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
