Ever try Chicken Gizzards?

Me neither! Well until Friday evening...

My Grandpa proclaimed his love of chicken gizzards when he spotted them on the Two Rivers menu. I was then coerced by my dad and Grandpa to give gizzards a try.


Turns out not much of a fan. Anyone out there love chicken gizzards?

Rosenblatt’s Final Hurrah

It was a bittersweet evening. The final College World Series (CWS) game at Rosenblatt. I had been going to these games for as long as I could remember, we started going when wee little with this boy

And his family as my dad worked for his dad and we were all friends. Turns out my dad started his own company and we got tickets as a family

At first it was all about the game and family. Then I turned 21 and discovered the fun of tailgating and passed this on to my parents

And eventually my brothers! Now CWS means friends, family, tailgating, and the game.



Each year we look forward to this week+ and plan our schedules accordingly. Next year it will be different. CWS will be at the brand spanking new TD Ameritrade stadium downtown Omaha. I am excited for this new stadium and its close proximity to my work and home. But sad to leave behind Rosenblatt and the years of memories and traditions. So we enjoyed one last game.





As did thousands of other crazy fans. Several crazier than the rest, crazy enough to jump the barrier and run onto the field…



Clothing was optional it seems. South Carolina won – their first major victory as a school. Congrats Gamecocks!



We left to fireworks and a bagpipe playing Take Me Out the Ballgame while saying goodbye to friends we made over the years, our seat mates. Hoping that next year we would all be assigned seats near each other. Good by Rosenblatt Section 35, Row H, Seats 1-4

Zoo's assets sold

Published Tuesday June 29, 2010
WORLD-HERALD NEWS SERVICE
ROYAL, Neb. -- It didn't quite bring a king's ransom, but land and property that was formerly part of Zoo Nebraska brought at least $25,000 during an auction Monday afternoon.

The four lots alone brought $14,100 and were purchased by the same person.

Mark Fitzgerald, a Norfolk attorney serving as custodian of the zoo while the assets are dissolved, said he was pleased with the Zoo Nebraska board of directors and how they arranged and organized the sale of assets.

Bev Schwindt, one of the zoo directors, said she had mixed feelings about the sale.

Schwindt said it was a bittersweet day because so many people had worked so long and hard to try to keep the zoo going.

*We used to spend most of our summers in Niobrara (my mom, brothers, myself, and my grandpa - grandma and my dad would visit on the weekends). My mom was always very creative with finding fun activities for us, especially as there was no TV allowed at the cabin and believe it or not this was before Internet was readily available. The horror I know! Anyway, one trip I remember is a visit to Zoo Nebraska. We are quite spoiled by the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha. Regardless it was a great outing and a lot of fun. I am very curious as to the fate of the animals that resided at this zoo? Were they sent to various zoo's? Adopted?

Retirement Plan

I save for retirement but I also want a plan, a business, an opportunity. There is a certain career path I am considering for the future that does not offer guaranteed continuous employment like my current Government job. This scares me as I am a planner, I need to know I have a steady income stream, I am not one who can just roll with things. So if I choose to jump into the scary waters of the alternate career path I want a Plan B for when that roller coaster ends, or as an early retirment option. This is my current Plan B obsession.


A farm for sale in middle Nebraska where I have roots. Where summers were spent helping on my Uncle’s farm, gardening with my mom and grandpa, and finding ways to enterain myself sans tv/internet/etc... I have been told this region is a hunter’s paradise - I am definitely not a hunter so clueless in this arena. This property has three cabins that can be rented out to hunters along with ample hunting grounds (approximately 160 acres total).

Eventually I would want to acquire more land. I could raise cattle, horses, chickens, goats, and whatever other farm animals I fancy. A huge garden is a must with an abundance of fresh veggies and herbs (and fruit trees/bushes). Then I can entice people from around the country to come visit this little slice of heaven. They can hunt, play cowboy/cowgirl for a week, or just relax and unwind amongst the glorious countryside. I am obsessed with Blackberry Farms in Tennessee and have wanted to visit forever.




May be able to write off a visit as a business trip if I go down this road? Anyone else dream of farm life? Or have a plan in place for retirement?
*Photos 2,3,4 from Homestead Land Management, remainder of photos from Blackberry Farms.

Summer Picnic

I love summer – absolutely adore it. We have had a few cold rainy days but otherwise it’s been a gorgeous summer. A few weekends ago in Niobrara my mom, grandpa, and I decided to have an impromptu picnic at Niobrara State Park. We had found a cool picnic basket at the Goodwill store so loaded it up with goodies and found a perfect spot.



Something about dinning outdoors that makes the food taste better!

Izzy loved the occasion and the chance to explore the wide open spaces.


She would have loved it even more had we let her run free but park rules are park rules.
Point of this post being – take time for summer picnic’s. I always seem to be rushing around from work to one activity or another. I need to learn to slow down and enjoy life.

Big Beaver, Canada

I have wanted to visit Canada for awhile but haven’t yet made the journey. Since at the border figured I should at least drive into Canada and check it out, plus I wanted a stamp in the passport! Sadly they didn’t stamp my passport but I did explore a tiny bit. I wish I would have done research so that I could have driven to a fun town in Canada. Instead I just took the advice of the border patrol and went to Big Beaver (about 30-40 miles from the US border).

I was informed there is a cute shop there. There was indeed a cute shop.


But as luck would have it, the shop closes at noon on Wednesdays. I got there at 1230 on a Wednesday. I decided instead to walk around the town and snap a few photos.






It was almost eerie as didn’t see another pereson the whole time. It was fun to explore and enjoy the nice weather before heading back to the US of A. Along the drive back stopped to take photos of this cow as I loved the coloring.

He (or she) belongs to this bed and breakfast. I am not a fan of bed and breakfasts but this does almost look fun. A relaxing weekend in the Canada countryside.


I also stumbled upon another abandoned homestead. This one was really neat and again seemed sad that it was left to rot and fall.