My Trip Through Nebraska

This past weekend, my friend Hillary and I drove across western Nebraska as part of the Nebraska Passport program. This program has 80 different pitstops in Nebraska that you can check into May-September in order to win prizes. The two of us have now hit 50 of the 80 stops and will be working toward the next 30 in the coming months.

This trip (Wednesday-Saturday) was definitely our biggest feat though. Our route was 1,719 miles (although it was longer than that with stops for food and gas and those few times I missed the turn and made Hillary turn around). We drove through 74 Nebraska towns in 38 counties. I have personally been to 34 U.S. states and the beautiful country of Scotland, but let me tell you this trip through Nebraska definitely was not dull, even in comparison. We saw forests and sandhills and badlands and grasslands. We drove up in down enormous hills and then on miles of flat land. We saw buttes and bluffs (and had to look up the difference). It was a really cool trip getting to know all corners of the state.

I wish I had more pictures of the trip, but most of the time I was trying to navigate tricky roads or wait for cell phone service so I could use Google Maps. Pictures wouldn't have done a lot of my trip justice anyway. I do have a short snapchat video from Thursday below.

Here were some highlights:

1. On Thursday morning, we had breakfast at this cute little place called 4th Avenue Coffee in Holdrege and then stopped at Awarri Dunes north of Axtell. Both of these places are very near my hometown and I had never been.

2. We stayed at a cabin in Long Pine and took a walk on the old railroad bridge and it was absolutely gorgeous. This is probably the only time in the trip where we just sat silently and looked around for a long period of time.

3. The Niobrara is not over-hyped. It's gorgeous and I'd love to come back sometime to tube down it.

4. While I assured Hillary before we started that any of the Passport stops must be on paved roads, I was completely and utterly wrong. No wonder this thing happens in the summer because I don't think you could get there in the winter. Wandering through dirt and mud and sand and gravel was fun though because we kept wondering what would be around the next curve or hill.

5. Oh the Badlands. Although this was one of the worst roads, it was absolutely beautiful. At the end of the trip, we both agreed this was probably the most impressive spot. We ate at the Drifter's Cookshack out there and it was incredible.

6. We ate a lot of home-cooked food and Nebraskans can sure make it. Only two times on the trip did we eat fast food. We had breakfast at a bed and breakfast in Imperial and I even ate a buffalo burger (actually bison but we didn't correct them haha) in the badlands.

7. Scotts Bluff is impressive. Chimney Rock not so much. But we didn't get right up next to Chimney Rock either so maybe we missed the full experience.

8. There are a lot of B towns in Nebraska. It's a bit confusing differentiating between Bartlett, Bancroft, Bridgeport, Bayard, Broken Bow, Bassett, Berea, Berwyn, Brule, and Burwell.

9. We stayed at our first bed and breakfast and even though we were with a bunch of older couples and stood out like a sore thumb, it was a great experience.

10. We climbed into a train at Cody Park in North Platte, which I had never done before.

11. We crashed a wedding! North Platte was a happening place on Saturday with Nebraskaland Days (which we forgot was happening) and at the Buffalo Bill Ranch we walked right up on an outdoor wedding. Oops.

Things You Learn When Living Alone Pt. 2

Next week, I will be moving into a new apartment and, soon after that, I will have a roommate again. There have been many pros and cons to this living situation, but I thought, in this last stretch of living alone, I wanted to share a second part to things I have learned in this apartment:

1.     I’m messier than I originally imagined. I believe in my first blog about this, I talked about how much pride I had in the place and so I kept it clean. Once I started student teaching, this went out the window. More stress always equals more mess in my life. While before I contained my tornado to my bedroom for the most part, I now had reign over 700 sq feet to pile clothes and papers and glasses of water.

2.     I started talking to myself a lot. While I enjoyed many days without having to make conversation with anyone else, it seems to be a human need even for introverts every once in a while. I talked to my plants while I watered them and talked back to the TV all the time. I swear I’m not insane lol.

3.     When you forget to go grocery shopping, there is no one else you can borrow from. You either go out and buy something or starve (well, probably not starve, but you get my point). Sarah (my former and future roommate) always bought food in surplus so I’d just open the freezer and help myself to something and pay her back later. I, on the other hand, tend to only buy what I’m going to make that week with no extras and it has proved to be a problem on several occasions.

