Difficult to Put to Words

How many times do we hear that an event is too difficult to put to words? I know I have heard it several times. Major events, like the birth of a child, are often described this way. I had spoken to a few people who had attended Let’s Truck’s Certified Master Contractor (CMC) Conference, and said the experience was difficult to put to words and I doubted it. How could a conference, especially a conference about trucking. Yet, here I sit, just two short days after the conference has ended finding it difficult to put the experience to words.

I knew to expect many of the same issues Kevin goes over on the show in greater detail. I had been told Larry Winget was a great speaker. I expected the negotiations portion to really push me to an uncomfortable zone. I was also told the networking with other drivers made the conference invaluable. I was not expected to really have the conference effect and challenge me in the ways it has.

We arrived in Kansas City on Thursday, and immediately ran into a few people I had been conversing, and sometimes arguing with on Facebook. By the end of the week, I hated to leave the conference. I knew we needed to get back to work, but I really felt like I really hadn’t learned all I could from all those around me. The networking was truly priceless. For those of us who listen to Kevin, we have come to know people like Jimmy the Junkman, and many had preconceived notions about him and there is no way he was like that in real life. Reality, Jimmy is a crazy smart, patient man who is willing to share his wealth of knowledge with anyone that takes the time sit with him. I cannot begin to thank him enough. Rico (or as I just called him Sauvé) not only shared his hard earned knowledge with all at the CMC, but he took time out to spend extra time with my husband. We spent a lot of time trying to teach Southern to a British Canadian, and he shared not only his business plan but his story which blew me away. Robert and his wife not only shared his knowledge, but his dedication to the industry shows in his willingness to take a younger driver under his wing and share his knowledge. There are so many more which taught me a lot, and modeled the mentoring I think is sorely needed in this industry. I was able to share a little of my knowledge and abilities with several others, but I really feel like I took so much more than I gave back.

Negotiations can be something many don’t want to attempt, and surely don’t want to learn more about, however George Gallamore made it really applicable to everyone’s life. He taught me more about me, and really made me realize why I do some of the things I do. Not only do I understand myself better, I understand my husband and much of my family a little better, so I feel his tools and information were something I needed, no matter how I dreaded it. Learning other people and learning to recognize the clues as to what type of person they are will help us in the end. While I don’t think his knowledge will help us make a decision on buying a new dishwasher, at least he now has a new couple to use as an example.

Goal setting is something I learned about while I was in the business world, but sometimes I forget those skills and don’t apply them in this business. Being reminded the steps for goal setting, and really analyzing the motives behind the goals was something I really felt we needed. I really would like to write a book, but I also know that goal is rather selfish. My husband and I have realized we really need to make a decision on our future. We need to decide on a plan that will work for us, write out goals, and make a plan to get us where we would like to be. We don’t have much time, but it is definitely needed.

Larry Winget said several things that were funny and yet made you think. One think that just made you think was, “Nothing is neutral.” In life, every decision we make either moves us towards our goals or away from them. No decision we make has no bearing on our lives. He made so many witty comments I don’t think I could ever list them all, but they all made me think about life. We definitely need to “Grow a Pair.”

There are so many more things we learned, and so much more I could write about how inspiring this conference was, but in the end my words will still not convey my true feelings of the conference. I can say, if anyone in the industry has an opportunity to be in Kansas City the first full week of May, I highly suggest making plans to attend the CMC. Many say the conference costs a lot, especially when you factor in the cost of the hotel, loss of revenue, etc. However, the investment in yourself and your business is invaluable. Bottom line, cost of the CMC: $1400, Hotel: $1000, Lost Revenue: $5000, but the CMC is truly PRICELESS!

Confession Time

I have taken quite some time off from writing, as is quite apparent. When my sister confronted me about it, I said I felt the need to have real human interaction. Truth is, I was knee deep in resistance. (I finished listening to The War of Art, and those of you who have read/listened to it will understand that comment.) Why was I resistant to write? Several reasons.
First I fear I have nothing important to say. I started this blog to share our life, and hoped I could help someone in the process. However, much of what I have written has turned into rant-fests, which I didn't want. I know no one will hang on my every word as though I was some celebrity, but sometimes it its nice to have someone appreciate your words. (I am honestly not fishing for compliments, just sharing.)
Second, I fear my words will end up hurting someone. We have recently gone through quite an ordeal in our family with my eldest daughter, and I am afraid I could easily hurt someone without intending to do so.
Third, we have been in an uproar. Not only has there been drama in our home life, but there has also been a lot of drama in our work life. Once we get those issues settled I may share more about that.
Fourth, I am afraid my words will show the failure I feel I am. I feel like a failure with respect to or business (we are operating at a loss this year). I feel like a failure with respect to homeschool (we didn't finish all I wanted). I feel like a failure as a mother (my daughter is in jail, what does that say about me). I feel I am a failure as a Christian (my prayer life has slashed and I feel alone because of it). I feel like a failure as a mentor (after feeling shunned by a fellow mentor I feel I shouldn't lead anyone, but follow others who obviously know more than I do). Most of all I feel like a failure as a wife (I have felt so down I have taken it out on my husband).
Finally, we have just been busy. I know, saying I am busy is just showing my resistance, but we really have. We have been busy researching curriculum, companies, truck upgrades, trailers, networking with new prospective coworkers, and just enjoying people when we can.
Since I last posted we have done a lot of sitting and fighting to be able to move. One of those sitting episodes involved us being able to attend the Great American Truck Show. (It was there I felt shunned by a fellow mentor, and yet was so happy to see some I feel have become friends.) My daughter rode a bull at Gilley's, and I was proud of her 23 second ride. We got to learn quite a bit from people at the show, and get tired out doing so. We had quite a few people enjoy our truck, which made me feel proud.
I really don't mean this to be a pity party, I just really wanted to share why I have been silent. I hope those who love me will pray I somehow get out of this funk and break the resistance to writing.

