A few weeks ago, I had an idea to go one a two day road trip out to west Nebraska and back using the Nebraska Passport program as a guidebook. J chimed in questioning how much farther it would be to visit Mount Rushmore. Umm… like another 5 hours driving. This conversation continued and evolved into a 5 day, 4 night road trip through Nebraska, up to the Mount Rushmore area, back through South Dakota, and down hone. After deciding on a big plan, I got to work finding lots of optional activities and sites to see. I’m huge into weird roadside attractions and offbeat sites and made sure to include a ton in my planning. We just got back from our trip this weekend and now it’s time to document our trip. I plan on doing a mini scrapbook album with pictures and ephemera, but first I’m going to document our travels here.
NE-SD Road Trip Day #1
A few weeks ago, I had an idea to go one a two day road trip out to west Nebraska and back using the Nebraska Passport program as a guidebook. J chimed in questioning how much farther it would be to visit Mount Rushmore. Umm… like another 5 hours driving. This conversation continued and evolved into a 5 day, 4 night road trip through Nebraska, up to the Mount Rushmore area, back through South Dakota, and down hone. After deciding on a big plan, I got to work finding lots of optional activities and sites to see. I’m huge into weird roadside attractions and offbeat sites and made sure to include a ton in my planning. We just got back from our trip this weekend and now it’s time to document our trip. I plan on doing a mini scrapbook album with pictures and ephemera, but first I’m going to document our travels here.
Day #1: Omaha, NE to North Platte, NE
Stop #1: Covered Wagon abandoned store near Milford, NE - Random roadside attraction I needed to see! Right off of I-80, exit 382
Stop #2: Clayton Museum of Ancient History at York College, York, NE - Hidden gem of a museum. Artifacts are from a private collection. Plus there was a kid’s interactive area. Always a plus when traveling with kiddos.
Stop #3: Random backyard zoo in York, NE - I snagged a pic of the giraffe, but there was also a zebra, lion, hippo, cow skeleton, and a few others.
Stop #4: Lee’s Marbles in York, NE - Another random hidden gem. This is an antique store, junk shop, and marble museum. Arthur got a free bag of marbles from the owner.
Stop #5: Harvard Jail in Harvard, NE - Check out the story featured in the historical marker. We had to see this tiny jail once owned by a dummy!
Stop #6: Birth of Kool-Aid, Hastings, NE - I had to take a pic of the building that birthed Kool-Aid. We traveled about a mile away to see the Kool-Aid Man’s footprints at the Hastings Museum (we didn’t go in, just checked out the outside). Also there, I snapped a pic of a statue of the Martin Brothers. In 1864, these brothers were attacked by Native Americans and were pinned together by an arrow. They survived. Strange random story. Apparently there are multiple statues to these brothers all around the area. We personally found 4!!! of these statues and wonder if there are more…
Stop #7: Coney Island Lunch Room in Grand Island, NE - We had to eat here and compare to Coney Island in Fort Wayne. Decent coney dogs, but Fort Wayne is still a winner!
Stop #8: Wacky cars on poles, Grand Island, NE - Awesome roadside attraction!
Stop #9: Raising Nebraska exhibit at Fonner Park, Grand Island, NE - This is part of the permanent exhibit at the Nebraska State Fair grounds. We popped in to see the World’s Largest Pair of Overalls, but stayed to check out the other exhibits. Arthur and Quentin loved driving the combine!
Stop #10: The Archway, Kearney, NE - Our big museum stop of the day. The pictures I had seen made this museum look really cheesy, but we loved it. You follow the story of the west and specifically Nebraska across I-80 and back across. The audio tour was very interesting with a big story and lots of extra more specific stops. We didn’t explore all of the grounds, but there was more to see outside. Definite stop!
Stop #11: Pony Express Station, Gothenburg, NE - Great stop! This is an original Pony Express Station (moved from original location to this park), complete with mini museum and historical plaques. The lady working was very friendly and knowledgable. This was a quick stop (15 minutes probably), but a must see if you’re in the area.
Stop #12: Dinner at Switchyard in North Platte, NE
Stop #13: Fort Cody Trading Post, North Platte, NE - Very kitschy souvenir shop with random statues and wagons in the backyard. The big draw is the miniaturized recreation of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Plus they had a ton of other west artifacts. My favorite picture is the one of Arthur and Quentin in jail. Arthur told Q to “look sad.” This pic was the result!
