Nebraska Bound Summer 2013

On the road again....

Packing for 2 weeks for 6 people

We were originally set to head out June 6th for Nebraska, but after being hired on at the Spearfish School District as the new, and first ever, Kindergarten Special Education Teacher, I decided to stick around for their ESY (Extended School Year- summer school) program to help out, brush up on skills, and meet my future students. It was a great experience. 

So, instead, we headed out on Wednesday June 12th loaded to the brim....

Since there became 6 of us, we find it easier to break the trip down into parts with a layover in Hot Springs. On the way home we go the whole way in fear if we stopped we would never start up again. While we were in Hot Springs we checked out Grandma and Grandpa Tonsager's garden...

When we first arrived, we headed to my grandma's to see our Denver Cousins, one who I hadn't met yet. What. A. Doll. I wish we could all get together more. 

My goal is always to make it down before the "courthouse games" for kids start. These are a collection of kiddie carnival type games held on the lawn of the courthouse in Holdrege as part of the opening festivities of the annual Swedish Days Festival. <see full post HERE>


I love going down to Holdrege over the Swedish Days festivities which also happen to be Father's Day weekend, Howell Family Reunion Weekend and prime storm chasing season. Hit many birds with the same stone.

This year was also my 10 year reunion, which traditionally reunions are held during Swedish Days for the same concept of hitting multiple birds with the same stone, however my class decided they did not want to do this because it may be "too busy"....yeah, that's part of the appeal to me. I want to make one long distance trip and hit as many things and see as many people as possible. Thanks to varying opinions, a possible fear of socialization for a few, and the general lack of democracy in choosing such things, I lost out, the reunion was held the weekend after Swedish days. Lucky, this year we had time and agenda to stay the whole week. 

Highlights of the Swedish Days Festivities we attended...

Courthouse Games

Silver Run

Parade

Rib Fest

<See the full Swedish Days post HERE>

My nephew Gage's birthday is also right around this time on June 16th, so we are able to help out with his birthday as well. This year he wanted a Spongebob birthday and my sister had asked for help with kids games. It was fun!
There's a full post on it HERE.

On Saturday after the parade we headed to McCook, Ne, an hour away, for the Howell Reunion. The Howell children take turns in rotation hosting the reunion and depending on whose turn it is, is where the location is. This year it was Wavalee's family's turn and they are from McCook, so there we drove. I was in much better spirits then the last McCook one we attended when I was pregnant with our first, Andrew, and almost entirely unable to control the hormonal rages that overcame me. I was incredibly mean to Wayne back in 2004 when we last attended the McCook one. (Sooo sorry.) The boys had a lot of fun. It was great to see everyone...

On Father's Day, Wayne and my dad worked at "the South 40", aka my grandparent's old house. I believe it was a boat they worked on. Later that day we gave them cards, interviews and Father's Day Bouquet's...

Andy made a card at his summer
program & remembered to pack it!

Wayne also got a camp essentials kit & a math game.

Close your eyes...

My brother was being a turd that day so we ended up dropping him off down there with the dads for a while too while we went shopping. I only get one chance a year to go shopping kid, or mostly kid free, and with my mom. I am incredibly independent and living 8 hours from home usually is doable, but one thing I miss dearly is the fun and bonding of the ladies shopping days that date back to my infancy. I remember trips to the mall in Lincoln, Black Friday every year and countless, random other trips shopping with my mom, sister, aunt and grandma. We would easily make a day of it and find all sorts of clearance racks to fill multiple bags with. Grandma always said if you got one of the first two parking spots closest to the door, you were going to find good deals. It remains accurate to this day!

The stores I hit are:

The Corner Nugget (second hand store in Holdrege that does clothing bag sales for a set price of $4-8 a bag depending on the season)

I am not too proud to find a good deal at a second hand store. I have become incredibly good at rollign and stuffing clothes into brown paper grocery bags. I adverage at 2-6 cents an article of clothing purchased here. I like to stock up on name brand jeans, Nebraska Cornhusker gear, Holdrege Duster attire and pajamas from here. 


