Happy New Year!!
This post is coming a little late due to some busy weeks spent traveling and hanging out with fam for the holidays. But, I can’t wait to share all of the cool stuff we saw in Nebraska over Thanksgiving!
First of all, there was SNOW! So much snow it made my Florida heart so happy I couldn’t even contain my excitement. Between experiencing my first blizzard in Colorado, to driving 7 hours in 5 degree weather on icy roads (and seeing jack-knifed semis for the first time)… to experiencing all the good Nebraska native restaurants, you could say I had quite the week of firsts.
I’ll start with the car ride from Denver, CO to Milford, NE. 4 of us (plus the cutest lil pup) piled into a Jeep early Wednesday morning to start the journey. Once we passed the Nebraska state line I got to experience Casey’s (and all of the covenant treats they have– I must say the pizza was pretty perfect on a cold morning). Then we headed into Milford, which is Austin’s *very small* hometown. It’s funny to think about how different it was growing up in Jacksonville, FL (duuuuuval). I loved driving around town to see all the spots where he hung out with friends and went to school. I got to do the same with him when he came to spend Christmas in Florida 🤗.
Thanksgiving day was filled with amazing food, people and lots of games. I learned how to play Yahtzee and now Austin tells everyone I’m obsessed with it lol.
I just like to practice so that I can win, okay?!
We spent Black Friday shopping at Cabela’s… another first for me 😂. Austin also makes fun of the fact that I thought we were going to some Italian restaurant when he said Cabela’s. Hey, in Florida it’s just Bass Pro and I’ve still never even been in one of those… #citygirlprobs.
Saturday we made it back into Lincoln to do a little exploring. There wasn’t as much snow on the ground as there was in Colorado but it was extremelyyyy chilly that day. I was told that Nebraska winters were more more of a “wet cold” but I thought Florida humidity would kind of prepare me… I mean, I grew up in *North* Florida so it should be fine right?
Nope. Cold. Really cold.
After freezing outside at Lincoln Station, we warmed up in an old dairy factory-turned office building named “The Creamery” with a homemade ice cream parlor. Ivanna Cone (cute, right?) was definitely worth freezing for. With such a cool vintage vibe, I felt like I was sitting inside Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe (for any Riverdale fans out there who get the reference). The ice cream was creamy and delicious with a slightly different texture than the ol run-of-the-mill Ben & Jerry’s pint. It was the perfect afternoon snack before heading back outside into the light snow that had started to fall.
Next we wandered around the streets filled with amazing artwork for a little while. There were some really unique pieces, including a huge sculpture of two hands painted in a Van Gogh Starry Night fashion. Before heading back to the car, Austin and I stopped in a small shop to of course find a postcard/sticker for my desk. It just happened to be Small Business Saturday that day so it was perfect! We hit almost all of the local spots that Austin insisted I see. I was definitely not disappointed.
Before heading back we did some sightseeing from the warmth of the car and drove around the The University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus. I snapped some photos of the football stadium as we drove up and down the road (poor Austin is used to me needing multiple different shots). It’s always interesting to see the colleges in other states. I didn’t get the whole historic brick buildings, small college town feel at UCF. I mean, Lincoln is a pretty large city so I guess I can relate to that, but still the campus was old and beautiful!
We also got a peek at the Nebraska State Capitol, and then there was just one more place Austin we insisted we stop at before we headed back to Milford…
The OG D’Leon’s Mexican Food!
I don’t think a chicken burrito has ever tasted so good. Maybe because it was warm? But also because the tortilla was handmade, the chicken was seasoned and juicy, and I just wish I had been hungry enough to eat a whole one. I want to go back to Lincoln just to eat it again. The Mexican food in Florida just isn’t the same.
We spent that night at a Christmas Parade in another small town called Seward. I love Christmas lights and hot chocolate, especially when it actually feels like Christmastime outside. I will say I had about 14 layers on but I was happy! (I was even happier to have some warm Italian food after the parade at Valentino’s lol). We ate alllllll the good NE food. My stomach was always full and I was just excited to be back in Austin’s home state! It was such a successful trip, even if it did include an 8 hour car ride back to Colorado and a red eye back to Orlando (lol rip). Nebraska, I can’t wait to be back!
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Side note: I’ve also noticed that I am the worst about remembering to take pictures of restaurants we stop at or the food I order. Good thing this isn’t a food blog! 😅 I’ll stick to my landscape pictures and just provide some lists for where we eat, how’s that?
- Pizza Kitchen in Milford, NE
- Ivanna Cone in Lincoln, NE
- D’Leon’s in Lincoln, NE
- Valentino’s in Seward, NE
- Runza (everywhere in NE)
Happy Holidays, New Year and everything else!
K
Kaila's Camera 