Prayers answered

Before I get started, I want to thank my awesome God for answered prayers. He may not always answer them the way I want or in the time frame that I want but he does answer. He always knows what is best for me.....for all of us! 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 says..Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. What a blessing it is to have a LIVING God who I can talk to one on one anytime..any place.

Now, let me update you about our latest adventures. We got unloaded Tuesday morning in Forth Worth, TX. We are suppose to be leaving Saturday to go on vacation with our family, so we prayed for a load going toward the house. Carl decided to sit it out in Dallas...a central location....while we waited. Tuesday night about 10:00 we were sitting there watching tv when we saw a pickup wheel up in front of us and stop and then another and another. At first we thought it was somebody trying to sell something...somebody is always trying to sell something at a truck stop. But when the 7th vehicle stopped we knew something was up....Carl was like "Man what is going on here!" I got up and rushed to the front of the truck...nosy me...I wanted to see too. There were at least 9 undercover US Marshal agents with bullet proof vests and guns...Oh My Goodness the guns....big, little, short, long, they had it.  We were like "somebody's about to have a really bad day!" They arrested a driver in a truck right across from us. I kinda felt bad for the poor fella but if he committed a crime then he needs to do the time. He was driving a "Bed Bugger" (a moving van). I just cracked up when Carl told me the CB slang. Those house owners sure are going to be upset when they get a phone call telling them their furniture will not be arriving on time because the driver is in jail. My mother is probably having a fit right about now after reading this. She is already worried to death about me staying at truck stops.

The last time we were in Texas we were entertained by the Border Patrol in Laredo. An illegal immigrant had managed to cross the boarder and was hiding out in the truck stop around all the trucks. They had choppers flying over us and cars riding all around the parking lot. They never did catch the guy but it sure wasn't from a lack of trying. I told Carl we may have to stop staying in Texas. But then again...it is quite entertaining.

When we got up Wednesday morning we were anxious to see if the "Bed Bugger" was still there....yep...someone still has no furniture. We called all our family about noon and told them we were heading home and we would see them Thursday afternoon. Guess we will never know the rest of  the story with the moving truck. On the way home I kept looking on the load board for us a load but nothing ever showed up while we were in Texas. After we crossed over into Louisiana I decided to look one more time, I should have been looking in Louisiana but for some reason my finger hit Texas...and about 88 miles from us in Texarkana, TX was a load going to Valdosta, GA....God had my finger and he pressed Texas....He is always in control. Just one problem...now we had to call everybody and tell them it would be Friday before we got home....sure wish God would have called everybody. Carl said I took the wimpy way out...I texted Mama so she would have to tell daddy and made Carl call Timothy and the others. Sorry, guess I did...oh how I did not want to hear my mama's voice or lack there of when I said "Mama, I'm not coming home." Hearing it with the text was bad enough and the expression on her face...didn't have to be home to see that! But all is good...haven't been disowned...yet!!!

Oh, I almost forgot....Carl surprised me with a Hershey bar Wednesday afternoon.  As he was holding the candy bar and pointing it at me, he said.."I am going to give you one more chance but if you make a mess that's it. I was one happy little girl and no...I did NOT make a mess.

We did get loaded this morning and are headed home ...if we make it across these Louisiana roads. Oh my goodness they are soooo rough. My neck and back are being yanked and jerked all over the place. I told Carl I was going to fall in the floor and yell whiplash...then I could go to the doctor and file for disability. He just laughed and was like yeah right!

Friday afternoon will be home sweet home and Saturday we will be on the road again; but this time it's vacation time....Yee Haw!!!

'Til we meet again....will be a few weeks!!

Only by Grace,
Lynne

Our ticket home...an answered prayer!!!

Military Mine Resistant Vehicle

Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.
Psalm 27:14 

Chocolate explosion

What an adventure the past few days have been. We got loaded Friday without any problems and didn't even have any trouble tarping. The crates were square with no humps or curves which made it really nice. That thing was tarped in no time flat! The weather was beautiful and the wind held off until after we were on the road. We...well..Carl had to battle 30-40mph winds with wind gusts up to 70mph all day Friday and Saturday. We were doing some kind of rocking and a swaying. He was worn out when we stopped Friday night about 10:30.

