Huskers

Cultural Experience/Realization #1: Nebraskans are addicted to Huskers football.

When I make that statement, those of you outside of Nebraska really don't understand the depth and extent to which I am referring. Really, you don't. I have been here a few weeks now, and I still don't understand the full parameters of Huskers football. For everyone else, let me explain. Nebraska doesn't have any professional sports teams. None. How many do we have in California? Well, which sport? Just in football alone, we have 4 professional teams, and five professional baseball teams. Not to mention many other teams from various sports, minor leagues, etc.

These poor Nebraskans so desperately want a team to be loyal to, dedicate their lives to, giving them a sense of purpose, but its just not there for them. So, the next best thing? College football. More specifically, University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

Walk into any store. Seriously, pick a store, and you will see countless men, women and children sporting either a Huskers shirt, sweatshirt, hat, or some form of red paraphernalia. It's amazing. The big red 'N' is everywhere. Every radio station gives hourly updates on the upcoming game, stats, player notices, or whatever they can think of to inform the listener. Houses proudly fly the flag on the front porch. BBQ's have a cover over them with the 'N' logo. License plate covers, stickers, furniture, billboards, flatware, pastries, everything boasts a Huskers affiliation!

A home game is the high point in their lives. (Lincoln is about 45 mins away). And everyone either hosts a party or attends a party in celebration of the game. Literally, EVERYONE!! If you so much as think, or breath that you aren't that into football, I'm pretty sure they would all lynch you and hang you from the nearest tree. Pretty sure that disliking football is treason here in the great state of Nebraska. At these parties, there are multiple T.V.'s, in multiple rooms. The children and womenfolk tend to stay inside or in the basement, and the menfolk congregate in the garage around the keg (can you guess where I usually migrate to?....) During the commercials, you are allowed to talk about what just happened, or Huskers/football in general. But during the play, you don't talk about anything other than the current play! You just don't. Food is very abundant at these shindigs, as well as backwoods hunters whose accent you can't differentiate between Kentucky or Mississippi.

If the Huskers lose, watch out. The night, day and weekend is literally ruined. People just go home and sulk. The bars are solemn. The roads are quiet. And Nebraska mourns. If the Huskers win, well it's an all-out celebration. The game gets re-told over and over again. Impressive passes, tackles and touchdowns are recounted with passion and commitment. The bars are full and rowdy. The sky lights up. And life for these Nebraskans is all worth while; the world is right again.

So how do I fit in? Well, not wanting to be lynched or hung, I am Nebraska's newest Husker fan! To prove my commitment, I am a proud owner of a red Huskers Snuggie, (thanks mom)! That's right! And I fully plan on sporting that thing when I am freezing my buns off at a home game in Lincoln. Since I am still processing this whole dynamic, I don't quite know what I think about it all. But, I think it's safe to say, that their childlike dedication and excitement is pretty precious. A slight smile rests on my face whenever we are watching the game, or at the store, as I look on at these dear fans. Oh, to be that involved and dedicated to a game of men running around on a field with a ball! Don't worry, if Nebraska has their way, I'll be a die-hard fan by the end of the season. And I'm strangely o.k. with that! When in Rome, right?!

The Drive

Day 1: Felton to Salt Lake City:
The morning of my departure got off to a teary start. Up until that morning, I hadn't cried at all about leaving. But seeing the family all lined up outside of the house was enough to get me a little sad. Some hugs, some tears, and mom and I are off! I have driven extensively throughout CA over the years, so the drive from San Jose to Reno had no 'new and exciting' factors for me. Moments of beauty, yes, but I've done it before. A stop at a Cabela's in Reno was mandatory (mainly to stir up jealousy amongst other family members...)
But I was anxious to get out of CA and into more unfamiliar territory, since that's what this adventure is all about! Getting out of CA means going through Nevada, which if you've ever been to or through this state, enough said. I don't want to bag on this state or give them the satisfaction of taking up space on here at all. Suffice it to say, we couldn't get through there fast enough. Since there's nothing to see or do between Reno and Salt Lake City, we trudged on and made it to Salt Lake by bed time. Wanting a decent hotel, we let the navigation device (of which I have a love/hate relationship with) lead us to a downtown spot. The result: 13th floor suite overlooking downtown and the surrounding region, down comforter, plush pillows, wet bar, balcony, and a beautiful bathroom, all for $90. What a steal!

Day 2: Salt Lake to Steam Boat Springs
We woke up to a stunning view of the city surrounded entirely by mountains, and very pleased with our find. Since the day before was such a long haul, there was no rush to get a move on, so it was off to find a breakfast spot featured on the show 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'. The Blue Plate Diner, known for their chicken fried steak and eggs benedict, loaded us up with one of each, in portions that hardly fit on the table. We chatted up the kooky waitress about dry counties and liquor rules and restrictions. The food was spectacular, and we left there full, and sympathetic for the poor Uthanians who can't enjoy booze as easily as the rest of us!

A drive through the downtown area to see the Tabernacle and a visit to Costco rounded out our time in Salt Lake City. From here, the ultimate goal was to see as much of Colorado as possible and to head to Boulder for some Tim time. So we took small, two lane roads that weaved in and out of the mountains and in and out of beautiful and desolate stretches. One realization this trip has given me, is that Fall is the most beautiful and perfect season to travel in! The colors are astonishing, everywhere! Reds, oranges, yellows, and greens interspersed all around. The weather is perfect, 50's-60's, not too hot and no real snow. And, it's the off season, so hotels are pretty empty and rates are much lower.

