A note from your thankful hostess

Move over Twinkies there's another hostess in town.

Last month the Benoit residence was busy. Still is (we have a visitor sleeping as I type). Literally half of November we were hosting some of our fabulous friends. And I've loved every second of it.

Six months ago yesterday (that's crazy in itself), Joey, Michael and I arrived at our cross country destination. Since then we've been so, super lucky to have seven different groups of visitors. 7 in 6 months! - and I know what a few of you are thinking - but no, absolutely not. I am nowhere near being sick of hosting. I LOVE IT. Our friends out here can't believe how many people come to visit us...as you can imagine we can be a little hard to schedule plans with.

But November takes the cake ... or should I say Hostess Cupcake, which I personally preferred over Twinkies.

It started with an Italian reunion. After visiting them in Nebraska annually for the past three years, (first as a human birthday present, then their beautiful wedding, and of course the cross-country roadtrip) Hailey, my roommate when I studied abroad in Florence, and her husband Jon came to check out San Diego. Our weekend revolved around football, food, and a Big Bang marathon, which seemed fitting since Penny is from a small town outside of Omaha. On Saturday we ended up at a Husker bar, and Joey and I learned the college team's chant: Go Big Reddddd. GO! BIG! RED! Sunday was back to back Pats, 49ers. The only thing that could have made the weekend more perfect is if the 49ers didn't tie the Rams, but beat them. Big tiebreaker game tomorrow, with Kaep starting. How do ya'll feel about that? It's a big topic of conversation at the Benoit.

They left on a Monday, and Tuesday Jess was here. Talk about turn around. We were so lucky to have her spend her birthday week with us! We kept busy. From a girly mani/pedi date, to touring a haunted house in Old Town, to showing off the OB Farmers Market and cliff walks. And eating at all our fav spots - South Beach, Hodads, Casa de Reyes, PCG. But the best had to be spending her gorgeous birthday walking the beach, enjoying happy hour back at the Duck Dive (aka the Husker bar), and partying the night away with the rest of our Stoughton friends. If I could do it all over again I wouldn't change a thing...except have her stay forever.

Once she left Thanksgiving was just a few days away. If it wasn't obvious enough, I am beyond grateful to experience my dream of living in San Diego. I don't need a holiday to remind me of that; I honestly think about it every day. That, and having the best family and friends a girl could ask for. I am so lucky that you are all apart of my life. It makes everyday special. Now come visit! The Benoit residence is vacant once Caitlin leaves tomorrow, and our next visitors don't come til June. Book now and save! (Seriously I should have teamed up with JetBlue for CyberMonday...)

Now back to hosting. Caitlin just woke up.

Save Me, San Francisco

For those of you that missed the memo: Joey is a San Francisco 49ers fan.

He grew up watching Joe Montana a.k.a. Joe Cool or my new favorite, The Golden Great, and has been a diehard fan ever since. Seriously- diehard. Not to blow up his spot, but in our 7 years together I can count on one hand how many times I've seen him cry. One of those times was definitely last January during the NFC Conference Finals.(CORRECTION as of 11/2/12: I mistakenly took Joey's depression on the ride home for crying. He did not in fact shed tears.) Atleast the Patriots and 49er fans can agree on one thing...we hate the NY Giants.

So when we moved out to Cali I knew I had to get him up to San Fran for his first game. But even before I knew we were moving I was working on getting tickets for his birthday. After taking this new position at the beginning of the year I was meeting with my new contacts, most of whom are based in Santa Clara, CA (about 45 minutes south of SF); and it just so happened that I was taking over a big portion of work that was managed by the woman who also managed the EMC suite at CandleStick Park. Not so easily, but very fortunately, I got tickets for his top-pick game, a conference finals rematch with who else, but, Eli Manning and the NY Giants.

The belated birthday weekend was awesome! We stayed downtown in Union Square at the Sir Francis Drake, a boutique style Kimpton hotel. My favorite hotel chain for sure. Other than eating delicious meals, singing the Full House theme song "Everywhere You Look", and competing to find the most 49ers gear around the city, we also did the obvious tourist attraction of biking over the Golden Gate Bridge into Sausalito. On our way we passed beautiful vistas of Alcatraz, the Palace of Fine Arts, Presido National Park, and a quick stop at Fort Point. I'm not sure how the bike path can be marked "beginner/intermediate", some of those hills were no joke. Ok, to be completely fair maybe a bit of it was my fault... I tried to be cute and wear flip flops. What the hell was I thinking?

