Sunday, November 29, 2009

Belated Thanksgiving Wishes

Hello blogland friends. Once again it's been awhile since I posted, still hard with one hand.
I hope you all had a Wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday with family and friends. Filled with Love , Laughter and full tummies.
A lot has happened here since my last post. The passing of my Husbands father and services the day before Thanksgiving. Our daughter and family returning home for the service and staying for the Hoilday. They had planned to visit her husband's family, but the rock slide on I40 changed those plans and they had just planned on staying home. It was nice to have them here, just wish it was on a happier note. 
They left for home on Friday morning and hubby left for California then as well. I sorta felt like "Home Alone", lol. I busied myself with putting a few Christmas decorations out, laundry and trying to make a few yo-yo's. Well, the yo-yo's are slow going, it causes me pain in my hand and wrist. So, I make a couple and have to wait a while then make a couple more. it's better than not being able to do anything at all!
I have done a little bit of Christmas shopping. Do you have yours done?
My next Dr.'s appt is on Dec. 8th, I'm hoping for the best.
I have been visiting your blogs, sorry for not leaving notes, but hope to be able to do that again soon, too. thanks for stopping by and visiting my corner of the blogland community. Comments are Welcomed and looked forward too.
Until next time,
Hugs, Bren

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Drs. Appointment & A Diagnosis Finally!

Now we know! I had an appointment with the hand and wrist specialist yesterday. After 4 1/2 weeks, several x-rays, finally going to the specialist and an MRI........it's cracked. That's what he said...the bone in your forearm is cracked. Oh joy!  Since it's already been this long, it's a little late to put it in a regular cast, so off to the therapist to have a cast molded to my arm. It's to be immobilized for 3 weeks, the cast is not to come off except for hygiene. At least I finally know! Hubby kept saying there was something wrong because I still have some swelling, bruising and pain. Hate it when he's right, lol. My case worker ask the Dr. how long he thought it would be until I was basically healed and released..............his best guess as he said..........3 months!!
Ok, so lets not get down about this. I normally make gifts for the holidays and have been going crazy not being able to work on anything, well, I won't be working on anything for a while longer. Things will just have to be New Years gifts, lol.
I'm just glad the Dr. found it, now we can start the process of getting better. And as the Dr said, atleast the bone hadn't shifted.
I hope you are all cozy and warm. Thanls for checking into my corner of the blog world. Leave me a comment...you know I love em. I have been visiting your corners of the blog world as well.
Have a Great Day!
Hugs, Bren

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Makin' a List

Good Tuesday morning! It's a little rainy here this morning, but not to last the entire day. Highs in the 60's, I'll take that.
A couple of days and then off to the hand and wrist Specialist. I still have some issues, a little swelling and some pain. Trying to not let this get me down. Since I can't really do the crafting things I want , I decided I needed to get busy doing some shopping for Christmas gifts. Making my list and checking it twice and then I'll be off.
I'm taking the advice of one of the comments left a few days ago. Instead of thinking what I can't do, I'm making a list of what I want to do when I can. That list is getting quite long, lol. And I've added making gingerbread ornaments to my list. I've made the cinnamon ornaments, and want to try the gingerbread. I'll add what things I need for that to my shopping list so I'll be ready.
I hope you all have a wonderful day. I'm trying to keep up with all your blogs.Thanks for stoping by and visiting my little corner of the blog world. I hope to be back to crafting and sharing pics soon.
Have a Great Day.
Hugs, Bren

Saturday, November 7, 2009

The Dr. Appointment

I had my Dr. appt. yesterday, wasn't thrilled with it. He didn't give me answers as to why my hand and wrist are still a little swollen and painful, it's been 3 weeks since the mishap, and he still says nothing is broken. "It was a serious unjury" was his answer, well, if it wasn't broke, it wasn't that serious, lol. Can you tell I have no patience for things like this? What he did say was my x-rays showed I have some Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis, well isn't that just fabulous! And he thinks my finger and thumb pain is from that. Well, it wasn't there before the mishap!
Ok, well it's off to see the Specialist, hand and wrist guy, next Thursday. And they told me to take my brace off and do normal things. Ummm, but it hurts when I bend my wrist, and fingers. Left the Drs office a little confused and unhappy. Even my workmans comp case worker told me I could probably sew and craft. Hello!, could I see your Drs degree, lol. Well, hubby says you should keep the brace on until you see the specialist, just incase there's something there, you don't want to make it worse. So, I won't do much of anything different until I see that Dr on Thursday.
I'll update you after I see the Dr. On Thursday. Have a Great week!
Hugs, Bren

Monday, November 2, 2009

Update on the Wrist

Good Monday morning blogland friends. Thought I would update you, it's been awhile since I posted. My last post told you about my fall and injury.
I'm still off work. My wrist and hand are still having issues. I have pain when I try to move my wrist and some fingers. hard to explain, but it's not well yet. I went to the Dr this past Tuesday, they did x-rays again, and again say nothing is broke. They say I hyper-extended it, and that can be worse than a break. I was sent back home and told to do "gentle" exercises and return this coming Friday. If I'm not better then off to the specialist.
So, here I am. No sewing, stitching, or any of that fun stuff. It's been hard for me, I'm not a sit around do nothing kind of person. I have read a book, and I do like to read, but that's not what I'm wanting to do right now, lol. You always want to do what you aren't suppose to do when you are told not to, lol.
Hubby was home with me last week, we had scheduled some appointments prior to my little mishap, so had planned on being home that week anyway. He really came through and helped out, cooking, doing dishes and such. Now he's back on the road, on the West Coast where it's warm and sunny. And I'm missing him.
I've been catching up on your blogs, although I've not left many comments. Hard to type left handed, and tiring, lol. Just know I am visiting your corners of blogland.
Hope you all are healthy, happy and busy crafting and creating. Have a Great Day. Thanks for stopping by, leave a comment letting me know you were here, it'll brighten my day.
Until next time.......
Hugs, Bren

Monday, October 19, 2009

Humpty Dumpty had a Great Fall......

And so did I!!! Last Thursday I fell as I was getting out of the truck. Now I didn't fall out of the truck, but as I was stepping onto the ground. Hard to explain, but I stepped onto large 5 inch gravel which shifted I as stepped on it and already in motion going down off the truck, well I tried to recover and then ended up falling. I tried to catch myself as is normal, but hurt my wrist (right hand), went to the clinic, had X-rays, they said nothing was broke. Put it in a brace and sent me home, no work, can't shift gears. I go back to the clinic tomorrow, sure they will release me to go back to work. I still have some pain, and some swelling, my thumb especially, it looks weird, and sore muscles from trying to catch myself. But all will be well. This is short cause I'm typing with my left hand and it's taking forever, lol. I've been reading your blogs and have left a few comments, but mostly reading and catching up. Wishing I could be stitching or something!
Have a Great Day!!
Hugs, Bren

Monday, October 12, 2009

Thanksgiving Day in Canada

Happy Thanksgiving in Canada!! We crossed the border into Canada this morning, I had to be sent to the warehouse for inspection. Hubby was cleared with no inspection necessary. So off the road a bit to the warehouse and they had a look in the trailer and then we were down the road. The girls passed inspection with no problems, I was a tad bit worried, but had their health papers if needed.
Well, it's Columbus Day back home, but here in Canada it's Thanksgiving. So we had a turkey dinner in Celebration of their Holiday. It's a nice truck stop here in Salisbury, New Brunswick, Canada. And they have Free Wi-Fi internet, Bless them for that. We had turned our Blackberry phones off before entering so we wouldn't get caught with roaming charges while here, and I thought no internet until tomorrow.
The drive here was spectacular to say the least!! The trees are beautiful and only got prettier as we drove farther north. I haven't seen a moose yet, although there have been several signs telling me to watch for them. Maybe on the way home. And if I don't see one then, well when we come back next week maybe then. Yes, I said come back next week. And if you read the previous post you will remember I said we were going to be off for appointments. When the boss calls and says can you.....well we decided to rearrange the appointments and make the trip back again, to the same place even. So, Pammy it will be the last week of the month now.
So, we'll run home empty, hook another loaded trailer and head back here to the Northeastern part of the world. I was out with the girls last night and the sky was so clear and the stars so bright, it was very pretty. Today is sunny, crystal clear and breezy. Well, maybe a few clouds, lol.
Keep warm, cozy and crafting. Till next time, love your comments!!
Hugs, Bren