I am always saying or doing something crazy and  Carl just smiles and shakes his head. Bless his heart...the older I get the worse I get! He has a looonngg road ahead of him!! On my first trip through the Rocky Mountains, after riding with him full time, he told me to make sure I didn't turn the ketchup or mayonnaise bottles upside down in the fridge because the pressure from the high elevations would make them explode. Yep, guess what I did...I forgot and turned them upside down and when I went to get the mayonnaise out for a sandwich...well, you get the picture. I had ketchup and mayonnaise everywhere.

Well, Friday afternoon was one of those smile and shake his head kinda days. I love Hershey bars and I love to take pictures while traveling; but eating a candy bar and taking pictures at the same time do not mix. I would get so excited about taking a picture that I would just throw my candy bar down....big mistake!!! When we stopped at one of the view points so I could take pictures of the mountains and a coal mine, I jumped up to get my sweater and was like..."Carl, what is this all in my seat!"  "Well, I don't know. What have you been doing?" Then it hit me...chocolate!!!  I turned around and you guessed it...chocolate was all over the back of my pants. Carl said,"I sure am glad you went to get a sweater before you got out because I would have walked away and pretended that I didn't know you." It took us forever to get that mess cleaned up. Carl was like..."NO more chocolate for you!" I kept thinking that I had eaten that thing mighty fast....well...it doesn't take long to eat half a candy bar! Yes, I did get my pictures...finally, but you will not believe what I found when I got back in the truck...more chocolate. It was all over my camera lens cap and a little bit was even on my camera. What a mess!!!! And no, I have not had a Hershey bar since.

We decided go through the woods instead of the interstate so we could miss all the Memorial Day traffic. One of the little towns we went through was Moab, UT. We really wanted to stop and spend the night so we could tour the Arches National Park and the Canyonlands National Park but a holiday weekend with no reservations is not the time to do that. We could not find anywhere to park or stay; every motel was completely booked. Moab was a happenin' little town. There were people everywhere. If there had been some sand and water it would have been the perfect beach scene. Some people even had their lawn chairs set up in the parking lots watching the people and cars go by....it was crazy! We have definitely added this little town to our list of places to visit.

About 20 miles outside Moab is Wilson Arch, which is absolutely beautiful. Just as I was standing up to take a picture Carl saw a place to pull over. He asked if there was anyone behind us but before I could answer he was saying, "Hold on I'm bringing ya in!" Thank goodness for good brakes. I have wheeled into places on 2 wheels before but never on 9.  As soon as we got stopped I put in to hike up the mountain to the arch. I got one of those looks that says "Are you serious!"  Well, yes I am serious or I would not have suggested it! So he just smiled and shook his head and up the mountain we went. It was not as easy as I thought. Crazy me thought there would be a nice little path for us to walk up...NOT! After several breaks, we finally made it to the top. It was BEAUTIFUL and very scary... to me. We thought the wind was strong at the bottom...Oh My Goodness....I felt like it was blowing 100mph up there. I thought it was going to blow me off. My heart was beating so fast but the thought of going down made it beat faster. I did the little "duck" walk part of the way down. I really wanted to sit on my bottom and  scoot down. You know like a child scoots down a flight of stairs. Carl said, "Here let me get in front of you so if you start falling I can block your fall."  "Great, then we will both go rolling down the mountain!" It took awhile but we finally made it down...don't think I will suggest that again!

Saturday we rode and rode and rode. We did stop at DQ  (another one of my favorite things) for some ice cream which I had to eat in the store sitting down in a booth. No messes for me! Amarillo, TX was our home for the night and for Sunday. Our wireless card quit working Friday morning and Carl's cell phone has been messing up so Sunday we went and found a Verizon store. Carl is so excited...he got his very first smart phone. He  played on that thing most of the afternoon and figured it out rather quickly. He's MOVIN' ON UP!! We will finish our trip to Fort Worth, TX Monday morning and then unload Tuesday morning. Hopefully we will then be on our way home for a much needed vacation with family.....YEAH!!!

