Politics

I know I've shared a lot of political stuff lately, and usually I try to stay away from politics (especially on social media!), but this is something I feel very strongly about. Since this is my blog, I will take a moment to tell you how I feel.

I'm all for having a female president, but the current democratic nominee is literally one of the worst things that could happen to our country right now. She and those who support her are proven criminals and liars. The blood of multiple Americans is on her hands now, and if she takes office, there will be many more American lives lost. By law, as a person guilty of federal crimes, she actually isn't even eligible to run for president...yet somehow, here she is. Of course, the path to getting there is strewn with staff members and associates who have mysteriously died or gone missing...and let's not even bring up her husband's presidential scandals.

Is the alternative option great? Not really...but he's a whole lot better than her. He is bigoted and sexist, sometimes petty, and has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. However, he doesn't owe anybody anything and hasn't been "bought" by anyone. He says what he feels, and he feels strongly about America. He still believes in the American dream, supports our military, and isn't afraid to be politically incorrect.

Here's the deal. There hasn't been a president elected who didn't belong to the major parties (Republican and Democrat) since the founding fathers. One of these people is going to become our next president, and no amount of burying our heads in the sand will change that.

#3 getting into the patriotic spirit!

Of course, the vote of the people isn't really that important anymore - the votes of the other people we have voted into various political offices is really what will make the decision. But we, as the American people, have the right and the responsibility to make ourselves heard, to voice our opinions and beliefs, and to rise up against evil and injustice in our country.

This year's election is a very difficult decision for some people. I ask that you take time to pray about what you should do, but please do not, under these circumstances, do nothing.

Happy Independence Day!

You, me, and #3

Happy Independence Day! Today we celebrate the birth of our nation and the freedoms that we enjoy in our great country. However, those freedoms are not free. They have been and continue to be purchased for us by the men and women who sacrifice of themselves, sometimes their very lives. To our service members and veterans, thank you...and may we never forget the price of our independence. 

Presenting Our Tribute Truck!

Our employers, US Xpress, are starting a new initiative toward hiring more veterans and service members. As a part of this program, they have commissioned six new trucks, wrapped in decals honoring branches of the military and our nation's independence. We are honored to announce that we were among those chosen to drive one of these trucks!

Our new truck, honoring the Coast Guard

They did a very nice job wrapping these trucks in decals, plus there's some new technology on the trucks.

Some of the other trucks

 We are honored to be a part of this program and excited to see where the future leads!

Our official picture!

Happy Father's Day!

Hubby and I, with our families

As thankful as I am for all the family that God has blessed us with, I am very thankful for our dads. My dad has been very influential in helping me become the person I am today. He is respected in his field of expertise and loved by his family, and he loves the Lord with all his heart. My father-in-law is also a strong man of God. He is a man of good character, one that my husband and I look up to and value his wisdom. We are very thankful for our fathers' involvement in our lives, both during our childhoods and now in our adult years. The blessing of a Godly dad cannot be overstated and is one of the great joys of our lives. Thank you, dads, for being there for your families!

Life Lately

G. W. Bridge, New York

Whew... Life has been crazy lately! It's been awhile since I posted here last, so I'll just give a quick rundown of some of our adventures. Let's see...

There was the load that we tried to deliver in the middle of a thunderstorm, only to be told that the facility was on a lightning lock down and couldn't unload us. We returned the next day and had to navigate a long gravel driveway under about a foot of water to get to the facility, which turned out to be a solar farm surrounded by cornfields!

There was the time we had to pass through New York City on Interstate 95, on the Friday before Memorial Day. Keep in mind, we never left the interstate, but it still took us about 5 hours to travel maybe 15 miles. I greatly detest stop-and-go traffic...

Downtown Boston 

There's been multiple runs between Columbus, OH and Boston, MA. We've come to know that route very, very well.

We both got sick again in the past week. Don caught a bad cold first and was unable to breathe for a few days. Then I caught it, and my body tried to flush it out, so I got to experience the joys of puking in a shopping bag while in a moving truck [again]. We're finally starting to recover now.

Camping with the kids

We recently took a small vacation and went camping. Don has kids from a previous marriage that live several states away, so we don't get to see them very often, but we made the drive out there and took them camping for a few days. It was a great time and we made some very good memories. We wish we could see them more often, but for now, we'll be thankful for the times we have.

Well, that about wraps things up for now. Hope y'all are doing well. Drive safe!

Happy Mother's Day!

My wonderful mothers

Today we celebrate and honor our mothers. In this I am doubly blessed - I have a wonderful mother that I was blessed with at birth and another wonderful mother I was blessed with at marriage! Both of these mothers are incredible blessings to my hubby and me. Let me tell you a little about these amazing ladies.