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Relax & Refresh & Enjoy the Colors

Warm yourself with a cup of warm cider while curled up in your favorite chair under a warm quilt, and peek into my corner of blogland. Fall really has to be my favorite time of year, although I really like the Indian Summer part of it. And we haven't had that, yet. Cooler weather is around the corner all too soon. I'll enjoy the colors, smells and flavors of fall till their end. Now back to reality, lol........
A couple of days home before our trip to the Northeast has been very refreshing. It always does a body good to be "home". I have done the usual clean out the truck, laundry, give the girls a bath and a trim and home cooked meals. We had time to run a few errands, go to the chiropractor( a much needed visit there) and managed to relax. The truck is almost packed and ready to go again.
I'm crossing my fingers that the fall colors will still be beautiful. And I know the weather will be cooler. I've packed appropriate clothes. We'll be out through the week and return around the weekend. When we return we'll take a few days off, we have some appointments that week. And I'm hoping to get in some craft time. I have worked on a couple of things while I've been here this weekend, nothing finished, just in the beginning stages. I have plenty to work on when I get the time, lol.
Halloween is fast approaching. My favorite time of the year. I'll be gathering my wardrobe for the following week, lol. And I thought is was time to dress my blog for the holidays, and what could be more fitting for me than the witches legs and boots! My BIL would say a "perfect" fit, lol.
I've been catching up on your blogs, loving all I see and read. And I'll have more time next week. Thanks for visiting my little blog, and leave a comment if you like. I love all your comments.
I'm sure this next week will be a busy one, so I'll see you when I have a minute to spare. Hope I can get some interesting pics of our trip to share. Check back to see.
Until then..........Hugs, Bren

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Family, Friends and Favorite Places

Here we are about to start a new week and last week still hasn't caught up with me, lol.
If you're following with me, we were headed for New York last week. It was a pretty drive despite the rain and drizzle, the colors are just starting and are they ever pretty. WOW is all I can say. We made it to new York and did finally reach our destination, although we did encounter a low underpass and the local Police, lol. We were able to get under the underpass even though it was posted 12 foot 7 inches ( we are 13 foot 6 inches) kinda scary for a minute there. And the local Police showed up asking if we needed help, we figure someone in the residential area called and told them we were wandering around, lol. We unloaded and waited for a load.
Hubby has a Foster brother that we knew lived in New York State, and to make along story short we were just a few miles from them. So we took a few hours to visit and they showed us around. It was good to see them. Always good to see family.
We loaded Friday Morning for Upper Minnesota, way up north. Again a rainy, drizzly drive, but still pretty. We stopped in Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday and I had enough time to unhook from the trailer and make a visit to one of my very favorite Quilt shops in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, JJ Stitches & Co. I have not been there for quite a while, so it was good to get the time to visit. The owner, Julie is the sweetest person, I just love her. You may have seen some of her Antique Reproduction quilts in McCalls Quilting or American Patchwork and Quilting. And she tells me she is working on another for spring, I can't wait!! I made my purchases, some wool and a doll pattern. Can't wait for the time to work on them!!!
We continued on northward and tonight are in Superior, Wi. We will head over to Minnesota in the morning and unload. Then I'll head just west of Minneapolis and hubby will go just south of Minneapolis for reloads and meet back up to head back to Iowa. We'll have a day at home to do laundry and give the girls a bath and a trim. Then it's off to Canada!
The weather is getting cooler, I'll grab some warmer clothes while I'm home. Think I'm going to need them. Hope you are all well. I'm still trying to keep up with you all even though I don't get much time to post. Keep warm, keep crafting and be happy and healthy.
I love your comments when you leave them! Until next time.......................
Hugs, Bren

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Looking Forward

The summer has flown by, it's been busy for us. And it continues to be busy. We've had a few days home here and there, but they were few and far between. Such is the life of our jobs.
This week we'll be off for the Northern part of Illinois and then to New York State. And following that we'll be headed for Canada, New Brunswick. I'm actually looking forward to that, I've not been to the state of Maine, so I will be able to cross that off my bucket list. And I'm hoping that maybe the trees will be changing. What a beautiful part of the country to get to travel through at this time of year. Several of us will be traveling that direction, hope we get to travel in groups, it makes the drive seem shorter and the sights more fun to see. Another group of our drivers will be heading to Vancouver, not sure we'll be going there. The lights headed in that direction are for the Olympics. How neat, huh!
This morning was spent taking the girls to the Vet to make sure we had all our shots and necessary paperwork for entering and exiting Canada with no problems. And of course we both have our passports in order, so we can pass through with no problems as well, lol. Something to look forward to.
I've not had time for much of anything except driving lately. But, winter is coming and I will be laid off and will have time for those things then. Atleast that's what I keep telling myself. Will need to do some fall cleaning then as well.
I do read your blogs, sorry I haven't had time to leave you a note, but I try to keep up. I will be able to keep up with my own blog this winter, lol.
Hope you are all well and creative. Don't forget to leave me a note if you so choose, I love hearing from you!!
Hugs, Bren

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Life In the Fast Lane, Literally!

Wow, all I can say is it's been busy this last month! My time at home has been very limited, only home about 24 hours in the last month. I don't like being this busy. I like a little more time at home than that. But such is the schedule, so I have to deal with it . Although I have to say sometimes I don't deal with it very well.
I have not crafted much at all and am having withdrawls, lol. The only thing I have worked on is my needle punch and haven't progressed much.
My computer has not been turned on for weeks at a time! That's not like me, but by the end of my day I'm bushed, and then up and at it again the next day.
In the last month we have been to Phoenix back to back, then Virginia, Indiana, Arkansas and now we are heading out for the Denver area. We have been lucky and run together except for this last trip back from Arkansas, hubby had a reload to Minnesota and I had to go to Chicago. Not one of my favorite places either. We've made a brief stop here at home, do a little laundry, ran a few errands and will leave out a little later today.
The weather here is so much like Fall, the leaves are even falling from some of the trees!! Not ready for this! We didn't have a summer, it was cool and rainy. And now signs of cooler weather are fast approaching! I think I'm sunshine deprived, lol.
I'm so far behind on your blogs I'll take forever to catch up, but I'll try to do better this week and catch up on your worlds.
Hope each and everyone of you are Happy, Healthy and crafting. Enjoy your day whatever you do.
Hugs, Bren