After touring an awesome art gallery and eating lunch, we took the ferry back across the bay. By now our friendly competition of counting 49ers gear turned highly competitive. On our bikes, in the dusk darkness, up ridiculously steep hills, we raced from Fisherman's Pier to the bike shop searching to be the first to spot some type of 49ers paraphernalia. Yes. We were completely out of hand. So much so we had to stop the game. I wish I was kidding, but I totally won. ;) Then we waited over an hour to catch a famous cable car back to the hotel. By this time the sun had set, which meant I was shivering, and our feet were so, soo done with standing. But I have to tell you, once I hopped on the cable car my aching feet were just a memory. We even got the best "seats" in the house - hanging off the edge just like you see in all San Francisco ads. Did you know there were inside seats? I didn't. And I don't know how this way of transportation is legal. It was by far the most unsafe way I've ever travelled, but so friggin' exhilarating! I LOVED IT. Just watch the video. 

Game Day came quickly. Joey wore his Alex Smith jersey and I wore my Patrick Willis t-shirt. Pointed out to note the proper attire for the occasion. As we parked I casually told Joey that we could either tailgate or take the surprise VIP All-Access passes that I got us and go watch warmups on the field. Up to him. Can you believe he chose to tailgate?! Totally kidding. Again, in 7 years I'm not sure I've seen him run so fast. A diehard fan in his glory.

TRAIN Lyrics to Save Me San Francisco - another song I could not stop singing.
I been high
I been low
I been yes, and I been oh hell no
I been rock 'n roll and disco
Won't you save me San Francisco

Ooo ooo ooo, oh oh

Every day's so caffeinated
I wish they were Golden Gated
Fillmore couldn't feel more miles away
So, wrap me up return to sender
Let's forget this 5 year bender
Take me to my city by the Bay

I never knew all that I had
Now Alcatraz don't sound so bad
At least they'd have a hella fine merlot
If I could wish upon a star
I would hitch a cable car
To the one place that I'll always call my home

I been high
I been low
I been yes, and I been oh hell no
I been rock 'n roll and disco
Won't you save me San Francisco
I been up
I been down
I been so damn lost since you're not around
I been reggae and calypso
Won't you save me San Francisco

I aint settlin' for just getting by

September was an amazing month. It was the first month, since moving, that I have not travelled back to the east coast. Sorry mom, I love ya, but the downtime was needed...especially after being away for two consecutive weeks in August.

Labor Day Weekend was spent at the beach - sunbathing, snorkeling, and hoping to catch the Green Flash at sunset. I watch a good amount of sunsets, and I've yet to see this optical phenomena.

The following weekend Joey's cousin, Cliff, his girlfriend, Jen, and their baby/our Goddaughter, Leia spent a long weekend. Having visitors really helped to move along the interior decorating process. With my busy travelling schedule in August our house still needed some TLC. Check out our family picture wall and other decorations in the 2.0 version of our home video. In case the link doesn't work, copy and paste this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYNVj5Azr3U).
Oh, and for the record - yes, I held the phone camera the proper way this time.

Come to think of it, Cliff seems to always be a part of the picture when I'm purchasing large canvases. If you have not heard the story of how I got my 50x50 inch painting that now covers our dining room wall you will have to wait. That's a story for another time.
But on the weekend that Cliff, Jen and Leia were visiting, while strolling the Ocean Beach pier, Joey and I couldn't help but stop to check out some artwork on display. Joey, who is generally not pulled by the outside world, was surprisingly intrigued by the paintings and even more so by the artist's reponse when I asked if he was scared of falling off the pier's ledge, which he was laying on. "Yes I am, but I feel like it makes my life a little bit more interesting."

35 minutes later I still wasn't sure what painting I liked best (I can be a bit indecisive), but I had learned that Mikhail Khodzhayants, the artist, was born in Leningrad, Russia, and moved to San Diego in '92 as a political refugee. Joey finally made the decision - we took them both!
His unique style, which I think just radiates positive energy and optimism, combines ultimate simplicity and expressivity. Check out our new artwork - Man on a Bridge & Yellow Flower.

