Apparently I didn't do a good job when I said that I would try to post again sooner rather than later. So here is a quick rundown of where we have been since we were in Dallas and I posted last. From Dallas we went to LA, then back to Dallas, up to Chicago, up to Milwaukee and now we are on our way to LA again. Nothing eventful to post with the exception of Thursday night.
Thursday night we got into Chicago and dropped our load and immediately hooked up to another trailer to take up to Milwaukee. It was supposed to be ready around 0300 but they had it ready when we got there around 2300. That worked out good for us so that J could get it delivered before his shift ended since I needed to take Friday off to reset my hours. Anyway, hooked up and headed out. We were taking the on-ramp from Elmhurst to get on I-80 when we heard this awful noise hitting the truck. At first we thought it was something we ran over. The on-ramp had the concrete barriers on each side due to construction and it was pretty tight. We knew we didn't hit the barrier but we thought maybe we ran over something. We came to a complete stop (unfortunately stopping traffic behind us also since the ramp was narrow) and jumped out an checked the tires and underneath the truck. Didn't notice anything obvious so we jumped back in and took off.
About a mile down the road was an Oasis (on the Turnpike) so J pulled in there and parked in their fuel aisles so we could get out and get a better look since their parking area is all lit up. J checks his side and didn't see anything so he walks around to my side. I am still looking under the truck, not at eye level, so I completely missed it. It turns out some little shits got us good with a paintball gun. Green, orange, yellow and pink dots are all over the side of the truck. They probably hit us 10-12 times. Thank goodness they didn't dent the truck. If they had, I would have found a way to get that truck turned around and went back and kicked some juvenile ass. I am really glad J went ahead and stopped when he did. The paint was still wet so we just used the window squeegee and got most of it off while it was still wet. I did wonder if they hit anyone else while we were stopped on that on-ramp since that is where they got us. After realizing what happened, I felt bad for the traffic behind us because by us stopping it made them sitting ducks. I almost imagine they took off though after they hit us since we came to a screeching halt. Probably surprised them as I am sure they weren't expecting anyone to stop!
In other news, Jessica and Ruben got the house they were trying to rent! I have put in for us to get some time off so we can go help them get moved in this coming weekend. Hopefully we can get a load back to Dallas on the 31st.
Today is also my birthday! Another year older and another year spending my birthday on the road. It isn't bad though since I get to spend it with my husband and best friend, which in case you are wondering, is one in the same! :) I guess now I can not claim to be in my early 40's since 45 is smack dab in the middle. Ugh! Well, age is just a number right?
Saturday, July 25, 2015
Sunday, July 19, 2015
Dallas, TX
Wow! I got really behind! I will spare you all of the boring details and give you a quick run down of where we have been since I last posted in Salt Lake City. We were on our way to San Francisco, dropped there, picked up a load to Sacramento. Got an empty trailer in Sacramento after we dropped and headed to Los Angeles. Picked up a load there to Dallas.
Got to Dallas and did a restart on hours and got to have dinner with my cousin Dean. He is a riot. Unfortunately he crushed his wrist falling off of a truck and just had surgery a week ago, but he was in good spirits. Definitely in some pain still, but he wasn't taking the pain meds because they make him completely loopy, as in seeing things, so a few margaritas helped out. :) From there we hauled a load to Phoenix. Dropped in Phoenix and grabbed an empty trailer and headed to Las Vegas. Dropped in Las Vegas and picked up a load that brought us back here to Dallas. We got in around 0930 this morning. We have another load heading back to Las Vegas and it should be ready around 1500 so we are just sitting here waiting for it to be ready. I should say that "I" am sitting here waiting. J is crashed in the bunk sound asleep. :)
Jessica and Ruben are waiting to hear back from a realtor to see if they are able to rent a house. Hopefully they will hear something back on Monday, tomorrow. It is super cute and it is a three bedroom, so since our "home" terminal is Dallas, we get one of the bedrooms to crash in when we are here. It will be nice to get to spend more time with them and Elijah and not have to get a hotel every time we are in town! Heck, even if we just do a restart on hours while we are here, at least we can get out of the truck since it is only about 45 minutes down to where they are. That sure beats staying in the truck!
