Wednesday Wrap-Up June 1st, 2016

Last Thursday, our family started our travel season with mixed reviews. Just because I do specific trips fairly often does not mean that my kids are always on board with all of my ideas. (There just might be a whole blog post on this in the future). My plan for this summer is to go on several day trips with my kids to explore new areas. Hopefully my husband will get to join us on some of them – we might have scared him away last week. 🙂 How are we determining our destinations? Nebraska Great Park Pursuit, Nebraska Passport and Lincoln’s Be a Tourist in your own Hometown. Next week, I will be giving you more specifics as to how I personally organize our travel experiences.

While Memorial Day feels like the edge of summer, when June hits we are definitely there. I already can tell that our family will need a bit more structure to survive – chaos is happening around here! Besides catching up on cleaning, I am hoping to find the time to update a few of the fun things that go along with my blog: Nebraska Odyssey on Pinterest (several boards that are specific to Nebraska) and my Nebraska Odyssey on Instagram accounts. So far, I have managed to be consistent in sharing one picture a day using the hashtag #thisisNebraska. If you do follow me, I will gladly follow you back if you are “family friendly.” (My kids are constantly grabbing my phone. While I am normally careful with what I view, I REALLY have to be careful!) Besides working a bit online, I do hope to just get to have time to experience more. Mainly I will be sharing these opportunities on the Odyssey Through Nebraska Facebook page, but since several concert collections are kicking off shortly, I thought they deserved to be highlighted in a blog post.

Once again, I am going to be involved with America’s Great Stories this June. This storytelling ministry is found right here in Lincoln. They present the amazing, true stories of American leaders and their faith in God. Presentations are intended for elementary-aged children, so they are perfect for my kids! Seeing these first person portrayals definitely brings history to life. Public performances are happening across Lincoln at five different scheduled times. To see which four figures are being brought to life this summer, please click here.

Lincoln Tunes in June …

A longtime family favorite kicks off tomorrow night … Music & Mozzarella in the courtyard area of the Lincoln Children’s Museum. Unlike past years when this Thursday night series has gone into July, this year the musical experiences will only be happening in June. Why do I think this is the perfect way to introduce kids to concerts? Because kids can move around – no sitting required. They have some great acts. Below are the links that you can copy/paste into your browser that will allow you to preview each of the performers.

The String Beans music video: http://www.thestringbeans.com/#!videos/sznm3

Mighty Magic Pants music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLSTad_F_GE

Farmer Jason music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqRL1yJPwI0

Jack and Kitty music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqu4YVyqRRY

Another great music option is Jazz in June. Every Tuesday night on the Sheldon Museum grounds (12th & R) you can hear live jazz music starting at 7 p.m. This event is celebrating their 25th year and gets rave reviews. I wouldn’t know – we always have baseball. Someday … 🙂

Not quite enough music for you? Check out the Lincoln Community Foundation Garden Performance Series, KZUM Stransky Park Concert Series and Friday Nights Live at Southpointe.

Omaha this summer? … I can’t keep up because there is always SO much going on. Let me introduce you to my friends who do manage to know what is happening in the big “O” …

Kim at Oh My! Omaha

Julie at Family Fun in Omaha

Just to demonstrate why I do not even try with Omaha … Check out some of their recent posts: 50+ things to do in Omaha area this summer and the 80 events in June alone. Seriously – anytime I am going to be going to Omaha and need something to do, I always check with these ladies first. By clicking on their blogs, you can also find out where else to find them on the web such as Facebook, Twitter and more.

80+ Events In June For Families

Speaking of Omaha … I do have one event to tell you about that is happening all day on Friday. This falls along with our “giving back” events from last week. Unfortunately I will not be able to be there in person, but this cause was so worthwhile that I wanted to tell you all about it! Because summer is the time when many accidents and injuries occur, blood donation needs are at an all time high. Here is the details of this event directly from those involved. (And they might just past along pictures of this event to me, so watch for them on my Odyssey Through Nebraska Facebook page.

SUBURBAN PROPANE TO SUPPORT THE AMERICAN RED CROSS ROCK AND ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVE BLOOD DRIVE EVENTS IN OMAHA AND OFFER A SUMMER COOKOUT AND $10 VISA GIFT CARD TO PARTICIPANTS TO ENCOURAGE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

During the Annual Summer Awareness Campaign, the Suburban Propane-Supported Events Help Ensure Blood is Available All Season Long

WHAT:                 Blood and platelet donations often decline during the summer months, making it difficult for the American Red Cross to meet hospital patient needs. That’s why Suburban Propane is partnering with the Red Cross as the official sponsor of its annual national summer awareness campaign. In order to increase donations, Suburban Propane will support the Rock and Roll Up Your Sleeve Blood Drive events in Omaha by providing an onsite cook-out and $10 VISA gift card to all who come give at the drives.

This is just one of 37 Suburban Propane-supported blood drives across the country throughout the summer long campaign.

As the official sponsor of the summer campaign, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, Suburban Propane employees will also volunteer at blood drives as part of one of the largest nationwide corporate volunteer efforts in support of Red Cross Blood Services. To learn more about Suburban Propane’s community involvement, visit suburbanpropane.com.

WHO:                   The event will include representatives from Suburban Propane and the American Red Cross, as well as blood and platelet donors from the West Omaha area.

WHEN:                 Friday, June 3^rd6 a.m. – 6 p.m.

WHERE:               In two area locations:

                              West Omaha Fixed Site Donation Center     (West Omaha FS 729 N 132nd St) and Baxter Arena (2425 S. 67^th St. Omaha, NE)

WHY:                    The Red Cross relies on volunteer donors for the 14,000 blood donations needed every day to support patients at about 2,600 hospitals and transfusion centers nationwide. However, during the summer months, about two fewer donors schedule an appointment to give blood at each Red Cross blood drive than what patients need.

P.S. Do I have permission to write both a “Wednesday Wrap-up” and a “Wordless Wednesday” on the same day? I guess this is my blog, so I can do that, but somehow this feels funny even if they are not the same post. But I had several things to mention to you, and some of the information is time sensitive and will not wait until Friday. Be ready to guess where we were last week – the post will be live soon!