With the warm (and humid) weather still going strong, Joey's birthday crept up on me. As if planned, it fell on his favorite day of the week, fish taco Wednesday. Fish tacos for dinner and a waffle icecream sandwich for dessert.

The following week was Rosh Hashanah (L'Shanah Tovah everyone), so I spent Sunday afternoon, in between the Pats and 49ers games, cooking my first brisket (with potatoes and carrots) and my second batch of matzah ball soup (I made this last new year). Everything was delicious.

Otherwise, not much happened this month. Ok I'm totally lying. The last two weeks were busier than the first two.

• Boating up to Newport with friends
• Being stopped on the boat by the US Coast Guard. My guess is they pulled us over out of boredom, so like any person being questioned by the Armed Forces does, I asked them to get in a picture
• Cooking with chicken thighs for the first time (#majoraccomplishment)
• Finding a Jewish deli with delicious homemade foods
• and hosting Meg for the week! 

We showed her the best of San Diego from fish taco Thursday {"But Amy, isn't it fish taco Wednesday?!" Yes, but break the fast was Wednesday night. --A side note of a side note: On top of the dozen bagels, round challah, corned beef, pastrami, lox, and half sour pickles from D.T.Akins, we made tuna salad and baked two kugels. No question, I am my Nana's granddaughter- we had food for the entire week.--} to the San Diego Zoo to everything and anything on and around the water: sunbathing, cliff walks, sunsets and dining just steps from the Pacific, standup paddleboarding (SUP), snorkeling, biking the pier and bay.

Like I said September was an amazing month. Here are a few more pics. xoxo, Amy

Comparing city and state

The world is full of people who will go their whole lives and not actually live one day.

She did not intend on being one of them.

Three months in. I still can't believe it. Time flies.

Since moving I've been back to Massachusetts three times. Once for our goddaughter's baptism and twice for work meetings. I think it's helped make my transition more seamless, and it's also given me an opportunity to really compare and contrast both places.

I'm comparing San Diego County to the state of Massachusetts. Maybe it's not completely fair to compare a county and a state, but they are closer in size than any of the MA towns I've lived in. Based on the 2010 consensus, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a population of 6,587,536. San Diego County is close to half that at 3,095,313. Waltham is just over 60K and Stoughton has about 27K. See what I mean.

Weather:
Show me a person who comes to San Diego and does not love the weather. Continuously sunny-mid 70 days with no humidity is hard to beat. Definitely can't in the continental USA. Joey likes to say the thermostat is set to where the average person prefers it. I am loving it.
The only thing we are missing is some rain. I miss MA thunderstorms. (But not the mosquitos! I forgot Deet perfume is a must have up there. I was visiting Jenn & fam last month in the Berkshires and was eaten alive. 15+ bites. Stupid bugs.) The other day the San Diego news seriously reported on 1/10" of rainfall. That's big time when you live in the semi-arid climate, basically in between the desert and humid climates.

Plus summer in San Diego goes throughout September. It's a nice, new feeling to be enjoying LDW and not feel like summer is over and done. Fall won't be the same though. I love the fall foliage, the change of colors on the trees and enjoying the cooler weather after a humid August. Now I realize why "leaf peeping" tourism is a thing.

Activities:
With "perfect" weather and 70 miles of coastline, there is always a fun outdoor activity - usually involving the ocean. Joey and I have gone biking, hiking, jetskiing and snorkeling. Paddleboarding and surfing is next on the list. And I know what you're thinking - biking and hiking doesn't involve the ocean...directly. True, but it serves as a gorgeous backdrop.
I like to think it's because I'm a Pisces, but for whatever the reason, I am an uber beachbum and San Diego satisfies that need to be near the water at any desired time. Just take this LDW, Friday and Sunday I was at the beach. Two different days, two different beaches.

Food:
Come to San Diego for some FISH TACOS, the best ahi tuna at Pacific Coast Grill (with an oceanview), and various types of burritos. My fav is California style burritos - they have french fries and guacamole.
Joey is infatuated with South Beach fish tacos. As I just opened the website, Joey said "That place is amazing. Such good food at ridiculously afforadable prices." ... and now he's trying to talk me into going for lunch. We already go every Wednesday for dinner.  :)
Other than those big hits, the food in MA is more diverse. We're still on the lookout for Haitain (or even just Caribbean) food that meets Joey's standards. So far the three places we've tried just aren't cutting it.