We are still working on the house in Lubbock. My mom has had the painter come in and finish the drywall and paint and now she is having someone come out and put all the baseboards, door trim and crown moulding up. The painter painted all the trim, so the guy she is getting just has to put it up. We will still have to do the window trim, but hopefully we can get that next time we are in Lubbock.
Oh! My mom also went out and got a riding lawn mower! We have been talking about getting one for years and we finally did it! She has been having so much fun out mowing the yard. I know she is still a little scared of it, but she is doing small areas at a time to get used to it. We have almost an acre so there is a lot of grass to mow. We have a small front yard and a small fenced in backyard but probably half of an acre behind the house is just grass. That is something we have to keep mowed down since it is usually pretty dry and we don't want it to be a fire hazard. Especially since we are out in the county and there is no real wind block. We are excited to have it though and I can't wait to get home and try it out! We got it when we were home last time, but the battery was dead on it and we had to leave out the next day. Luckily my brother came over and figured out what the problem was and got it going.
Not much else going on right now. I will try not to wait another week before I post again!
Got to Dallas and did a restart on hours and got to have dinner with my cousin Dean. He is a riot. Unfortunately he crushed his wrist falling off of a truck and just had surgery a week ago, but he was in good spirits. Definitely in some pain still, but he wasn't taking the pain meds because they make him completely loopy, as in seeing things, so a few margaritas helped out. :) From there we hauled a load to Phoenix. Dropped in Phoenix and grabbed an empty trailer and headed to Las Vegas. Dropped in Las Vegas and picked up a load that brought us back here to Dallas. We got in around 0930 this morning. We have another load heading back to Las Vegas and it should be ready around 1500 so we are just sitting here waiting for it to be ready. I should say that "I" am sitting here waiting. J is crashed in the bunk sound asleep. :)
Jessica and Ruben are waiting to hear back from a realtor to see if they are able to rent a house. Hopefully they will hear something back on Monday, tomorrow. It is super cute and it is a three bedroom, so since our "home" terminal is Dallas, we get one of the bedrooms to crash in when we are here. It will be nice to get to spend more time with them and Elijah and not have to get a hotel every time we are in town! Heck, even if we just do a restart on hours while we are here, at least we can get out of the truck since it is only about 45 minutes down to where they are. That sure beats staying in the truck!
We are still working on the house in Lubbock. My mom has had the painter come in and finish the drywall and paint and now she is having someone come out and put all the baseboards, door trim and crown moulding up. The painter painted all the trim, so the guy she is getting just has to put it up. We will still have to do the window trim, but hopefully we can get that next time we are in Lubbock.
Oh! My mom also went out and got a riding lawn mower! We have been talking about getting one for years and we finally did it! She has been having so much fun out mowing the yard. I know she is still a little scared of it, but she is doing small areas at a time to get used to it. We have almost an acre so there is a lot of grass to mow. We have a small front yard and a small fenced in backyard but probably half of an acre behind the house is just grass. That is something we have to keep mowed down since it is usually pretty dry and we don't want it to be a fire hazard. Especially since we are out in the county and there is no real wind block. We are excited to have it though and I can't wait to get home and try it out! We got it when we were home last time, but the battery was dead on it and we had to leave out the next day. Luckily my brother came over and figured out what the problem was and got it going.
Not much else going on right now. I will try not to wait another week before I post again!
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Salt Lake City, UT
Today as I was driving along I-80, I did a lot of thinking. Not about anything in particular, just lots of random things. Some days I can get in the truck and pop on some music and sing at the top of my lungs for a whole shift. Thank goodness J is a sound sleeper. :) Other days, like today, I leave the music off and just enjoyed the view and the quiet. It really is quite peaceful.