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Time Marches On

Here we are again, and again time has gotten away from me. I guess I have been busy. Let me share what has been happening since my last post and you decide for yourselves.
Ok, we had a little time off to refresh before heading out with the next load. And as always time is always to short, I never get all the things done I want to do. That can be frustrating to say the least.
We headed to the terminal on Tuesday morning, we had loads going to Phoenix, Az. Our loads should have been ready by about noon......but we didn't get them until late afternoon. So we had some miles to go, sort of play catch up. While we were waiting on the loads, I made a stop at my favorite quilt shop for some needle punch supplies. I was hoping she had gotten in the six strand punch needles, thinking I would have some time to try it out, nope they hadn't come in yet. Well, she's so sweet she let me take hers with me, and then I didn't get to try it out as I forgot to take an extra hoop, arrgghhh! So, will plan better this time.
We picked up the loads early evening and headed out, getting a couple of hundred miles behind us. A rest area was our stop for the night, but it's a nice big one in Missouri. Newly redone, large lot, nice grass for the girls and clean restrooms.
Up early Wednesday morning and back on the road, thru Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and in to New Mexico. We stopped for the night at Tucumcari, got a bite to eat and called it a night. We haven't been southwest for a while so the ride was interesting just looking for changes since the last time we were through the area. the girls aren't big on the southwest......not much for grass. And sand burrs, we deal with them everytime we go southwest, Miss Maile the Diva Dog thinks she has to have grass and Sofie doesn't really care either way, lol. So off to bed for the night. Morning comes too early.
Thursday Morning up and at it early again. Across new Mexico and into Arizona. We make our way to Flagstaff and then start south towards Phoenix. We head into town to Danny's Big Rig Resort, a nice place to stay for big rigs. A truck wash was in order, they had wash and dry them there, then we had the tanks and wheels polished. Looking pretty good now. We had a bite for supper and relaxed while all this was being done. Took the dogs out, it was dark by now, and Sofie got bit by a FIRE ANT, this was not fun. To make a long story short, I put toothpaste on it on the advice of someone who lives around there. It worked, but it was traumatic for both dog and me, and must have been very painful for her. Finally getting her settled down for the night we got some rest. Off the next morning early before traffic to our destination in town to unload. We unloaded and headed out of town for our reload.
We went north and west a ways for our reload to a small place called Bagdad, Az. A copper mine, out through the desert over the hills and winding around it was like a roller coaster ride getting there those last few miles. We loaded for home and were off.
Back across the same states we went down making a few stops along the way. We saw our Indian friends in Laguna, new Mexico , our friends in Oklahoma and finally back in the home area to unload and then a stop at home. A brief stop, laundry, a quick meal at home, sleep and off again this morning.
And what does this week hold in store...............the same thing we did last week. Going back to Phoenix. The same route, and close to where we were last week. Hubby has a friend in the Phoenix area, a friend he met at a Nascar race a few years ago, hoping to maybe get to see him for a day before heading back. Will have to see what happens.
I haven't had time to do much of anything this past few weeks, I have read your blogs to try to keep up, but no time for posting notes to you. I try to keep up with Facebook, but haven't even had much time for that either. Just driving, most days headed this way are 800 mile days.
I hope you are all well, happily crafting. The weather has been so cool and wet this year, hasn't felt much like summer here, think fall is coming early, and not looking forward to the winter. But time marches on and the days slip by before we know it.
Hugs, Bren

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Did I get lost???

I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since I posted! Well, it's been busy to say the least, not even sure I remember everything I've done and everywhere I've been. So I'll just give you the highlights I remember.
Let's see, I did the moving thing a week and a half ago, well I did it again this last week. Yep, you read that right, I moved back into my old truck. I like it better anyway. And that's a long story, so we'll just leave it at that. Niece # 2, who is 10 was going with me this week and all started out well, she spent the night with us last Sunday, we were up early to leave on Monday on our way to Minnesota. Had a good day, got unloaded, back to the little truck stop, had supper, watched DVD's and a good nights sleep. Tuesday morning off to reload and meet up with hubby, and then headed back to the terminal. That was also the day I moved back into my truck, she was a BIG help doing that. And she played with the girls out in the yard at the terminal, they loved that. We stayed at the little truck stop there in town, had a shower, and ordered pizza for our supper. We went to bed, all was well until about 11:45 p.m. when she said Aunt Brenda I can't breathe very well. Hmmmm, ok, have you had this before or is your nose just stuffy? Nope she thought she needed to go to the hospital, ok, don't panic I told myself. I called her Mom, we were only an hour from home, Mom says hmmmmm I really think she's ok. Ok, so she call Dad and says can you come get me, well at about 1:20 a.m. she says she feels better, Thank God and Dad gets there at about 2 a.m.. She just wanted to go home, maybe a little panic attack going on there, but when you're 10 if you want to go home, you want to go home.
So, Wednesday we hooked our loads and headed for Boulder, Co. We hadn't been west in awhile, so the change of scenery was welcomed. We unloaded Friday morning, hubby had a reload out of Nebraska and headed for there, I went back to the truck stop and then headed for Nebraska myself. We met up and headed for home. He delivered this morning, we dropped trailers and came home. Home again, home again, jiggety jog. The girls were as dirty as little pigs so they have already had their baths and laundry is going. We are home a couple of days and then will be heading for Phoenix, again a welcome change of scenery.
I went to my favorite quilting store and my friend Kathy showed me how to needle punch like a pro, so I have been working on that every chance I get. She made it look so easy, but it helped me out just having her show me.
How have you all been???? I have missed being able to get on here and post and read your blogs. So I have some catching up to do! Most of all I've missed your comments, so make sure to leave me a note. I'll get some pics of my projects and post while I'm home.
Hugs, Bren

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Movin' Out, Movin' In, Movin' On.............

And so, here we are. It was up early this morning and off for Kenosha, hubby off to Dubuque. I wanted to get through Chicago before traffic, so I was up at 4 and took off at 4:45. Hubby followed until I split off on I294 North, he kept heading west. Traffic was not bad, but there is construction on I294. At least traffic kept flowing smoothly. I arrived at Kenosha around 6:45 a.m. and by 7:45 I was ready to head down the road again. So a quick call in to dispatch and I was headed for the terminal. As it turned out hubby arrived back at the terminal shortly before I did.
I had gotten a call while I was on my way back and was told I had to give up my white truck, they had a Blue one become available. I was crushed, I LOVE that truck. Well, hubby helped me move things over when I got there and he hooked my radios up for me. So, I'm all moved in to the Blue truck. Now it's the same inside, exactly, and on the outside it's the same too, except color. But my white truck had a tiny bit more power than the Blue ones, I was always kidding hubby I was gonna have to push him up the hills. We'll be climbing them together now, lol. Oh well, better to have a truck, than no truck at all. But I have to admit I was down and out on the way back this morning.
Well, all moved in and hooked up and ready to go again. We hooked our trailers and brought them home with us. And will head south in the morning. We'll be on our way to Texas.
I managed a quick load of laundry, a quick shower . Now I'll relax for a bit before bed time.
There ya have it, that was my day. How was yours? And what have you been working on? I haven't been very creative lately, I need some inspiration. I hope you had a Good day.
Until next time.......
Hugs, Bren

Monday, July 27, 2009

Where Did We Leave Off?

I think I left you with me having a couple of days off. I did enjoy them. I did a bit of cleaning that needed done, and relaxed a lot.
And as they say, "All good things must come to an end" so did my time at home. We left on Sunday morning, headed for Akron, Ohio for a Monday morning delivery. It was a nice drive across Illinois, Indiana, and into Ohio. We spent the night at a Travel Plaza, just about 25 miles short of our destination.
Up early this morning and on into Akron to the University for delivery. And they were very timely in getting us unloaded. Out of there by 8 am. Hubby had just a few miles to go for his reload, and I about 50. Off we went in our separate ways. I arrived in Sugarcreek, Oh. to pick up a load of bricks. I arrived at 9 am and they had me loaded and I was strapped down by 9:45 am, and headed back for the "Big" road as we say. I made a stop for fuel which was a fiasco to say the least, it took me 45 minutes to get out of there. The computer system had gone down, so they couldn't process my fuel ticket. Arrgghhh! Well, anyway, finally I was out of there and headed for I80 West. I met up with hubby at a Travel Plaza and we headed west, he being headed for Dubuque, Ia. and I headed for Kenosha, Wi.
I will unload in the morning and then head back for the terminal. No reload as of yet, so will have to wait until morning to see about that. Hubby will head for his destination and then back to the terminal.
We'll be leaving out again on Wednesday Morning for Texas again. This time we'll take a different route as hubby has a drop to make in Little Rock. So we'll be seeing a bit of different scenery.
Hope you all had a Great weekend and your week is off to a Great start as well.
I'm catching up on all your blog news while I relax tonight.
Until next time..........
Hugs, Bren

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Follow Along With Me......

