Ted Kooser Sighting

I realize this post will elevate my nerd status to an all time high, but I just have to share this....

On Monday I enjoyed a little writing time at The Mill in downtown Lincoln. I was deep in thought about my thesis (more about that later), I looked up from my computer screen and saw....TED KOOSER! If you don't know---Ted is one of our most famous Nebraska poets. In fact, he was the United States Poet Laureate from 2004-2006...and I happen to love him. This year I read his poetry collection Blizzard Voices, his prose book Local Wonders (I read that one twice), and his guide book The Poetry Home Repair Manual. This man is amazing. The first time I heard him read was in Kearney, and I cried. Most people my age don't cry when they see famous people...that's usually reserved for crazed 13 year old Justin Bieber fans. When I met him a few summers ago at UNL, I couldn't even get words out of my mouth. I just thrust my copy of the Poetry Home Repair Manual in his knobby hands. He looked at me for awhile and with a sweet voice asked me what my name was and scribbled, "For Danielle" and then signed his name.

Soon after arriving at The Mill he settled in for some writing. I wanted so badly to go talk to him. In fact, when I went to refill my coffee mug, I walked towards his table and had all intentions of stopping to tell him how much I appreciate his sense of observation, but when I saw that he was writing, I let him be. He looked so peaceful, sitting hunched over at the two person table, writing---I didn't want to interrupt that. So, instead---I hurried back to my table, drank my coffee, wrote, and watched Ted Kooser from the corner of my eye.

He didn't stick around long. After about 15 minutes of writing, he put his notebook in his pocket and headed out the door. I left soon after. On my way to my car, I composed a poem to remember the moment. It's nothing spectacular, but it will help me to remember the moment I wrote alongside Ted Kooser.

Ted Kooser Sighting
Today as I wrote at The Mill,
Nebraska writer and former Poet Laureate Ted Kooser walked in.
He walked to the bathrooms and nobody took notice.
I couldn't believe it.
I wanted to jump up and shout, "Ted Kooser everybody!"
Instead I posted on Facebook that he had walked by me...
and I thought how funny he would find that.

A writer in disguise---camel colored canvas jacket
with brown corduroy elbow patches and faded blue jeans.
He sat facing the front window with nothing but
a pocket-sized notebook and a pen.

A friend recommended that I take a picture with him.
I wanted to tap him on the shoulder and say,
Sorry to bother you Ted---
(I'd call him Ted because Mr. Kooser seems too stuffy for this ordinary, old man)
but I just wanted to say I'm a huge fan.
But he looked so peaceful---
sitting alone at that two-person table, writing.

I watched him work
and wondered if he rose early this morning to write
in that little library shack of his
with Buddy, his English Pointer, by his side.

I never spoke to him--
I left him alone.
I watched, and wondered, and wrote
content just to be near this ordinary, old man.

Flatwater Music Festival

On Saturday night we headed to Hastings to check out the Flatwater Music Festival held at Prairie Loft. A few weeks back, I had spotted a flier hanging in the charming Backalley Bakery. I scribbled the dates down in my pocket notebook, and after doing a little research, we decided to check it out. I have to say, I'm glad we attended.

The festival was more than just a concert---they had an art show, local vendors (including Thunderhead Brewery!), and classes taught by musicians from the different performing groups. We saw signs for classes on clogging, hamboning, yodeling, mandolin, and banjo...how cool is that?!?

We only attended the festival on Saturday night, but enjoyed every minute of it. We caught the tail end of the bluegrass band Two Thin Dimes (amazing!), and listened to Spring Creek (another incredible bluegrass band) and classic country band, Bonnie & The Clydes. Another highlight of the night was spotting a baby raccoon on a leash. I became infatuated with this unusual pet and had to go pet it---so we took pictures with the adorable raccoon.

If you're a music lover, consider attending next year's Flatwater Music Festival in Hatings; you won't be disappointed!