This morning J woke me up outside of North Platte, NE where I took over driving. He picked up this load last night in Kansas City and we have to have it in San Francisco around 0300 in the morning. So we have about 15 hours or so left to get it there. We only have 684 miles to go and I covered 659 today so it should be a piece of cake.
As I was driving across Wyoming today I was reminded of what a beautiful area the northwest is. Nothing but rolling hills as far as you could see with mountains further out past them. Lots of cattle grazing and lots of little calves. They were so cute. Nothing prettier than a herd of black cows in a really green rolling pasture with mountains as a backdrop. Well, I am sure there are prettier sights, but not for me today. I really feel blessed to be able to do what we do for a living. There is so much of this country to see and it all is beautiful in it's own way. Even West Texas is pretty. At times. Like when the cotton is in full bloom right before they start stripping. Rows and rows and acres upon acres of green cotton that has opened up. Of course, that is only for about a month out of the year, and the rest of the time it is flat and brown, but that time of the year it is really pretty. Yes, we are truly blessed.
This morning J woke me up outside of North Platte, NE where I took over driving. He picked up this load last night in Kansas City and we have to have it in San Francisco around 0300 in the morning. So we have about 15 hours or so left to get it there. We only have 684 miles to go and I covered 659 today so it should be a piece of cake.
As I was driving across Wyoming today I was reminded of what a beautiful area the northwest is. Nothing but rolling hills as far as you could see with mountains further out past them. Lots of cattle grazing and lots of little calves. They were so cute. Nothing prettier than a herd of black cows in a really green rolling pasture with mountains as a backdrop. Well, I am sure there are prettier sights, but not for me today. I really feel blessed to be able to do what we do for a living. There is so much of this country to see and it all is beautiful in it's own way. Even West Texas is pretty. At times. Like when the cotton is in full bloom right before they start stripping. Rows and rows and acres upon acres of green cotton that has opened up. Of course, that is only for about a month out of the year, and the rest of the time it is flat and brown, but that time of the year it is really pretty. Yes, we are truly blessed.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Kansas City, MO
I must say it feels good to be back on the road after a week off. You know that saying that you need to get back to work after vacation to get some rest? That is how J and I felt when we got back in the truck and headed back out. It was such a whirlwind time off that I don't think we slowed down at all. It seemed that each night we were off we were only able to get about 5-6 hours of sleep with everything going on. We went to Lubbock, up to Pagosa Springs, back to Lubbock and then to Ft Worth all within 7 days. Whew! It was a great trip, but it was nice to get back in the truck and get some rest!
Thursday morning after we had breakfast with the kids and that adorable grandson of ours, we stopped at Walmart to restock the truck and the headed to Irving to our yard to check in and get a load. They didn't have anything there for us so they had us grab an empty trailer and head to El Paso to pick up a load coming to Kansas City. We got into El Paso around 0400 and grabbed our load and I headed out around 0500.
I took the shortest route which was US 54 up through New Mexico and the Texas panhandle. I honestly don't think I have taken that route all the way through before. It was a really pretty drive. There is a town called Carrizozo in New Mexico that is the cutest little town. It is down in a valley with mountains on each side of it. It is an old town but looks like they have really taken care of if. Most of the houses and building on the main street were painted really nice and the lawns kept up. It was just clean. It was one of those little towns that I wouldn't mind living in. Here is a little history on this town.
http://www.townofcarrizozo.com/history.html
I made it a whopping 459 miles to Stratford, TX before I stopped for the day for J to take over. I should have had about 600 miles but I stopped in Santa Rosa, NM at the TA for a PM on the truck. Goodness gracious PM's (basically the equivalent of a premium oil change for a car, check fluids, filters, tires, etc) are expensive! A whopping $371.00 and two hours later I was back on the road, so that took up some time.
