Small Town Chic: Cross country road trip- part 10

One of the places that I both looked forward to the most and also got the biggest reaction from people when we told them we would be going there, was Omaha, Nebraska. It's funny because even though I looked at a map about 100 times while planning this trip, I still had such a hard time placing exactly where Nebraska is in the country. I mean, don't get me wrong, I know it's in the middle of the country but just exactly where escaped me from time to time. Then I was told, while in Nebraska, that all you need to do to picture where Nebraska is located is imagine that you are punching the United States in the gut. Now I will never forget.

So, why Nebraska?

I grew up lucky enough to have a female cousin the same age as me. And although she lived in New York, 2.5 hours away, we tried to spend every moment possible together. That meant week long sleepovers at our grandparents' house whenever school vacations would allow it. It meant trips to the "junk shop" for 25 cent nail polish and lee press-on nails and the most hideous shades of lipstick you can imagine. It meant late night talks and movies and treats. There was nothing better than when Lauren came to town.

When we were planning out where we wanted to go on this trip, Omaha was at the top of my list. My cousin and her husband and children are living out there now. I wanted to see that part of the country. I wanted to see my cousin and her family and pass down to Max the excitement of school vacations and sleepovers and late night talks and movies and treats. And boy it did.

We loved our time there and we loved the people there. It was truly a highlight of the trip.

We camped our first night in Nebraska and then spent two nights with my cousin and her family.

From Omaha, we were traveling to Chicago. A friend was living in Dubuque, IA and so we ended up staying there for the night. One of the best things about this trip has been everyone's hospitality. We had a wonderful time with our friend's husband, who feels like an old friend himself.

driving to Omaha, NE