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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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