After we switched over, J got us into Kansas City around 0130 and now we are still sitting here waiting on a load. We told our dispatcher a few days ago that we want to stay running on the Western board. Everytime we get back to Atlanta, or anywhere that the Eastern board controls, we end up sitting several days and we don't like that. We don't get paid for sitting! Chad told us that there is a lot of freight out of Kansas City to the West so we will see what happens here in a bit. Hopefully we won't be sitting all day!!
Thursday morning after we had breakfast with the kids and that adorable grandson of ours, we stopped at Walmart to restock the truck and the headed to Irving to our yard to check in and get a load. They didn't have anything there for us so they had us grab an empty trailer and head to El Paso to pick up a load coming to Kansas City. We got into El Paso around 0400 and grabbed our load and I headed out around 0500.
I took the shortest route which was US 54 up through New Mexico and the Texas panhandle. I honestly don't think I have taken that route all the way through before. It was a really pretty drive. There is a town called Carrizozo in New Mexico that is the cutest little town. It is down in a valley with mountains on each side of it. It is an old town but looks like they have really taken care of if. Most of the houses and building on the main street were painted really nice and the lawns kept up. It was just clean. It was one of those little towns that I wouldn't mind living in. Here is a little history on this town.
http://www.townofcarrizozo.com/history.html
I made it a whopping 459 miles to Stratford, TX before I stopped for the day for J to take over. I should have had about 600 miles but I stopped in Santa Rosa, NM at the TA for a PM on the truck. Goodness gracious PM's (basically the equivalent of a premium oil change for a car, check fluids, filters, tires, etc) are expensive! A whopping $371.00 and two hours later I was back on the road, so that took up some time.
After we switched over, J got us into Kansas City around 0130 and now we are still sitting here waiting on a load. We told our dispatcher a few days ago that we want to stay running on the Western board. Everytime we get back to Atlanta, or anywhere that the Eastern board controls, we end up sitting several days and we don't like that. We don't get paid for sitting! Chad told us that there is a lot of freight out of Kansas City to the West so we will see what happens here in a bit. Hopefully we won't be sitting all day!!
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Cleburne, TX
I have some catching up to do! I will try to make this the short version. We ended up spending 60 hours in Atlanta waiting on a load to get home. They ended up and had us bobtail to Memphis to pick up a load on Wednesday afternoon that we delivered to Columbus,OH that night around midnight. We had a load to Lubbock that was supposed to be ready at 0300 Thursday morning, and it was, but the roller door on the trailer wouldn't shut. It had to go into the shop so we didn't get out of there until around 0500.
At this point, we hit the road to get to Dallas by 2300 Thursday night. Keep in mind, we were supposed to be home on Wednesday so we could be at J's class reunion in Pagosa Springs, CO on Friday. We made it into Dallas around 0100 (lots of storms to get through) and dropped our load and headed to Lubbock. I started driving at 0230 and got us into Lubbock around 0730 Friday morning. We literally parked the truck, threw our suitcases into our pickup and hit the road. I got us into Pagosa Springs around 1600 hours. I was exhausted to say the least. We were able to get about an hour nap before the festivities began.
Thursday night we met up for dinner and drinks with J's classmates and it was so much fun. We both went to the same High School so I knew all of his classmates. It was nice having it over the July 4th holiday because there were a lot of other people in town that we knew and we were able to catch up with them also. An added benefit also is the parade that we got to see. I love small town parades!! Saturday morning was the parade and then that afternoon we all met at a park and did some more visiting. After that we ran back to the hotel and took about a hour nap then it was time to meet back up for dinner and drinks and then go watch the fireworks.