I hope you have enjoyed your holiday weekend...I also hope you have taken time to say thank you to all our Servicemen and women. Please remember those who gave and those who gave IT ALL!!!
Thank you Daddy for your service! I love you!!!

'Till we meet again!

Only by Grace,
Lynne

I think I can...I think I can!!

Coal Mine...Coalville, UT
Cost $26 million to build in 1953

Mountains at the Coal Mine

View at Coal Mine

Mountains at the Coal Mine

Canyonlands at Moab, UT

Wilson Arch...named after Joe Wilson who had
a cabin nearby in Dry Valley.

Carl is thinking "Do I seriously have to climb
up there!"

At the top...rest time!

At the top...Oh and did I mention that it also
got dark on us!

New Mexico...Navajo Nation

New Mexico

San Ysidro, New Mexico

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Ephesians 5:2

Pray...Don't Worry!

After sitting since Tuesday afternoon, we will finally be loading tomorrow morning going to Fort Worth, TX. Unfortunately, we will be tarping AGAIN...uggghhh!!! As much as we dislike tarping it will be worth it just to get moving again. If LC isn't rolling, the money isn't rolling in! The only nice thing about sitting is that I get to sleep late...except for yesterday. Carl decided that he didn't like where we were parked and wanted to move. He was trying to drink his coffee and have his quiet time outside on the trailer but the truck beside us was soooo loud he couldn't enjoy his morning. It sounded like a pressure washer coming on and off ...a generator on and off...plus his motor kept squeaking. It was awful!!!! So anyway, Carl decided to move...NOT once but 3 times! He would see an open spot that looked good and off he would go but before he could get there another truck would get it. So he would ride around and around and around the parking lot then park and wait for another one to come open...then off he would go.  He did this 3 times...3 times around and around and around and parking. He finally found one that suited him and it has been our home ever since. I know the other drivers thought we were crazy. Finding the perfect spot is such an ordeal for us.

The other day when we were at Walmart we bought a set of hair clippers. Carl was in desperate need of a hair cut and just did not want to spend $20 on one. So today we let our true colors shine...Carl got a hair cut...outside in the truck stop parking lot. Yes, we had it going on!! Gotta keep my man happy...even if that means being a little rednecky.

One of my biggest enemies is worry. Like I said earlier when we are not working, we are not making any money and that leads to...worry. It is something that I am constantly praying about. I know the LORD will take care of us and will meet our needs but I like for things to happen quickly which isn't always the case.  If I am worrying then my faith and trust is not in the LORD. The LORD sees the whole picture and his timing is always perfect. Worrying strangles our happiness, joy and peace. It is amazing how much peace and joy I have after turning everything over to Him. He is standing there with his arms WIDE OPEN just waiting for me to say "Here LORD, it is in Your hands not mine!"  Matthew 6:34 says "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today." This is one of my favorite verses that I am constantly saying to myself.  I just need to work on saying it first and not after I have worried myself to death. I know the LORD is just standing there saying "One day my dear you will learn...first not last is best!
Turn your worries over to him today! He is waiting!!!!

'Till we meet again!

Only by Grace,
Lynne

Our view as we were taking our walk tonight.

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hears and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Another day another dollar

Another day another dollar! Thankfully we were able to get unloaded this morning in Salt Lake City, UT. I am not sure which is worse, tarping or untarping a load...man we were worn out and dirty. Thank goodness the weather was pleasant...in the high 70's this morning. Yesterday it was a cool 94. It is amazing at how different 94 feels here and how it feels at home. The men at the plant were talking about how hot it was yesterday...they would die if they had to deal with the heat, plus the humidity, plus those aggravating gnats that we have back home. Anyway back to our day...after wrestling with those tarps today Carl said we were going to have to get back in shape after all the sitting we did the last 4 weeks. I told him to speak for himself. I still did my walking and exercising. I tried to get him to let me carry the last tarp but he just laughed and was like "sure go ahead!" They only weigh 100lbs....heck I can do that!!!