Our Weekend Get-Away

This summer has been a whirlwind. Nate completed 11 hours in only 6 weeks towards his Master's Degree, and I completed 9 more. We've also been planning for a missions trip to Poland. Needless to say, we haven't had a lot of time to enjoy each other's company. We also haven't done a good job of treating ourselves in our almost four years of marriage, so it's a goal of ours to do more of it (within a budget of course!). So..this weekend we packed up and headed to the Kearney/Grand Island area for the weekend (Nate was still in Lincoln, so we met in Kearney). We got a hotel room on Friday night, had dinner at Red Lobster (I LOVE their coconut shrimp!), and then went on a walk at Harmon Park (this is where Nate proposed to me!). The next morning we slept in, ate breakfast in bed, and then headed downtown.

Nate proposed to me in that gazebo five years ago!

Can't you tell that Nate is super excited?!?

I am a sucker for original shops, cafes, bakeries, etc. While strolling downtown we stumbled in to Tru Cafe, a cafe that serves breakfast and lunch dishes made from fresh, organic, and local ingredients. They also serve great beers and Nebraska wines.

A view from "The Bricks"...notice the detail on top of the pillars....

My egg salad sandwich and Nate's chicken salad wrap...both were delightful.

The inside is so charming!

This is probably my favorite part of the restaurant. They have this piano situated on the sidewalk in front of the store for people to play. I love that Tru Cafe and Kearney are supporting and encouraging music-making.

***

After we ate lunch, we headed down the road to Hastings, Nebraska. I hadn't been to Hastings in about ten years, and a friend of ours and former teacher at OHS is moving to this community next month to start a new teaching job. He just scored a beautiful loft in the downtown area above The Back Alley Bakery. I had read about this place in a Nebraska Life magazine a few months back, so I was eager to try it out. This place creates natural artisan breads that are unprocessed and use as many organic and local ingredients as possible. This is not frozen bread dough that is popped in the oven, people. The grain is ground right there in the store. We bought a loaf of the three-pepper cheddar and it was delicious! They also serve Lincoln's own Cultiva coffee. Again, another charming small, town shop that is worth the stop!

The Cup

As always, I've enjoyed my time in Lincoln this summer. I've made it a point to visit different area hot-spots over the past five weeks. One of these is The Cup. It's a quaint bakery/restaurant on 25th and Randolph. Their food is wholesome, nutritious, and made with as many local ingredients as possible. I've had their sandwiches, salads, and muffins, but never tried their homemade cupcakes. So today I purchased a carrot-pecan cupcake for myself and a vegan chocolate chip pecan cookie for my husband...both were delicious! It's a great atmosphere--and they play fantastic music (Iron and Wine is currently seeping from the speakers). I encourage you to check out this place next time your in the capital city.

Platte River State Park

This Saturday I was reminded how important it is to take in the simple pleasures of life. First, my husband took the time to make me whole wheat blueberry pancakes topped with fresh strawberries and blueberries along with turkey bacon and coffee. If you know me at all, you know that this is my kind of meal! We took our time waking up and even watched the movie "Once" (more to come about this movie later) before we decided to venture east to Platte River State Park near Louisville, Nebraska. It was hot, muggy, and the mosquitoes were terrible---but the park was breathtaking. We hiked for a few hours pausing to snap a few photos along the way. We made sure to wade in the creek and later came head to head with two rather large deer. Despite my body being covered in mosquito bites, I loved every minute of this small trip. I am constantly amazed at how much Nebraska has to offer. This park is certainly one of those hidden gems.

This small day trip was so enjoyable and reminds me of how important it is
to take time to do this. My husband and I both devote so much time our jobs--too much time--it's our goal to strike a better balance next school year, to take more one day trips like this one!