4.     I'm still a big fan of wearing whatever clothes I want without judgment.

5.     No one is ever sleeping in your apartment when you aren’t. Two nights ago when I couldn’t sleep, I started playing Guitar Hero at 3:00 am. And no one cared. (Except maybe my neighbors, but the walls are fairly thick here).

6.     Things are still expensive. Like so expensive. I learned a big lesson in budgeting this past year. I cut out Internet this month to save a little and I never knew how much I’d miss it. I basically live in the clubhouse because they have free Wi-fi.

7.     I love scary movies, but watching trailers for upcoming horror flicks alone at night is not the best idea I’ve ever had. Also, any strange noises cannot be explained away by your roommate.

8.    I have read more books than normal, which is saying something. I never get distracted by anyone or anything so I can sit down and read a whole book in a day if I want to. But, I don't get to tell people about the books I'm reading. Sarah knows I love talking about the books I'm reading, whether she cares or not.

9. It’s a really good thing I’m not scared of bugs or spiders. Killing those things is all up to me. And I’ve done it too many times. I think it’s because my apartment is on the ground floor.

A Tidbit About Slowing Down

I'm asked a lot if, as a blogger, I read other blogs. The answer is yes. I don't regularly subscribe to any specific blogs, but I read a variety from blogs about baking to blogs for young women. I also read a lot of blogs by authors. Recently, I read a very short, but very poetic blog post by author Kate DiCamillo and I thought I'd share it with you:

I've been rushing my entire life.
I walk fast and I talk fast.
I hurry, hurry, hurry.
But now, I am walking with an old dog.
And he does not hurry.
He wont hurry.
He can't.
So, I walk more slowly than I ever have.
And the wonder of that is this: I see more than I have ever seen.
Henry and I amble through the world; and the world unfurls itself slowly, beautifully before us.
It is a blessing to walk with a dog.
It is a blessing to walk with an old dog.

Dear Future Boyfriend

Since Meghan Trainor’s song “Dear Future Husband” first came out on the radio, I’ve wanted to do a post like this one, but wasn’t sure where to start. I love that song, not because I agree with any of her requirements for a future husband (I don’t think I agree with any of them), but because I love her confidence and how sure she is about who she is and what she wants. This is so hard to come by for young women, who are often so willing to rearrange their life based on a guy.

When I started to write my own version of what I wanted, though, I started feeling spoiled. The “You’re just too picky, Roxie” that I hear from numerous friends and family popped into my head and I aborted mission.

Lots of my friends and family give me advice. I rarely go through a week without: “You need to stop being so particular.” “Open yourself up to people more.” “Why won’t you let me find someone for you?” “Smile more.” “Be friendlier.” “You should go out more so you can meet people.”

Or even “I worry about you.”

I worry about a lot of things. I’m a worrier by nature. But finding a boyfriend is not as high on the worry list as most people assume. Right now, I’m perfectly content. I’m starting a new job that I’m so excited about and it's my favorite season of the year. The fact that I have people that are concerned about my well-being is wonderful. And I understand that I’m starting to get to the age when I’ve moved from “the single friend” to the potentially odd one. My mom was getting married when she was my age and I haven’t even been a relationship. High school friends are married with kids. But someday, it will happen and, for when it does, here are a few things to my future boyfriend:

1.     Please make me laugh and I’ll try to do the same for you. Life is too short to always be so serious. I hope we tease one another and can be silly and stupid without being self-conscious (Also, I have an obnoxious laugh, so you’ll have to get used to that). I hope we laugh and laugh and laugh.

2.     I’m going to cry. A lot. And it probably has nothing to do with you. I cry when I’m stressed or anxious or scared or upset. Here’s a hint: Don’t try to fix the external problem. Everyone tries to fix the problem. In reality, this is inconsequential. It’s internal turmoil I need to calm down. I don’t need advice, I just need a hug. And a nap.

3.     I love to sing in the car. To basically every song. Sing with me sometimes. It’s a sure way into my heart.

4.     Please don’t buy me flowers. Unless they are planted in soil and can potentially stay alive for more than a week, I don’t want them. I also don’t want a giant teddy bear. What the heck am I going to do with that? In fact, I’d rather go on a trip or go to a concert or sporting event or just a movie than receive any material gifts.