People:
Everyone is friendly here. Just like the stereotype, people are slower-paced and overall seem more happy. It makes sense when you think about it:

Serotonin levels increase when you're exposed to bright light -- a major reason why moods tend to be more elevated during the summer.  This hormone is the basis of today's most popular and successful antidepressant drugs, called selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These drugs work by helping naturally produced serotonin stay in the bloodstream longer, keeping your mood and energy levels higher.[1]

Twice we've experienced something that would just never happen back home: We're out to dinner (one of the time actually at South Beach) and looking for a hard-to-find open table. South Beach is a seat-yourself restaurant and always crowded. I catch eyes with girl who asks if I'm looking for a table. I assumed she was finishing up and we'd have the table soon after she's done eating, but no. She is offering to share the table between her and the guy she is with and Joey, our friend Marc and I. Crazy, right? I just think that is cool...and unexpected for sure. In MA, people that know you probably wouldn't even extend their table to you. We aren't called MAssholes for nothing. But I can say this - you know a MAsshole when you meet them. They are who they are, which is somewhat comforting. Here, everyone is friendly on the surface. Not saying they truly aren't that way, but I've heard from some people that the friendliness can be a facade. Interesting.

That said, a quarter of the year in and we're having fun. Speaking of friends, we cannot wait for our friends and fam to visit. In the next 3 months we have five different groups of visitors!! BRING IT ON!

xoxo,
Amy

Take a step inside

Hey fam!! Let's cut to the chase, I owe you an update. Since Michael and Wes are the only ones that have seen our place in person (and really Michael saw it when it was just a shell), I thought a video tour of our new home would satisfy the 2nd month update.

Before I push out the link, let me just tell you that now more than ever I am confident that I will be that mother who just isn't up to speed on the latest gadgets and technologies. Technology and I, we just don't get along. Joey can attest - I have tried to meet it halfway. It doesn't want to be friends with me, and I'm getting sick of trying :) I spent the better half of today (it's now 1:00am!!)trying to upload this video, so ya'll better watch it!!

http://www.youtube.com/embed/QYeF-zpGh6s

For all those non-techies LIKE ME click on the above link . Another link will pop up underneath it. It will say "Go to link: XXX". Click on the link. Be patient and wait for the video to load. If it doesn't work call my in-house engineer. I'll be sleeping. Sweet dreams.

Progress Report: month 1

Happy July. How's everyone doing? I'm fabulous and no, I haven't moved out west and forgotten about you (ahem, Amanda). I've gotten requests for updates and I figured a monthly cadence may be the way to go. We'll see how it evolves.

So, the first two weeks without our belongings was ... interesting. This pretty much sums it up.

Night 1: We slept on a mattress... on the floor... using blankets and pillows we had packed in the car. The bed sheets were in the suitcase we had to leave in MA though, so towels were used as our fitted sheet. Yes, ghetto.

Night 2: Our second suitcase arrived and we graduated to real sheets. Don't laugh. It truly felt like an upgrade. Just to get the full picture, keep in mind the rest of our 1000sq foot place is bare, except for a bureau and two nightstands we bought from a friend who was moving from San Diego back to Boston. To work, since I hadn't thought it through well and did not pack any appropriate work attire, I sat up against a wall with my laptop on my lap. You really get to appreciate those small things, like seating, when you live without it.

Night 11: We rented a UHaul to pick up the boxspring that accompanied the mattress our friend had left. That same night, Joey put the bedframe and all the bedroom furniture in the master. Then, Joey's car arrived bringing us some kitchenware and bins of clothes. Consistent upgrades to our normal life, but still no belongings. We ate out a lot!

Tuesday, the 12th our lives arrived in cardboard boxes! The 18 wheeled Mac truck definitely could not fit into our complex, so I eagerly waited for another two hours when the movers rented a smaller truck. The unpacking began as soon as Joey got home that evening. We were so happy to sit down in our apartment somewhere other than the floor (Our couch!!) and be able to cook a meal other than a frozen pizza. By the weekend our house was put together. And for anyone that knows me well, knows that is a LONG time. But seriously no complaints. It was and still is this awesome adventure.