And that concludes our packed Day 1!
Odds and Ends
Here's my randomness for the week:
Getting so excited for our road trip next week… But, we need to get through the rest of this week first.
Cold brew has been a lifesaver during these high temps.
I might be getting my creative mojo back.
Finally got to see Captain Marvel and it was everything I wanted! So so good!
Meal planning might be the death of me. I keep having to do it and it’s annoying to me.
So much screaming from the two littles this week. I just can’t.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Currently #10
Reading: Craftfulness by Rosemary Davidson; If, Then by Kate Hope Day
Watching: Good Omens - J and I absolutely love the book and couldn’t wait to watch the TV adaptation. We’re four episodes in and loving it so much! They got the tone right and more importantly, the casting! David Tennant and Michael Sheen are great counterpoint characters.
Listening: Unobscured from Aaron Mahnke about the Salem Witch Trials. I’ve listened to the actual episodes so now I’m moving on to the historian interviews.
Feeling: Ready to go on our road trip! Okay, not really, but getting close. I still need to take care of some tasks and obviously we need to pack. But I’ve got our itinerary set and my lists made.
Planning: Working on getting our weekend activities sorted. We have many things on the calendar right now. Just need to wrap my brain around the schedule.
Loving: I picked up a bottle of cold brew last week at the store. I want my coffee fix in the morning, but summer is just too hot to sit over a mug of hot coffee. Cold brew is a perfect substitution!
Next up on the TBR pile:
June 2019 Life Goals
Let’s check in on May's goals and my progress.
Read 4 books from UnRead Shelf - Fail. I only read two from my shelves.
Plan out our Memorial Day week/end travel plans - Success! We traveled over to Indiana stopping at the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines. We had fun in Fort Wayne including visiting the Fort Wayne Zoo. And then we drove back stopping at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago.
Print our week calendars and meal plans for summer - Success! I love being prepared.
Nebraska Passport plan - Success! We have a plan for our summer road trip hitting many of the passport plans.
Pull out my summer clothes - Success! I put away all my sweaters in the basement. I also made a list of summer clothes i want to buy/look for.
Update calendars - Success!
June’s Goals:
Finish summer plans - We have another short trip to plan (this time to Kansas), zoo and museum visits to work in, and a few other activities I want to add.
Finish Road trip plans - This is mostly done. I just want to print some maps for Arthur and check into getting tickets ahead of time for a few things. Plus I want to review our planned stops. And I want to make a little travel journal to take with us to add reflections, thoughts, impressions, and other tidbits we learn along the way.
Have fun on the road trip!
Pick at least one activity with the twins and littles each week (mini golf, zoo, etc) - I put the Safari Park on the calendar already, but there a few others I want to add.
Have three date days/nights with J - We already have tickets to a concert on the 8th. We also have a Living Social deal for a brewery tour. And we have our bar tickets to choose from. I’m hoping we can sneak out at least once after the littles go to sleep.
Next up on the TBR list:
Spring Bucket List Update #3
A new season has begun! 7/25 activities completed so far.
Read 50 books - Up to 46 books!
Eat at 3 new-to-me restaurants ✓
Zios - Good family pizza
Brasa (Minneapolis) - Loved this restaurant! I got the pulled chicken and gravy with a side of rice and beans and collard greens.
Sushi Train (Minneapolis) - Super fun sushi place with good rolls.
Attend two theater performances
Dragons Love Tacos @ The Rose
Make fun cupcakes
Create an Easter Egg Hunt ✓ - The boys had fun finding 70 hidden eggs in our yard.
Make a planter for the front porch ✓ - Q and I took a trip to the garden center and bought some pretties! I actually have two planters out front now plus another planter and some potted herbs in the backyard.
Find two good parks
Host a cookout
Have fun at OnStage! ✓ - It was so much fun!
Tie Dye Shirts with the boys
Check out three new museum/zoos
SAC Museum in Ashland — We do enjoy our Air and Space museums!
Joslyn Art Museum — We went for storytime, but did check out the galleries while there.
