I don't have family in the Midwest, but Lisa Costello does. Yesterday afternoon, some of her kin drove up from Elmo, Missouri. We met them in Council Bluffs, Iowa for dinner. This was the first time I'd been introduced to any of Lisa's family. It was fun to sit and talk with them about life. She hadn't grown up with any of these folks, so I didn't get to hear funny Lisa-as-a-child stories, but I did learn more about her and her people.

We had also met two dear friends of mine for brunch yesterday. Which would have been slightly more successful if I had not gone to the wrong restaurant initially. After some confusion, and a swift drive from downtown out to west Omaha, we got it all sorted out.

And of course, Saturday night after our arrival, we dined with longtime beloved friends garyomaha and elusivem, enjoying some rather good barbecue in scenic Elkhorn, Nebraska.

Dinner tonight with garyomaha and elusivem, the Omaha Beach Party tomorrow night, and Thursday (the actual date of my 49th birthday) there's a big dinner where my work friends and my social friends will all intersect.

Off to the office a bit later this morning, where I will see more friends and do some, you know, work, in the bargain.