Weather Woes

Cascade Mountains, Washington

Fraulein Maria may have included "snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes" in her list of favorite things, but they are certainly not on my list. In fact, I'm pretty much tired of snow in general!

It's been a few weeks since I last blogged...and boy, do we have some stories! It's been a crazy few weeks, with weather, mountains, new states, and new experiences.

Did you hear about the huge storm that slammed the East coast a couple weeks ago? Thankfully we weren't stuck in it, but we did get sent to Connecticut shortly afterwards. The interstates were clear, though local roads were still in bad condition.

Snowy trees in Wisconsin 

However, from there we went straight down to Richmond, Virginia...by way of New York and New Jersey! And of course, I made a wrong turn and ended up going right through the Bronx. Let me tell you, not a fun experience! We made it through that, but when we dropped south into Maryland, the road conditions changed drastically. Maryland was not prepared to handle the volume of snow they received, and they were still working to clear the interstates. There were plow trucks with no warnings and accidents caused by slick road surfaces, not to mention that the outside lanes kept disappearing under snow!

We finally got down to Virginia, and conditions improved slightly. When we got to our shipper location, however, they had no signs or markings on or around their building and we unintentionally passed it. Thinking to loop around the block and come back, I turned at the next intersection...only to find myself on a narrow, 2 lane country road lined with houses. After 5 miles, we finally found a local church and cemetery with a large snow-covered parking lot. It was nerve-wracking, but we got ourselves turned around and headed back in the right direction! We eventually got back to the shipper, but since we had been slowed down by the weather, it was 11pm and they had all gone home for the night! Sighs...

Recently, we were stuck in Wisconsin about 24 hours due to a cracked windshield. Another vehicle had thrown up a rock, and what started as a tiny chip grew rapidly in the frigid air until it nearly reached top to bottom on the driver's side. Of course, the local glass repair technicians were out of our model of windshield until the next day!

Snoqualmie Pass, Washington 

Last week, we were assigned a load from Columbus, OH to Seattle, WA. We ran into a few snowstorms on the way out there, and some slightly concerning mountain passes, but for the most part we were doing fine until we hit Snoqualmie Pass. Now, the Cascade Mountains receive one of the highest annual snowfalls in the world. The Snoqualmie Pass is far from being the steepest or narrowest pass we've ever driven, but it was under 6-8 feet of snow! The interstate literally wound between walls of snow on each side. A recent snowfall had left slush and ice on the road, making the pass especially nerve-wracking!

From Seattle, they sent us back to Michigan. We had to stop for about 12 hours in North Dakota due to high winds, the kind that threaten to knock a grown man off his feet. Another bad snowstorm hit us in northern Indiana, but after many several delays we finally made it to Detroit. That city is one of the few places we have traveled through while trucking where I have actually felt very uncomfortable. I was glad to leave that city and head back down to Ohio...only to be given another load, this time heading to Sacramento, CA! We've already stopped twice on this load due to snow and ice. We'll see how it goes.

Stay safe out there!

A Few Good Songs

Today is my birthday, and if you've followed me in the blog world before, you may know I have a tradition of posting some of my favorite music on my birthday. Enjoy! :)

Bluegrass Gospel







Contemporary Worship







Hymns

So Far 2016

Sunrise over Flagstaff, Arizona 

Well, we're a few weeks into the new year. Already several celebrities have died, the stock market has plummeted, several intense storms have hit the country, and we continue to discuss  (with no small amount of trepidation) who our next president may be. On a personal note, after spending a drill weekend outside in snow and subzero temperatures, I came down with a persistent cold.

Sheesh. Not a very cheerful January so far.

Good thing we know who is ultimately in control, right? 

I mean, c'mon - I've read the back of the book. Our side wins in the end! It may be awhile, and there may be some pain and difficult times in between, but in the end Jesus is victorious and heaven awaits. 

In the meantime...we are still rolling across the country, making money! Well actually at the moment we're parked in Chicago because our load got cancelled  (a pretty typical happenstance during this time of the year). That's quite ok though - it gives us time to relax, cook, and catch up on sleep that we have been sorely lacking. 

And, in other news, tomorrow is my birthday! If you have followed my blogging journey through the last several years, you know what that means. Check back for some of my favorite music!

Thankful to see her!

We were blessed to see both of our families recently! We took a load to California and got to see my parents. They kindly brought my favorite cake, gifts, and (as a very special surprise) my niece! I haven't seen her in years, but she is so precious to me and will always have a place in my heart. I can't believe how big she has gotten! 

We also saw Don's parents a few days ago. We happened to be passing through the area and had a fuel stop not far from their house, so they sweetly met us at the truck stop and had dinner with us. It's the first time they've seen the inside of our truck! I'm so blessed with my in-laws - they are such kind, loving, welcoming people and we enjoy spending time with them.

Well, my lovely readers, I am going to close for today with a prayer request. There is a lot going on right now that is causing me to feel very stressed out. Some situations are beyond our control, and there's so much on my mind and heart right now. Please keep us in prayer as we take it all one step at a time and seek God's will for each step. Thank you!

Happy New Year!

2016... Wow. Hard to believe 2015 is gone already!

Christmas Eve, Miami Zoo

2015 was a difficult year in some ways and yet we have been incredibly blessed through it all. It was our first full year of marriage, which has involved a lot of growing together. We began this trucking adventure, and while it has turned out to be harder than we thought, we are accomplishing our goals - I am thankful to say we got another debt paid off on New Year's Eve! We have been blessed to spend time with our family and some dear friends, and reconnect with others through technology.

