The Legendary Saturday and Other Adventures

Hey guys! Sorry I have been absent for a while. Jordan and I have been really busy lately with...everything. Over Labor Day weekend, Jordan and I drove up to Alliance, Nebraska to see my brother, his wife and their four kids. It was really fun, but we were also really glad to be back home. Traveling isn't so fun most of the time (sitting in a car for the majority of the day); it didn't really help that I was sick the whole time and VERY tired. In the end, though, it was totally worth it and I loved building some memories with Jordan out West. The picture on the right is of me and my second youngest niece, Grace. She is the most pure soul I have ever met and she really makes me understand what life is all about. She is so innocent and adorable, she really likes Aunt Sara.

This weekend had what Jordan likes to call "The Legendary Saturday". We traded in his Dart for a Dodge Ram Power Wagon and he is super excited. We have been planning this for about two months and I'm glad we could make it happen. We fought really hard for them to take over the remaining payoff on the Dart and get us a good deal on the truck and they came through! We went to Sarpy County Motors because that's where our dream truck was living. Now, it has a brand new home in our apartment parking lot :)


Before we went to buy the truck, we had a nice birthday lunch with my dad because it was his birthday! We also signed the papers for our land agreement and bought the acreage from my dad! We are so excited. My dad got a nice birthday lunch and a nice little payment for the 22 acres we bought from him. I put the deed papers in the mail today and can't wait to hear back from Lancaster County! It's really exciting to be doing things all by ourselves and I feel like we're really reaching our goals for the future.

After our lunch, we headed over to Sarpy County Motors in Springfield, NE and took our future truck for a test drive. Jordan knew it was the exact tool we needed to start making major moves on the acreage and I'm glad we could strike a deal that worked for us. While we were at the dealership, the owner asked us about our plans for the game. We said we would probably watch it at home and he gave us 2 tickets to that night's game! I really love Nebraska during the fall, everyone goes to the games and comes together on Fridays and Saturdays to celebrate the Huskers. Everyone wears red no matter what they're doing that day. It just feels like home when Husker Football season is in full effect.
Fun fact about our journey to the Husker game, the parking garage that we parked in was so bumpy and inclined that my car sloshed radiator coolant onto the warm radiator and started steaming right as we were parking. It freaked me out so we left the game at the start of the 4th quarter to see if anything was really wrong with my radiator. Everything was fine, but it really surprised me. I guess I won't be parking in that parking garage ever again. Way to confusing and bumpy.
On Sunday, Jordan spent his morning sleeping (surprise) while I went for a nice fall morning run. Then, Jordan spent the rest of his day relaxing and working on his truck to make a few improvements. I seriously so glad we could work it out and get Jordan what he wanted/needed to work on the acreage. It truly is a truck that we can use for the rest of our time out in Firth. I am so excited that this truck found us! And, that we were fortunate enough to buy it. I think I'm just happy because we had a "Legendary Saturday". This whole budget thing isn't so bad when you have nice little surprises that pop up now and then.

A Weekend of Homemade

This weekend, we decided to stay in and save some money. However, we did try to sell a few things off our acreage in order to clear the land a bit. The land we have is my father's, but we are getting ready to buy it and put a house on it! It's very exciting and also very daunting; especially when I go out there and see all the work that needs to be done. In the end, I know it will be worth it. Learning to love the process is the hardest part for me.

Friday night, I made Jordan and I a special dinner to celebrate us making it to Friday; I like to celebrate the little things. We had chicken parmesan with spaghetti and garlic toast. Jordan felt pretty spoiled. After that, we went on a really long walk around our neighborhood and watched some Mad Men.

Saturday, we met a few people in buying some things off our farm (and old trailer and a truck). No luck, but we met a very nice shop teacher that seems to be a lot like Jordan and I. The thing I like most about people from small towns is that they are kind and usually very helpful. Below is a picture of a '57 Bel Air on our acreage. I just love taking pictures of all the sunbaked metal that we have on our 23 acres. That place is seriously a jungle, but also holds so much wonder for me every time I visit.

Sunday, I decided to make something special for Jordan's lunches the rest of the week and also have a really nice Sunday night dinner. I made Irish stew and Irish soda bread from Bob's Red Mill. We really love Irish soda bread and Bob's Red Mill products never let me down. I have all his gluten free flours/meals and I use them for all my baking needs. I feel so much better about making and eating muffins, brownies and cookies when they are made with quality ingredients that are also good for my body. Anywayyyy...I made the stew in our 7 quart crockpot that I got at my bridal shower (I can thank my sister-in-law for that one). I added canned peas and corn, stew meat from Hyvee, diced red skin potatoes, sliced fresh carrots and beef broth. Further into the cooking, I took some of the sauce from the Crockpot and added a few tablespoons of cornstarch to give it more of a stew-like consistency.
The stew was a hit with Jordan and he is really excited to bring it for his lunches this week. He really likes to bring homemade food he can easily heat up at work and have a nice little break in the middle of his day. I also like knowing that he is eating something he enjoys and at least part of his day is going well (read: that he is eating something that is fairly good for him). The Irish soda bread was a little dry, but I assume that is how it has always been made. Next time I will add some applesauce or extra vegetable oil to the mix as it seemed to crumble apart. I advise that if you make it, eat it with a napkin or plate underneath. You'll thank me later ;) All in all, Jordan was quite impressed with the meal. I made the bread on Saturday night and had the stew in the Crockpot all day and he still couldn't guess what I was scheming up. He really likes surprises and isn't as nosy as I am, so he doesn't analyze things as much as I do. This coming week, I will try to take better pictures and improve my blogging skills. I am always a work in progress.

