Goodbyes and encore birthday parties

Vivian and I have been keeping seriously busy this July (and we're going to be even busier in a week or two. More on that later). At JNO on Friday, we said goodbye to Anna Baker, who's going to be living up in Sioux Falls teaching swing dancing with our friend David Tritel for a year or so. We had a "goodbye jam" for her, and then Sarah Porter sang "Fever" as the rest of us danced after the Shim Sham. (And by "rest of us," I mean everyone except the two or three dozen who had cameras trained on her the entire time.)

Because one is never enough, our friend Dennis decided to throw a second surprise birthday party for his wife Kara over the weekend. Vivian and I and a bunch of our mutual friends gathered on Saturday to spring the event on her. Dennis did an amazing job with the decorating, food, and keeping this event secret for the last couple of months. We all had a great time and managed to burn off a sugar high climbing a tree and doing a little swing dancing before heading home.

On Sunday, the Omaha Jitterbugs were dancing outdoors again for Lindy in the Park. Vivian spent most of her time working on my laptop, while others of us chased a photogenic monarch butterfly and scrawled chalk graffiti all over the steps before calling it a day.

Be sure to tune in time, when Vivian and I will take a road trip across Nebraska and South Dakota to celebrate our one-year wedding anniversary! Chimney Rock, Mount Rushmore, and the Mitchell Corn Palace will all guest-star in our next episode.