Check out The Makery
Create a spring Spotify playlist
Buy a sprinkler for the yard
Smoothie month
Mini golf family night
Make a rain gauge ✓ - We ended up buying one, not making it, but we have one!
Buy and fly a kite
Go berry picking
Sign Arthur up for summer camps ✓
Find a Farmer’s Market
Make a trip to Peacetree for root beer and beer
Go on a hike
Visit Old Market ✓
Redo my hair
Next up on the TBR pile:
Odds and Ends
Here's my randomness for the week:
I haven’t packed for our trip this weekend. Totally not me to not have this done already.
The rain can stop now…
I really hope the weather is good for our Memorial Day activities…
My reading momentum has certainly slowed down, but still at it.
I can’t wait to visit Shedd next week! Haven’t been there in 10 years and the littles have never been there.
So many road trip snacks packed…
Next up on the TBR pile:
Currently #9
Reading: Naughty in Nice by Rhys Bowen — loving this cozy mystery series!
Watching: Still working through Games of Thrones S1.
Listening: I caught up on some other podcasts, so I started Aaron Mahnke’s Unobscured about the Salem Witch Trials.
Feeling: There are a few things up in the air right now. I’m a bit anxious. Will feel much better after this weekend passes.
Planning: We heading over to Indiana this weekend for Memorial Day and to pick up the twins. Looking forward to our activities!
Loving: The grocery stores around here carry rhubarb (so scarce in California) and I’ve been buying a ton. I’ve been making a ton of rhubarb dishes. So good!
Next up on the TBR pile:
Odds and Ends
Here's my randomness for the week:
Two days of swimming at the pool during rainy days. Perfect choice!
An idea for a two day road trip to East Nebraska has turned into a five day road trip through Nebraska and South Dakota. Having so much fun planning this!
NPR needs to fix their podcast issues. A bit annoying…
I made a strawberry-rhubarb crumble and it was absolutely amazing! So good!
I think I’m getting my reading groove back.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Grilled Cheese Adventures: March and April
Part of my 2019 goals is make a different Grilled Cheese recipe each week. I find grilled cheese to be so comforting, but just cheddar or Colby gets boring after awhile. So, I checked a few books out from the library and make a Pinterest Board with lots of options. Here’s what we ate:
Week 10: Salami and Pickle with Gruyere on Pumpernickel Bread
Loved the tartness of the pickles with the smooth Gruyere. Definitely a good choice putting it on Pumpernickel.
Week 11: Apricot White Cheddar Grilled Cheese
The original recipe had it on Cinnamon Raisin bread. I thought it would be too sweet, so I switched it out for Pumpernickel Bread. Much better! I really loved this one.
Week 12: Avocado, Bacon, and Cheddar on Sourdough
This was good; my avocado was perfectly ripe! But next time, I would switch out the cheddar for provolone or pepper jack…
Week 13: Blueberry and Blackberry Compote with Gruyere on Honey Wheat
I love the idea of this one, but the execution wasn’t exactly right. If I make this again, I’m going to tweak the berry compote and add some elements. There just wasn’t enough flavor for me.
Week 14: Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese
Pretty decent sandwich, but nothing to write home about.
Week 15: Buffalo Chicken on Marbled Rye
I switched out the cheddar cheese in the recipe for a bit of mozzarella to compliment the blue cheese. Very yummy!
Week 16: Apple and Gouda on Sourdough
Very yummy! Definitely a keeper
Week 17: Greek Grilled Cheese
I loved the mix of olives, red peppers, dill, and feta. Next time, I might want to add some kind of green, maybe spinach.
Week 18: Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Fontina
For the first time, I made my own pesto in the food processor. Very easy and tasty!
Currently #8
Reading: The Light Over London by Julia Kelly
Watching: J and I are going back to the beginning to watch Game of Thrones so we can watch the very last season.
Listening: Really really enjoying Mike Shinoda’s Post Traumatic. Really good gym music.
Making: The store had rhubarb! So that means that I had to make Strawberry-Rhubarb crumble for book club last night.
Feeling: A bit on edge this week waiting for some news…
Planning: On the way back from Indiana, we’re planning on doing a mini road trip. Still deciding on Chicago or Des Moines.
