Prom

Cora was asked very early on to go to the prom - before it was on anyone's radar. At first she was a little disappointed, because she was hoping to go with someone else (who was planning to ask her a little later), but the guy who asked her was a real sweetheart and gentleman, and she had a good time with him and her friends that she went with. We found the perfect dress online (super gorgeous,super cheap, and after some thought, super easy to fix the back, or lack thereof), some of her girl friends came over to our house early to get ready together, they got fantastic pictures together with a big group of friends from church (it was super cold outside, but they all braved the weather), and then they all split up into smaller groups for dinner (because they couldn't all agree where to eat, hahaha - Cora and her date and another couple went for sushi). After prom they have an after-prom party (food, games, and activities, all to keep those hooligans out of trouble) at the school......until 4 o'clock in the morning!!! Kind of crazy if you ask me. I think it was longer than Cora would have liked too, but she still had a good time. Here are some of the pictures we got.

Capitol Idea

I was talking to my friend Ilese the other day. We both admitted we feel a little stir crazy sometimes, so we decided we needed an adventure. I suggested going to Lincoln to see the capitol building. I don't know why I thought of that, but it ended up being a good idea. 

We decided to do our own little tour, instead of the one offered, because we would have had to join about 50 4th graders. No thank you. It is such a beautiful building. The amazing mosaic floors and wall murals depict the natural and social history of Nebraska's Native American and Pioneer cultures.

Lincoln, the capitol of Nebraska, was originally named Lancaster, but the name was changed after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln (not so much in reverence of the beloved President, as just a political move) The Lincoln statue out front was carved by the same artist that did the seated Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. I thought that was pretty cool.

Inside they have OLD school elevators and phone booths (that Ilese almost got stuck in because they were so small).

The Rotunda

 

 The Foyer

 The Vestibule

 The Governor's Suite

 The State Library

Look at these leather covered doors!

 The Supreme Court - this is not usually open to the general public, but we got lucky that day.

 A view of Lincoln from the top. It's actually a depressing view to me, because it's FLAT, and there's no beautiful buildings, or anything else visually stimulating. I guess it would have been better if it was later in the spring and everything had been green. 

Anyway, super fun! We've decided that we need to make adventures like this a more regular occurrence in our lives. We might even have to come up with a name for ourselves like Seoul Searchers (the group I was a part of in Korea), but something about Nebraska. Any suggestions?