Answered Prayers

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny, spring day in April and as I was getting out of my car after a long day at school, I looked up and saw Carlos standing in the back yard. When I walked out there to speak to him, he was grinning from ear to ear and said, "I have some good news!" "What is it?" "Jeff bought the dump wagon!" "Are you serious? He really bought it? "Yes, and he also wants to buy the truck!" The minute I heard those words tears welled up in my eyes and I started doing the craziest, silliest, happy dance EVER! Our prayers were just answered above and beyond what we had been praying for.

Carl has been driving for 20 years and when Timothy was little we would pack up and hit the road with Los during the summer months. We would plan out the places we wanted to visit and Carlos would get a load in that direction; after we unloaded we would spend a couple of days sightseeing. It was a great way to make money and vacation at the same time. By the time Timothy was 11 years old, he had already been to Pikes Peak, Seven Falls, The Garden of the Gods, The Grand Canyon, The Hoover Dam, San Francisco, The Alamo and Las Vegas. We loved it and I was hooked. One day I would be able to go with Los full time...or at least I hoped.

On May 10, 2010, we bought a new truck...well, new to us. We had been looking for quite a while but just had not found anything we liked...that Los liked. It either didn't have the right kind of motor or it wasn't the right kind of make or the right model...was too old or cost too much, wasn't the right color  or looked good on the outside but was a piece of trash on the inside. Then, I found it, looking through a truck magazine I found a very nice truck with a custom sleeper. That means it had a bathroom with shower, a sink, microwave and a nice size refrigerator. "Los, look! Here's one right here! It has a custom sleeper and all. It's perfect!" "What kind of truck is it?" "It's a Freightliner Coronado." "Nope, won't work. It's a Freightliner." "Oh my gosh, really." Well, the search continued for about 2 more weeks and then Los showed me a picture of a truck he had found...IT WAS THE SAME TRUCK I TOLD HIM ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO...THE SAME TRUCK...I MEAN THE SAME EXACT TRUCK! "That's the one I showed you a few weeks ago and you said no because it was a Freightliner!" He just looked at me with that so called sweet, innocent grin that he just loves to flash. I couldn't believe the dealership still had it...trucks with custom sleepers just don't last long. Los called about  it...we put a hold deposit down...and a few weeks later we were off to Columbus, Oh. We drove it...loved it...bought it! We actually got it for ten thousand less than the asking price because of a misprint in the paper. We didn't realize it then but God was already working on His plan for us.

In January 2011, after a lot of thought and prayer we made the decision to change companies. We decided to lease to a wonderful, Christian based company with a lot of customers and a lot more freight. It was extremely difficult for Carl to leave a company that he had been with for about 12 years but financially he knew he had to do something. One of the best decisions ever!

In March 2011, I started praying that if it was the Lord's will that He would work things out for me to join Los on the road. We had been trying to sell our dump wagon but just had not had any luck. One morning after I got to school I called Carlos and said, "I prayed this morning for God to send a sign showing me if I should quit work and join you or not." I know God doesn't always send signs but you see I am one of those people that love to have signs...a big 'ole neon flashing sign. You know like in the country song "Here's your sign." Well, I prayed that God would say, "Lynne, my poor little child, HERE'S YOUR SIGN!" The sign would be that we sold the dump wagon.

On a beautiful, warm, sunny, spring day, God spoke and flashed that big 'ole neon sign. He knows me so well because I know He was thinking, "I better give this girl 2 neon flashing signs." The other sign was our old semi-truck. We had not even discussed selling it but when Jeff bought the dump he also said he wanted to buy the truck. When Carlos told me that, I immediately said, "I need to go talk to Mama." "For what?" "To see what she thinks." "Lynne, you prayed for God to send you a sign. He not only sent one sign...He sent 2 signs! So do you really think you need to discuss it with your mama?" He was right and you see God knew that is exactly what I would want to do and that is the reason He said, "I need to give this child 2 signs." I did go to Mama's but not to discuss our decision with her but to do the "Happy Dance" and to tell her what God had just done. Little did I know,  she already knew. Carlos was so excited about all this that he had already done the "Happy Dance" and shared  our wonderful news with her.

2 Corinthians 5: 7 says, "For we live by faith, not by sight." I know that my prayer required sight...the sight of a sign. Many people believe that praying for a sign is a sign of weakness in your faith.  I believe that is true if all you are doing is looking for signs and are not studying the Word of God...are not praying...and are seeking a sign that is outside the will of God. We are all humans and those with faith see signs of God every day. I believe if we are praying, studying God's Word, and bringing Glory to Him through our every day actions and words, that it is ok to ask for a sign. A sign that shows us the direction He would have us to go.  Sometimes those signs may be the answer we wanted but then sometimes they may not be.  He also says in Matthew 7:7 "Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." Please don't take that out of context. What we are seeking for and asking for will only be given to us if it will bring Glory to God and if it is in His will. Our faith comes in knowing that God has a plan for us and continuing to love Him, follow Him, share of His Glorious and Marvelous works and abiding in Him...no matter what sign he gives us.