Sunday morning we had to get up bright and early and meet a few other friends for breakfast and then head back to Lubbock. We have the best friends! Susan and Ron got up at 0400 Sunday morning to drive over to Pagosa to see us before we left. They rock! :)
After a very long weekend on very little sleep, we made it back to Lubbock. We thought we were going to get to relax a little, but our remodel is never ending! Monday and Tuesday we ended up laying about 400 sq ft of new flooring in our living room and hall and today we are paying the price. We are so sore! While we were out on the road this last month my mom had a contractor come in and tape and mud all of the drywall we put up and she had him scrape the popcorn off of the ceiling and then pain everything. Even though we don't have the trim put up yet, it has been purchased and the contractor painted that also. We went with a light/medium gray wall with white trim and white ceiling. The hardwood we put in is a dark hickory. Here is a picture of what we have done so far. The first is the before we started on the floor and the second two pictures is after the floor is down. The first picture is of the left side of the room and the other two that are finished are on the right side of the room. But it is all done. The painted baseboard is just set up against the wall for the effect.
This morning we got up early and threw everything in the semi again and headed out to Cleburne where we got to see our daughter, son-in-law and our grandson Elijah. He is our first grandchild and this is the first time we have been able to see him since he was born in February. He is absolutely amazing and our daughter and son-in-law did a really good job! I am going to hate having to leave in the morning and go back on the road, but now that we are back OTR we are hoping that we will get to see them at least once a month which is much better than the last few months. Here are a few pictures of the little man that has stolen my heart!
That is all for now. I have a jacuzzi tub that is calling my name right now. Breakfast with the kids tomorrow and then back to the grind for another 3-4 weeks!
At this point, we hit the road to get to Dallas by 2300 Thursday night. Keep in mind, we were supposed to be home on Wednesday so we could be at J's class reunion in Pagosa Springs, CO on Friday. We made it into Dallas around 0100 (lots of storms to get through) and dropped our load and headed to Lubbock. I started driving at 0230 and got us into Lubbock around 0730 Friday morning. We literally parked the truck, threw our suitcases into our pickup and hit the road. I got us into Pagosa Springs around 1600 hours. I was exhausted to say the least. We were able to get about an hour nap before the festivities began.
Thursday night we met up for dinner and drinks with J's classmates and it was so much fun. We both went to the same High School so I knew all of his classmates. It was nice having it over the July 4th holiday because there were a lot of other people in town that we knew and we were able to catch up with them also. An added benefit also is the parade that we got to see. I love small town parades!! Saturday morning was the parade and then that afternoon we all met at a park and did some more visiting. After that we ran back to the hotel and took about a hour nap then it was time to meet back up for dinner and drinks and then go watch the fireworks.
Sunday morning we had to get up bright and early and meet a few other friends for breakfast and then head back to Lubbock. We have the best friends! Susan and Ron got up at 0400 Sunday morning to drive over to Pagosa to see us before we left. They rock! :)
After a very long weekend on very little sleep, we made it back to Lubbock. We thought we were going to get to relax a little, but our remodel is never ending! Monday and Tuesday we ended up laying about 400 sq ft of new flooring in our living room and hall and today we are paying the price. We are so sore! While we were out on the road this last month my mom had a contractor come in and tape and mud all of the drywall we put up and she had him scrape the popcorn off of the ceiling and then pain everything. Even though we don't have the trim put up yet, it has been purchased and the contractor painted that also. We went with a light/medium gray wall with white trim and white ceiling. The hardwood we put in is a dark hickory. Here is a picture of what we have done so far. The first is the before we started on the floor and the second two pictures is after the floor is down. The first picture is of the left side of the room and the other two that are finished are on the right side of the room. But it is all done. The painted baseboard is just set up against the wall for the effect.
This morning we got up early and threw everything in the semi again and headed out to Cleburne where we got to see our daughter, son-in-law and our grandson Elijah. He is our first grandchild and this is the first time we have been able to see him since he was born in February. He is absolutely amazing and our daughter and son-in-law did a really good job! I am going to hate having to leave in the morning and go back on the road, but now that we are back OTR we are hoping that we will get to see them at least once a month which is much better than the last few months. Here are a few pictures of the little man that has stolen my heart!
That is all for now. I have a jacuzzi tub that is calling my name right now. Breakfast with the kids tomorrow and then back to the grind for another 3-4 weeks!
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