Home Safety Compromised

"We came to mow the lawn and noticed your back door was standing wide open. Is it supposed to be?"

"No."

"Do you mind if we just step inside and see if there is anything obvious missing?"

"Please do."

"Did you have a television in the living room?"

"Yes, a big 73" DLP."

"Well, you don't now."

That is the phone conversation that led to us being forced to come home. We delivered some thrust reversers in Wichita, Kansas, and decided we couldn't leave. Unfortunately, given my eldest daughter's choice in a boyfriend, we immediately suspected she was involved. We got in touch with all the other kids, and asked if someone went out and left the door open, if someone gave my eldest the code to the door, or if we were in fact broken into by someone not in our family. Our son went to the house later that evening and confirmed, the television was gone, as were our video games and some paraphernalia, my jewelry box, my husband's jewelry, speakers, car audio, some old cell phones, some alcohol, some collectibles, a truck GPS, and about $8,000 worth of tools. In addition, they left us a couple presents in the toilet, which they couldn't flush because we turn off the water when we are gone. Since it was more than just the television, we really didn't think my daughter could choose to hurt us that badly. We decided it MUST be someone else.

The speaker taken out of the speaker box

An empty tool drawer.

The stand for our 73" television with the missing games.

We got home late Tuesday night, and decided to wait until Wednesday to really look at the damage. We had been cleaned out of most things. The thieves got away with the keys to the car, and stole quite a few other keys as well. They opened every drawer, and went through everything. We had the crime lab come out and dust for prints, which sadly revealed nothing. We did, however find cigarette butts outside which were not ours. The detective that came out asked if we originally suspected anyone, so they could run that through their database to see if they could find anything. They would take the DNA from the butts to see if they could find anything.

The next day we got a call letting us know my daughter pawned a ring and a scan tool, both of which we suspected immediately came from our home. We spent the rest of the time trying to gather more information. My middle daughter came out to see what we had discovered. We found out a few more pieces of information. The whole time we tried to ensure my daughter signed a power of attorney so my mother could take the kids to Colorado. 

Friday, led to my daughter's questioning, and eventual arrest.We drove about 40 miles to identify my engagement ring and ring guard, as well as the scan tool. We found out the lies my daughter was telling. She told the inspector she got the ring and scan tool from some guy at a hotel who asked her to pawn the items. She told my mother the ring wasn't mine, and tried to change the description. When we looked at my ring, it solidified the fact my daughter was involved. We also found out her boyfriend was a VERY bad person who has a substantive wrap sheet full of multiple counts of breaking and entering. In addition, most of the pawn shops will not accept things from him because they are aware most of it is stolen.

Saturday brought lots of laughter and joy. We celebrated my grandchildrens' birthdays.Four generations were under my daughter's roof at one time, and there was no arguing, only lots of hugs, kisses, infectious laughter, and enjoyment.

Four generations together. From L to R my daughter Kristen, me, my mother holding my granddaughter Akasha, my youngest daughter Bonnie, and my sister Melissa.

Akasha is happy she got blocks of her very own!

Chase opening his favorite toy

Chase has a big rig of his very own

Who cares if the tag is still on, and it isn't on right, Akasha is a princess.

The only good part of the cupcake is the icing!

He likes the whole thing, and loves having cake face.

I'm not peeking at my presents.

Pizza face smiles.

While our home will never truly feel safe again, and no matter where we go, I have to disable the car, because the thieves took keys to our car, our home, and so many things, it was great to be able to hear laughter. My eldest is sitting in jail. Her kids are safe. As difficult as it is, I cannot allow my disappointment in my daughter to affect her innocent children. She and her boyfriend have torn apart our life, but her children had nothing to do with it. I will prosecute my daughter to the fullest extent of the law, and make sure we are at as many court hearings we can possibly attend. Tough love is tough, and yet it is so necessary.

Reviewing Plans

People always seem to have the best plans, and yet the follow through is not always great. I had all these grand plans for this blog, and then life happens. We end up running so wide open I pushed myself to run at 75 mph, which cost us about $600 in lost fuel but allowed us to make the appointment. We end up just so focused on the life we are living, I forget to share. So, while my follow through on plans hasn't been what it should be, I won't make any more plans, just hope to do a bit better at sharing.