Get out your trusty old Rand McNally Road Atlas and follow with me to track my last few days.
We left out last Saturday morning for Bowie, Texas, an easy drive as we left early enough to take our time. We left Iowa on Route 218, follow along into Missouri where we take Hwy 61 South. And then at Hannibal we cut across on Hwy 36 West to Interstate 35 South. On through Missouri,, through Kansas City, on through Kansas on I35 South. We stop for the night in Lebo, Kansas at the TA Truck stop. A hot supper and then off to bed. Up early Sunday morning and back on the road. We are still traveling I35 South as it turns into a toll road in Kansas and on into Oklahoma. We stop at Exit 218 in Oklahoma at the Travel Plaza where we see the ladies with the gravy and fries. They were thrilled to see us, and had a feeling they should get the fries ready just before we got there. So now she thinks she's psychic, lol. So we enjoyed breakfast and a brief but good visit. They are so nice, always smiling and full of laughs. The girls get to go out and run a bit in the grass and then back down the road. On the North side of Oklahoma City we stop at the Blue Beacon Truck wash, gotta clean the trucks. That takes about an hour and on the road again. At Oklahoma City we take I44 South and head for Texas. We make our way into Texas and stop for the day in Wichita Falls. It was in the 90's and like an oven outside. No restaurant at the Flying J , just a Wendy's. So that was supper. A pottery place across the street, we walked over for a look. Off to bed , up early in the morning for delivery.
From there we went South on Hwy 287 to Bowie, reached our destination for delivery and proceeded with unloading.
Hubby had to go back up by Oklahoma City for his reload, so when he was unloaded and seen to that I was getting along ok, he took off. I had to wait about an hour and then dispatch called and had a load for me in Fort Worth, Tx. Off I go, continuing on 287 South into Ft. Worth. I found where I needed to go and was loaded fairly quickly and able to get out of town before rush hour traffic got too bad. Both of us loaded we met back up on the North side of Oklahoma City on I35.
Hubby was going into Iowa, North of Des Moines and I was headed to South St. Paul, Minnesota. So we continued on North on I35. Tuesday was spent driving North on I 35, hubby stopping off for his delivery that afternoon, I continued on into Minnesota to the Truck Stop. Hubby met up with me that evening. A nice hot shower and hot supper, then off to bed. I needed to be up early to get into St Paul for an early morning delivery this morning. We left out this morning at 4:45, I going to my delivery point and hubby on up to pick up bases to take back to the plant in Iowa. After I was empty I too went to pick up bases. Well, he ended up having to leave before I got there as they needed him to take a load to Kansas City for delivery in the morning. So we passed each other on the way, lol. I was loaded and headed for the plant. He dropped his trailer, hooked onto the loaded one and headed out. I came in later than he did, dropped my trailer and headed for home. He should be here tomorrow.
Well, that's been my last few days. How has yours been? Hope you're having a Great week, I'm hoping for a little crafting time.
Hugs, Bren

Saturday, July 18, 2009

And Away We Go....

Once again time at home has come to an end, it's time to head out again. I enjoyed my time here, didn't get done what I wanted to, but got done what needed to be. It's always that way, lol. Seems I get the laundry taken care of and running errands, then just want to relax. I need more time?, energy?, hmmmm not sure, lol.
We'll head for the terminal this morning, hook the trailers and pick up the paper work. Stop at the Truck stop to fuel the trucks and grab a drink. Gotta have my Pepsi. And be on our way down the road.
We're heading to Texas, just over the border, so not a long run. We have Monday morning appointments. It should be an easy couple of days driving. No rush anyway. We'll make our way thorough Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and then Texas. Maybe a stop by our friends in Oklahoma, the ones I've talked about before at the little truck stop, where they have sausage gravy over french fries. They call it survival food or comfort food. Either way it's good.
Hope you have a Great weekend, enjoy it whatever you do.
Hugs,
Bren

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Home...

It's Thursday, but it will be my Saturday. We unloaded yesterday, returned to the terminal to drop our trailers off ( we were a few short miles from where we delivered) and headed home. A stop at the store before coming home, remember I said we don't keep the frig stocked while we're gone. I spent last night doing a couple loads of laundry and catching up on blogs and other places I like to visit on the web.
Today we will run our errands in town. I hope to get things done quickly so I can hurry back home and just enjoy being here. I haven't had time for any of my projects these past couple of weeks, so I want to work on those. And, the girls need their bath as usual. That won't take long as they didn't get horribly dirty this week. Depends on where we go as to how bad they are at the end of the week.
We'll be heading out for Texas on Saturday for a Monday delivery. And yes we've been there many times before, but we have been going east alot lately so it will be nice to head south for a change.
I managed to give my blog a much needed change last night. Not sure if I like it, but will leave it at that for now. Thanks so much for visiting my blog. Leave a comment, you know I love hearing from you.
Hugs, Bren

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

A Rainy Night in.....

Illinois. I woke up this morning, 3 am, to the prettiest light show in the sky. And then it got closer. More lightening, thunder, and then the rain. The lights went out here at the truck stop, and it's dark at 3 am. They were only off a short time and came back on, but have went out a couple of times since then again. It's raining and it's raining lots. Since I was up early, I cleaned house, made the bed, that sort of thing. And decided to catch up on my computer.
We unloaded in North Carolina, although where we had to go was not fun getting there. the road was narrow, lots of low tree branches, not good on the trucks or trailers. But we got the job done, and I was glad to get back to the Big road as we call it. So we made our way to Georgia, through South Carolina and I think I passed very close by to one of my blogging friends, Chatty Cathy of Palmetto Primitives. We arrived to load around 3 in the afternoon, and usually we don't have to wait long to get loaded. Not the case this time, there were already 35 trucks ahead of us. There had been a problem at the steel plant, so things were backed up. Well, we didn't get called in to get loaded until 12:30 am. Needless to say, sleep was not good that night. Up early on Tuesday morning, a hot shower, and headed North. We stopped here in Illinois for the night. A few hours and we'll be at our destination to unload.
Not sure what the plans are next, we'll find out this morning after we are unloaded. It's raining hard now, thunder and lightening. My truck needs a bath, so maybe this wash some of the dirt off. The parking lot is flooded, it's raining harder. My most unfavorite part of this business, is waking up in the morning and having to go inside somewhere to use the restroom. And now it's raining, so I'll have to wait a little longer.
I'll go check out your blogs while I wait. I hope while you're here you'll leave me a comment and let me know you were here. And Thanks for stopping by and checking my world.
Have a Great Day!
Hugs, Bren

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Just an Update......And if by Chance....