In response to "So This Is Nebraska"

Today in my English 9 classes we journaled in response to Ted Kooser's poem "So This Is Nebraska." I used the poem as a springboard to talking about our place--Ogallala, Nebraska. I try to journal with the kids, so here is what I wrote:

"I hate this place," a student declared after we read "So This Is Nebraska" by Ted Kooser. How do I get my students to love this place where rolling hills and bluffs exist--this place where cactus and sunflowers line 10th Street? I love this place and its people. I love the small hardware store that smells of sawdust and nails. I love walking into Hokes Cafe, the bell on the door ringing as it slams shut, where as soon as you walk into the restaurant heads turn to see who has just come in. I love Friday night football games and Thursday night volleyball where people from town gather no matter their differences, no matter what their opinion is on the school bond. When I think of my place I think of cowboy boots and jet skis. I think of the skatepark that sits in the middle of town--an oddity for a town just barely over 5,000 that is dominated by spurs and chaps. Yet it's a beautiful sight to see kids skating in this town--it reminds me of the youth--the people who can make this town great if they only try.

Nebraska: The Good Life

Yesterday Nate and I decided to take a spur of the moment trip out west. Neither of us had seen Chimney Rock before and were itching to do some hiking but didn't plan it soon enough to head to Colorado. We did some research on Thursday night and planned our trip. We were going to stop at Chimney Rock near Bayard, then head to Scotts Bluff National Monument near Gering/Scottsbluff, and then head out to Wild Cat Hills which is about 8-10 miles south of Gering. Chimney Rock was neat, I love history...especially Nebraska history, so it was enjoyable to walk through the small museum and then actually see the rock that was so vital for settlers travelling via the Oregon Trail.

After seeing Chimney Rock we headed to Scotts Bluff National Monument. Man...it was gorgeous. It was hard to believe that this breathtaking view was in Nebraska. We drove to the top of the monument and then hiked a good majority of the way down and then back to the top. We would have liked to hiked the entire way up and down, but we had the dog with...Sampson doesn't like hiking. Next time we go we'll leave Sampson at home! We almost saw Rattle Snakes, too! We were on our way to another trail at SBNM when a family coming off the trail warned us that there were Rattle Snakes just a few yards from the trail head. I wanted to go take a photo of them, but Nate didn't think it was a good idea (he has the brains in the relationship while I bring the spontaneity!)






Finally we headed to Wild Cat Hills which are maintained by the Nebraska Game and Parks. This park was equally breathtaking. We tried to take Sampson on our first hike, but the trail was a bit difficult for him. In fact, he tried to jump off of a rock and biffed it pretty bad :) So we put him back in the car and hiked for about 3 miles on some pretty great trails. We did grab him out of the car to do a quick photo shoot!




All in all, it was a great trip...we spent an entire day being active together in God's beautiful creation, right in our own state. Nebraska really is a great place to live!

Nebraska

Last semester I attended a New Teacher Workshop Series at ESU 16. If we attended all of them, the ESU gave us a sub for two days so we can observe area teachers. So, today I drove to Thedford, Nebraska to observe a Language Arts teacher (Jane) at Thedford-Sandhills High School/Junior High. One of the staff developers at the ESU recommended that I visit Jane's classroom and I am so glad I did! She is a great teacher who is balancing quite the load. She is teaching 7-12 English, is the yearbook advisor, and is coaching speech. She has also played a huge part in implementing a school-wide reading intervention program called FAME. She also has a family and drives nearly 40 miles one way, everyday, to work! This woman was truly inspiring to me!

Thedford is 2 hours Northeast of Ogallala and is in Central Time, so it really was quite the trek. To put it into perspective, Thedford is only 45 min. from Valentine, Nebraska and is only 15 minutes from Halsey (another Nebraska gem). However, the scene was breathtaking. I wish I could say that I took these photos...I did not. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me. These photos are pulled from the internet, but they are all things I saw today. It was even more gorgeous because there was a thin layer of white snow covering the Sandhills. Nebraska is truly an underappreciated state. Moving out west has really opened my eyes to the hidden wonders of Nebraska.

The drive up and back was so relaxing. It reminded me of how much I love driving :) I was able to listen to some great music, think without interruption, and spend some good time in prayer. It is so hard to take time to do all of these things in "normal" life...but today made me realize how important it is to make time for these.

Anyway...time to get ready for bed :) Enjoy the photos!