Strawberry Swing

This isn't a great picture, but it gives you more of an idea of what Mosaic looks like on the inside:


Random fact---You can buy liquor at Wal-Mart (as well as grocery stores/gas stations) in Nebraska:


Definitely didn't know that.

As I was exploring Nebraska, I found this tower of bikes:


The church I've been attending, Trinity UMC, is adding on to its existing structure:


It was initially supposed to be finished in March, but there was a steel crisis. So, it will hopefully open June 8.

I walked around Ralston, Nebraska and found these pretty flowers:


Okay--I wasn't able to get that close to the squirrel, but if you look close to the center of the image--you will see a BLACK SQUIRREL!


This is the first non-sandwich meal I cooked for myself. Also, if you know of any easy recipes, you can send them to me at meredithfaggart@gmail.com


I discovered a basement at Mosaic that is full of clothes. They give the clothes away at the various programs they have:


This is Sami:


I helped her hang some of the artwork that is supposed to be auctioned off.




Hasta Luego,

Meredith

So Contagious

I want to start by informing you, my sensational blog reader, that I saw a BLACK SQUIRREL today. YES---that's right---a black squirrel. It's supposed to be good luck if you see a black squirrel--so maybe I have something lucky coming my way. Stay tuned for updates.

Liz got a new couch on Saturday. It definitely took a team to put the "legs"?? on it.

Liz's dad:




Liz's sister, Amanda:


Amanda's boyfriend, Kody:


Saturday evening I had a fun girls night with Liz and a few of her friends. We ate dinner ate HuHots, a Mongolian Grill similar to Bali Hai. This was my creation:


Yes, I ate my entire meal with chopsticks. Skill, basically.

Sunday was refreshing for me. I went to church and my friend's mom, Susie, invited me over for lunch! While my friend wasn't able to be there, I had a good time getting to talk with his mom. She's super sweet and really into photography--I may even be able to take pictures of a wedding with her! We shall see though. I also found out that there's a photo club at the church! So, I'll definitely be getting involved with that!

This morning Liz's family came over to the apartment for a Memorial Day brunch. Liz's mom making crepes:


Amanda making french toast:


FEAST


I went over to the pastor's house for dinner tonight. She had a staff dinner and Liz was my in for that wonderful opportunity to eat free/good food. Before we went, Liz and I made brownies!


Finished Product:


Someone brought beautiful flowers for the staff dinner:


Liz and I ventured out into Nebraska tonight and she took me to this tower that overlooks a beautiful river:


I met a few new people on top of the tower:


They were pretty cool.

Anyway, that's what I've been staying busy with lately: exploring, getting lost, and meeting new people.

Hasta Luego,

Meredith

When the Day Met the Night

I thought through everything before I came to Nebraska except meeting new people---that didn't even cross my mind. So, that's something I've been figuring out. I know that when the other interns start working at Mosaic then things should be a lot easier for me. In the meantime though, I'm participating in a campus ministry for the summer that I'm hoping will help me out with this. It's through First UMC of Omaha and a few people went gardening last Thursday.

I planted collards:


Got my hands dirty:


On Friday I spent the morning with Dana and had a lot of fun running a bunch of errands with her. We went to Sam's Club and bought a bunch of food for a cook-out Mosaic and other church's are having for the Park Ave. Neighborhood.


Dana took me to Runza, a fast food chain that is local to Nebraska. While it was very good, I probably won't continue to go there because of how much grease I probably put into my body in one sitting.


Liz and I explored Omaha last night. She took me to this walking bridge that starts in Nebraska and ends up in Iowa. So, I essentially walked to Iowa last night.


Liz:


Me:


View from the bridge:



So, that's basically what I've been up to the past couple of days. While I'm the kind of person that likes to stay super busy, I think not having tons of things to do has been good for me in a way. I've slept a lot---something I don't do when I'm in college and I've been able to just go exploring and get lost, which is kind of cool.

Until later,

Meredith

Free Falling

I have settled into Omaha, Nebraska finally. Initially, I thought it was huge compared to Raleigh---but I'm starting to think it's about the same size. I've gone exploring every night and I've definitely discovered the hot places to shop--I'm sure my parents want to know this : )

So, I will take you on a tour of where I work. First of all, I work at 1258 S 13th Street, which I would call downtown Omaha--if not downtown--then it's literally a couple blocks from the downtown area. It's near the Old Market--a very artsy/eclectic area downtown that's definitely been my favorite part thus far. It kind of reminds me of Brightleaf Square in Durham or where all the cobble streets are in downtown Raleigh.

Outside of Mosaic:


My camera lens isn't wide enough to capture the inside in one shot, but piece the next two images together in your head

This image to the left:


And this image to the right:


Mosaic is very artsy, which I LOVE. A lot of local art galleries donate artwork and Mosaic sells the pieces for fund-raising purposes.

More artwork:


Most of the programs take place on the bottom level and then the office area is in the loft.

This is Jodi:


I corresponded with her A LOT about getting this internship. So, I owe her many thanks. She took me to the Old Market today and we explored a little bit down there. She'll be going to Alaska next week to visit family and then Germany in June!

The Mosaic staff has a method for knowing if it's okay to interrupt colleagues:


It seems to work well for them.

More of the loft:


I put THREE of these file hanging devices together all by myself:


Only a little bit of blood was shed and they even worked:


One of the staff members got a new dog and brought him in:


I've been doing a lot of random things at Mosaic. Some things are not so exciting, but others are more interesting. The more I work there---the more I feel better about coming to Omaha. The "what have I gotten myself into" thought definitely ran through my head the first day I was here. I am definitely confident in my decision now about working in Omaha this summer though.

Anyway, I'm learning to live on my own too. I was kind of overwhelmed when I got to the grocery store. So, I called my mom. I managed to make it out of the store though with the basics: bread, eggs, cheese, mayonnaise, PB&J, bananas, bagels, cream cheese, and peanuts. I can't cook--but I can scramble eggs--which I think is a fairly big thing. Maybe I'll venture out and attempt to cook something, but for now--I will stick with my PB&J sandwiches and scrambled eggs.

Also, they do not have grey squirrels in Omaha--they are RED!!!

Until later,

Meredith

Omaha

I am finally in Omaha, Nebraska! While the drive was definitely really long, it honestly wasn't too bad and I know it could have been a lot worse.

I arrived in Memphis Friday night around 8 p.m. and went to the Memphis BBQ Cooking Contest with my friend's roommate. The BBQ was amazing and I had so much fun meeting new people!

I spent Saturday exploring Memphis with my friend Josh:


and his roommate, Alex:


We went to the Pink Palace Museum:




I'm only posting this picture because it makes me laugh, but Josh found a BMX track and jumped the fence to check it out.


I got a good night's rest Saturday night, drove FOREVER Sunday, and finally made it here:

24 hours

That's right--in 24 hours I will be on the road. I'm feeling somewhat overwhelmed because of how much I have to get done, but I know everything will be fine.

I went to the beach with a friend yesterday for one last time before I leave NC. We stayed up all night to see a beautiful sunrise over the ocean:

"I believe in the sand beneath my toes. The beach gives a feeling, an earthy feeling."

I'm not only getting ready for my time in Omaha, but I'm also packing up my room because my parents are moving in June. So, all of my stuff is either in an 18-gallon storage container or a suitcase.

Today is going to be filled to the brim--lunch with my friend Lauren, packing, meeting up with my friend Cat this afternoon, more packing, dinner with my parents, and then packing for the last time.

So, I will leave you with this for now and update you when I'm in Memphis!

Hasta Luego,

Meredith