Budgets and Blogging

This month, Jordan and I have kicked off what I would call our "joint budget". I have created a savings plan for us and outlined all our joint expenses per month, then we work with whatever we have at the end of the month for fun activities. Honestly, it is a little depressing to scrimp so much; especially when you are so used to going out to eat on a Friday night to relax and going to movies twice a week. We have slimmed our budget down a bit in order to put away a hefty sum into savings each month; and honestly, I would rather have the financial security over a fleeting $40 meal each week.

So, we have cut down our "eating out" to twice a week (usually on weekends) and we try to only go to $5 movies on Tuesdays at our local movie theatre. Going places is such a big part of our relationship that I hate to take it all away just because we have a strict budget. We seem to find ways to make our own fun.

We are starting to relish in our time away from home and find little ways to save money here and there. This weekend, Jordan and I washed his car at his parents house (for free, compared to $7 at the local Power Wash) and made dinner at home all weekend. Jordan's family doesn't like to save like my family did when I was growing up, so he is still learning when/how to save money like I do. He gets really excited when he saves a good deal of money and loves to tell me about it.

Saturday we went out to Don and Millie's for lunch so I could have a taco salad. It was delicious! It's honestly always good at Don and Millie's. The service is great, cashiers are friendly and the food is consistently yummy. Plus, you can't beat the music and margaritas.
Then we went to Firth (my hometown) to see my dad and check on the acreage. After that, we washed Jordan's car and went back home to watch some Mad Men. It was a really nice sort of lazy Saturday. I made garlic chicken with brown rice for dinner, but had it half devoured before I even thought to take a picture. I'll eventually get this whole blogging thing down... (Refer to picture on the right of 75% eaten taco salad).

On Sunday morning, I went for a run around our neighborhood and came home for some cereal. Nothing like getting outside in the morning breeze to wake you up and make you feel refreshed. Jordan and I watched Rockford Files (his new Netflix obsession) and got ready to go to Red Mango (a Sunday ritual we sometimes follow) and used our $5 reward to get some fro-yo. Red Mango is honestly our most favorite place to get frozen yogurt. We have tried every other place in Lincoln that is popular and we still return to Red Mango every time. We really like to treat ourselves with froyo :) After our froyo lunch, we took a little detour to check out a place Jordan would like to start getting his hair cuts. It's called The Straight Edge in downtown Lincoln. We've heard good things and Jordan is ready to start getting haircuts he actually likes. I love going on little adventures with Jordan and trying new things.

All in all, our weekend was pretty great. Equal parts relaxing and eventful. Hope all of you made the most of your weekend and rested up for the workweek ahead!

Lincoln Restaurant Week

I decided to start a blog because my life has decidedly taken a more interesting turn. I decided to name is "Indecisive and Insatiable" because I feel like those two words describe me very well. I can never decide what I want to do/eat/buy or say. I have an insatiable appetite for life and food. I like to try new things and explore new avenues. I believe it is good to constantly broaden your horizons. Just to update you on my current life: I am engaged, planning a wedding, moving into my fiance's apartment and trying to start building a house. I hope to not be so busy that I can't post weekly on here and I will try my best. Hopefully my life is interesting enough to read about. I will try to post pictures with each post and keep you updated on my constantly changing life.

This weekend is actually full of events. All week I was looking forward to trying a not-so-new restaurant that has been in Lincoln for a couple years now and is also participating in Lincoln Restaurant Week.


Jordan and I heard about Lincoln Restaurant Week when it first started a few years ago. This year, the event is really starting to take off and many restaurants around Lincoln are opting into this fun week for Lincoln residents. Many of the restaurants "enrolled" in this special week are more upscale restaurants. They offer a three-course menu where you can get an appetizer, entree and dessert for either $19.99 or $29.99 per person, depending on which menu, restaurant or special entree you choose. It's a great way to try a new restaurant (or restaurants) that you have been wanting to visit but never got around to visiting. I think Jordan loves it because it's a pretty easy date and he can take me to a nice place, but doesn't have to pay out his butt just for a full dinner. PLUS, you get the most perfectly portioned dessert at the end, since it's a three-course menu. You get a taste for the restaurant, but never get too full to enjoy each bite.

So tonight, we headed to Issara. Jordan has been wanting to go to this place since it opened. (He actually tried to take me there for my 21st birthday dinner, but I really wanted pizza and a mojito that night) We have been really interested in Asian Fusion and wanted to see what they offered, so we went! We took my sister-in-law with us as well since she was visiting for the weekend. Issara was amazing. Their portions were much more than adequate and we loved all the flavors. We ordered one of each item on the LRW menu and had a feast. In short, we got some cute rangoons, Tom Kha soup and Thai rolls as the appetizer; pad thai, duck and crab fried rice as the main dishe; coconut ice cream, jalapeño cheesecake and mango sticky rice for dessert. Everything was sensational and the service was amazing; very receptive to all our needs.

I highly recommend going to Issara. Although LRW is only once a year for one week, I highly recommend taking advantage of the lower prices and tasting menus that many of Lincoln's higher end restaurants offer during this time. Jordan and I have gone for two years in a row and it never disappoints. I have attached a link below so you can check out their website and go next year (I realize this post is a little late, but nonetheless informative).