5.     You really need to like animals. I can compromise on a lot of things, but I need a cat or dog (or ideally both) in my life.

6.     I don’t care what you do for a profession or what kind of money you make, as long as you’re happy and passionate about what you do. And tell me about what you do. I think it’s important that our careers are part of who we are and I want us to share this with each other.

7.     Even though Meghan Trainor might disagree, I don’t care that much about you opening every door for me. I mean, don’t slam them in my face of anything. I expect you to be respectful to me, as well as everyone around you, but I am capable of opening my own doors sometimes. And if I get to the door first, I should be able to hold it open for you without you feeling threatened (You wouldn’t believe the amount of men who I tried to politely open the door for and they wouldn’t let me. It’s ridiculous).

8.     I love baking so prepare to eat cookies and brownies and cakes often.

9.     I really, really hope you aren’t a neat freak. I’m messy. That’s all there is to it. Unless you really love cleaning up after me. I guess that might work out okay. ;)

10. My family is pretty awesome, so don’t be too scared of them.

11. I hope we travel whenever and wherever we can. The world is too big to stay in one place all the time.

12. It takes me a long time to become comfortable with people, but once you gain my love and trust, I promise I will be there for you through anything.

Roxie's Summer Playlist

I love lots of things about summer, but one of them is that I always listen to more music. So far, the music of the season is promising. Some of the following songs have been on the radio for a while and some haven't made an appearance yet. Here's my current soundtrack of the summer:

1. All You Had to Do Was Stay-Taylor Swift

2. Cheerleader-OMI

3. Bloodstream-Ed Sheeran

4. Fight Song-Rachel Platten

5. Hey Mama-David Guetta

6. Games-Luke Bryan

7. Homegrown-Zac Brown Band

8. Life of the Party-Shawn Mendes

9. I Need Your Love-Shaggy

10. Photograph-Ed Sheeran

11. Sangria-Blake Shelton

12. This Summer's Gonna Hurt Like a MotherF****r-Maroon 5

13. Uma Thurman-Fall Out Boy

14. Worth It-Fifth Harmony

15. Bad Blood-Taylor Swift

16. Fun-Pitbull

17. Honey I'm Good-Andy Grammar

18. Girl Crush-Little Big Town

19. House Party-Sam Hunt

20. I Really Like You-Carly Rae Jepsen

21. Little Toy Guns-Carrie Underwood

22. Say You Do-Dierks Bentley

23. Title-Meghan Trainor

So what songs do you just love right now? I'd love to hear them. 

Memories of Those I've Lost

Although I know Memorial Day was created to honor those who have served our country, I always remember going to visit graves of all of the family buried around us on this day when I was a kid. My mom and dad would tell stories of their grandparents or aunts and uncles and these stories always stuck with me. And today, although I am not in Franklin to visit any graves, I want to take a moment to shares memories of the ones I have lost that meant a lot to me.

Grandma Marj- Grandma was the first person in my life that I loved that died. I was very lucky because this didn't happen until I was 15 years old. My mom can go on and on telling stories about her and I love to hear them. What I remember most is Skip-Bo. Isn't that ridiculous? I just remember sitting around her kitchen table playing that game and she almost always won and then she would throw her head back and laugh. She loved Christmas and birthday parties and reunions. She had beautiful plates and knick-knacks and painting all over her house so I thought of it as a museum. Her yard was covered in bird feeders and little animal statues. She hated when I cried and told me so very bluntly. Whenever she came to a party at our house, she brought deviled eggs and fed half of her meal to my dog Ginger. She was strong and knew exactly what she wanted. I always wanted to be more like her.

Granny-Granny was a talker, but I loved her stories. She could talk for hours and I always had to cut her off so we could get home in time for supper. When she had to move to Assisted Living, I took out photo albums from her house to her on several occasions and she would flip through and tell me about each picture. Although she talked a lot about her past, she also told me stories about something her sons had told her the day before or who came and visited and what they were wearing. She always knew what was going on around her. Actually the last time I ever remember visiting her, I brought out my new Kindle and showed it to her. I remember her laughing and saying "Isn't that something?" She lived next door to us for a long time so I saw her a lot. Brigitte always wanted to go over to her house and would ride her bike the 10 feet over and walk in by herself. Granny had a white poodle named Pongo and she always wanted him to look nice so she was giving him baths, cleaning dirt from his eyes, and fluffing up his fur all the time. She taught me how to play Old Maid, and come to think of it, I don't think I've played since she passed away.