Bonnie enjoying the "back deck" while we were empty in San Francisco, CA

We have been back out on the road for almost a month now. I feel we are really getting used to this new truck. We are starting to make money (which is a good thing). We are enjoying the almost 1 mpg improvement this truck has over our old truck. We are happy in the first 12,000 miles on full synthetic oil in a 700k mile CAT, we have no oil usage, and thanks to the EcoPur the oil looks like we just poured it out of the jug. If things stay like this, we may be able to easily go 250,000 miles before needing to change it. We are looking to swap out the tires on this truck, which should help with the fuel mileage. Not really sure what kind of tires we are going to get as of yet, especially since we never had good luck with Michellin tires in the drive position, and the Bridgestones we would have gotten have been taken off the market due to issues. I guess we will figure it out.
On the homeschooling front, we finished most of the work I set out to finish this year, and now are looking at plans for what we will do next year. The only break we will really have (other than a day or so here and there) will be when Chris and I go to the CMC in September (but more on that in a bit). I have been very proud of Bonnie's choice to read more often. Some days are a struggle, but then I have to remember she is a teenager. We are looking to add Latin (hoping that will improve her language understanding), Logic (because let's face it, all of us could learn better ways of analyzing issues), and possibly Spanish (Chris wants to learn Spanish so he can better communicate at some of the places we go, so we might as well all learn it together). We will be continuing with Sonlight, Teaching Textbooks, and Apologia. I have found out I can get better deals if I shop around, so I will be doing that to ensure we aren't overspending on homeschooling by trying to get everything from one place. I am excited about next year, and then we get to start planning for high school!
Back to the CMC. You may remember, I mentioned a few months ago, I have been accepted into the mentoring program Kevin Rutherford started to help give back to the industry. I think I am the only mentor who has not been to the CMC. It is a week long in depth look into fuel economy, and the business of trucking. We have talked about going to it for several years, but just like so many other things, life gets in the way and we don't go. This year, we have committed to going, and have started making payments. I am excited about going. This will be a week with no Bonnie (thanks to my father-in-law), and no dispatch to bug us. I know, how can a week spent learning about the business of trucking really be a vacation, but I am hoping we will walk away with knowledge, and a network of like-minded people.

My hydration device.

As an update on the diet, let's just say right now I am more concentrating on my stomach getting back to normal than anything. I "cheated" on the diet and had some cherries we bought from a road side fruit stand in California. Within 12 hours my stomach was on revolt, and didn't want anything to stay in it, not even water. After about 72 hours of trying everything I could think of, I was so dehydrated I could hardly function. We went through the house, and my middle daughter picked me up and took me to the hospital. I stayed there for almost 24 hours while they got me hydrated, and medicated enough to hold a liquid diet in. It took me a few more days to get back to normal, but I still have a few issues getting my system to act normal, so we have halted the diet for now. We are still trying to eat better, but when I am still not reacting well to being out in the heat, and my stomach still isn't what it should be, I really can't justify trying to diet. I hope I will get back to normal soon.
I hope everyone who reads this will understand, especially those who truck, how difficult it can be to blog on a regular basis. I still have so many ideas of things to say running around in my brain. I think I will have to figure out how to record my thoughts when I am driving at night, so it will be easier to write later. Be safe.

Starting In The New Truck With A New Diet

Take a look around any truck stop, and you are bound to see a great many truckers who fit what the public thinks of a "typical trucker." I have been aware the public thinks truckers are dirty, fat slobs who sit in their truck and drink and smoke. While I will admit we have gained weight since we have started driving, truth is, we weren't healthy before we started driving, so why would we be any better on the truck?
We have tried Weight Watchers while on the truck, and somehow, after a little success, it seems like a struggle to do anything other than gain weight. I tried making sure to cook everything we eat, and then again, it seems we do alright for a little while and then struggle.
My husband ran across Richie Acosta's East Coast Large Cars information about a year and a half ago. He has followed Richie. Recently, Richie announced his newest endeavor, TruckinFit. Once the information was shared with me, I immediately became interested. I remembered reading the article about him in Truckers News and thinking, "Yeah, but he runs short stuff and can get in a gym. I'd like to see him try that doing what we do." Then, the T A and Petro Truck Stops started work out rooms, and posting walking routes. OK, I get it, yes, I CAN do it, but how?

Richie is helping us to be able to establish menu choices. Change our poor choices. We have added supplements, and started sliding into the diet over the last week. We are a week of starting into the diet (we followed his diet plan except we had to eat a few dinners I still had prepped from before). I am feeling a lot better, and am down 3.4 pounds. I know a great deal of that is the water I have been forcing myself to drink, so then the water weight your body stored comes off, but, I am hopeful. We will check back with him in 2 more weeks, and let him know how our progress is, and tweak things if we need to. I will post on our progress on here on occasion as well.

Introducing the White House on Wheels

Right now we are ready and waiting to head out on the road with our new (to us) truck. We sold our old truck, and have purchased a 2000 Kenworth W900 with a 156" sleeper on it, and only 729,000 miles. The new truck is laid out so well, and we are looking forward to how well it will work for us. I am showing a few pictures below.

Profile view of the front of the truck.

Back of the truck, showing the headache rack.

 The truck has a custom headache rack, which is VERY handy for putting stuff in. Even with all the storage on the inside, there are still some things we have to put in the back (like laundry). And now my hubby has plenty of room for his tools.

Looking in from the back door.

 As you can see from looking in the back door, it is laid out sort of like a hallway. You can see the bottom of the TV there, but it really doesn't stick down too far. Full size refrigerator, 2 burner stove, sink, batroom with shower and potty, and LOTS of storage. The bed is folded down in this picture, but when it is folded up, there is a dinette under it.

The new couch.

 This is the new couch (now it has a few more pillows on it too), which folds out into a bed as well, so my daughter has a place to sleep, or do schoolwork.

Looking towards the back door.

 Here you can see the 42" TV with all the components above, and a sound bar mounted as well.

The "cockpit" as our family tends to call it.

The front is where all the driving happens, and there are so many switches, I can't remember what most of them are for.When it turns dark out, you just have to start flipping switches until everything is on. I am sure we will get used to it. This will be only the second Kenworth I have driven, and the first W900. We have been in so many Peterbilts, the "feel like home." I am not sure how it will be to drive this new truck, but I am looking forward to the new adventure.