And so we begin another week. After a brief stop by home, and I do mean brief, we are off and running again. We are headed to Asheville, N.C., where we will deliver in the morning. We already have our reload, steel from Cartersville, Ga.. Just north of Atlanta, and then deliver that in Iowa. Sounds easy, huh? Traffic today was heavy to say the least. Unusually heavy for a Sunday, and not sure why. But we endured as always. Hoping the rest of the trip goes a little smoother.
Last week I was in Tampa, and I understand I was close to one of our blogging friends. Marte from Boggy Creek Primitives lives nearby. How I would have loved to meet her and visit! I love her work! She is an inspiration to me every time she shares pics on her blog. I would love to meet you all. And if I am coming nearby to you and have time, that's entirely possible. But here's the deal. You notice that I don't always tell you exactly where I'm going, maybe just the state? Just a thing with me, to not tell you until after we've been there and gone. But if I'm coming to your state and if by chance you would like to meet, email me and we'll see how close I am going to be. But, you have to come to me. I don't think I could drive to your front door, or that my truck would fit in your drive after I got there, lol. How fun it would be to meet you all!!!
I haven't had time for anything crafty lately. I'm having with drawls from wool, lol. And now, Marte has me wanting to try hooking again. Going to have to find a kit I guess. I hope to find some time for fun things soon.
I hope you had a Super weekend! I know PammyJo did, sitting out back on her "New" deck. Check out her pics on Grammys Altered Life. And you can also see her cute Granbaby Miss M, she's a doll! I hope I can go sit with her and have tea on that new deck soon! It looks so relaxing.
As always leave me a note, I love hearing from you and keeps me connected. Some days it keeps me sane just looking forward to seeing if anyone drooped by, lol.
Until next time,
Hugs, Bren

Friday, July 10, 2009

Have We Lost Touch?

I can't believe it's been this long since I posted!!! Well, it's been busy is all I can say. We had the kids here last week and then the big family reunion. It's was a fun time, the family reunion was very enjoyable, complete with fireworks. The guys always have fun doing that for us to enjoy. We all visited, the kids all played, we fished, we had fun. And we'll look forward to next year.
This past week I went to Tampa, Fl. and hubby went to South Carolina. The first time we haven't headed out to the same place. I went with 2 of our other drivers, it's a long story as to why we didn't go together. I'll just say it's how things worked out. All turned out well anyway. And I had a rider this week, our 12 year old niece went with me. Not sure she will go again, it's kinda boring for a 12 year old. It's even boring for me sometimes, lol. But it was nice to have her with me, she's a sweetie. We came home empty, arriving this morning. And I've spent my day doing laundry, giving the girls their bath and trimming them up.
We'll leave out tomorrow for North Carolina, unload on Monday and then head to Georgia for our reload back to Iowa. So the week is taken care of.
I have some catching up to do reading your blogs and leaving notes. I hope you'll do the same while visiting mine. I've missed hearing from you.
Have a Great weekend!
Hugs, Bren

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Pics to Share

Happy 4th of July! We have been having fun all week with our daughter and family here. The Girls day out was another memory filled trip as usual. And family fun all week. I wanted to share a few pics with you.
This is my Sweetie.
My Sister-in-law and I made pies yesterday. A total of 8 pies for the big get together! On the menu will be Strawberry-Rhubarb, Peach, Blackberry, Lemon Meringue, Chocolate, and Apple of course. We had so much fun making these pies. I have always made pies and always had trouble with my crust. We are made from scratch cooks. So she gave me a lesson on pie crust, she learned from her Home Ec teacher. I thought , yeah, yeah, yeah, it'll still turn out crappy and fall apart. I was WRONG! I won't be fighting with my crusts anymore. It worked so well, we called our other friend and she came over to have a lesson. It was a fun filled day with memories we'll treasure. Don't those pies look yummy?

Here's the teacher. She's been my friend for over 30 years, and my Sister-in-law . I'm supposed to be paying attention, but had to get a pic.

Thursday evening, hubby's Sister from Seattle arrived and took all the Sib's out for supper. A local restaurant called Big Muddy's. It sits along the Mississippi with a Great View. From left to right around the table, Hubby's sister Linda, second oldest brother Rick, his wife Kim, oldest brother Doug, his wife Lois, Me, my hubby peeking behind sister Linda's husband Kevin. Youngest brother Rob and his fiancee' were not there. A Great time, great food, and a relaxing view. It was fun to have everyone get together.

Our Girls day out included a stop at our favorite quilting shop. Here my two friends, Kim and Carla. They are my Yaya Sisters, we always have a fun time and make memories we'll treasure forever. If you are ever in the Muscatine, Ia. area, this is a shop to die for, ya gotta stop in!Hope you are having a Happy 4th and enjoy the pics. I'll post more later.
Don't forget to leave me a comment so I know you were here.
Hugs, Bren





Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Oh What Fun it is....At Papa & Yaya's House

What a busy and fun week it's been so far. Ok, we left off when we got home Saturday night. Everyone got settled in and unpacked that evening. Sunday we ran to the grocery store for needed supplies. As you can imagine I don't keep my refrigerator stocked if I'm not going to be here, I keep a few things on hand for the two of us when we are home on the weekend. So the cupboards were bare in the eyes of a 4 and a 6 year old, lol. Not anymore! We cooked out on Sunday, Papa, Daddy and the boys had water gun fights. Oh what fun they had, and how wet they got, lol. On Monday, we needed a few more things from the store, imagine that, lol. And my daughter and I went shopping a bit. I needed some new tops and it was good to have her with me picking out some new things. I don't like some of the styles and don't think they look good on me, but with her along she convinced me to try a few and to my surprise, I liked them and they looked good!
Tuesday, Mommy, Daddy and the boys went shopping. Papa and I stayed home and did some yard work. I worked in the flowers and did some laundry. After lunch we all packed up and went to Uncle Dougs for fishing. As soon as the oldest grandson's pole was in the water he caught the first fish! And about 4 right in a row after that! How fun is that?! I caught a few, Papa caught a few, Daddy caught a few and even the Mommy caught a few. But the best part was when Mommy caught the BIG turtle! It was lots of fun. Uncle Doug and Aunt Lois have Ducks, Geese, and Chickens on the little farm, and that nice pond to fish in. It was relaxing for all. Home we came and I made a pot of Homemade Spaghetti sauce for supper, with garlic bread and all, yummmmy.
This morning Papa and Daddy and the boys are off for Mark Twain Cave in Hannibal, Mo. I remember going there when I was little and thinking that the cave was HUGE. When we took our daughter when she was little, it didn't seem quite as big, lol. But she remembers it as big. So will be fun to see what the boys think of it when they get back. Mommy has a lunch date with one of her college girlfriends. I haven't decided what I will do. Pick up the house, a load of laundry and then.............who knows.
So far we are all having a Great time, but time goes by so quickly. Before you know it they will going home and we will be going back to work.
How is your week going? I'm still catching up on your blogs and leaving notes here and there. I hope you'll leave a comment while you're here. Thanks for visiting my little corner of the blog world. Have a Great day.
Until Next time....
Hugs, Bren