Garage Sales.... I will never understand how the cost of living is so much lower in Holdrege than in Spearfish, but they tend to think their resell value is about 3 times as high as we do up here where it cost twice as much originally. For instance, a crib up here (excluding facebook classified ads where everyone thinks their stuff is worth gold these days) can be purchased at a garage sale in decent shape for $20-100 depending on brand, durability and location of sale (Spearfish or Belle Fourche and by neighborhood). In Holdrege I usually see a price-range of $75-200 for the exact same crib. Really? 
I remember when I was still highly into Scrapbooking, but the craze was dying out and stuff was beginning to be sold in mass amounts, in Spearfish people charged $1-2 per used, or unused empty 12" books. A lady in Holdrege wanted $10 for the same book, same brand, used. I offered her $5 and she refused. Okay, your sale, your choice. I will just never understand this comparison. You pay less for your products in the first place at store value while your income per job is higher, we pay more and earn less....that is referred to as the cost of living, yet you still value your material possessions differently. It's just always been odd to me. Your shit stinks too Holdrege. Anyway, I like to garage sale, with my mom, so I go anyway. 


Then we hit the mall in Kearney for their sidewalk sales, or whatever sales are going on at the time. This is where I get the boys a couple new shirts that are self expressive to their personalities, some athletic pants and a little bit of whatever else they need for school within a reasonable preset budget usually earned from that year's garage sale money from decluttering our abode. 

Wayne is usually a good sport about this all day abandoning excursion, as he should be, then he doesn't have to help me rein in boys for a family shopping trip back home right before school starts. 


As I mentioned, this is prime season for sever weather in tornado alley Nebraska. It didn't let me down this year with a storm on Father's Day. My dad, brother and I chased it and got some great shots before the precipitation caught up with us...

We once went tubing down this flooded street while people jetskiied past!!!!

<See Full post about the chase HERE>

It never fails, Belle will get great weather once we leave too. Here is a monsoon and hail hitting our house and garden taken by the neighbor...

We also like to hit the Oxford Turkey Days festivities while we are down in NE. They have good rides, cheap games and cheap tickets. It's Tiff and Shawn's old town and a short drive from Holdrege...

This year I wanted to go camping at my old stomping grounds with Wayne and the boys. Wayne and Dad had gone down earlier Thursday to set stuff out to claim an unmarked campsite. Good thing, by Thursday night, people were driving by every 30 minutes disappointed. Dad and Wayne went night fishing and a rare weather phenomenon occurred that night called a Heat Burst.

The next day they went fishing again while the boys and I watched a tractor get stuck sunk into the beach and later dug out. The wind came up and the waves were coming over the front of the boat while Dad and Wayne tried to get back to dock. A game warden was suggesting everyone leave the water. So instead we hit the beach to swim and try out the new water trampoline they got. 

There was a nasty lady beetle bug infestation and I got some wicked sunburns and heat stroke. 

 We stopped by my aunt and uncle's house on the way home. Jake loved their dogs of course.

<Full Post on camping trip HERE>

We went home to Holdrege and had microwave smores, popcorn and movies instead....

Then it was the 10 year reunion...

It was a good time. I loved seeing everyone in person and talking with them. Facebook is great, but actual interaction makes the world go round. Keep it Old School, it's worth it.



I got my favorite Nebraska food while we were there:

Pub Burritos

Runzas

Sonic Strawberry Limade Slushes daily

Little Mexico

We also make a point to go to the Holdrege Area Public Library and play on Smokin' Story Same the dragon....

The Kearney Children's Museum....

Yanny Park....

The North Park...

Family Game Night...

Cooking together....

Coffee at McDonalds with my Great Aunts Pearl & Bonnie....

Last but not least, I like to see my bestie Sonya and her family...

An added bonus this year, Tanya and her kids came to see me!! I used to spend a lot of time with them in the end of high school. My Zach is even named after her Zack who is incredibly tall now!!!!

Katelin & Andy are 2 weeks apart in age.

We also like just hanging out at Grandpa & Grandma's house. Their backyard has 2 trees Tiff and I planted one Arbor Day when we were around 6 & 8 that are now mature, shady and gorgeous. The rose bush is also beautiful and fragrant and I can't get enough of just sitting there absorbing it all nostalgically. 

The day we left was my parents' 30th anniversary. I felt bad we didn't do more for that. I left them a couple of frames and an "On this day in history" sheet...

Then it was time to head home...

On the road again.