My lovely mama

My mama is probably the most cheerful person I've ever known. No matter the situation, even if she's feeling down or discouraged, she manages to find and focus on something positive. She makes being flexible and adapting to various situations look easy, and she stays calm even in the midst of crises. She is kind to everyone, and even the grocery store cashiers and post office clerks know her by her smile. She sets a good example for me and other young ladies to follow by modeling Godly womanhood.

I have so many good memories with my mother. As a child, she was my mommy and my teacher; as an adult, she is my confidante, mentor, and best friend. Relationships change as do peope, but I am so thankful that my relationship with my mama has stayed strong despite the miles between us!

My lovely mother-in-law

And yet, not only am I blessed to have a great relationship with my mama, but then the amazing man I married gave me another wonderful mother! My mother-in-law is kind and generous, another beautiful example of Godly womanhood. She has always been caring and sensitive to me and welcomed me into her family. The more I get to know her, the more I love her and thank God for her. She is a tireless prayer warrior, active in her church and community, and a model of God's love to everyone who knows her. I am so thankful for both of my wonderful mothers!

So today I want to honor both of my mothers, as well as the kind ladies that have befriended and mothered me along the way. I also want to honor several of my friends who have recently become mothers and are doing a wonderful job of raising their bundles of blessings. Happy Mother's Day, from my heart to yours!

The Latest Adventures

#3 falling asleep in the drivers seat

It's been a couple weeks since I posted last, and boy have we had some adventures! One thing you can say about trucking: it's pretty much never boring!

Let me back up. Our truck is a 2016 Freightliner Cascadia. All vehicles have their quirks, of course, but this truck has had a gremlin in it since we first got it. It was brand new at the time, with plastic on the seats and 7 miles on the odometer, but within the first week it did something a bit odd. While driving down the road, the dashboard suddenly went blank and all the gauges died. The truck continued to operate normally, but with no way of knowing its speed, fuel level, rpms, or anything else, we immediately pulled over and shut it down. A few minutes later we started it back up and everything ran normally.

It's done this a handful of times since then, always the same way. The gremlin also shows his ugly head periodically by cancelling our cruise control, telling us the brakes won't work for a few seconds, and randomly flashing varios warning lights on the dashboard. We've put the truck in our company shop a few times, but they cant seem to find anything wrong with it.

Fast forward to last week, when we were driving through Wyoming and the whole truck suddenly shut itself off. This time it wasn't just the gauges - the engine died too. Next thing I know, I'm coasting uphill and rapidly losing speed! I got the truck pulled over and safely stopped and turned the key off in the ignition. After a few moments' discussion, we turned it on again and the truck fired back up like normal.

We made our delivery in Chicago then put it in the company shop again. This time they took us seriously and put us in a hotel for the weekend (at no expense to us!) while they tried to figure out the problem. They were on the brink of giving us a different truck and taking ours to a nearby Freightliner dealership when they tried a new idea and seemed to have it fixed. We took our truck back out on the road, and it hasn't shut down the gauges or engine since then, but the gremlin is still there, regularly flashing dashboard lights at us. He's probably sticking out his tongue at the same time. We'll see what happens. If it shuts down on us again, I will be on the point of demanding a different truck. It's a scary thing!

Oregon was beautiful 

We've had some very scenic drives lately. The run from Seattle, Washington to Sacramento, California is one of the most beautiful drives we have taken in a long time! In the Midwest, trees are in bloom, and the South is full of vibrant spring greenery. I love seeing the colors of the seasons, and springtime fills me with such gladness and celebration of new life.

In other news, we recently were stopped in Indiana by an accident that screwed up traffic for several hours! We didn't see the accident, but we heard all about it on the CB radio. It seems that a flatbed truck swerved to miss another vehicle and jackknifed, flipping over and spilling his load everywhere. Afterwards, apparently the driver was so shaken that he was in shock and unable to climb down from the flipped truck. He sat on that truck until they finally brought out a boom crane and lifted him down! Once he was on the ground, a wrecker crew was able to flip his truck back over and clear the roadway.

Meanwhile, we were sitting in a rest area that happened to be right where we had stopped in traffic. While there, we struck up conversation with several other drivers also waiting out the traffic jam. Even some car drivers came to join us as we stood in the parking lot chatting about trucking, life, and everything under the sun. It's always interesting to hear other drivers' experiences and perspectives, and we can all learn something from each other. The time passed relatively pleasantly until the interstate was cleared and we were able to get back on the road.

Spring in Tennessee 

Talking to the other drivers and the car people made me think about the last 8 months of trucking. It has been challenging, at times frustrating, at other times discouraging; yet there have been new experiences we could never have gained any other way. We've been able to see most of the country, we've spent a lot of time together, and we've reconnected via phone calls with people that are important to us. It's been good for our relationship too, teaching us to communicate and work as a team. I'm certainly looking forward to when we come off the road and settle down, but this has certainly not been a waste of time. We're meeting our financial goals and improving our marriage at the same time, and for that I will always be grateful.

Drive safely, friend.