Monday, June 29, 2009

And Here We Are

Wow, I really need to catch you up! It's been busy and filled with excitement. I basically left you over a week ago when we were home for the night. So lets catch up on my life for the past week or so.
We left out that Tuesday for Alabama. It was late in the afternoon before our loads were ready, so we made it a couple of hundred miles and then stopped for the night. An easy day the next day and we stopped within 10 miles of our destination, Bessemer, Alabama. My appointment was for 7 am on Thursday morning and hubby was right behind me a 7:30. They were very quick about unloading us. A call to dispatch for our reloads. Hubby had just a few miles to go and pick up his load at a foundry, some castings that went back to Iowa. I headed for Columbus, Ga for my reload. I picked up batteries going right back to our terminal. The company they were for is closed this week, so they will be delivered next week. Hubby reloaded and waited at the truck stop for me to catch up. I made it there, they loaded me very quick, I strapped down and headed back to Birmingham to meet up with him. It was so hot that day! After I made it the truck stop where hubby was, we decided to spend the night there. A hot shower for me and we had a nice supper. Then to relax and unwind a bit. I took the girls out into a nice little grassy area to run and play for a while. And then a good nights rest.
We were about 250 miles from the kids at that point and our plan was to stop by there house and all leave out on Saturday. Well, hubby found out he could deliver on Saturday and not have to wait until Monday. So we made it the kid's and Papa picked up the oldest Grandson (he's 6) and they headed for Iowa. What a big deal that was! The first time Grandson #1 had gotten to sleep over night in the big truck. He's gone for rides before, but not over night. He did Great according to Papa. The next morning when Papa got up, and keep in mind he's an early riser, the Grandson was up as soon as Papa's feet hit floor getting dressed to go too! Too cute. I stayed overnight at the daughter's and we all left first thing Saturday morning. I had Grandson #2 (he's 4) with me, with Mom and Dad following in the van. It's a 10 hour ride from their house to ours. The first part of the trip went well, the little man was fairly quiet just taking in the sights. We made our first stop about 2 1/2 hours into the drive for a necessary stop. On down the road and then lunch, still going well. We made one last stop before the stretch drive home. It just happened to be the same place Papa and Grandson #1 had stayed the night before, and Grandson #2 thought they were still going to be there, lol. We all used the restroom and got a snack for the rest of the trip home. Now the little guy had M&M's and a bug juice for his snack, and at about an hour from my house he wanted Mom & Dad to pass us..........so they did. And then the sugar rush hit!!! He says "Man that van sure does go fast. I wish I was in that van! Go faster Yaya, go faster!" Of course I explain I can't or I'll get a ticket, and we can still see Mommy and Daddy up there. Well, in the last town 6 miles from my house, Mommy and Daddy got through the 4 way stop and out of sight before I even got there!!! You would have thought the road dropped off, catch em Yaya, catch em!" After 10 hours of driving I start getting tired like anyone would and am ready to stopped myself, but this little guy was on a SUGAR RUSH and wanted to be there yesterday. The last 6 miles seemed like a hundred to him. But we made it and all was well. Did help that he knew Papa and big brother were already there, lol. Lesson to be learned here, NEVER give a child M&M's and Bug Juice and then strap them in a car seat in a big truck!! LOLOLOL.
So we're here now and enjoying time with the kids and being home. We're going fishing tomorrow and a day at Mark Twain Cave this week, also. I have a Girls day out planned while I'm off. We need to catch up! And a big family reunion this weekend. Stay tuned for more on the fun we'll have this week.
I hope you all are having a Great week and your weekend was good also. I have some catching up to do reading your blogs and leaving my little notes. Hope you leave a comment for me as well.
]Until later......
Hugs, Bren

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

What I'm working on (Pics to share)

Just wanted to share with you what I'm carrying with me to work on when I have a minute. And I have a few minutes right now, waiting for our loads to be finished so we can head down the road.
This a kit I bought from my favorite quilt store. I have all the flowers and baskets cut out. Now to cut the background and iron everything on. And, yes I have my iron with me, lol.

This is another kit from the same store. Love how she has these all made up, I can pick what I want and throw it in my bag. This is a Barn Star Wall Pocket. I'm lovin it so far.

Can't wait to get it finished and put some greens in it.


Next week while the kids are here, I'm sure my daughter and I will make a trip to the store. I need more goodies and she only gets to visit once a year.
Even though it's 90 some degrees outside, I'm lovin working with this wool. I think I'm addicted, lol.
As always, I Welcome your comments and look forward to them.
Have a Great Day!
Hugs, Bren



Monday, June 22, 2009

How Did the Week End?

I didn't realize I hadn't posted to catch you up! We left off that we were going to unload and call dispatch to see what the plan was.
All went well with getting unloaded, although they did take some time. And it was getting warmer as the minutes ticked by. So, after getting unloaded we called dispatch to see what our reloads were. Amazingly they had 2 loads out of the same place, going to the same place!! That doesn't happen very often. We were reloading in Houston, right near the truck stop we had spent the night before at. So we headed back into town, made it to the plant, they pulled us right in, and then told us the crane was broke down. Ugh! Oh well, nothing to do but wait. It was 1:00 in the afternoon, and we figured we could get loaded, and get a few hundred miles behind us. Not so. It took 4 hours to fix the crane, the temps were in the 100's and by the time we were finished strapping it all down we were exhausted. So we spent the night at the same truck stop again. A nice shower and a meal and a good night's sleep. We headed out first thing Friday morning. We decided to cut up through the country, it is shorter by about 50 miles, but time wise it takes longer. And to top it all off, there was some road construction. We managed, and stopped just short of Kansas City for the night, just a little over 700 miles for the day. We had hopes of getting unloaded on Saturday morning and then going home for a couple of days before we headed out again. We continued on and tried to get ahold of our contact for unloading. We were unable to get ahold of him before the last cut off for home, so we kept going towards DesMoines. Almost there and he calls and said it had rained too much and they wouldn't be able to unload us until Monday morning. Oh joy! We took our break in DesMoines, hubby went to the race track, I went to the store for dog food, lol. We have a niece that lives there, I called, but was unable to get ahold of anyone. So, we just hung out until this morning. We got unloaded quickly, headed for the terminal, found out our loads won't be ready until Tuesday afternoon, so we came home for the evening.
The girls needed baths, and trimmed. And the rest of the sand burr's combed out. And I have a little laundry to do (working on that now).
We will leave out tomorrow afternoon for Alabama. The kids are coming next week, for the week, and we are hoping to stop on the way back and pick up the boys to ride home with us. We'll have to see how things work out.
We all were so worried that summer would never get here and I think it has arrived! It is stifling hot outside. I do need to go out and give the flowers some miracle grow later.
How was your weekend? I missed your comments, hope to have more this week. And I have a couple of things I'm working on I want to get pics of for you to see.
Have a Great week, I'll post again when I can.
Hugs, Bren

Thursday, June 18, 2009

We'll Travel Along......

Singing our song, side by side. Do you remember that song? I don't, but I do remember my mother singing it, lol. Anyway............ we're in Texas this morning at our destination. A brand new high school, and wow is it going to be a big one.
We've had a good trip so far. We left out Tuesday morning, it was raining when we left Iowa, and before we got to Missouri it had stopped. The farther south we went the hotter it got. Thru Missouri, Kansas City and on into Kansas. We stopped just inside the Oklahoma border and saw our friends. The ones I talked about before, and as always they took good care of us. We spent the night at the little truck stop there, it's a nice little place. The only thing I don't like about it is.....SAND BURRS.......they get in the girl's hair! They were covered with them, took me over an hour to get them all out. And it doesn't get any better as we continue south.
Wednesday morning, on through Oklahoma City, and toward Dallas. We stopped and got the trucks washed so we would look presentable once again. Dallas wasn't bad, but of course traffic is always heavy there. And on to Houston, we stopped on the north side of Houston for the night, it was just 100 degrees on the truck thermometer, and up early this morning to get thru town before traffic. Our destination is about 30 miles south of Houston. We'll unload here, call dispatch and see what the plan is after we are empty. It's in the 80's already this morning, so it'll be a warm one again today.
Just wanted to give you a quick update. Hope you are having a Great week! Thanks so much for the comments, I know you're checking in on me. That's a nice feeling after a long day. Looking forward to hearing from you. I'll try to get some pics today. I always think oh that's boring, but I guess it's not if you haven't seen it before.
Until next time.....
Hugs, Bren

Monday, June 15, 2009

Pics to Share & Ready to Go

Some pics from our trip into the Naval Base at Norfolk, Va. An Awac plane taking off while we were unloading.
A military plane on the tarmac. Not a very good pic, lol, I got more of the side mirror and window.

Following the signs to get there. Thank God for signs!

Hmmmm, a double. Sorry.

The tunnel under the bay. It was very close on clearance for us in there!

I was trying to get a shot of the houses on the other side. I think it would fun to live by the water. In fact, I know I could live there.