At the Pub where we had dinner, they had these old barrels stacked up with tables inside

We made it to Steam Boat Springs in time for dinner and decided to stop for the night. Steam Boat is an old mountain town, with a charming downtown area, endless ski trails, outdoor activities and beautiful holiday houses. We strolled around downtown, spent time in the Western Wear shop, and ate at a little pub. Since we were spoiled the night before, our hotel expectations were high, so we arrived at a brand new hotel for the night. Again, feather down beds, too many pillows, granite counter tops, a gym, and a scrumptious breakfast: $120! Fast asleep, recouping from days of driving, a sudden and piercing shriek jolted us out of bed. 3 separate and heart stopping fire alarms sounded throughout the night, waking us and scaring us. A call to the front desk confirmed that it was a false alarm.

Day 3: Steam Boat Springs to Boulder
Over breakfast the next morning, the front desk attendant apologized and told us that we would not be charged due to the disturbance the night before! Brilliant! I don't mind being woken up a few times, if it means that I don't have to pay!

Out of Steam Boat and into the mountains, we encountered our first bit of snow! Slowly crawled through the pass safely and enjoyed those quintessential Colorado views. Wow. Rivers, snow-capped mountains, fields of fall colors, wild life, ranches, farms and log cabins with smoke drawing lines out of the chimney. Colorado, I love you!

Another important stop was at a world renown toffee shop that mom has been dreaming about ever since her first taste some 40 years ago in Hawaii. Worth the stop! So, loaded up on toffee, we made our way to Boulder. Having spent a week in Boulder over the summer, I was a qualified tour guide of the city and showed mom the sights. Tim showed us his new apartment and took us to dinner at a local brewery, had some great laughs, caught up and enjoyed some tasty brew. Tim put us up for the night and once again proved to be the hospitable gentlemen that he truly is.



Day 4: Boulder to Omaha
Another late morning and another late start. But who cares, we're on vacation after all! Leaving the Rockies and heading for the planes makes for quite a contrast of sights between the rear view mirror and the front windshield! That John Denver is definitely not full of s@!# and the Rockies are indeed Rocky! It's another long stretch of not much to see, in between these two cities. One sight that kept us occupied was the sort of people who were sharing the freeway with us. Pick-up trucks, loaded down with camping gear, usually towing a small trailer for the four wheeler and in the bed of one truck, on top of all the gear, was a full rack of antlers, securely tied down! Now, this is what I'm talking about! I'm already feeling at home. Evening arrives and so do we! Home at last!


Over the next few days, mom and I explore Omaha and I get acquainted with my new surroundings. I am staying with The Saad and we are looking into either finding a two bedroom apartment or the possibility of him buying a house. Needless to say, we spent the weekend house hunting and going round and round the ramifications of both options. He gave himself the deadline of making a decision by friday, rent or buy. So stay close for an update. I put mom on the plane last night and am thankful and happy for the trip and time we had together.

I can't wait to get on with my new life here. Everything is so different, in a small town, mid-western sort of way. I feel like a cultural anthropologist, viewing so many new and unique displays of a culture yet to be analyzed! My senses are overloaded as I try to process it all and compare it to back home. Each day, and each experience, brings endless post options that could be written on this here blog, but that will have to wait. I have lots to share and lots to explain, so sit tight dear reader, as I settle in and start mingling with the laid back country folk.

It's official: Jason is Married!

MY BROTHER IS A MARRIED MAN!!! As our family is slowly decompressing from the chaos and flutter of this wedding, we occasionally will stop, look at each other and say 'Jason is MARRIED!!' Not sure how long it will take us to get used to that reality. We all witnessed him walking down the aisle, holding the candle, exchanging rings, wearing the crown, and the final kiss. But still, did that really just happen?? Seeing that massive and impressive ring on his finger will also take some getting used to, and is a constant reminder of this 'new man' he has become.

The wedding was a howling success. If there is something the Clausings know how to do well, it's parties, and this was no exception! We estimate that over 450 smiling faces were in attendance. Wow! That's a lot of people! What a marker of Jason and Sarah's impact on this little valley, that that many people were pushing to show up to this event! The yard got a face-lift in preparation, which is also pretty standard around here. Nothing like a wedding, party, visitors, or event to get us into gear and get things done! Rock walls, twinkle lights galore, a bar made from a 20 foot long beam, resurfaced tennis court, newly painted court fencing, and many other little details. Due to a surprising amount of perfectionist tendencies in this family, much time and thought went into even the smallest detail. We have a hard time settling for anything less than the highest standard, and even when time is running out, the phrase, 'that's good enough' is hard to swallow. As a result, it shows and people were astonished. Family and friends from out of town were blown away at the magnitude and beauty of it all.

But come monday morning, this house was dead. We mustered enough energy to take down the tables, chairs, table cloths, and everything else left behind. And Jason, in fine form and not to be out-done, showed up to help clean-up his own wedding. What a show-off! But when all was finished, we rested, ALL DAY! After a nap, we sat out on the porch couch. Then we came in for a some wedding leftovers (hint: always overshoot the expected number of people, and reap the benefit of leftovers!). Then it was back to the porch couch. Family members showed up, and joined us on the porch couch. Then into the house for more food. More sitting around. We didn't leave the property and hardly left the couch! With an event like that, I think it will take us a week to fully recover. It was all worth it. Especially to see the never-ending smiles on the bride and groom's faces!

Now, if only I could get used to the fact that Jason has a wife named Mrs. Clausing!!!