We were hoping to get a load from there going to Los Angeles, CA but the customer on the other end wanted us to haul it for free. Like we're out here riding the roads just for fun...well we are but this is still our job and we need to make a little bit of money. So, once again, we are sitting and waiting. I told Carl to tell his dispatcher that we have done so much sitting lately that we have calluses on our fannies. That didn't work because we are still in Salt Lake City. I know the LORD has a plan for us and the perfect load will come up just when we need it.

After we got back to the truck stop and took a shower, I got all dolled up so we could go shopping. You guessed it......to WALMART! I know it's just Walmart but I have to take advantage of every chance I get.

As we were traveling through Wyoming and Utah Sunday and Monday, I just couldn't get over how beautiful it is. The last time we were out this way everything was covered in snow and now it is all green....absolutely breathtaking! People ask me all the time "Don't I get tired of riding?" No, I don't! I love seeing how the landscape changes from state to state and even within each state. Even though we may travel through the same areas over and over I still see something new. Carl says it is probably because I was sleeping the last time we went through that area. There is just something about my seat that puts me to sleep. He keeps waiting for me to fall out of it. I keep telling him I'm not sleeping but he has yet to buy it.

The other morning in one of my devotions it was talking about having a special place to spend time with God. My special place is riding in this truck and taking in all of God's beautiful country. Even with Carl sitting beside me I can still have my quiet time with God. Carl has his quiet time sitting outside on the trailer drinking his coffee in the mornings. You don't have to be at home in a special room or chair...it can be anywhere!! I hope you can find you special place to spend time with God....you will be blessed!!

'Till we meet again!
God Bless!
Lynne

Wyoming

Pranghorn Antelope

Follow the leader!

Utah

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn

of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2

Westbound and down

We finally got another load and yes we are going west...Salt Lake City, UT here we come. We got loaded Thursday night about 10:00. Every time we turned around the workers at the plant were on a break. I told Carl I was going to get a whistle to blow for my breaks. I even thought about forming my own Union. He didn't think that was real funny.

Our load had 4 pieces and all 4 had to  be tarped...uggghhh!!! Tarping is not a fun job at all and it is certainly not a girlie girl job but someone has to do it with the bling and all. It's like wrapping a HUGE Christmas present but with no tape. Every corner and every end has to be pulled tight and tucked so no air can get in...or my goodness if the wind gets inside. Carl hates to see flapping tarps in his mirrors. If it's a flapping we're a stopping!

We have been traveling through Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa and now we are in Nebraska.  Missouri has some really bad memories for us and certain areas are extremely difficult but the LORD is always there to carry us through. Yesterday as we were traveling through Missouri I kept focusing on all the wonderful signs of our Loving and Caring Savior. On just about every bridge pillar someone had painted Jesus Cares. We saw a huge Cross right off the interstate and the blue, blue skies with all the birds were just magnificent. Our difficult spot ended up not being that difficult after all because we knew the LORD was there watching over us.  There are signs of the LORD all around us but we are so caught up in our busy lives that we do not take time to notice them.  Please take time out of your busy day to notice all the wonderful signs and the presence of our LORD and Savior.

The weather has been beautiful! I finally get to wear shorts and flip flops. We did run into some pretty bad weather tonight in Nebraska and had to shut down earlier than we wanted. So that means it is going to be an early morning..like 5:30....that is leaving at 5:30! I am sooo not a morning person and for some reason it takes me F-O-R-E-V-E-R to get ready now. Carl says I take too many tv breaks, but hey that's ok...I can finish while riding down the road.

We should get unloaded Tuesday and then we'll be off to our next adventure.

'Till we meet again,

Only by Grace,
Lynne

It started flapping so you guessed it.....

