University of Dayton - MyLife

Omaha: Somewhere in Middle America

Ahh, Thanksgiving. That special time of year, suspended between Halloween and Christmas, combining the gluttony of the former with the festive spirit of the latter. My journey back to Omaha was a long and arduous one, an epic battle against nature to arrive home safely.

Nah, actually, the ride home was lovely, I caught a ride with the Kelly's, and Antwane came down from Ohio Northern to ride with us. I was expertly chauffeured home, the Kelly's took care of all the hard work, and I was just along for the ride. We made amazing time, and we were treated to a gorgeous view of the Omaha skyline as we zoomed down I-80. I pulled out my laptop, put "Omaha" by the Counting Crows on repeat and soak up the sights.

I pulled into the driveway just as my mom and brother did. Turns out, he had just totaled his new car. It was a fine car too, so that sort of overshadowed my triumphant homecoming, a fact which irks me even today.

My first day back in Omaha dawned bright and warm. I awoke, and cooked myself a few eggs, marveling in my ability to actually cook my own food. It tasted better than anything I had eaten in the past 3 months. After eating, I was forced to head over to Council Bluffs where I was told I would get my braces off come Christmas. I was quite stoked by this news, and after getting back home from Iowa, I went out for a while with Tim H. I saw his new apartment; we caught up on old times. We had to run down to the courthouse, he had some work to do there, and then we made our way out to Razzy's. Oh, sweet, sweet Razzy's. I ordered my meatball sub, my bowl of chili, and my slice of cheesecake. I was in heaven. It felt as if I had never left. Tim and I remarked that while we didn't miss high school per say, we did miss BEING in high school. That freedom we felt each day as we went to Razzy's for lunch was a thing of beauty. I miss the rush, as we raced back to school each day for a parking spot. Those days are gone now, but the memories, they last forever.

That night we went to dinner at the Greek Islands. I had never been there before, but it was fantastic. I had the most wonderful pork tenderloin, and after a few Shirley Temples, I was having just a lovely time. It was great to see all the family and we received from my ever-generous Uncle Jim, the tickets to that weekend's big event: Dayton vs. Creighton. Saturday. Qwest Center Omaha. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

After a wonderful night back in my heated waterbed, Thursday was a rush of getting the house ready for supper with the Amdor family. The place was filling up with all sorts of good smells, and as soon as all was set in place, we began to eat. Ahh, it was indescribable. The plethora of food that lay before me, all delicious in its own right, was massive. All the classic Thanksgiving food was there, and I didn't let an inch of my plate go unfilled. I piled it high, and to top it all off, I washed it back with a delicious glass of Guinness. The past few weeks had been building up to that moment when I took my first forkful of turkey, dragged it through the mashed potatoes and gravy, and placed it gently in my mouth. I closed my eyes and let the delicate spices work their magic on my tongue. And when their glorious ballet was through, I sent them singing down my gullet on a river of the finest beer the world had ever seen. It was a deeply spiritual experience.

After eating, we headed over to Patrick and Audra's for an evening of more beer, poker, Trivial Pursuit, and X-Box. It was great to see all the Cavanaugh cousins again, and watching all my little cousins scamper around was greatly amusing.

Friday brought the traditional Nebraska vs. Colorado football game. This was a high point of the week, as the Huskers, who up until now had a dismal season, utterly crushed the hated Buffaloes. And the victory was only made better by my mother's phenomenal chili and the presence of my dearest friends. After the game, we went over to Matthew's, where we hung out until catching a cab over to Michaela's for a party. So many familiar faces were there, I didn't have the time to say hello to nearly everyone, but it was great to see them all and catch up on things. It was a fantastic evening, filled with nostalgia and remembrances of things past. High school sure was a much better time in retrospect. If I learned one thing on this break, it's that.

SATURDAY. It was one of the best basketball games I have ever seen. It was an battle for the ages, between two teams who came out locked and loaded. Both teams wanted to win, and neither were going to go down without a fight. Being one of maybe 20 UD fans in the whole place, I was greatly outnumbered by a packed Creighton house, but I did my best to cheer our noble Flyers on. Tragically the game ended, after double overtime, with Creighton up by one. That we lost is bad enough, but I also am 2 million dollars in debt to my Uncle John. But after the game, we hung out in Cavanaugh's basement for one last night, before I picked up Antwane and we headed home to wait for the Kelly's.

8 AM came and we got back on the road. The drive back was just as quick, and we arrived to a warm greeting. The strangest part of the whole weekend is that in Omaha I felt like a visitor, and getting back to UD like I was coming home.

Nov 30, 2005 1:24 PM Permalink