“It’s Just Another First!”
When you have lived between 90 and 100 years there aren’t too many things in life that you have probably not experienced. Well for three of our residents they had a new first when they visited the Henry Doorly Zoo. When asking Marie, our centurion, if she would like to go, she first hesitated and then replied with a smile on her face, “Well I guess it’s another first!” For Irene, it was a day to spend with her two daughters and granddaughter. Another first timer at the zoo she was able to spend it with her family. Great memories for all of them were created during the day. A total of nine residents, nine team members, two volunteers and three family members made the trip to the number one zoo in the world this week. With nearly two months in the planning and the involvement of our sister facilities, Heritage of Bel Air (lent us their van/ bus) and Brookstone Meadows (provided wonderful hospitality as we stopped to freshen up before we headed to the zoo) we were able to plan this successful outing.
The day included seeing the Lied Jungle, the Suzanne and Walter Scott Aquarium, The Hubbard Gorilla Valley and the Dessert Dome. They have all commented on how much they enjoyed the trip. There have been many comments on the Aquarium, as that seems to have been the favorite of all the displays. The sparkle in their eyes, giggles and chatter of excitement were a sight to see. No matter what your age is there is always something new to explore or discover. We all concluded that God had a very creative mind and sense of humor when he created the world.
We ended the day with a quick stop at the gift shop and one last group photo before the return trip home. Residents were amazed at the infrastructure of the city on the way into Omaha and enjoyed the return home traveling through Iowa, up highway I-29. It was a great days’ vacation for our Heritage of Emerson Family.