By the way, that night we got to sleep on our own bed and moved the other mattress and boxspring to the guest room. Can I just say, Tempurpedic is the way to go. Hands down, best bed. That was a MAJOR upgrade. (Cliff/Jen, take note and give me the phone number to Sears.)

The last two weeks of June were great even with strep throat and an allergic reaction that covered my entire body. Yup. Even during all that and "June Gloom" (look it up), San Diego makes me happy.

The drive home

It's Friday. Just woke up after our third night sleeping on a mattress on the floor in our new apartment. But let's backtrack a bit.

The drive from Moab to Vegas was gorgeous. Instead of the red rock we saw in Utah, now the mountains looked more like giant sand-castles. Minus the castle. Ok, so they looked like giant sand mountains.

We made it to Vegas an hour earlier than expected (thanks to it being in the Pacific time zone). While the boys relaxed in our room, viewing the strip from our balcony and watching the start of game 1, I got a manicure at the Bellagio salon. Essie nailpolish color: Fiji. To all my Ladies, highly recommended color.

Our night began around midnight. We walked a huge portion of the strip (even with Joey's randomly sprained ankle that he got while asleep at The Gonzo...?? We still can't figure it out) stopping in Caeser's Palace, Harrah's, The Venetian/The Palazzo to gamble and enjoy the over-the-top decor. Joey and I played War and Michael found a new version of Blackjack that he couldn't quit playing - Blackjack Switch. Wish we had a better ending to the story, but we all lost all our betting money. By the time we made it back to the Cosmopolitan the sun was coming up. Joey and I had had it. With his sprained ankle and my high heels we were maxed out, but Mike wasn't. He found a Blackjack Switch table in our hotel and kept on playing.

And if you couldnt guess, we were definitely not up and out early the next day. Shoutout to the hotel for having sub-par service getting us an iron that properly worked the night before because we probably would not have ordered room service and would have missed out on the best room service breakfast any of us had ever had. (Yes, I pulled a "Debbie Levine", something I am beginning to perfect, and got us $$ towards breakfast... waiting an hour plus for an iron paid off in my eyes). Grammy, I guess you aren't the only one with your own adjective.

I took the wheel for our final drive. SKY, my Civic Hybrid for those of you that don't know, was on path to hit 100K and I wanted to be driving her when it happened. Yes, I personalize everything. You'd think I would have grown out of it along time ago... Anyways, Sky hit 100K on 241S in California! About 70 miles away from San Diego. You can see just how excited I was about it in the video. I will post all pics and videos today, too.

And that about wraps it up. We made it to San Diego around 8pm. Grabbed dinner (fish tacos) with some friends and made it back to our new apartment! Can't lie...I freaked out a bit when we came home. It finally hit me that I'm home. I live in San Diego now. I still don't fully  believe it. Maybe once we get all out stuff and we aren't sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Til then we have a beautiful bouquet of exotic tropical flowers from Maui that Uncle Allan sent. And yes Uncle Allan, they are filling our home with love. Love you all. Thanks for sharing this amazing experience with us. Now book your tickets and come visit!!

P.S. I've got a bunch of requests to keep up the blog. Is that what you guys want? If so, I'll keep sharing. Just don't want to bore you. Love you!

The Gonzo Upgrade

Don't you love when things fall effortlessly into place? That's how Joey and I feel about this whole new phase. From being tenants-at-will in our last apartment to Joey handling his business (shoutout to Mr. HYB and his beautiful fam) within a mere 3 weeks in San Diego. He came back east with new apartment keys and a job he absolutely cannot wait to start. Talk about getting things done.

Ok, I admit it. I should have had a little more faith when he started talking about changing our next destination to stay more en route and drive through the Rocky Mtns. We had chosen Salt Lake City, even though it was a little off course, because we had no idea what else Utah had to offer. Bryce Canyon and.Zion were the only two places I knew of and they were 12+ hours from Ft. Collins. Too long for our daily drive. So Salt Lake won, but once we realized we'd be driving up (aka north, the opposite direction of SoCal), and around the mountains, Joey started to re-googlemap our route. Then, Elena recommended Moab. Utah’s adventure capitol, offering activities such as biking, jeep safari’s, rafting, and hiking in two National Parks; Canyonlands and Arches.

