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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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