The Cross we saw in Missouri.

"Fear not, for I am with you, be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."  Isaiah 41:10

Goodbye Thorn

Rollin' rollin' rollin'.....Yee Haw!!!!

We finally got that "thorn in our side" removed. It took us 19 days to go 652  miles and 11 of those days were only 39 miles from the job site.  West Virginia just did not want to let us in because of the width and height of the load. But with LOTS of PRAYER the LORD finally told them to let us in!!! We have marked WV off our map. We were beginning to think our address would have to be changed to - America's Best Value Inn, Room 106, St. Clairsville, OH

There were not any truck stops around for us to fill up our water tank in the truck so we had to stay in a motel for 11 days. I don't think I have ever stayed in a motel that long with nothing to do or anywhere to go. We did make a few trips to Walmart. We always have to go to Walmart. Carl told me one day, "Come on honey I will take you shopping."  I said, "TO WALMART...WHOOPEE!" On one of our trips I told him we needed to get a "Welcome" mat and a hanging basket to make our "new" home a little cozier.

The only part I dislike about my new job is not being home for special occasions...like Mother's Day. Timothy called me early Sunday morning to wish me Happy Mother's Day and even texted me a very sweet note and called Carl later that day to make sure I was ok. He's such a great son!! Carl was so sweet and waited on me hand and foot Sunday. He tried really hard to make that day as special as possible and yes...he did a great job. My special meal was pizza and cookies and cream pie for dessert. He was going to grill me a steak but the rain, wind and cold temperatures changed our plans. Oh well, I will get it another day.  I hope all of you had a wonderful Mother's Day!

We are not sure where we are going next but we do know it WILL NOT be to West Virginia or the east coast. We are going WEST where there are not any low, low bridges or really narrow tight roads....wide open spaces here we come!!

Till we meet again,

Only by Grace,
Lynne

LC (Large Car)

One of the VERY sharp curves on a route West Virgina was
trying to get us to take. We told them...NO WAY..NO HOW!!

A bridge on the same route...I was scared to walk across this
thing much less drive LC across it...again NOT HAPPENING!
                                                                                                

                                                                                                        

The route was really beautiful...just glad we went in a car
before going in LC. This road was just wide enough for 2 small
and I mean small cars.

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.

Proverbs 3:6

Choosing Joy

My devotion the other day was on joy and how real joy comes from the fullness of Christ Jesus. Satan uses so many different weapons against us to try and steal our joy. Discouragement, weariness, disillusionment, shattered dreams and unrealized goals are just a few. We can not avoid pain but we can avoid joy. The pursuit of joy is a matter of choice. Satan can only use what we allow him to use. It is so easy to give into the stress and frustrations of our every day life.

It has taken us 14 days to do a 3 day job and it is still not finished. We are only 60 miles from our destination but because we have an oversize load we can't get permits to get to the job site. The bridges are either too low for us or there is road construction that we can't go through. We have been "stuck" in Ohio for 7 days. Lots of stress going on here. Satan is really trying to steal our JOY.  I told Carl that I know everything will be just fine. God is in control. So many times we think it's the bigger problems or more painful ones that steal our joy but it's the every day issues and the little things that the enemy puts in our path to make it an every day struggle.

Joy is not the result of outward circumstances. Joy is an inside job, a deeply rooted confidence that God is in control.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.   James 1:2

I choose Joy!!! I pray you will as well!

Have a blessed day!
                    Lynne                                      
                                                                                                        

The load that is trying really hard to steal our joy.   (15'5 high and 13'6" wide)

Answered Prayer

It has been just over a year since the LORD answered our prayer and opened the door for Carl and I to begin working together. Carl hasn't fired me yet and I haven't quit so I would say things are going really well. The time we get to spend together is priceless. We have met some wonderful people and have seen some magnificent places. We see the Glory of God all around us every day.

I will be posting about our travels and work and how the LORD is blessing us each and every day. I hope you enjoy my new blog.