A Note from my Daughter

While we have been home, I was cleaning the desk and found a note my middle daughter wrote me some time ago. It reads:

"My mom.
"My mom is amazing. She has been there for me through... everything. From the time when my only problem were Kaitlyn stealing my Barbies, to some girl stealing Brady from me, to things that are so much bigger than that. She supports me the same way I do her. But in that same way it is totally different. She loves me and only wants the best for me, no matter what I do. She has always just tried to keep be from heartbreak  whether big or small. I love her and even though at times I think she is evil, and I really don't want the best for her, but other times I want to get her through whatever things she is going through. She is my support group, my shoulder to cry on when so and so was being mean, my beacon of hope when I didn't want to get through another day. When she is sad, I want to do everything to make it better, because if my mom is sad, then I can't be happy. And if I could, its to a certain extent. She has always put her kids first, and has taught me more about how to be a mom than any parenting book I could buy from Barnes & Noble. I used to think it would be easy to move out when the time came, but as each day goes by I realize its actually going to be hard. We might shed a tear, or two, or hundreds, but she has shown me the meaning of true beauty, someone who cares about others so much it just starts to spread all over them, making them the most beautiful people on the planet. The meaning of true love, I see it each time she looks at my dad. It makes me hope that one day I can look at someone even close to that. She has shown me that mothering is hard, and never to take it lightly. Its a big responsibility and even though I've got the hips to make babies, to wait, get my life started, I'll be so much happier. She has shown me that even when everything falls apart you can pick up the pieces, and if the old ones don't fit as well as they used to, mend them, and if they don't want to be mended and only want to drift away, then there is more where that came from. Oh, and she has shown me that she can be there for me; I just need to let her in a little. No boy will ever come between us again. =]
"I love you Mom."

When I read it I cried and cried. Now, as I type it, I cry some more. So many things have been going on, including my eldest daughter ending up in jail. Crying seems to be so easy right now. I have always put my children first. I have always tried to do what is best for them. My middle daughter writing this note made me see she gets it, at least a little. I know she wrote it well before she moved out, and before things got so strained between the two of us, but I hope she still feels that way.
Motherhood is definitely NOT EASY. While I have always tried to do what is best for my kids, and put them first, sometimes I have to decide that what is best for them is to NOT put them first. As I mentioned, my eldest is now sitting in jail. Her kids, my grandchildren, are in the care of my sister and her friend. My mother is discussing coming to get the kids. I am firm on this stand, my daughter needs to somehow be forced to get clean, get a real job, and learn the mothering lessons I evidently didn't teach her. If that means she sits in jail, and that social services becomes involved in her parenting plan, then that is what is best. While I would love to take my grandchildren in, it would mean giving up trucking, coming back to an economy where it is still difficult to find a job, and perhaps even putting all the kids in public education. That is not what I believe is best for my family. I cannot save my daughter. I cannot watch her kill herself any more.
While the note above makes me happy my middle daughter loved me so, I am saddened by my situation. There is so much more going on I would like to share, but right now, I just want to cry.

Dear Ann, Should We Send Flowers?

Wow, it has been a long time since I have written. So many things have went through my head. So many things I have wanted to say, and yet the process of actually sitting down and typing out the thoughts floating in my head has been a bit difficult. No matter how many things have went through my head, now I feel I really should.
My husband got a text today from his ex-sister-in-law to let him know his ex-wife passed away. While I would like to say it came as a shock, it really didn't. She has slowly killed herself for years with alcohol and whatever other mood altering substance she could find. It isn't known just yet what killed her, but considering her past, it isn't too difficult to imagine. My husband said it made him feel old, because this is the first person our age that has died. (I turned 40 last week, so I guess we are getting up there a bit.)
While the death came as a shock, it also brought up a question. Should he send flowers? I posted the question on facebook, and even did a web search to see what the proper thing would be to do. The common response is, if you have children, or if you remained friendly with your ex-spouse or their family, then flowers would be appropriate.
When we started trying to figure out what would be appropriate, I wished I had Ann Landers phone number to call and ask. I realize I may be showing my age a bit, but I remember reading her column whenever I could get my hands on the newspaper. I loved reading her advice. Most of it wasn't really pertinent to me, but her ability to give sound advice was always amazing.
While I realize I was not in any way close to my husband's ex-wife, her death is still sad. She leaves behind a sister, nephew, mother, and father who loved her despite the pain she caused. While I am thankful for each birthday or other life event we have that is not interrupted by a call requesting bail money because she was caught drunk driving again, her family will also not have any phone calls from her. We will no longer have to endure her calls when she was depressed and really not in her right mind, but her family will not be able to experience her other joys.
It is now apparent to me that no matter what we do in life, there are some who will never know when we are gone, some who will not mourn our loss, and some who will mourn us entirely. Every death affects people differently. What type of an affect have you had on those in your life? Is there anything you can do to fix things? While you may never create devoted followers who will mourn you when you go, I would like to think it is better to be missed than to have people thankful you have gone.
Will we send flowers? Yes. While she was alive I sent several emails to her sister suggesting things she could do in therapy to help her. I do not think my words were ever taken seriously. While I won't miss her crazy calls, I do feel bad her family has lost her.

CARB revisited

I am still rather upset about CARB, so for those who don't care, stop reading. However, I will urge you to consider some things. If you don't think one states regulations will effect you, think again. Below are some food facts about California (taken directly from Beach California).