Goals for the coming year: to continue growing together; to communicate more with each other, loved ones, and our Lord; and to pay off more debts and spend wisely with our future in mind.

A year ago, I began this blog with a resolution to be real. "So many people wear a mask, only showing what they want everyone else to see. I can't live like that. Not in my personal life and not in my personal faith."

#3 being her beautiful self

Let's continue to be real, with God and with each other. He would rather have our heartfelt love than our hypocritical lip-service. Let's love each other in the things we do and say, instead of pretending to care to cover up our selfishness.

Let's make 2016 a year we can look back on and know that we did our best to carry out Jesus' commandment to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. What that love looks like...let's let Him show us. Let Him guide us. If we are listening for that still small voice, He will tell us when and where and how to love.

May your new year be blessed!

Merry Christmas!

Miami Beach day

For Christmas this year, we requested to be routed through Florida. The warmth sounds so relaxing after everything we've been through lately. In fact, they're having an unseasonably warm Christmas - and we're enjoying every minute of it! A couple days to relax, in a hotel with a real bed, a normal shower, and pleasant weather outside...it's been lovely!

We visited the Miami Zoo, and found the exhibits interesting and interactive. We also went to the beach and basked in the gorgeous weather! We cooked a delicious roast in the crockpot for a good Christmas dinner, and simply relaxed and enjoyed the time off.

While there are a lot of people that we miss and would like to spend time with over Christmas, we did get to Skype with both sets of parents. We have much to be thankful for this year - each other, the people that are dear to us, and the adventures that we share together. We have the memories of Christmases past, the hope of Christmases future, and the love of a Savior who humbled Himself to walk among us before giving the ultimate sacrifice. We are blessed.

Merry Christmas!

More Weather Experiences

#3 catching some sun

Well, we're currently sitting in Georgia, waiting on our next load - our assigned load got cancelled! That's the way that trucking goes though. Sometimes they run you so hard you barely have time to breathe, picking up loads as soon as you deliver others. And then other times you sit at a location all day because the load that was supposed to be picked up at 10am was actually scheduled for 9pm by a miscommunication - only to get cancelled at 8:30pm, leaving you high and dry.

Snow and ice on the windshield 

The past week has been interesting: we have experienced nearly every kind of inclement weather and now we have also experienced heavy snow and ice. We had a load from Dallas, Texas to Denver, Colorado. Just after crossing the Kansas/Colorado border, we hit a sudden snowstorm, completely obliterating the road in snow. We pulled over at a truck stop for about 4 hours to let the storm blow by, then managed to safely deliver the load in Denver.

View from our parking spot 

Our load back out of Denver, however, was 3 hours late on its pickup time. When we finally got the load and headed back out of town, we could tell another storm was right behind us. We tried to outrun the storm, but got caught in freezing fog, which coated everything in ice. Our mirrors, headlights, and windshield froze over, and the road became slick. Then the storm caught up, adding wind and snow to the mix. We pulled over again, but this time the storm lasted almost 24 hours! It continued to snow and the wind increased to 40 mph. Parked 100 feet away from the truck stop, we couldn't even see the building!

Snow and ice on the fields 

Thankfully, our fleet manager understood when we explained the conditions. We spent the night in a hotel, and got up the next morning to 6 degrees with a wind chill below zero. The wind had finally calmed down and highway workers had been working to partially clear the roads. A few hours later, after letting the truck warm up and scraping off the snow, the temperature had reached 12 degrees. We cautiously started out, driving slowly as the road still had patchy ice. The farther east we got, the clearer the roads became. About the time we reached the Kansas border again, the roads were clear enough to run full speed again.

Needless to say, we are pretty done with snow for now! We aren't wishing for a white Christmas this year - in fact, we've requested to be routed through Florida over Christmas. It sounds so warm and inviting after what we've been through lately!

Merry Christmas, and stay safe!

Christmas Memories

Only a few days left till Christmas! Are you ready for it? I have been enjoying rolling down the road listening to Christmas music.

We'll have the day of Christmas off, but instead of trying to get to any of our family and rushing to see everyone in one day, we decided to stay on the road and let everyone who has kids or family go home. We also decided not to exchange gifts this year, since we have no room in the semi to keep stuff and no time to buy and mail stuff. Instead, we have told out family that we ask for their thoughts and prayers, and phone calls when possible - what more could we want?

Of course, it doesn't feel much like Christmas since we won't be seeing anyone or exchanging presents. But listening to Christmas music brings back a lot of cherished memories.

Family Christmas photo, circa early 2000s

When Bing Crosby croons "White Christmas" or Burl Ives tells us the story of Rudolph, it takes me back to snuggling on the couch with my mom, watching the classic Christmas movies every year. I smell cookies baking and see rows of chocolate dipped marshmallows that we will give out to our neighbors.

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year" makes me think of going with my dad to pick out a Christmas tree. "The First Noel" and "Silent Night" bring back memories of days spent celebrating with church family and participating in the yearly church Christmas skit.

"Walking in a Winter Wonderland" reminds me of my first few winters in Indiana. Snow was a magical thing. My friends laughed at my enthusiasm, but I enjoyed the experience - snowmen, snow angels, snowballs, even [accidentally] falling through the ice on a river.

Lights at the zoo, Dec 2014

"Mr Grinch" makes me smile because last year, it was the only Christmas movie my sweetheart and I could find to watch in the few hours we had together. Our first Christmas was small, but we had each other and so we had the whole world.

It doesn't feel much like Christmas this year...but we will be together, wherever we are. What more could I want?

Safe travels, and merry Christmas to you!