7 hours to Moab. Then another 7 to Vegas. (You know you're driving across country when 7 hours is a short drive.) It was decided...if we could find a decently priced hotel we were in (ok, I wasn't completely sold just yet). Brian and Joey searched hotels and after 4 attempts Joey found vacancy at the well-rated (he lives off reviews) Gonzo Inn. What a name.

Sunday morning after breakfast at Col's we started the gorgeous drive through the Rocky's. Pics coming soon. Lots of beautiful landscape pics. And for those of you keeping tabs, this is about the time I thanked Joey for rerouting us.

Then Elena came through again. This time a Moab restaurant recommendation. She must have picked up on my "I want a delicious meal" vibe from the night before. The Desert Bistro. 4.5 stars. 28 reviews. Yes, Joey made me check. 9pm reservations was the earliest they had, but the antelope and mushroom burgers gave the guys enough they needed to confirm that's where we'd be eating.

And as it would go 9pm reservations worked perfectly. We got to Moab with enough time to check into the Gonzo (definitely recommended, Brian&Elena) and hike The Windows Section of Arches National Park, which is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches. I can't even begin to explain the aura of time, silence and scale that I felt during the walk. .....2 points for anyone who asked themselves "Did Amy thank Joey again?"... Yes I did and you'll see why when I post pics.

As if Arches wasn't reason enough to stop in Moab, Desert Bistro was sooo yummy. I know we have a bunch of foodies reading along so I feel the need to share our meals. If you're interested, keep reading. Grammy-styled details below.

apps:

gyozas filled with smoke tofu, tahini, Anasazi bean hummus & roasted garlic, served with a chipotle peppwr, soy & maple beurre blanc

sashimi grade ahi tuna<\p>

meals:

I got corn tortilla crusted free-range chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese, served with Bistro mole, corn-black bean salsa, sauted veggies and a black bean, roasted bell pepper torta. Joey and Michael got specials, so the details arent exact. (Like you care.) Joey got buffalo filet-mignon in a tomato, garlic, pesto sauce with melted mozzarella on top, served with garlic mash potatoes. Michael got pistachio-crusted mahi-mahi, served with watermelon and fennel.

That was a very long post and I probably lost most of you after the first paragraph. Anyways Joey just pointed out Vegas in the distance, so I'm out. VEGAS, BABY!

MDW w/ friends & family

Memorial Day Weekend has always been one of my favorite holiday weekends. As a marker it typically marks the start of the summer vacation season, and of course honors all Americans that have died fighting for our country. 

This year, instead of tanning at my parents' house while my dad opens the pool and mom cleans the screened in porch, Mike, Joey and I were driving 80 West.

First stop: Omaha, Nebraska

Any of you ever been? Surprisingly enough, this will be my 3rd time. Yes, three. All because of Hails. When I studied in Florence, my roommate, Hailey, and I became close friends. After not seeing her for 4 years her boyfriend Jon (who I had never met) flew me to Omaha to surprise Hailey for her birthday. The next year Joey and I were dancing up a storm at their wedding and now here we are again. This time staying at Hailey and Jon's beautiful new home. First house guests right here :)

The boys were craving Omaha Steaks, so we made the obvious decision to go to a steakhouse. Johnny's Italian Steakhouse. A Florence and Omaha combo at its best. We all got steak. SO good! It may not have been an "Omaha Steak", but it didn't matter - steak from Omaha is delicious!

Next stop: Ft. Collins, Colorado

Up til now Joey has driven entirely. He prefers it. But Saturday I took the wheel and drove all the way. This beats out and DOUBLES my previous longest drive [BOS-NYC]. Go me.

5pm: We arrive at our cousins, Brian & Elena's, house just in time for a MDW bbq with all the Colorado cousins...and the C's game. It's so nice to be with family. Joey and I were just here in February, too, so it feels like we were just with them.

Sunday morning we take the long trek (across the street) to Colleen & Jeff's for a yummy breakfast with everyone. I LOVE how the 5 little cousins are so close. More like brothers and sisters than cousins. After some more chatting and playing we take off. Instead of Salt Lake City, we decided to reroute to Moab, Utah. More to come on that in the next post. Hope you're enjoying the ride so far. We are!

Cleveland, Chicago, Omaha photos