Crossing the bridge to the base. A long bridge.

And tomorrow starts a "New" adventure. We'll be heading south to Texas. Maybe we'll have time to stop and see our friends in Oklahoma at the little truck stop. The ones I told you about before, with the comfort food, lol.
Trucks are cleaned. Everything's washed and repacked. Just the basic necessities to grab as we go out the door in the morning. Am I ready? No, lol, always things I think I should have done before we leave. But, they'll be here when I come back.
I have some wool things to work on. I didn't have any time last trip. I have some things cut out that need to be ironed on, and I have my iron packed in case I have time to work on them.
I'm hoping this week is not as rough as last week. It was stressful, traffic wise that is. The east coast is not my favorite place to go because of traffic. People are always in such a hurry and trying to get there before you do. When you are out driving in traffic, just keep in mind the "No Zone" when around big rigs. Those are the areas where "we" can't see you. And remember, if you can't see us in our mirrors, we can't see you either.
I hope your week started out on a good note and continues. I'll post again when I have time. And maybe I'll get some Great pics this week. Keep the comments coming! I so look forward to them.
Until next time....
Hugs, Bren




Saturday, June 13, 2009

Close your eyes, Click your heels 3 times....

And say....There's no place like home, There's no place like home. Open your eyes...............and I'm home!
Wow, does it feel good, too. So where did we leave off? We were getting ready to head for Virginia. We headed out Wednesday. Across the Mississippi into Illinois, then Indiana, south at Indy toward Kentucky. We stopped just short of the Kentucky border for the night. It was storming, and stormed into the night. Up early Thursday morning and back on the road. Into Kentucky, headed east at Louisville toward the Virginia's. West Virginia and into Virginia finally. I had the heavy load this time, almost 41,000 lbs, mostly poles for the lights and some pallets of electrical supplies. Hubby had the easy load, a van full of lights, about 5,000 lbs. We never know until they give us the trailer number and hook on what kind of weight it will be. Most usually they are not that heavy, but it depends on what you have loaded on. There were 3 trucks total going to this job site and the concrete poles had been delivered earlier. Anyway, through the mountains with that much weight was a lot of shifting on my part. So much so that my tendon in my upper arm is really sore. Can't lift my arm above shoulder height without severe pain ( makes it hard to brush your hair, lol). We stopped at a really nice Rest Area about 60 miles from our destination for the night. There were TVs in the Rest area, and a sit down snack area. We have never been in one like that before and we've seen alot. And a nice grassy area for the girls to play in for a while, too. Once again, up early and into town, Norfolk, Va to be exact. We were going to the Naval Base Recreation Area. We found our destination and they were very timely about getting us unloaded. No load to pick up, so we headed out of town.
We stopped in Kentucky last night, and up early this morning for the stretch drive home. I did take pictures, and hubby got some, too. I'll post them later as they are still on our camera's.
We aren't scheduled to leave out again until Tuesday. I am so going to enjoy my time home. I have crafty things to work on, the girls need baths and a trim and the monthly Flea Market is in the morning. I'll be going, lol.
Thanks for all the comments!!! I loved sitting down in the evenings to find a comment left for me. I have some catching up to do, getting to all your blogs and leaving my notes. Have a Great Weekend! I look forward to hearing from you.
Hugs, Bren

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Catch me If you Can

Hi Girls! Ok, where did we leave off...........ummmmm, I think maybe my 34 hour break. anyway, I'll go from there. After a brief, and I mean brief stop by the house, we were off again. I had a load that went to Minnesota, just west of Minneapolis. So hubby called to see if there was a load of wood that needed to go back to the concrete plant where we pick up bases to bring back to the plant. Yes, Indeed there was. So on Monday we picked up his load and headed north. We stopped just short of Minneapolis for the night. Up early this morning, in fact I am usually up by 4, but last night I kept waking up for whatever reason and it was 4:30 when I did get up. I thought I was late!!! I hate that feeling. We wanted to get on the road by 5, we made it! So hubby went to the concrete plant, I delivered my load 7 miles from there and when I was empty I too went to the concrete plant. We both loaded up with bases for the plant back here, these are concrete bases for the lights we deliver. We made it back to the terminal and are stopped for the night. As a treat, we had pizza delivered to the truck. Fine dining as hubby put it, LOL.
We leave out tomorrow with a load for Virginia. I'm hoping to be back by Saturday evening and have a couple days at home. Please cross your fingers for me on that.
And that will wrap the week up for us. Next week it's back to Texas. I don't mind Texas, it's warm there, this morning in Minnesota it was in the 40's.
I'm missing your comments!! Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here, at the end of the day I love to sit down and read your notes and see who was here. Even if it's just a note to say Hi. Makes me feel connected. I miss my girlfriends back home, they called me last week to see where I was, they were all on the back deck under the umbrella................and I was in Boston!! That was so hard for me, lol. How dare they sit under the umbrella without me, LOL.
Have a Great week..........if I have more time I'll post again before the weekend. I do check your blogs in the evenings when I have time, just don't always have time to comment, I'll catch up this weekend.
Until next time
Hugs, Bren

Sunday, June 7, 2009

My Day in Boston

Here's how my day in Boston went. My pics didn't upload in the order I wanted, and they aren't the best, but You'll get the idea.

This is the back side of Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Yes, we were in the middle of things.
Another shot of the back of Fenway Park.

Making our way thru the city streets and traffic. The streets in most cities are not designed for trucks of our size.


We just take it slow, watching traffic around us and for the street signs and our next turn.



This is a pic of the houses on the streets we were driving down. I can't imagine living in the city like this. I know it's kinda blurry, sorry.
We found our destination and it wasn't an easy place to get into. And then they took me to their shop about 10 miles away to unload. After we were unload they lead us out to the tollway, Thank goodness............I'd have never found it. I made my way to the first toll plaza and waited for hubby to catch up. I had a load to pick up in Ct., so we made our way there, picked up the load and headed west.
After a 34 hour break, I'll continue on to my destination in the morning and unload first thing Tuesday morning. I'll grab a load for return and head back to the terminal.
Hope your weekend was an enjoyable one. Just a short one here.
Until next time....
Hugs, Bren




Thursday, June 4, 2009

As The Wheels Turn

Well, lets start this week. Here's how it's gone so far.
Sunday, I left Sunday afternoon to head to my destination for Monday morning unload. I was to unload just north of Des Moines, Ia, so I was within 50 miles on Sunday night. It stormed Sunday evening and was windy, so I didn't sleep the best.
Monday morning bright and early I was up (about 4 am), took the girls for their walk, did what I needed to do and filled my drink cup before taking off. Took off around 6 am and arrived at my destination a little before 7. I had on glass beads that are used to put on the paint stripes on the roads, while the paint is still wet, so it reflects. It's weather sensitive, and it was raining, so had to wait a bit before they unloaded me. I was empty and back on the road by 8 am. On way back to the terminal to meet up with hubby. We picked up our loads, this time going to Metropolis, Illinois. The home of Superman! A Tuesday morning unload. A walk in the park, stayed at the little truck stop there in town. Tuesday morning, unloaded, and since you can't just go joy riding in a big truck, we didn't get to see the statue of Superman. Oh well, maybe next time. Back to the terminal for the next load. Going to Massachusetts.
Wednesday, driving across Illinois, Indiana, Ohio. We stopped for the night just shy of the Pennsylvania border.
Thursday, that's today right? Driving across Pa., New York (it's a long way across New York, too) and in to Massachusetts. Right at this moment we are at a little truck stop about 60 miles from our unload destination in the morning. And we unload at a college downtown Boston. Once we are unloaded, hubby has a reload in Pa., nothing for me yet. I'm hoping to get out of town, get a load on the way back and make it home. Running short on hours.
So, cross your fingers and say alittle prayer that all works out. Most of all, Pray that I don't have to go driving around Boston to get a load!!!
Until next time, the Wheels will keep turning.
Hugs, Bren