Loving: We had a few small thunderstorms lately and I really missed storms while living in California.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Spring Bucket List Update #2
A new season has begun!
Read 50 books - Up to 31 books!
Eat at 3 new-to-me restaurants
Zios - Good family pizza
Brasa (Minneapolis) - Loved this restaurant! I got the pulled chicken and gravy with a side of rice and beans and collard greens.
Sushi Train (Minneapolis) - Super fun sushi place with good rolls.
Attend two theater performances
Dragons Love Tacos @ The Rose
Make fun cupcakes
Create an Easter Egg Hunt ✓ - The boys had fun finding 70 hidden eggs in our yard.
Make a planter for the front porch
Find two good parks
Host a cookout
Have fun at OnStage! ✓ - It was so much fun!
Tie Dye Shirts with the boys
Check out three new museum/zoos
Check out The Makery
Create a spring Spotify playlist
Buy a sprinkler for the yard
Smoothie month
Mini golf family night
Make a rain gauge
Buy and fly a kite
Go berry picking
Sign Arthur up for summer camps ✓
Find a Farmer’s Market
Make a trip to Peacetree for root beer and beer
Go on a hike
Visit Old Market ✓ - The boys and I stopped by for lunch and ice cream one day after story time.
Redo my hair
Next up on the TBR pile:
May 2019 Life Goals
Let’s check in on April's goals and my progress.
Put together Easter baskets and home egg hunt for the boys - Success! I ended up hiding 70 eggs in our yard. Yep. I went overboard…
Make summer travel plans - Not quite, but I did get started.
Make Doctor appointments - Success!
Read 4 books from UnRead Shelf - Success!
Buy some outdoor activity toys - Um… not really.
Find a good playground - Fail.
Oil Change - Success!
May’s Goals:
Read 4 books from UnRead Shelf - As I succeeded last month, I’m going to try this one again.
Plan out our Memorial Day week/end travel plans - All the boys are getting out of school on the 24th. I planning a trip over to Indiana to visit and pick up the twins. On the way back, we’re thinking a mini road trip to Chicago and/or the Des Moines area.
Print our week calendars and meal plans for summer - I’ve found having a printed copy to write on helps everyone in the house get their week’s straight.
Nebraska Passport plan - I got our passport in the mail yesterday and I want to plan a few mini trips to hit some of the spots. We won’t get to all 70 locations, but I’m hoping for 20.
Pull our my summer clothes - I packed away my shorts when we moved. I should probably get those out and evaluate.
Update Calendars - With the summer filling up, I want to make sure to update my calendars (digital and planner) every week.
Next up on the TBR list:
Odds and Ends
Here's my randomness for the week:
I really need to get out to the store so I can buy some good soil. We need to do a bit of yard/garden improvement and the current soil is just not great.
Am I turning into someone who likes gardening? Maybe…
The creative juices are at a trickle this week. Need to dive back in and craft!
Looking at the planner, next week is so incredibly busy! Knocking out a ton of to-do items.
Quiet mornings at the library recharge me.
Thinking about creating a summer bucket list and zoo scavenger hunt in travelers’s notebooks. Departure from the usual only digital format, but the idea came to me at the Children’s Museum (they had a mini scavenger hunt for their newer exhibit).
Seriously need to follow through with a library ban… It’s a bit out of control.
Next up on the TBR pile:
Currently #7
Reading: The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan for book club in early May. So far, it’s been nice and light. Just what I needed.
Watching: J and I took a mini break from our Marvel marathon to start Umbrella Academy. I wanted to wait until I read at least the first trade of the comic. Only two episodes in, but really loving the show!
Listening: Lots of NPR Politics, but I might need to take a bit of a break from political news. (Or at least ration it out).
Making: I’m trying a new-to-me recipe of Coconut Lentil Soup. Really hope it’s good!
Feeling: This past weekend the temperature was in the high 80s. Yesterday and today the temperature plummeted into the 50s. I’m so cold!
Planning: Working on finishing out our summer plans.
Loving: While at the Mall of America, we stopped at a fun candy store and I bought a pound of fancy gummi bears. Many of them were cocktail flavored (margarita, bourbon and coke, pina colada, etc).
Next up on the TBR pile:
Spring Bucket List Update #1
A new season has begun! !
