Okay, Okay - Posting the Damned Pics! :-)

Since both Beloved and LH's Sweetie have commented on the fact that I haven't posted our pics from our trip to NE last weekend, I suppose it is, indeed, time to do so. (But the weather has been so nice - please forgive me for wanting to play outside!)

We drove to NE on Thursday the 3rd to celebrate my brother's completion of a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction. After a fairly uneventful day Friday, Brian, his wife and their son Zach arrived Friday night. Zach was very excited to play with his new doll...err, cousin:



So finally Uncle Butt had to get in on the action:

Saturday morning we all had breakfast together and a few minutes for more pictures:


It was so very dark in the auditorium at the college that none of our pictures really looked decent at all. Here are some shots from after the ceremony. First, the graduate & his proud son:


Our good friends LutheranHusker, Sweetie & Kiddo were in attendance as well, and they were very excited to meet Ainsley for the first time:



Ainsley discovered her hand on this trip, as you might have already seen. I'm sure she'll soon be sucking her thumb like Daddy did!


After the graduation ceremony (and after a good soaking in the torrential downpour that followed) we all repaired to the Johnson farm for lunch and cake. My Grandma Janke got to meet her twelfth great-grandchild for the first time (I think it's twelve - there's so many of us it's hard to remember); that was fun to see. The picture here is my Mom, Beloved, Ainsley and Grandma Janke - the four generations of women in my family.


Saturday afternoon we drove down to Lincoln to stay with LH and family before the Lincoln Half-Marathon on Sunday. I ran with Gene & Bobby, two of my college roommates, and had a good day in spite of the weather. I posted about this run here, but here are some pics of the race:







After the race we joined my family for brunch at a restaurant not to be named here, because the place has really gone downhill since we were in college. I hate to say that, but my food was nearly cold and the service was SLOW. Next time we're going somewhere else - like maybe the hotel where Gene & Bobby and I warmed up before the race. Coming back through the open air lobby/restaurant on our way to the van was not easy, as they still were serving brunch. Yum.


Around 4:00 that afternoon some old friends gathered to celebrate the run and the 33rd birthday of LH and yours truly (we are six days apart in age). The coolest thing about the day for me was catching up with Carol Meyer, an old friend I haven't seen since her husband Larry's funeral two years ago. Actually, we realized after the fact that our celebration Sunday was the two-year anniversary of Larry's funeral. I like to think that Larry was there with us, tipping back a beer and enjoying the company and conversation.





Did I mention that it rained a lot that weekend? It did - and we discovered how much late Saturday afternoon. LH went downstairs to get something and discovered the plastic cover of their sump pit floating - the pit was full of water. Apparently they've not installed a pump in said pit because it's never been a problem, but then again, they've never gotten almost 10 inches of rain in three days before. So, being the group of college-educated, willing workers that we are, we set about fixing the problem. First, run a garden hose from the sump pit, through the basement, up the stairs, out the door, through the garage and down to the driveway, where said hose runs into a wet/dry vac and is sealed by hand to provide suction.


Whaddya mean, that didn't work? Well, if at first you don't succeed, add alcohol:


Finally, just bail out enough of the water that you're not so worried about flooding your basement anymore. Call your neighbor who works for RotoRooter and have him go get a portable sump pump that fits a garden hose (on a Sunday, no less), and continue drinking. Gather for a group picture later with all the necessary props:


Then get your wives (who are laughing, but not all that much), friends and family together for a group photo:


Finish the weekend on a more innocent note by posing your cute children together one last time. Then remind everyone how we need to do this more often. Rinse. Repeat.


Thanks for a great weekend in Nebraska, guys - it was so much fun!