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Make the Most of Your Weekend

It's been a short weekend, a 34 hour break, so you make the most of the time you have off. Up early yesterday, the girls needed a bath and a trim. and I always get a bath in the process, lol. More like a pre soak, lol. But, now they are clean and pretty, trimmed and smell much better. Laundry had to be done and all the towels from the baths and showers. It is so nice to be home and have your own shower. Most of the truck stops have showers, some are very nice and some I would NOT even begin to think about going in. So when are home we really appreciate our own bathroom and comforts of home.
I decided to just work on laundry and catch up on computer when a phone call changed my mind for me, lol. A cookout around the fire was planned. Off to the store for some supplies. You see, my hubby's little brother decided to fry fish(which is excellent) but he does this at their older brothers house. So between the three of them plans were made, now my SIL was at work and knew nothing about all this, so since no one really had time to fix anything we decided a trip to the deli was in order. I stopped by SIL's work to let her know our plans, then picked up the extras we needed. It all turned out well, good food, laughter, and relaxing.
Today, I will water my flowers outside, take the clean laundry and put back in the truck, as well as the few groceries I picked up while I was at the deli. And this afternoon I will head out. I will make my way to my unload destination for morning. I'll get as close as I can and still have a place to stop for the night.
I did get a "new" wool candle mat pattern and hope to do a little work on that before I have to take off.
So, that's how my weekend is going. How is your's? Enjoy your day, whatever you do.
As always, I Love your comments and look forward to them.
Hugs, Bren

Friday, May 29, 2009

An Apology

I first must apologize, I did not post at all this week!! I told you I would give you a glimpse into my life as a professional driver. And I meant to post a few times to keep you updated, didn't work, did it. LOL. And I wanted to take pics along the way, that didn't happen either.
Ok, so here's what my week has been like.........
Started out on Tuesday morning, left home and headed for the terminal. It's an hour and half drive to the terminal. Meanwhile, hubby was delivering his load up north. I picked up paper work, a few new straps and all that stuff. Our loads were ready early and we actually got out of town by noon. Ok, so we are Southbound and down! Stop for the night in Kansas, Dorothy's land. And it was storming! Not bad, but you always wonder in Kansas. Didn't sleep well, first night back in the truck. Early to rise and on the road again. Kansas and Oklahoma were both very green and pretty. And then into Texas. Traffic picks up as we get into Dallas, but we make our way through town and keep heading south. Our next stop was to get the trucks washed. We wash our trucks before we go to a job site, have to look presentable. We stayed just to the north of Houston. Up early again and off to the job site. Destination found and they unloaded us in a timely manner. No time to rest, time to call in for reload info.
Hubby goes farther south and I have to go back to the north. I get reloaded for Iowa and stop at a small truck stop to wait for hubby to catch up. After he was loaded and reached my location, we grabbed a quick bite and continued on north. Just inside the Oklahoma border was home for the night. No truck stop, this time a rest area, but nice grass for the girls to run and play in for a while. They were getting cabin fever I think, they played hard.
Up early this morning and back on the road. There's a little truck stop in northern Oklahoma we like to stop at and grab some comfort food. The ladies who work there take good care of us and we enjoy when we can stop and visit with them for a few minutes. With no time wasted we are back on the road. We try to keep our stops to a minimum and our time spent at the stops short as well. Too much time and it just makes the day longer.
And , so we arrived back home this evening.
Whew! I'm beat, how bout you? LOL. Both of us will deliver our loads on Monday morning. Hubby will get his truck serviced, his delivery is closer than mine. I will have to leave Sunday afternoon to be there first thing Monday morning and then beat feet it back to the terminal .
For the weekend, just the usual. A little laundry, relaxation, the girls need a bath and a trim and get ready to go again.
I will try to do better next week. We have a short run the first part of the week and then a turn around to the East Coast.
I didn't even have my computer out of the bag this week. I will play catch up and read your blogs and drop my comments here and there. I LOVE your comments, so please leave one. When I'm out on the road and do have time to pop on in the evenings your comments are a bright spot to my day. And I love to know who's been here.
Have a Great weekend!!!
Hugs, Bren

Monday, May 25, 2009

Can't Get Enough Rugs




Happy Memorial Day blogland friends. Hope you had an enjoyable weekend. We sure did. It was busy and productive with some fun mixed in. After bringing the truck home, I worked on preparing it with all my comforts of home so to speak. And all of the girls' favorite toys. We'll be heading out in the morning. Once our loads are ready we will be heading south, so be sure to follow along with our travels. And I'll do my best with my posts.


We enjoyed cookouts with the BIL & SIL and sitting around the fire until the bugs moved in. The SIL and I enjoyed some girl time, and we've been falling behind in the deparatment lately. Just seems we have no time. And just sitting around visiting and catching up. There's a "New" baby due in the family, and found out tonight she's in the hospital. Waiting to hear more from SIL.


I packed a few crafty things to work on if I have time. It helps pass the time if we are waiting to unload. I finished my rug. I LOVE how it turned out. And like I said it's the biggest one I have made so far. It measures 21 3/4" by 33 3/4" and looks great in front of the TV. I packed supplies for some candle rugs, they are very portable and quick to pull out to work on. And work up very fast. So I'm ready if I have time.
Wishing you all a Great week! Don't forget to leave a comment. I love your comments and look forward to them.
Hugs, Bren


Wednesday, May 20, 2009

I Got The Call!


Good Morning Blogland Friends! Yes, I got the call. The call to go back to work. I have been laid off for three months, four if you count the month we were on vacation. I have gotten a lot of things done that were needing attention. Spring cleaning, sewing, finishing my quilts, almost finished my rug. Am I ready to go back on the road? Yes. I do enjoy traveling, even though my job is not a glamorous job, I love each new day and the adventure ahead. And yet, I have things I didn't get done! Do you know what I mean? Not important things, just little things, lol, it's a viscous circle. When your working you want to be home and when you're home you're ready to be back to work.
So my home will once again be my truck. The girls will be with me, and as always I'll take something along to work on. Gotta get that stuff together. And hubby and I will be traveling together once again. And I'll be on the lookout for interesting things to tell you about, so you can travel a long with me. If you've ever wondered what it's like for Professional drivers on the road, I'll try to give you a glimpse into that life.
I'll be working on getting ready, they have to call me and let me know they have my truck back. And when I get that call, it will be a busy day of "moving" back in, lol.
I hope you have a Great Day! Enjoy the sunshine, I know I will. It's going to be a beautiful warm, sunny day here. Wishing you sunshine and smiles.
Hugs, Bren

Monday, May 18, 2009

Majestic Beauty and a Princess

I got my pictures in the right place on the computer so I could share them! These horses are so majestic and regal. I loved all the little details on their harnesses, I couldn't get that close for a picture, but they were so neat.

Here they are all hitched up. They were going to the local ballfield for afternoon events there.

They are so well trained, all I kept thinking was "Gentle Giants". They just stood where they were put and waited.

This was inside the tent.
And of course the trucks.

And this is my baby. Today is her Birthday!!! Happy Birthday! Well, it will officially be her birthday at 7:41 p.m. and that's when she'll get my call. Like every year, lol. It's something I have always done. My Dad used to always tell me my birthday wasn't official until around 3 a.m., but he wouldn't call at that time, lol. So, I decided to tell her or call her at her official time and it's just been a tradition. Have a Great Day Princess!! You can stop by her blog at www.primitivemomoftwo.blogspot.com and leave her birthday wishes. Luv Ya Chickadee!
Good Day to everyone!
Hugs, Bren