Read 50 books - So far, I’m at 15 books. I will definitely be hitting this goal by the deadline.
Eat at 3 new-to-me restaurants - Nothing yet, although we did use a Bar Ticket at Old Chicago last weekend. This coming weekend, I’m hitting at least two new-to-me restaurants while in Minneapolis.
Attend two theater performances
Make fun cupcakes
Create an Easter Egg Hunt
Make a planter for the front porch
Find two good parks
Host a cookout
Have fun at OnStage! - I’m going this weekend!!!!!
Tie Dye Shirts with the boys
Check out three new museum/zoos
Check out The Makery
Create a spring Spotify playlist
Buy a sprinkler for the yard
Smoothie month
Mini golf family night
Make a rain gauge
Buy and fly a kite - In progress. I bought kites for the kids’s Easter baskets. Just have to wait until Easter to pull these out and fly them!
Go berry picking
Sign Arthur up for summer camps ✓ - He going to attend one week at the Omaha Children’s Museum and one week at Omaha Zoo.
Find a Farmer’s Market
Make a trip to Peacetree for root beer and beer
Go on a hike
Visit Old Market
Redo my hair
Next up on the TBR pile:
Odds and Ends
Here's my randomness for the week:
I am beyond excited for the Stampin’ Up! convention this weekend!
Also looking forward to my solo drive to and from Minneapolis. Loading up my podcasts and music on my phone. I hardly ever have alone time and I definitely need some time away.
Finishing N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy and I feel like I’m going to have a book (series) hangover. So incredibly amazing!
I was bad this week and checked out eight more books from the library. Bad Tobe! Four of them are recipe/homemaking books so easy quick “reads,” but still I was supposed to be weaning myself off the library for awhile.
Kindergarten Parent meeting on Tuesday gave me all the feels. Gearing up to do this whole school thing again in the fall.
Did I mention that I’m excited about OnStage? Can’t wait to hang out with Pam and get my craft on!
Next up on the TBR pile:
Currently #6
Reading: The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin — Finishing The Broken Earth trilogy and it is amazing!
Watching: We’re right in the middle of the Marvel movies. We finished Phase 2 last night.
Listening: Enjoying the back episodes of the Currently Reading podcast. I’m about half way through the back episodes.
Making: Working through The 100 Day Project and attempting to finish or make big progress on a ton of projects. Specifically working through Quentin’s 2018 Project Life album.
Feeling: This weekend is going to be great!
Planning: Leaving on Friday for the Stampin’ Up! convention. Working out where we’re going to eat and what we’re going to do beyond the convention itself. I can’t wait!
Loving: On a whim I made wacky cake last night. So good and so easy!
Next up on the TBR pile:
April 2019 Life Goals
Let’s check in on March's goals and my progress.
Go see Captain Marvel in the theaters for my birthday movie — Fail. Haven’t been able to find the time yet…
Take the littles to Legoland Chicago — Success!
Throw a small birthday party for the twins — Success!
Make Doctor appointment for Arthur and Quentin — Fail.
Read 20 books (four from my UnRead Shelf) — I succeeded on the first part of this goal, but failed on reading four from my UnRead Shelf. I only read two. Fail.
April's Goals:
Put together Easter baskets and home egg hunt for the boys - I’ve gotten some things started, but need a better plan.
Make summer travel plans - Looking ahead to the end of May.
Make Doctor appointments - Seriously!
Read 4 books from UnRead Shelf - Trying this again…
Buy some outdoor activity toys - We got rid of broken/old things when we moved. Now we don’t have much in the way of outdoor toys.
Find a good playground - Self-explantory
Oil Change - The van is just about due for an oil change. Need to keep that in mind so when the sensor gives me the alert, I’m not surprised.
Next up on the TBR list:
Odds and Ends
Here's my randomness for the week:
Warm, but windy outside. I’ll take it over the below zero temps.
We need some kind of outdoor toys for this summer… Maybe a small inflatable pool?
I really need to restart my library ban (and stick to it!). Too many books checked out and I’m not reading my own shelves.
Excited to find a good playground close by our house.
Thinking about trying a new scone recipe, but don’t really want to go to the store for ingredients.
Next up on the TBR pile: