Our Trip to Lincoln

This weekend I had the pleasure to see more sites in the Midwest.  Britton and I headed South to Lincoln, NE to spend some time with his sister and brother in law.  On our drive down we went to my favorite sushi place in Omaha and stuffed our faced before the final leg of the trip. Sushi was good and I was happy!

As we drove into Lincoln I expected it to be a boring college town with little activity and only college things to do.  Boy was I surprised!  Lincoln was a pretty thriving metropolis with a nice downtown and great surrounding neighborhoods.  It was much larger than I expected and had a thriving young population of 20 somethings.  Britton's sister Ciana lives in an adorable neighborhood with some great surrounding restaurants and shops.  

Saturday night we headed into downtown for a bite to eat at a local pizza joint.  The place felt like that awesome neighborhood bar with graffiti art covering the walls and a great selection of import beer.  The food was delicious and the company was rockin!  We headed front he bar to a quaint bar located at the back of an old theater.  The specialty menu included creative martinis and mixed drinks.  Being located at the back of an old theater you could see the underbelly of the structure of the theater.  It had a great atmosphere and classy clientele. 

The four of us spent Saturday eating great food and playing their new Kinect.  It was a wonderful and relaxing weekend and we can't wait for Ciana and Jeff to come and visit us next!

Now that we are back home safe and sound Britton has headed in for surgery and the snow has begun to fall again! Back to the real world!

snow, snow, snow

So I woke up Sunday morning and it was snowing. This isn't my first encounter with the snow but this was the most beautiful.  The last real snow we had was during a blizzard which made it impossible to see and everything was being blown about.  Sunday's snow, however, was peaceful. 

Britton and I had planned on heading to Sioux City for the day to be with his mom and eat good food so after getting ready we made the trek to his house.  Britton's car can take the snow for sure but my baby was in Sioux City already so i knew at some point i would be taking it back to Verm...  Once we made it to SC i promised my mom I would go out and play in the snow.  We suited up with some old snow gear and went out to brave the cold.  with Britton's mom in tow to take photos we began gallivanting across his lawn making snow angels and having snowball fights.  

We went all out and crossed to the neighbors backyard to do a little sledding down the huge hills in his neighborhood.  I'm not gonna lie about it, i was slightly nervous.  But lucky for me, i had Britton behind me on the sled to navigate.  As we got closer and closer to the end of the hill and the beginning of a fence Britton's feet went out to stop our sled sending snow all over my face and up my nose!  The joys of the sled were soon met by the misery of the hike back up the hill.  Little did i realize that the heading back up the hill would be somewhat torturous.

Now, it's been many, many hours since first waking to see the snow falling in Vermillion.  And the snow didn't let up on our drive to SC or as we played in the snow that afternoon.  It snowed all day long, without so much as a 5 minute reprieve.  My car was already covered in snow out in the drive way.  Britton cleaned off my car that night to help me prepare for my journey back home which i didn't start until almost 10 pm.  Its one thing to drive at night and another thing to drive in the snow. Mix the two for this Florida girl and you have a possible disaster on your hands...


As I got onto the interstate after fishtailing and meandering about the unplowed roads I caught sight of an upturned car, lying in the ditch beside I-29. I thought to myself, "just don't even think about it and you'll be fine!"  While the snow wasn't piled too high on the highway it was quite a task to see the road below my tires.  As I left the city lights of Sioux City and Dakota Dunes behind me, all I saw ahead was darkness.  I stayed calm and tried to follow the dotted white line whenever it came into view.  Few cars were out so i didn't worry too much about other crazy drivers.  I focused on myself, my speed and staying on the "road" or at least staying out of the ditch.


As i came nearer to the Vermillion exit i began to panic that the snow and ice would make it more difficult to get off the highway and up the ramp.  i stayed calm and remembered to take deep breaths. I continued to tell myself that i could do it and i would be home safe and sound within the next half hour.  As i drove up the ramp no problem i knew i was in the clear and would be home safe!  While driving down 50 was even less plowed than the high way, i kept a steady and slow pace and made it safetly into Vermillion.


As i awoke this morning i realized the snow was still falling and the cars were deep under the snow.  Its been an adventure and I can't wait until the snow stops and the sun shines again!  Hopefully that day will come tomorrow.

Its a new day

As i woke up this morning there was one thought in my mind... "man, are you sure I have to be a grown up?" 


This year I took a huge leap and left the wonderful City of Orlando to make it big in the Midwest.  I suppose "make it big" isn't the right phrase, as i have moved cross country to the small town of Vermillion, South Dakota. Hardly the place to "make it big."  But I jumped in head first despite my big bad fears of leaving home and now I've decided to document the adventures.  


Here are a few tips I have learned that might help others with big, life changes before and after the decision is made:

1. Weigh your options when choosing to make a big change, is the job, boy/girl, opportunity great enough to leave all that you love behind
2. Skype often with those that you love so you don't feel quite so far away
3. Bring things with you that you had back home! There is nothing worse than feeling like you have nothing from your past when you step into your future
4. Invite people to visit that are sure to come, its nice to show off what you know about a new place
5. Meet new people but don't smother them! you might need new friends but you won't make any if you want to be with them all the time so you don't feel alone
6. Speaking of alone time, make the most of it and learn new things about yourself. Finally learn how to do that craft you've always wanted to try or learn to cook for one!
7. Put yourself out there. Even if you decide you don't want to stay forever in your new home its nice to have someone to share it with ;)
8. Take lots and lots of pictures. Document the seasons because you've probably never seen anything like it!
9. Travel as much as you can both to get away and see what surrounds you
10. Become a local, eat the food, try out the bars and make friends with the people that have been there forever! They can share the greatest stories!

Throughout the last 6 months these are the things I have learned that have made my time here more enjoyable.  While I hope that this has been a joy to read I realize they won't always be this cheerful. I wonder what is in store for me tomorrow!