God showed me a sign on that sunny April day not because of anything I had said or done but because it was all part of HIS Plan...not mine.

I thank God everyday and I always give Him the Glory for being able to spend all this time with My Love.

I apologize for this post being so lengthy but I was really having trouble getting started. I have been putting it off and putting it off because I just could not find the right words. I woke up in the middle of the night last night thinking about it and I just started praying and asking God to give me the words. Well, He did! Once I got the computer out this morning the words just started flowing. Once again I'm left in awe. The tears have welled up in my eyes several times at how He has been planning and working things out for Carlos and me to be together on this amazing, adventurous ride...before we even started planning and praying about it. Isn't God So Good!

I hope you enjoy reading each post and I pray that each one brings Glory to Him.

Only By Grace!
   Lynne

God's Plan

Pure excitement! That's how I felt when Carlos hung up the phone and said, "Well, looks like we're going to New Hampshire!" Pure excitement...not what I heard in his voice or saw on his face! As many of you know, the east coast and especially the north eastern states, are just not on our map. But this was a really good paying load, and we do not turn down good paying loads. Plus, New Hampshire and Maine are the only two inland states that we have not been to. So, that right there tells you that we have to go. Los on the other hand...would disagree!

We were about 100 miles from where the load had to be picked up...Compton, CA. Off we went! I immediately got out the map, the truck stop book and my travel book of all the places in the US to visit. I was like a little kid going to Disney World for the first time. Yep, I was planning out our long weekend for when we unloaded. I found a truck stop in Maine not far from our unloading destination, a car rental place and our points of destination to visit. "Oh my goodness! The weather is perfect! The trees are turning, all the beautiful fall colors! This is going to be a great trip! We can go to Portland and see the lighthouse. Look at these pictures of Camden Harbor! Wow, look how pretty Rattlesnake Mountain is! We have not been sightseeing since our Washington trip. This is going to be so much fun!" "We can rent a car and make this a weekend road trip!" What?! Why yes...my excitement had overflowed and spilled over to My Love!  I mean really...how could it not! "Maine, here we come!"

WOMP! WOMP! WOMP! Our thrill just got squashed! Seriously, you have got to be kidding? Our load was two big crates. We can only tote 41,500 pounds legally on our trailer. That wasn't the problem. The problem...each axle is only allowed so much weight! We loaded those crates...chained them down and went and weighed. Nope, not gonna work! Too much weight on our drive axle. Unchain...move crates...rechain...go reweigh. Shoot fire! Still not going to work. Unchain...unload...sad...disappointed...no Maine trip...find a new load.

DING, DING, DING! New load...Crestview, FL. It's not Maine but it's only about 170 miles from HOME! Carlos had not been home since July 4th, so yes, home was much better than Maine.

I have said before that I am amazed and left in awe at how My God works. LC needed some work and we really didn't want to have to do it on the road...big bucks! Carlos always says why pay someone to do something when you can do it yourself? The Lord knew the work needed to be done sooner than what we thought! So He planned for us to go home. He also knew that my daddy would have a reaction to the flu shot that would send him to the hospital for a few days. He also knew that if I had been on the road when that happened that I would have been a basket case. HIS timing and planning is ALWAYS PERFECT!

We were home for two weeks and I wish I could say that Los got some much needed rest but that is so not the case. You know that job...the one that should only take a few days but ends up taking a little longer...well, that was LC and Los! Fix one thing and find something else! LC and I are going to have a come to Jesus meeting because he is really starting to interfere with my money! High maintenance is not a term used for me...oh nooo...that would be LC! But, he is fixed and as Carlos says,"He's purring!" Sounds more like a roar to me but what do I know?

Daddy is doing good. Not sure he'll take the flu shot again or if he'll drive himself to the ER without telling us; but that is a whole nother story! Just thanking God that He is ok and that I was home when it happened.

We have been back on the road for a few weeks now...traveling with our Toot Toot! I'm all smiles! Do you remember the blog post about us taking a control building to the Solar/Snake farm in California? Well, this time we took one to a Solar/Tortoise farm in Boulder City, NV. When Carlos told me that it was a Tortoise sensitive area, I just cracked up. "From a snake farm to a Tortoise farm, that is crazy." "This time it's actually listed in our instruction sheets." "You reckon they'll have "Tortoise Crossing" signs? That'll be hilarious!"