California has been the number one food and agricultural producer in the United States for more than 50 consecutive years.
 More than half the nation's fruit, nuts, and vegetables come from here.
California is the nation's number one dairy state.
California's leading commodity is milk and cream. Grapes are second.
California's leading export crop is almonds.
Nationally, products exclusively grown (99% or more) in California include almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwifruit, olives, persimmons, pistachios, prunes, raisins, clovers, and walnuts.
From 70 to 80% of all ripe olives are grown in California.
California is the nation's leading producer of strawberries, averaging 1.4 billion pounds of strawberries or 83% of the country's total fresh and frozen strawberry production. Approximately 12% of the crop is exported to Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Japan primarily. The value of the California strawberry crop is approximately $700 million with related employment of more than 48,000 people.

Think about it, half of all food comes from California. If it costs more for a truck to do business in the state of California, which it will just based on having to purchase a newer truck or spend thousands on a retrofit, you better believe those costs will end up getting tacked onto the food cost itself. I do not have a crystal ball, but I can foresee the cost of a gallon of milk doubling in the next year and a half. To keep up with the USDA's suggestion on eating fresh fruits and vegetables, you will be paying a lot more, especially from April to October, when California's salad bowl is in full production. Even the cost of your burger will increase due to all the items that come out of California.
Do people outside of the trucking industry not get it? Do the states not care what this law will do to their economy? In my opinion, this one law is the equivalent of a tariff imposed by California on the other states in the union.
I realize this is all very political, and I do apologize, but I honestly don't feel like most of the country understands. I feel like the country is so busy worrying about California's other legislation (marriage equality), no body even sees this as a real threat. Will it matter who gets pension benefits when the only tomato you can afford to eat is the one you grew? (And we can't grow them in a truck, even though I would love fresh tomatoes.)
Am I upset about feeling like my life plans have been thwarted by one state? Yes, but I firmly believe if the rest of the country had any idea the ramifications of this one law, they would be upset too.

Feeling Down

I will warn anyone reading this, as I am sure you guessed by the title, I am feeling down. I am a planner. I can "plan" things years out, and yet sometimes I forget to look right in front of me. Instead of the inability to see the forest for the trees, I see the forest and miss the tree that is about to crash in front of me. CARB is that tree.
For those of you who read this and aren't aware, CARB is the California Air Resources Board. They have mandated the pollution level allowed by all trucks coming into the state. Sounds good right? I mean who wants to look at smog. Truck exhaust is so... dirty. Those old nasty trucks just need to be replaced. Right? If you agree with these things, you might as well stop reading. For the rest of you, beware I am about to rant about the cause of my "down" feeling.
Those of us in the trucking industry have been aware of CARB, but hoped someone would sue, or there would be some other way around it. Well, I don't see that on the horizon, so it is time for me to prepare. We finally found a company that would allow three in the truck full time, but got final word this week that if we do not become California compliant our lease will be terminated. The cost of that simple compliance is $32,000 for parts alone, so the installation charges would be who knows how much. Or, get a newer truck. We have had so many nos  this week, I don't even want to say the word.
Would we like to get a newer truck? Well sure, but the idea of being forced into the decision, and then being told no at every attempt is very difficult. Our truck is 14 years old. We have had to work hard to get it to the condition it is. Our life is spent in this truck. And now, I just don't know what we will do.

"Semi" retired?

Yesterday we were set to pick up one oversized load, that turned into two. We had already been told we wouldn't be getting night permits, so I thought we would have an easy day. It turns out, we will have a pretty easy week. We have a fan case that is 134" wide (standard trailer width is 102"),  in addition to the planned 108" wide engine. Instead of being oversized only from Newark NJ to Hebron KY, we will be oversized all the way to Houston TX.
I would think most homeschooling families get up, have breakfast, "do school", eat lunch in there somewhere, and fill in with whatever else they need to do. Well, I usually wake up, drive, "do school", start dinner, and then sleep. I would guess my "day" is more similar to a woman who home schools, after she works third shift. This week, we all get up together, shortly before sunrise, have coffee and breakfast, my hubby drives while Bonnie and I get the schoolwork done that requires me, I give her the rest of her assignments, start dinner, and then I get to help with routing, and just relax. I am blessed that my husband would rather only have him drive this load, because I freak out in tight spaces. I keep thinking this must be what it is like to be "semi"-retired. Wow! How relaxing, and yet I am afraid I will be bored by the time we deliver. Beware, I may end up finishing all the blog posts I have started and never finished.
To share a little of what we have been doing, we are almost finished with Beyond the Desert Gate. The part where Hylas talks about Jerusalem will be destroyed because of their unwillingness to submit to God's control hit home. Bonnie started reading Flame Over Tara shortly before St Patrick's Day, and is now about half through with it. Math is coming along, as is science. This week we are reading the book of James. Those of you who are familiar with Sonlight will recognize we are nowhere near the halfway point on the curriculum, but we are enjoying our laid back times. I guess this week will get us back up to speed a bit. Only 2 more months of school, but I plan on schooling right through the summer.
I hope everyone is being safe. Be aware with an oversized load, we have so much larger blind spots, so help the driver out when you can.

