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.

Easter

The Easter story, much like the Christmas story, can easily seem old and cliche. If you grew up in the church like me, you've heard it since childhood. Jesus was born, He lived, He died on a cross to save us, and three days later He rose from the dead.

But when you stop to think about the impact of those words...the story holds new meaning every time. Because all of that was done for me. His suffering, His excruciating death, the despair of His loved ones - that was for me. The triumph of His resurrection, the joy of knowing He is alive and victorious even over death - that was for me. The forgiveness accomplished by those acts is daily for me.

Today, take time to ponder on what the Easter story means to you.

Never Again, New York City

#3 in the drivers seat

A few days ago, we had the misfortune to be assigned a load to Brooklyn, New York. No, we've been through parts of New York before, and upstate New York is beautiful, but we've never had to drive in downtown New York City before. Not only was this delivery right smack dab in the middle of Brooklyn, it wasn't even delivering to one ofour typical locations - it was delivering to a hospital!

The trip went smoothly until we crossed from New Jersey into New York and headed for the city. We exited the interstate into Brooklyn and immediately knew we were in trouble!

The city streets are very narrow and lined with parked cars on each side, and some random cars stopped in the middle of the road as well. The traffic seems to think that following normal rules of the road is overrated, and generally has no respect for stop lights, road markings, or slow moving semis. Taxis and personal cars zipped around us without caring about little details like driving on the correct side of the road! The roads were certainly not built with large vehicles in mind, and it's nearly impossible to turn from one city street to another without taking the whole intersection. Several times we very nearly hit or scraped against parked cars, impatient taxis, and careless pedestrians.

When we finally arrived at the delivery location, we found it to be a small inner city hospital with one loading dock directly off the street. We had to block traffic in all directions and back up across the entire intersection, and our front end still hung out in the street even when we were fully backed to the dock. We were relieved to be there at last...until they told us that nobody was available to unload our trailer and asked us to come back in 4 hours. What?!

Downtown Brooklyn 

Of course we couldn't stay there, so we had to find somewhere to go park for a few hours. The nearest safe place to park was about half an hour away, but we didn't even get halfway there before we were stopped by a low bridge ahead that we wouldn't be able to clear under. We tried another route and ran into the same problem. We also got into road construction in an area that blocked off the road and left us a passage so narrow that our front corners were nearly touching the wall and our back tires were rubbing against it! We managed to back through an intersection and get turned around, and ended up pulling over on the side of the road and parking with the cars for a couple hours.

When we returned a few hours later, backing into the dock was even more difficult due to the increased traffic in the area. Don ended up helping the staff unload the trailer, and even with his help it took them about four hours to get us unloaded and reloaded. When we finally left, it was mid-morning in downtown Brooklyn and traffic was even more insane! The interstate was only about 3 miles away but it took us an hour and a half to get there through the narrow, crowded streets while dodging the hordes of rude, impatient drivers and pedestrians.

We finally got out of NYC and breathed a deep sigh of relief. We don't want to ever go back! It's bad enough driving through that city in a car, but navigating it in a semi was a nightmare!

Spring and Changing Seasons

Wow, has it really been a month since my last blog? I'm sorry for my absence, it's been a very busy time.

Recent hiking trip with my wonderful in-laws 

I'm happy to say that, at least back home in Indiana, spring has sprung. Fields are being prepared for crops, vibrantly green new grass blankets the roadsides, and the first of the wild daffodils are tentatively turning their pretty faces toward the sunlight. It's still chilly in the evenings, but the daytime weather has improved enough for relatively pleasant walks outdoors.

The changing of the seasons brings to mind the seasons of life. Our current season, living on the road, can sometimes be very frustrating and I have to remind myself that it is only a season, it's not permanent. This to shall pass and become a memory. Instead of focusing the things we aren't able to do right now, I try to remember the positive things. We won't always be able to spend this much time together or see the landscapes of our great country, and I would rather enjoy these things while I have them then waste my time wishing for the things I don't have right now.

Seasons change, but each has its beauty, its hardships, and its joys. I think back to when I was single and longing to find my soulmate, the one to share my life with. Looking back, though our beginning together was difficult and sometimes I wish the timing and circumstances had been different, I wouldn't trade the relationship we have for the world. To say that God's timing is always perfect sounds so cliche, but it's absolutely true.

This morning I sat in a restaurant booth and watched a group of ladies talking nearby and passing around a precious baby girl. My heart ached to be that new mother, sweetly kissing her newborn. It seems like nearly every time I access social media, someone else is pregnant or is posting photos of their little ones. My news feed is flooded with baby bumps, nursery decor, chubby cheeks, dimpled hands, and toothy smiles. Yet as much as I long for that season of life, I know it is not the right time yet. When the timing is right, that season will come for us as well. Until then, I will see the beauty of the season I'm in.

Camping with my sweetheart

There will be other seasons in life, and each has its share of joys and sorrows. In springtime, it's easy to become discontent wishing for land to plant a garden, room for baby animals to grow and thrive, and a place of our own to watch the wonders of spring come to life. While these dreams may be fulfilled in a different season, longing after them will only foster unhappiness with the season I'm in right now.

So, for now, I will focus on the positive and appreciate the beauty of our current season of life. Today's sunrise is different from yesterday's, and tonight's sunset will not be the same as tomorrow's. From Seattle to New York City, and from Miami to Sacramento, the view outside my bedroom window changes with the diversity of scenery in our beautiful country.

Happy spring!

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