"The Copper Mountain Solar site is built upon a Desert Tortoise habitat. The Desert Tortoise is a protected species in the state of Nevada and is very active on the access roads and site. You will be required to check in at the guard station and be escorted to the site to mitigate any interaction between vehicles and Desert Tortoise. You will also be instructed on the proper way to control an area if one is to be spotted. There may be delays when heavy truck traffic is present due to slow speeds." Those were the guidelines on our Instructions and Rules sheet. Just as with the snake farm, we didn't see any Tortoises but we did see a "Tortoise Crossing" sign. I literally cracked up when we saw that. We see all kinds of crossing signs but that is the first Tortoise Crossing sign that we've seen. There's always a first time for everything. Maybe next time we'll actually see a crossing Tortoise.

After A LOT of prayer and encouragement from My Love, family and friends...especially Amelia, I have decided to turn my blog into a book. As Timothy says, "It may be the death of me!" but Carlos keeps saying,"You can do it!" I am listening to Los but I'm afraid Toot may be right. I have already had to start over...after being half way finished...because Satan (a.k.a. my computer) decided to eat it. I searched and searched and Toot searched and searched for two days trying to find the thing. Los kept saying, "It's in there somewhere!" Well, I sure as heck wish it would show it's face because I can't find it and the more I searched the madder and more irritated I got. The more I sighed and fussed the more Carlos laughed. I am so glad he found it amusing because there was ABSOLUTELY nothing amusing about it to me!!!!!  I thought,"Oh no, Satan, you are not going to get the best of me!" I finally just said the heck with it and started over. Timothy asked me one night if he was going to be in the book. "Yes, of course you're going to be in it." "Well, I wasn't sure if I made the cut. It was a tough audition!" That boy cracks me up! He keeps me laughing all the time!

When I started the blog, it was just a way for me to write about mine and Carl's time together, what we saw, what we were hauling and where we had been. Just a way to stay in contact with family and friends. I never intended to include Bible verses and certainly not any kind of devotion in it. God had a different plan. I have to admit, my confidence level when witnessing to others especially strangers, is very low. I'll share about the things He has done for me, how He's helped me through difficult times, answered prayers, His love for me and mine for Him, to close friends and family but hardly ever to people I barely know and oh my goodness definitely not to strangers. Most of the time when I start writing a post, I have no idea what verses I am going to include or if any at all and absolutely no idea how a devotion is going to be tied into it. That is what's so wonderful and amazing and fascinating and exciting about how God works. He takes our crazy, unbelievable, hilarious, frustrating, stressful, thrilling and awesome everyday life adventures and turns them into a testimony of His commitment, faithfulness, understanding, protection, forgiveness, comfort and unconditional love for us. I've always thought God answered my prayers about leaving teaching just so I could spend more time with My Love. I don't know...never thought about Him using my voice to speak His words or in this case write His words. I am just a simple, country girlie girl from south Georgia who has been chosen by God...no way did I think the adventures of this truckin' duo could be used to speak to others about His awesomeness!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

'Til we meet again!
Only by Grace!
   Lynne

Love, love and little things

One of the greatest feelings in the world is the gentle touch of My Love's hand on my arm. I know, you are probably thinking "What? That's the greatest feeling you get from your hubby?" I said, "One of the greatest NOT the greatest!" I absolutely love sitting in the seat next to him...in my own little world (which seems to be where I stay most of the time) and suddenly feel his hand softly rubbing on my arm or a little squeeze around my bicep...this is usually the "show me your muscles" squeeze. Then there are those not so gentle touches...the moments of aggravation, like knocking my arm off the armrest or the tender arm pops or the finger poking in the arm...which usually leads to a finger poking fight. Whatever the touch or pop or poke, they are moments that I treasure and moments that mean the world to me. Just simple little love moments! It's the little things like that, that I really miss when we are not together. Last month I had a few things that needed to be taken care of at the house, so I caught a ride home with Timothy. If you read my last post, then you know there was certainly no "trashing" around on that trip! I was doing good to get him to stop for a restroom break! Click here to read As always, while I was home for those 3 1/2 weeks, I dearly missed those little rubs, pokes and nudges. It is nice being home, spending time with family and doing a little work in the shop. I just want My Love to be there with me. So, the day Los called and said, "I'm renting a car so Toot and I can come get you!" was music to my ears! Are you confused? Are you thinking, "Why is he renting a car?" "I thought Timothy was home?" "Why didn't she just ride back with him?" Let me clarify...Timothy only stayed home for a week. He bought a new trailer and had to go to Missouri to pick it up. He then went to Louisiana where he met up with Carlos. I love my son but his truck is a bit smaller than ours and having to take showers in the truck stops...oh my, I'm cringing just thinking about it...well, in the words of my hubby "I'm spoiled." I did have to take a truck stop shower on the way home but taking 5-6 was out of the question. Besides, I still had things to complete at home. So, that is why I didn't catch a ride back with Toot. After taking loads to California and returning back to Louisiana, Carlos decided 3 1/2 weeks at home was long enough. Since Minden, LA seems to be our second home, they left the trucks and rented a car. The rent and gas for a car is sooo much cheaper than diesel for LC. Now that I have confused you even more, let me get back to the music to my ears. Sorry family! I love you all very much but going from 24/7 with my hubby to 0 is extremely difficult. I've said it many times that I wish he could just carry me around in his pocket.  Oh, did I mention they drove 11 hours and were only home for 1 day. They got home Saturday morning about 8:00 and we left Sunday morning about 9:00.  Just for the record...I did tell him that it was too far for them to drive just to come get me. But he wouldn't listen...ooohhh yes, my man does love me! Now that you all are doing the finger in the mouth, uugggghhhh thing, I'll move on.

