Then I’d encourage you to explore the new Kiewit Luminarium Museum on the Omaha riverfront!

Happy (almost) Friday! If you are like me you enjoy the fun parts of Halloween, but not if things are too spooky. So, here are some of my recommendations for slightly spooky INDOOR ideas to take in this weekend around the Midwest

I took the opportunity to breeze on over to Sunken Gardens in Lincoln, Nebraska this afternoon. I had never been there in the Fall. It certainly did NOT disappoint.