Moriah-I only knew Moriah for 3 years, but it feels like much longer than that. We met at a Subway somewhere in Iowa I believe. We went on a bus trip to Washington D.C. together and she came up and asked a group of us if we had any Tylenol because she had a headache. I can't remember if I gave her any medicine, but I remember walking back to the bus chatting with her and then the next stop and tried to find her again. She was magnetic in that way. By the time we got to D.C., we were constantly together. We became bus seat buddies and travel partners. When we got back to Nebraska, she made sure we stayed in touch. We took trips to the lake and the movies and the mall all the time. We went to UNL together and I always felt better that she was there. She picked me up when some other friends ditched me and I took her to get her car when it was towed. And she called me all the time. She would talk so much, I'd put her on speaker phone because my hand got tired. We often met to "study" but only ate candy and talked about boys or fashion (her favorite topics). The day before she died, she called me and was so excited because we were both going to live in the same apartment complex. I miss her smile all the time.

Nancy-My Aunt Nancy was a motherly figure in my life. She would always give me a hug when she saw me and ask me about my life. She took great care to listen to every word. I know she was that way with everyone because we were all so comfortable around her. She also made me laugh often with her animated stories and perfect facial expressions as she told a story. I remember when she'd call my dad would answer the phone with enthusiasm and then laugh the whole conversation. She always picked out really unique presents including clothes and books that fit me perfectly. Every event since July has been missing her warmth.

Grandpa Jack-Grandpa is the only one on my list that is a veteran, but he never talked about it unless Grandma prompted him to. I do remember once when he came to Veteran's Day service at our school, I saw him cry, although he wiped his eyes before he saw me and I never mentioned it. I can't think of Grandpa without remembering his wink and squeeze of my hand. It's something he's done since I was little. In the middle of any gathering, if I walked over to him, he'd grab my hand and squeeze it and turn to me with a smile and a wink. I actually learned to wink just so I could wink back. He would get so excited when we brought our dog out to see him and he always made a point to go pet and talk to our outside dog before walking into our home. He liked nuts and M&Ms and chocolate malts. When grandma would offer us food (every time we visited), he'd turn to me and say something like "She's just trying to fatten us up, isn't she?"

So that's my memories for the day. Happy Memorial Day!

Why I Am Worth Something

After four months of searching for a job and numerous rejection letters, it's so easy for me to fall into this mindset that I'm not good enough. But I've accomplished many things and I want to remind myself of my worth. Maybe these employers don't see it, but if I don't see it myself, no one ever will. 

1. I graduated from the University of Nebraska last week. That in itself is a big milestone. I have a college degree. I completed 161 credit hours. I made the dean's list several times and ended up with a 3.75. That's not bad.

2. I completed an honors thesis. At UNL, I think an average of 70% of honors students don't complete the program and I completed it with a pretty awesome thesis about how young people give feedback to one another. I'm very proud of this.

3. I studied abroad. This was a goal I had since I was 18 years old and I made it happen. Would I be much more financially secure if I hadn't? Yes. Do I regret it at all? No. I followed through and made it happen and traveled on my own across the ocean and it is one of the things I am most proud of in my life. 

4. I have maintained this blog for three years now. I know that a lot of my posts are like this one and don't have much depth, but I have kept it up and am able to write regularly because of it. I saw today that my blog has been viewed almost 5,000 times since I created it.

5. I've had some really cool jobs. Although I haven't worked anything stable for a long time, I was a tour guide for 3 years, which was amazing. I met people from all across the country and got to walk around campus all the time and get kids excited about being a Husker. I have also judged speech meets for five years now, which is seriously the best job because speech is the best activity ever. 

6. I read like a madwoman and I'm proud of that. I read 55 books last year and am up to 25 already this year. 

7. I've been to 34 U.S. States. I know this is just because I have awesome parents that took me on lots of trips, but still like to brag about that whenever I can.

8. I'm never afraid to continue learning and growing. I know that I've made a lot of mistakes over the past few years, but I'm willing to learn from these mistakes. I'm always trying to be better and I know I will continue to accomplish what I set out to do. 

So, there it is. I'm worth something. I know I am. And I'm going to get a job. I just have to be patient...and remain confident.