Love this man!

Love...love is a beautiful thing! Love...an emotional feeling that makes our heart skip a beat, brings tears of joy to our eyes, puts a smile on our face, puts a pep in our step, gives us sweaty palms, or sends a tingling feeling all through our body.  Love...protects, trusts, hopes, stands firm and perseveres. Love...the reason we get up in the mornings...go to work...wash clothes...cook supper...clean house...not necessarily because we like doing those things but because we love the people we are doing them for. Love...praying for others, caring for others, sharing with others, offering a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on. As I was thinking about the love that Carlos and I have for one another and the love that we have for Timothy and our families and friends, I was reminded of this verse:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8, 13

Love is Christ! Christ is love!
Jeremiah 1:5 says..."Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart. Oh my, how awesome is that! Before I was even born I was loved. I was born because I was loved. What a wonderful, wonderful feeling! Even with all our crazy antics, foolish mistakes, and self-centered ways Christ still loves us. He gave His life for me and for you. God sacrificed His one and only son Jesus Christ so that we...you and me...could have eternal life...why, because He loves us unconditionally. I think what brings me to my knees the most is knowing that while I was still a sinner, before I confessed my love for Him and asked Him into my heart as my Lord and Savior, He willingly went through torture. He was mocked, beaten beyond recognition, ridiculed, nailed, hung, bled and died on a cross...why...once again, because He loves me and you!
 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Once again we were able to travel with our Toot Toot. This time we were off to Kansas with...Verizon buildings! Oh my, you know the history with us and Verizon buildings...usually a nerve racking, heart pounding, sweat dripping experience! An experience Timothy has never had the privilege of having!  There's always a first time for everything! After Carlos and I unloaded our building in a bean patch, he road with Timothy to help him get unloaded. Off to the cow pasture they went...hummm...pasture...that should be easy enough...WRONG! Because of the way they made the road with all the rocks, he almost tore the side boxes on his trailer off and he did tear his mudflaps off.  You're probably thinking, "That's not too bad." Well, considering this was only his third load with his brand spanking new trailer...it was REAL bad! It was very close to... your trailer falling from the sky...bad!

 Timothy's third load with his new trailer and his first Verizon building.

He's not a happy camper right now!

Back to Louisiana we went...to get...another...Verizon building! Just can't get enough of a good thing! Timothy loaded up and off to Phoenix, AZ he went. Lucky dog, he took his to a church with a large parking lot. Easy peasy! Plus, the job foreman picked him up and took him to breakfast while the crane crew got set up to unload. WHAT!!!! Breakfast! Nobody ever picks us up and takes us to breakfast...heck, they don't even bring us breakfast...not even a cup of coffee or a bottle of water! 

When we picked up our building we were told the address on the bill of lading was not the correct delivery address. "Here are the coordinates for the delivery location." The look on Carlos' face was priceless! "Coordinates? I don't think my GPS knows coordinates. This should be interesting!" So you see, while Toot enjoyed his breakfast and got unloaded without any complications, Los and I were not using street/road names or numbers to lead us to our point of destination...nooo, we were using the coordinates! Who the heck uses coordinates?!

Cow pastures, parking lots, bean patches, corn fields, mountains and churches...just a few of our Verizon delivery spots. So where in the world did our coordinates take us to this time...the top of a very, very, tiny, narrow, pig-tail of a road. The road was so narrow and steep that there was absolutely no way we were getting LC up there. So what did we do you might ask? We dropped our trailer on the side of the road...yes, the side of the road! A much smaller truck hooked to our trailer and pulled it half way up...then, a bulldozer pulled the truck and trailer the rest of the way up. Are you thinking "WHAT?" Oh yes, let the heart pounding, sweat dripping, nerve racking moments begin!

LC sitting beside the road while we check things out. This is what I considered to be the first level of this whole insane 5 level process.

The starting point. The first of many, many narrow roads on this crazy adventure.