"No" is NOT Easy to Say

Some days I feel my children think "no" is the easiest thing in the world to say. I remember Momma tell me, it is easy to just go along with what their children want, but it is difficult to tell them, "No." I remember when she said it, I thought she was just making things seem harder than they were. As an adult of adult children, now I honestly see the validity in what she said. I hope before it is too long, my children can see the same thing. When my two oldest kids were teenagers, I was the only one who disciplined them. Yes, their fathers have been absent from their lives, but I had "help" from my mother. However, my mother was basically setting me up. When I would tell the kids no, she would just go behind my back and give them whatever I said no to. That included dogs, phones, clothes, nearly anything. This included lying to me about saying yes, and lying to me about the specifics. It led to my middle daughter being involved with a married man when she was barely a teenager, and allowing my eldest daughter to continuously interact with a man twelve years older than her, when she was just sixteen. Neither of these things were acceptable with me. Now, I suppose my daughter's lives are ok because my mother has accepted, and even condoned, what they are doing. Their decisions are not acceptable with me.I don't really want to go over all of what has happened, but their choices have changed me. I have had to say no to my middle daughter who wanted to move back home, because she wasn't willing to give up a cat that pees where it wants when she is not around. I have had to say no to her borrowing my car because she has not taken care of hers. I have had to say no to my eldest daughter moving back home because our house has a couple of walls down due to issues with the plumbing, and frankly it is not ok for my grandchildren to be there right now. I have had found out my eldest daughter has lied to me at every turn. I have also found out my eldest daughter is a stripper. I have found out my little sister would much rather cause drama than to be an adult. My life has changed over the last few days, all because I have found out these things. Mark 10:25 says, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." While, this scripture has long been identified as dealing with not treasuring your money, I would contend it deals with so much more. Not only are we not to treasure our money, but we must submit to God wholly. Submitting to God is not easy. Sometimes, God says no, not because of any other reason than because it is not what is best for us. God is much like a parent, who doesn't like saying "no," but knows they have to because they must consider what is best. 
Is it best for my daughter to be at home, possibly. However, I know that just saving her, and not forcing her to stand on her own to feet is not what is best. I have to remember, if my daughter would have just cleaned her room, and done what we asked, she would have still been at home. Is it best for my daughter to be a stripper, definitely not! While my mother seems to just see it as "dancing," I remember it opens the door to so much more. No matter what she does, or any of my children for any matter, I will still love them. Doing what is good and right is not easy, but it is what SHOULD be done.

Prepped Food is GREAT

I recently shared about prepping a month of food. While storing the food is a bit of a challenge on the truck, and it took a bit of time, I am still in love with this idea. It is definitely something I would do if I lived at home, because then you take all the "cooking" time in one day instead of spending a lot more time throughout the month. I have been able to pull out a couple of bags from the freezer to thaw, and then just start the cooking as we go down the road, and with very little effort the meal is done. Sometimes, it makes my husband want to stop sooner because the food smells so good.
Most of the recipes are from A Year of Slow Cooking. I found the blog when someone posted one of her recipes on Pinterest, and decided to see if any of her recipes could be adapted to freeze ahead and then cook on the truck. I know I have looked at a few other blogs, but for some reason can't seem to find them right now. I apologize ahead of time for the great tableware, but keep in mind we live in a truck.

Coconut Curry Chicken

Coconut Curry Chicken (I slightly modified the recipe)
1 can Coconut Milk
1 cup Chicken Broth
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 1/2 tsp Curry
3 Sweet Potatoes (peeled and cubed)
1 Red Pepper (minced)
6 Chicken breasts
I placed all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag, and put it in the freezer. When we picked it as one of the meals, I just thawed it, and cooked it in the crockpot on high for a few hours, then switched it to low when I knew the chicken was going to cook. In the original recipe, it called for baby carrots, but since I am the only one who likes cooked carrots, I figured I would leave them out. The red pepper was my addition as well. This is definitely one of those things I would like to make again.

Mongolian Beef

Mongolian Beef
1 pound stew meat
2 tsp olive oil
1 onion (minced)
1 Tbsp minced garlic (I may have added a little more)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup water (I left it out, and it was just fine without it)
Again, I dumped everything in the bag, and cooked it on high for a bit, then switched to low when the meat was almost done. We served it over brown rice cooked in the microwave. We loved this as well.

Teriyaki Chicken
1 cup Teriyaki sauce
2 Tbsp minced garlic (we love garlic)
1 can cubed pineapple
1 red pepper (minced)
1/2 onion (minced)
6 chicken breasts
I put all but the pineapple in the freezer bag. When ready to cook, I dumped everything in the crockpot, including the can of pineapple (juice and all), and cooked on high until done. We ate this one also with some brown rice. This is something we have done several times, and somehow I forgot to take a picture of it.

I challenge you to try a few recipes, and prep a few meals. Believe me it is a great time saver.

Insight Into Our Life

There are so many things that happen in each person's life that allows them to give them insight to people who aren't in your shoes. While we were home I was asked for insight into the company we are leased to, and approached for help in another. While answering questions or concerns about a company is something most in the trucking world are familiar with, the request for help came as a shock to me. I know my family has a tendency to look down their nose at our lifestyle, and somewhat don't care, I never considered there were others who honestly want to be in our shoes.

My life five years ago was so different than my life now. I was just finishing my Bachelors degree in Accounting. I thought despite having businesses I did accounting for close, I would still be able to find a job in my field. As a last resort, I went back to Customer Service. As many know, the economy was (and in my opinion still is) in a slump. My husband decided to start looking into trucking. (He used to drive in the 90's, and considering the paychecks he was receiving was considering it again.) We were barely making it, and many times had to give up lots just to be able to somehow make ends meet. Life was a struggle, but we were home and living a rather traditional life.

Three and a half years ago we boarded a bus bound for Salt Lake City. After a lot of research, and talking to people who would end up being very dear friends, we decided on Central Refrigerated as the company we would start with. (In my opinion, they are a decent starter company, but you must remember trucking is your way to make a living, and treat it like a business whether you lease from them or not.) While we were there, many things happened (like our Chi passing away) and many people began forming opinions of how wrong we were for starting this. Obviously, we couldn't take the kids with us during training, so our oldest son was left in charge of the girls at home. Slowly we worked our way toward owning our own truck (including leasing a truck from our company), and being able to have our daughter on the truck. 

