Life in Nebraska: A Yearly Update

Thanks for being so patient with my sporadic posts so far this month. Life has been incredibly busy, and I haven’t had a chance to write like I had hoped.

And speaking of this month, it marks 5 years since I moved to Nebraska, so now is a good time to update you on what’s been happening.

Where Did the Time Go?

First of all, I want to say: FIVE YEARS?! WHAT THE HELL! WHERE DID THAT TIME GO?

I often find myself calculating in my brain if 5 years have really passed; only to realize that they have. My oldest was in 5th grade when we got here, and he was the first class to be moved to the middle school.

This coming school year, he’ll be a sophomore in high school. (WTF!)

My youngest will be an 8th grader. (Double WTF!!)

Some days, all I can think is that it’s not possible for me to have two teenagers. Wasn’t I just 25, like, yesterday? My sense of humor definitely doesn’t scream middle-aged mom.

Then there are the days when my kids amaze and inspire me, and I can’t wait to see the humans they grow into. I’m proud to be the mother of such astounding young men.

My oldest is almost taller than me, and he loves pointing out how short I’m getting. That says a lot because I’m 5’9”.

Surviving Hardships

Life in Nebraska hasn’t been what I expected. There has been a lot of hardships and major life changes. For half of the time I’ve lived here, I have been divorced. Life has been turned upside down, and trying to figure out how to move forward and deal with the unexpected has pushed me to the brink.

There has been a lot of heartache. Not only with the humans in my life, but with my fur babies as well. But adding 5 years to their life will do that. As much as I want to believe they are still young (and trust me, I do), they aren’t. And that becomes more apparent with each passing year.

But I’m still here.

And I’ve learned a lot about myself.

That has probably been one of the best things that has happened since living here. The road to self-discovery hasn’t been easy, but the results speak for themselves.

I have found a job that I adore. I never imagined that I would enjoy being a teacher, but I do.

The best part is that not only do I get to teach college-level writing, but I also teach a literature class — and literature classes are the reason why I became an English major in the first place. I’m fully aware that most of my students don’t share my passion for critically reading stories, but that doesn’t stop my excitement.

The boys are coming into their own when it comes to school and grades, but they have faced some hardships of their own. As teenagers, it’s expected. We all do what we can to get through and make it to another day.

What the Future Holds

It’s hard to say what the future in Nebraska might hold, but right now, we’re getting by as best as we can. I wouldn’t say I’m loving it; there are more times I despise where I’m at, but it is what it is.

Time will continue to fly, and there will be good times and bad.

Life will continue to happen, and we’ll take it as it comes.

Life in Nebraska

It’s hard to believe that 3 months have passed since we moved to Nebraska. To be honest, it feels like it’s been a lot longer—but not in a bad way. We’ve been settling into our new lives, so I thought I would share our progress.

My family is from the Midwest (Iowa), so moving here wasn’t a culture shock. The weather and the humidity weren’t even an issue. I have to say, when I first got to Nebraska, the first thing I noticed was the smell. It’s a moist, earthy, vegetationy smell, almost mildewy, but it’s amazing. It reminds me of my childhood when we visited my grandparents. It brings me comfort.

I posted last week about my garden, and it’s getting to be that time of year when I’m doing my final harvest and letting the plants take their natural course. It’s fun going outside to pick the rest of my plants, and I’m looking forward to having another garden next summer.

The boys started football back in August, and things have been amazing. It keeps them busy, and we get to watch their games every Sunday. They’ve found some great friends to hang out with, and school seems to be going pretty well so far.

My oldest plays tackle in full pads.

My youngest plays flag football.

We’ve also been to the local swimming hole, as well as to the roller rink. I kid you not, I’m pretty sure the music playing at the rink was the same soundtrack that was playing when I was a kid and went skating. It was a lot of fun. I almost put on a pair of quads, but I ended up with blades. Maybe next time I’ll take a far trip down memory lane and put on the pair of quads…

The past 3 months have had their challenges, but we’re settling nicely into our new schedule. I’m looking forward to the future in Nebraska.