Carlos is in disbelief that they actually wanted us to drive our 75 foot long truck and trailer up this! "Since you can't make the turn, you can just pull straight ahead on this road and then turn and back up between the trees and rock. Then you can back all the way up to the wider open area." Seriously, have you seen the size of our truck and trailer!

 This is what they wanted Los to back up between. This is also what I considered as the second level.

 If I had a go-cart, I could have all kinds of fun on this little road and curve! It reminded me of some of the go-cart race tracks we have been on.

After backing between the rock and trees we would have to back up this road to the third level. This wouldn't have been a problem except for the fact that we didn't have enough room in level 2 to get backed up.

 Walking on up the road to the third and largest level of this whole crazy process.

 Now this, we can work this! Oh yeah, we have to get up here first.

And this my friends was the pig tail road that LC did NOT get the chance to travel up. It's hard to tell in the picture but this was a really steep hill. Our legs were worn out by the time we made it to the top.                                                     

 Unhooked from LC and rehooked to a small/shorter truck.

 Poor LC is all alone! For once he doesn't get to join in on all the fun and excitement!

 Let the fun times roll! Leaving level 1 and heading up to level 2.

After several tries of pulling up...backing up...running in the trees...almost running over the boulder...he was finally able to make it . Now, he had trouble with his day cab truck and they really thought we could do this with LC. 

Successfully completed level 2 now trying to make it up to level 3. Had a few pull ups and back ups but overall it wasn't too bad.

Finally made it up to level 3 and now it's time for the real fun. Even if we could have gotten LC up here there was no way we were going to let them hook a bulldozer to him and pull him up. Carlos said if they wanted to pull someone's bumper off they could pull their own off.

Instead of The Little Engine that Could, it's The Little Bulldozer that Could. I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!

 "I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!" said Carlos and Lynne climbing that hill.

Finally, level 4! We're in the clear now! The pad for the building is behind the tower. If I asked 1 time I asked 100, "How are they going to get the building around the tower to the pad?"

Now, you didn't really think we were going to get away without any major complications did you?  This is a Verizon building...you know better than that! Carl and I should have known better also! We were standing over to the side talking to the land owner when one of the men from the crane crew walked up and said,"Your boxes are sitting on the ground!" "What?" "Yep, and the trailer frame too." Have mercy, just one turn left...and it really wasn't even a turn...and this! These rocks can get you in a pickle almost every time!

After using a small front end loader to move some of the rocks and then hooking the back of the trailer up to the bulldozer so it could pull the trailer back out of the rocks, we were finally in the clear.  With the exception of some scratches and a rather significant size dent in the box, no damage was done. 

Up, up and away! I think this makes me as nervous as getting to the unloading pads. I am always so afraid the straps and cables are going to snap and instead of a trailer falling from the sky it's going to be a Verizon building crashing to the ground...on top of LC and the trailer. So, there is just as much praying at this point as there is at any of the others...especially when we hear popping noises!

Remember, earlier I couldn't figure out how in the world they were going to get that humongous building around the tower. Well, I wasn't the only one wondering...Carl and the land owner kept wondering the same thing. We would have never thought there was enough room between the tower and the trees for the building but then again, that's why we haul them and don't unload them. They did it with room to spare. This crane crew knew what they were doing...wish I could say that for all  of them. I swanee, sometimes I think Carlos and I could do a better job...shoot fire, I could do a better job than some of them. But, that's alright, it gives us something to laugh about and makes for an entertaining day...most of the time!

Reunited and it feels so good!

I know I give the crews a hard time about their thought process when it comes to the places they want us to get to, but I also realize that many of them have never driven or ridden in a big truck therefore have no clue what it takes to maneuver one of these big rigs. But aside from that, this was one of the nicest crews that we have worked with. The best part was not having to listen to any foul language...whether they were talking to us or each other. I truly think this may have been the first time. It's the little things that make a stressful experience not so stressful.

Til we meet again!

   By His Grace!

       Lynne

Pete and Repeat

 Get your motor runnin'

Head out on the highway

Looking for adventure

In whatever comes our way

This would make a pretty good theme song, don't ya think! I have no idea why but this verse just popped in my head and I haven't been able to get it out. Not the whole song, just this verse. Drives me crazy, and then I start making up my own words to finish out the song. Timothy told me that I take five or six songs and put them together to make one. He never knows what song I'm trying to sing.

Anywho..I was recently informed by my sweet and candid son that my blog posts are always about the challenges we encounter with our job. "You are always writing about the problems, troubles and frustrations. You never write about the good things. People are probably wondering why in the world you and Daddy are still in the trucking business. And, you never include me in any of the blogs. Wait a minute, I have to catch my breath. Wow! He actually reads my blogs. "I know but the crazy things we deal with are what makes it interesting and yes, I have included you in some. I can't help it if you're not always with us."