I have ALWAYS wanted to homeschool my girls, but never felt like we were able to do it. I am in awe of the people who can homeschool at home, but staying home (reducing the household income) and schooling the kids was not something I ever thought I could do. Well, trucking and homeschooling to me just fit. Now, I could homeschool my daughter and still work! I knew it would be hard work, but I wanted to do it. I have learned homeschooling is a lifestyle many look down on, but a choice few admire it. Since trucking is much the same, homeschooling on the truck definitely something a great many look down on. 

Last year we chose a curriculum we thought would work because it would be easy (Switched-On Schoolhouse). While the curriculum would work for some, it felt like we were fighting the curriculum and fighting each other on learning. It just was not for us. We spent the the latter part of the school year considering what curriculum we would use this school year. We discussed many choices, and finally I chose Sonlight for the main portion of the curriculum, Apologia for science (saving the experiments for when we are at home), and (based on the suggestion from Sonlight) Teaching Textbooks for math. I think the curriculum has been a great fit. I love reading, and now that love of reading has been passed on to my daughter!

My daughter reading while we wait for service to be done on the truck. I love that she chose to read.

Homeschooling on its own can be difficult. Trucking can be difficult. Combine the two and you have so many opportunities for failure. There are many times I have literally fallen asleep reading with my daughter. I plan out what we will do each day, but then we do what we can when we can. Sometimes we struggle with getting things done, but every day I see progress! It is amazing.

Among the concerns for homeschooling in general, which homeschooling on the truck magnifies, is the socialization. Does my daughter socialize with kids her own age? No. However, consider your own friends. How many friends are within a year or two of your own age? Not many, I would guess. My daughter may not interact on a daily basis with people her own age, but she can show respect for people older than her, and help people in many places. She is a wonderful young woman (of course I am a little partial). We are blessed with a large family, and she has been able to spend time with many different people along the way.

While our life is not typical, I am happy with the choices we have made. I am happy we are together on the truck. It is difficult, but to me it is so worth it. 

Ready and Waiting

We have been at home for a bit, which most people in our circumstance would look forward to, but when we are home, it is because something on the truck is going wrong. This time the truck was leaking so much, electronics were shorting out. Ugh! I thought we fixed this issue last year! I guess not.
This time we replaced all the lights, rewired, fiberglassed and painted the cab. I don't think it will be leaking soon. We discovered there were broken brackets, replaced them. The new lights and redone cab look great.

One of the things I do when I am "wasting time" is to consider all the things I COULD do if I was at home, instead of living on the truck. One of the things I would love to try is Once a Month Cooking. I have looked at several different sites, considered several pins, and decided even if I was at home I would end up making up my own menu instead of following anyone else's.

Well, this time we were home, I decided I would do all I could to get as close to it and pack the stuff in the truck. Success! I did it. I have successfully prepped 24 dinners! I know, not quite 30, but considering leftovers and life, 24 is as close as most get to this accomplishment. Most of these meals can  be made in the crockpot (my favorite tool on the truck). Below is a brief explanation of how I did it.

First I planned out what meals we wanted to have, wrote the recipes out, tried to verify what supplies we had on hand (and still ended up getting some duplicates), and added some wants from my daughter and husband. Not counting that time, the start time for the following was 11:45 in the morning.

Shopping

Considering where we live, I usually opt to shop in Ardmore instead of driving into Huntsville. Considering this, I like being able to get the 5 for $20 meat deals at Piggly Wiggly. Dollar General has most everything else we need. The list was filled between the two stores (all except the Airborne - a must have on the truck), for only $457! Above is a picture of most of the bags, as we were bringing them in.

Sorting and Prepping

The dry and refrigerated products used to make the recipes.

The meats

I didn't even look at the clock to see what time I got home from shopping, but I do believe it was about 2:00 in the afternoon. It took a little bit to separate the main groups, but thankfully I had my daughter to help with prepping the veggies. Her help was GREAT! We labeled the bags and dumped the meals into the bags, and put them in the freezer. My husband said there was way too much food, so I tried to fit it all in one drawer in the freezer thinking that would work. We were eating at 7:00 at night, so I really don't think 7:15 for shopping and prepping wasn't too bad.

Today we had our third dinner from this adventure. The first meal was something we usually put in the crockpot, but decided to try it in the oven. Failure! I guess the crockpot keeps in all the moisture and makes it SO much better.

Perogies, diced chicken, frozen peas and Alfredo. This is in my bowl with a little Parmesan on top. Notice the slightly browned Perogies.

The following morning, I tried French Toast in the crockpot. I thought it was too moist. My daughter thought it was barely edible. It ended up more like bread pudding than French Toast. It was definitely strange to have breakfast ready before coffee.

Last night I made Lasagna. I am sure everyone has their own recipe. I was prepared to do this on the truck in the crockpot if we were ready to roll, but we weren't.

Today, we finished loading the truck and now are ready to roll and waiting on a load. Packing the meals in the freezer was VERY difficult. We no longer have any room for the ice cube trays or the ice packs (let's hope we don't have any injury that needs to be iced), but the meals fit. The picture above represents nineteen meals frozen. It was all I had room for. I guess from now on, I will only do two weeks at a time, which is just fine since that is how often we are paid. The fridge was just as full, and has two meals waiting to go in the crockpot, and some leftover lasagna. 

I will let you know how this goes. I am hoping it goes well. Meanwhile, we sit here waiting for a load, and hope it doesn't take long, since when the wheels don't turn, we don't earn. Hope you feel successful at something, even if it is just filling the fridge and freezer with a month of meals!

