What do you do in Nebraska for fun?

I actually kind of hate that question to be quite honest.  

After all, we do have running water, indoor plumbing and our attire consists of more than overalls.  Really, this is all true.  I mean, what does anyone do in any state for fun?  But, because as a state, we do a poor job of branding the real Nebraska image, people really don’t know that we have urban centers, culture and things to do in general.  

I decided to capture a little bit from a fun trip I took last night to Omaha for our annual holiday lights viewing.  It’s about a 150 miles round trip and yes, we have holiday lights in our town.  But, that’s not how my crew rolls.

So, of course, we charter a bus with 27 of our closest friends.

But, not just any old bus.  

This WAS a Minneapolis city bus that has been transformed into an addition to the fleet of a local company who provides transportation for private events. What a great idea! A small town doesn't often have amenities like this.

This bug is fully equipped with a PA and rocking stereo system with iPod hookups, a bar, a restroom and built-in coolers under a few of the seats.

The inside of this bus is nicer than most of the dives I hung out in during college!  

The past two years, I have been our “navigator” since I lived in Omaha for over a decade.  We lucked out and happened upon a lake community that had this house that is completely decked out.  Last year when we arrived, they even had people in costume as Santa and a snowman.  Their lights are synced up with a radio station and so as you pull in, there is a sign asking you to tune to it.  It’s completely awesome and quite a site.  No Santa this year, but just as amazing of a display.

This is just one part of it, it’s a custom home on a large lakeside lot and the display goes across their lot plus the neighboring empty lot.  

We drove through another well-known neighborhood with our huge bus, through the snow packed streets and then decided against going into any more neighborhoods.  It’s a girls night out, after all, so we made a couple stops for cocktails, jazz and dancing.

This, of course, is where the pictures end. 

A fun holiday tradition two years running!