So, to make Timothy happy let me just say that not every load causes us to grit our teeth, roll our eyes, sigh in disbelief, clinch our hands or stomp our feet. Usually we are just doing the eye rolling thing and sighing. Carlos always just looks at me and says, "They don't want much do they!" "You can handle it! You are a professional!"

Thank goodness, for the past several weeks we haven't had any fist clinching or teeth gritting loads. Since returning to work after vacation, Timothy has been with us pretty much the whole time. I think we've only been apart for 2 weeks. I love how the Lord works it out for us to travel and do trips together. Los and I have been one happy mama and daddy. We just have one little problem when we are all together. Toot likes to get up early...ride, ride, ride and get a good nights sleep...at least 8 hours. If he says he's leaving at 7:30 a.m. then by golly he's leaving at 7:30...not 7:35...7:30! Then there's Carl and me...complete opposite! We say 7:30 but it could be 7:45 or 8:00 before we actually pull out. Then, we like to ride for a couple of hours, stop and stretch our legs, ride some more, stop for an ice cream, ride some more, stop and stretch. It's a constant ride, stop, ride, stop...THIS DRIVES TIMOTHY INSANE! We may not have had any teeth clinching loads but there sure has been some breath holding. I am so glad we are in separate trucks and have CB's for communicating because every time Carlos grabs that CB mic and says, "Toot, we need to hit the rest area!" I  just hold my breath and wait for it, "Really, again!" I have absolutely noooo idea where he gets his promptness and drive to go, go, go...certainly not from his mother or father. Carlos' philosophy is slow and steady...gets the job done! Yes, it does! I'm not sure how but we are never late for an appointment. We may be a day early or two days early or it might just be 15-20 minutes early, but one thing is for sure...we are never late! My man may be slow but he gets the job done and that's all that counts!

I asked Timothy one night if he was tired of us and ready to be on his own again. His answer was music to my ears, "NO!" I guess the grilling at night, the cinnamon rolls for breakfast, the home/truck cooked meals, the freshly baked brownies and the evenly toasted on both sides ham sandwiches, make up for our tortoiselike speed.

He won't admit it but he enjoys his mama and daddy time just as much as we enjoy our Toot time!

Instead of a building, this time we took a power skid to a new solar farm in California, which to us, is known as the snake farm. Yep, the snake farm! We had already heard horror stories about this place and were not looking forward to going at all. First of all, we were told that it was a nightmare to get in and out of...second, you have to wear snake leggings...third, there are snake handlers on sight and fourth, you have to stay within a certain perimeter of your truck. One driver told us that one of the workers drew a line in the sand and told him, "Do not go past this line!" Well, okie dokie then! "Carlos, it looks like you and Toot are going to be on your own. I'll just sit in the truck and watch for snakes and if I see one I'll yell snake. I mean really, how many snake handlers are on sight? If there is only one per truck then how can he watch for snakes for me and for you if we are on different sides of the trailer. I really think it's best if I just stay in the truck!" "Why don't I stay in the truck and you do all the work this time?" "Nope, I don't think so!" Can I just say that we were not the least bit excited about this load. We hadn't even got the thing loaded yet and there was already some eye rolling and A LOT of sighing going on...from all three of us! EVEN TIMOTHY! We were getting ourselves worked up in a tizzy. Finally I was like, "Maybe it's not as bad as everyone says. Let's just wait and see for ourselves."

After a week of wonder, we made it to the snake/solar farm. What a relief...easy peasy in and easy peasy out. The workers saw what a difficult time the drivers were having getting in and out of the farm so they made some changes a few day before we got there. Isn't God good! Carl and Toot did have to wear the snake leggings, although, one worker acted like it was totally ridiculous. He just kept telling Los, "Man can you just please put these on before you get out of the truck? I've already been chewed out once about these things and I don't want to get chewed out again. It's crazy! Just please put them on before you get out."

Now that was a hoot watching Carlos put those things on. He couldn't figure out which was the top, which was the bottom, which one was the right, which one was left, and then, it took him forever to get the things fastened. Toot had both of his on, was out of the truck and had walked up to our truck before Los ever got his on...and Toot got his AFTER Los.

 Wouldn't they make great models for snake leggings in an outdoor magazine?

When Timothy was little we would get so tickled because everything about him was just like his daddy. The way he looked...the way he walked...the way he talked...the way he stood...everything. Some things never change! Twenty-five years later and he is still the spitting image of his daddy. When I saw the two of them standing there like this, I couldn't help but smile! Love my boys!