Life is precious

Today is my hubby's birthday (I started writing this on his birthday, and finished it almost two weeks later, and then accidentally deleted it and am now republishing it). I have long thought about the various factors that had to come together just right so the two of us would meet. However, just recently I was made aware of the fragile circumstances that actually brought him to this world.
Dumb me, I thought I was the only one who could have never been born. I knew my in-laws had issues, and that is why they divorced, but I really never knew that if just one decision would have been different, my husband wouldn't be here.
My father-in-law proposed to his current wife when they were younger, and she accepted. My stepmother-in-law is a military brat, so during one of their moves, she chose to tell my father-in-law he needed to date other people just to make sure he wasn't settling for her. (In the interest of full disclosure, two of my aunts and one cousin married their high-school sweethearts and are still together, many years later, so I have a soft spot for meeting your mate when you are young and sticking it out.) It was only because of that break-up that my in-laws even met and married. (MiMi, my stepmother-in-law, was never able to experience a live birth of a child of her own.)
Just think, if MiMi had never decided my father-in-law needed to date other people, my husband would never have been born.
Many times, when we look at those in our lives, we have no idea the multiple factors that had to fall into place just right to bring them here. Life is so precious, and could be gone in the blink of an eye.
I have experienced several miscarriages, so I know how fragile even pregnancy can be, then to compound that with the fragility of any relationship, and it is incredible to me sometimes to imagine that the world is as populated as it is.
God knew us while we were yet in our mother's womb. God has plans for us. We may fight those plans at times, but He will consistently show us opportunities to fulfill His plan for our life.
I have long believed God planned for my husband and I to be together. He may not have planned the broken road that got us to where we are, but He knew just what it would take to bring us together, and never gave up.
God has plans for everyone around us. Believe me, there are times when someone is frustrating me, I think God really has no clue what He is doing bringing this person into my life, but He does. There is never a time someone is brought into my life as an accident, and just their very existence is no accident either.
When someone is frustrating you, remember, there is a reason, and their life, no matter how frustrating to you at this point, is fragile. Just one change and they may not exist. Just one change and you would not have the chance to learn and grow from this encounter.
Life is precious, and God has a purpose for all of us.

Hard Work Ahead

We have taken a few days off from work (trucking) to enjoy life, and to make plans for the future. We took the truck in to have the turbo looked at, because it is now derating and throwing codes. We took this opportunity to do something we hear so many others do, but have never been able to do ourselves, rent a car and be tourists! What makes this even stranger is the fact we were tourists at locations within 300 miles of our own current home. It was so nice to do things we hadn't done, but always talked about, and make plans for the future.
One of the places we visited was The Lost Sea. My husband has talked about wanting to stop and see it for quite some time. It was incredible. Below is one of the fish in the largest underground lake.

The cave structures were beautiful and the trip was informative.

We had a great time, and would recommend it to anyone, just make sure you have your walking shoes on.

Every time we drive through Chattanooga, I see the signs for Ruby Falls, and comment how I would like to go there some time. My husband had been when he was younger. (Of the two, Lost Sea was more natural, and wanted things to remain untouched, but most of the rocks within arms length at Ruby Falls are smooth from the touch of millions of tourists.)

The Tower At Ruby Falls

Ruby Falls lit up red

The view of Chattanooga from the top of the tower

Again, it was beautiful. The tour was at a faster pace, but not quite the rigorous exercise. Between the two, we walked over two miles, and that was after I thought we had our exercise from the previous two days, during which point, we put earnest money on a piece of land in Parsons Shores, TN (which is where the hard work ahead comes into play).

Looking toward Lake Norris from the road.

Looking toward the lake from up the property a bit.

Looking up the property from up the property. (It goes over 200' up)

The flattest part of the land.

We have long dreamed of having a lake house. This property represents our dream. We realize we will have to work hard to clear it, and then to actually build a home will present an even larger challenge, but we are sure it will be worth it in the end.

"My favorite thing about school is reading."

I love reading. There are some books I drudge through, when required to read, but most I breeze through and have to be forced to stop reading. My issue, if I get distracted, I tend to want to read something different when I start reading again. I regularly would have a stack of books, all of which I am part of the way through (kind of like my crocheting projects, lots started).
I fell in love with the idea of the kindle as soon as I saw it. I thought it would be an awesome way to keep my multiple books down to just one item. (I have thanked my daughter several times for listening to her mother once and buying just what I wanted.)
We struggled through our first year homeschooling. We thought a curriculum that was computer based would be the best for us on a truck. We picked Switched on Schoolhouse by Alpha Omega. It was alright, but the answers had to be formatted perfectly to get answers correct. It was beyond frustrating. I did not enjoy teaching. She didn't enjoy learning. It wasn't a good year.
We started looking in April for a curriculum to switch to. My husband wanted to use Abeka or BJU. I really wanted to use Sonlight. I was hopeful my love of reading could rub off on just one more of my daughters. So, slowly I got the curriculum, and were able to start. We had a late start due to a company switch, but the further we get into the curriculum, the more I enjoy it.
We were discussing her progress this year, when she said, "My favorite thing about school is reading." She thought she was struggling with Math, and was amazed to see her B+. Likewise, she was impressed to see her A- in Science. I however, was blown away to hear how she loves reading. I am so impressed. I trusted my gut and listened to my cousin (and only other family member who homeschools), and am loving it.
Sometimes, changing to something the teacher(parent) enjoys is the best thing for all involved.