Usually when we are traveling to California, I am fascinated and in awe of the beauty of the mountains. I told Carl that even though we have seen them hundreds of times every time seems like the first time. But for the past several weeks I have been admiring the beauty of the clouds. As I was watching the storms brew in the skies above me, it reminded me of the storms that brew up in our everyday lives. One minute we are enjoying a beautiful sunshiny day and the next we are running for cover from the lightning and rain. Our lives are much the same. One minute we are happy and healthy and the next we get a heart stopping report from our doctor. One minute we are enjoying our family and the next we are unexpectedly having to say goodbye. One minute we are off to work and the next we are looking for work. In an instance life as we know can change.

Just as I saw the beauty and grace of God's work in the clouds, we are to find beauty in our life storms. We do that through keeping our focus on Christ and knowing that He is walking through the storm with us. We are not alone. There are so many verses in the Bible where Christ is reassuring us that we are not alone. Joshua 1:9 says "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." In Psalms 46:1 it says, God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. Isaiah 41:13 says, For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Matthew 14:27 says, But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage. I am here!!" These are just a few. I hope you find comfort in knowing that even though it may seem like you're all alone...YOU ARE NOT! Christ Jesus is right there with you!

I have been following a sweet, young, newly wed couple on facebook who are currently going through a horrific storm. It's more like a hurricane. The husband is battling brain cancer for the second time and the faith and assurance they have that everything is going to be alright is remarkably strong. They are turning their storm into a true testimony of faith and love for Christ and for one another. Christ tells us to find joy in our troubles, "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 1:2-4

Sometimes I wonder, "Lord, how in the world can we find joy in our troubles...especially when our troubles are the size of hurricanes, like the one this young couple is in the midst of?" When he tells us to find joy, he's not talking about being all happy go lucky. He is telling us to have a positive outlook...keep our focus on him...remember the blessings in our life and to hold on to our faith in Him!

Some storms are short...some last forever...some are strong...some are light...some come with a vengeance...some come with a warning...some appear in the blink of an eye but one thing is for sure...they will come...and, they will go! When that storm comes, whether it is a wind storm, thunderstorm, tornado or a hurricane and everything around you starts turning dark, look up and there you will find that ray of sun, shining down on you, letting you know that you are not alone.

When life's storms come, I may look into the dark sky and say "God a little light please!" Then I remember - Jesus light of the world.  Max Lucado

Please remember to keep the young couple I mentioned earlier in your prayers!

Oh, I almost forgot, the rest of the snake/solar farm story. We did not see the first snake or the first snake handler. I was really kind of disappointed. I was looking forward to being on snake watch! Oh well, we have enough excitement without having to add snakes to the mixture.

Til we meet again!

Only by His Grace!

   Lynne

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Family fun in the sun

Summertime...sweet, sweet summertime!

Family...not just one family, but four families...10 adults and 4 children. Fun. Sun. Water. Boats. Jet ski. Fishing. Relaxing. Eating...oh, lots of good eating! Sounds like a great vacation to me! A wonderful time was had by all!

We packed up and headed south...Lake Weir bound. Ocklawaha, Florida, a little itty, bitty town in central Florida with one red light, a tiny grocery store, a few convenient stores, a church, a hardware store and a lake...a beautiful, peaceful lake with some sandy white beaches. It's a family tradition...a 40 something year old family tradition! Even older if you count the years my mama and her family went, but I won't go there Mama. I'll just say it's a L-O-N-G time tradition!

Fishing...that's what my boys love to do. When we were home getting the boat and jet ski washed and cleaned up and making sure they ran, Timothy said he didn't care if the fishing boat ran or not he was taking it. "I might have to get somebody to pull me to the fishing hole and come back and get me, but I'm going fishing!" Thank goodness, a tow rope was not needed. Each morning bright and EARLY and very quietly, because you know the Queen Bee did need her sleep, he and Carlos got up to go catch a mess of fish and each morning about four hours later they would return with...no mess of fish. We waited with anticipation each morning to see all the fish...each morning...we saw...nothing! They may not have caught any fish but they made some great memories. I told Carl I hated they didn't catch anything and he said, "That's alright. Spending time with Toot was all that mattered!"

Watching and listening to the little ones as they played, talked and splashed in the water, was such an enjoyable sight. They woke up each morning ripping and raring to go...breakfast, swimsuits, and a lathering of sunscreen then off to the water they went. That was their home for the day. Getting them out to eat lunch was a bit of a challenge for their mamas. We are a water loving family...from the big people all the way down to the little people.  The boys had a blast riding the tube, falling off the tube, trying to ski, falling off the skis, kayaking, riding the jet ski and catching "fish" (minnows) with their hands. It didn't matter what they were doing they enjoyed every single second of it. Even getting a certain little blonde haired boy to stop talking and focus while teaching him to ski was a bit entertaining. He'd have that rope wrapped all around him and he's just a yelling, "Ready!" or "Look! Mama, there's a plane!" Thank goodness Jen was in the water with him to keep him from getting rope burn and to divert his attention from the plane back to the skis. Now the girls, they had to do the more girlie things, like...doing belly flops in the water, digging in the sand, and dancing. Bet you were not expecting that...dancing! Yes, those girls do love to shake their groove thang!

Popsy playing in the water with one of the little princesses.

This little girl loves to do belly flops!

Shaking her grove thang!

These boys loved tubing!

One of the little princesses even liked tubing!

Even the other little princess enjoyed tubing

Laughter was not only provided by the little people but us big people provided quite a few laughs as well, from sitting around at supper telling stories, to doing our own water tricks. Timothy loves to ride the jet ski but I'm not so sure throwing himself off was what he had in mind when he was hot dogging it. I'm not exactly sure what he did, I just know one minute he was on and the next minute he was off. It went left and he went right. I so hate I didn't get a picture of that but I did get a real good one of him and Haley Bug getting thrown off the tube. That's right... feet, legs and butts all up in the air and not just their feet, legs, and bottoms but mine as well. Yes, mine! I was sitting backwards in the seat at the back of the boat taking pictures...which by the way is a dangerous position to be sitting in...anyway, Clark "hits the breaks" when they fell off and then blam, blam, blam! He turns from looking over his right shoulder at them to look over his left to see what all the commotion was about... and there he saw it...me...flipping, flopping and a rolling all across the floor. Not only did Clark see 4 feet, 4 legs, 4 arms, and 2 butts flying around across the water but he also saw 2 feet, 2 legs, 2 arms and 1 butt tossing and turning across the bottom of the boat. Thank goodness nobody got a picture of that!

Looks like somebody should have been holding on a little tighter

Oops! There goes Toot!

Skiing...oh how we love to ski...about 20 years ago! We still ski just to prove that we can still get up and go but our go doesn't last near as long as it used to. We didn't have a ski boat this year so everything was done behind a jet ski, a float boat (aka pontoon boat) or a mini yacht. "Hey, Clark! You wanna give me a tow?" I look up and it's Carl getting ready to ski...behind the float boat. "Los, are you gonna snatch off? That thing's not gonna pull you up! You're gonna be dragging in the water!" Smiling the whole time, "Yeah it will! And then, "Go!" As we're all standing there watching my crazy husband, I'm thinking there is no way that float boat is going to go fast enough for him to snatch off. Woohoo! He made it...about 20 yards and then down he went...sinking lower and lower in the water. It snatched him off but just couldn't go fast enough to keep him on top of the water.  Well, that just wouldn't do! "Hey, Jeff! You wanna give me a tow?" That's right this time he tried it behind the mini yacht and just like the pro that he is...up and off he went. He and Toot both gracefully got up and gracefully returned back to the dock. Did I say gracefully? Yes, I did! Isn't that the way women are supposed to do things...gracefully? Well, let me tell you there was absolutely nothing...I mean nothing graceful about my skiing episode. It was more like a skiing girl gone wild. I am usually a pretty good skier...usually! First of all, I was unable to snatch off! Once again, feet and legs up in the air as I'm laughing and flopping over side ways, but there was no way I was going to let that ski get the best of me. And, I didn't! I made it! "Oh good heavens this water is rough! Dang, I feel like I'm going 100mph! That's it, I've had enough!" After a very short distance, and I mean very short, I motioned for Jeff to turn around. There are no words to describe how bad I wanted to just drop right there in the middle of the lake but I was not about to let my husband and son out do me. Big, huge, gigantic mistake! Graceful...nothing graceful about my landing. I let go of that rope at what seemed like an extremely high rate of speed in a lake that was full of ocean size waves and it was all she wrote. The worst wipe out of my skiing career in front of God, family and all the neighbors. Oh my goodness, when I finally stopped rolling across the water, my bathing suit was so twisted up that every private part of my body was exposed. Thank goodness for deep water and life jackets. Jen told me I looked like I was totally out of control. "I was totally out of control!" So much for not letting Carlos and Toot out do me, but then again, I did give everybody quite a show! 

Carlos showing us he's still got it.

My man still looks good on a ski!

Timothy doing his thing.

Such a graceful landing! Show off!

It was a short week of making wonderful memories that will be treasured forever. I love my family and can't think of a better vacation than spending time with each and everyone of them. In a few days all my bruises will be gone but my memories will last a life time. "Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts his accusers at the city gates." Psalm 127: 3-5

Packed up and time to go home...still having fun and making memories!

Vacation is over and it's back to the working world. More adventures and memories to be made with My Love and My Toot Toot! That's right, Toot will be with us for our next trip...California here we come!

Til we meet again!
Only by His Grace!
   Lynne