What Goes Up Must Come Down

Connecticut...REEEAALY...Connecticut!

Not real excited about our next trip Carl looked at me and said, "I sure will be glad when the freight picks back up so we can be a little more selective about what we haul and where we go. We are taking a communication building to Connecticut." "I know but I was sitting in the back praying for a load when your phone rang...with an offer on a load. So I don't think we need to turn this one down. The Lord just answered my pray. Next time I'll make sure I am a little more specific."

From the moment we got the load it seemed like Satan was putting people in our path to discourage us about going to Connecticut with an oversize load. First, we had someone to ask us how we were going to enter Connecticut because they do not allow prefab buildings into their state. "Really...that is the craziest thing I have ever heard!" Then the same man asked Carlos if we did get in how were we going to get out.  I was like what...drive out just like we drove in.  Who knew it wouldn't be as simple as that. Our permit would allow us to enter but once the load was delivered we would not be able to travel in that state because we would be too long. "Great...so what are we supposed to do...just sit in Connecticut from now on?" So, Carl called the permit office to find out if what he had just been told was true. "No, they do not allow prefab buildings, instead of listing it as a communication building we will list it as a concrete vault." What??? Looks like a building...built like a building...all the other states say it's a building...so it must be a building. No...it's not a building it's a concrete vault! Okay..whatever...as long as we can deliver this building aka vault...we don't care what it's called!

We were then told we would have to buy another permit to leave Connecticut...CRAZY!!!  Then a few days later we had another driver tell us that Connecticut only allows oversize loads to travel Tuesday thru Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  He also looked at our Pennsylvania permit to see what route we had been given. His comment to that, "Good luck!" By this time Carl had gotten really discouraged. He kept saying, "What have we gotten ourselves into?" "Don't worry, everything will be just fine. Don't start stressing. Lets just wait until we get our Connecticut permit and see what it says then we'll deal with any problems." After our Connecticut permit came in and Carl read over it, he realized that because of the way the state measures the length, if he raised the third axle off the ground we would be good to go. Yay! Another problem solved.

Now really...does this look like a road that needs to have a wide load traveling on it.
We ended up basically shutting the road down to get through.

One of our detour roads.

This is not a sign you want to see anytime...especially with an oversize load.

Then while sitting in a rest area in Pennsylvania, we had another driver that came up to Carl and just started talking. I tell you what, he must have a face that says, "Come talk to me. I'll listen." Anyway, he was asking Los where we were headed with the building aka vault. "Stonington, Connecticut." "That's where I live. It's just a little ole fishing town. I don't know where you're going to park with that thing. There's nowhere in Stonington. The closest place is an hour and half away."  WOW!!! What was it with all these people giving us discouraging news about this load. I don't think this has ever happened before. Satan was working overtime on this one. But we stayed strong and faithful and didn't let him get us down. It was a little difficult at times but God is Good! He helped see us through each frustrating moment.

For those of you that may not know, let me explain about the permits. Whenever we are hauling a load that is oversize which means the gross weight is over 80,000lbs or the height is over 13'6" or the width is over 8'6"...we have to have a permit. Each state issues its own permit and they tell us what roads we can travel and what times we can travel. This is to avoid roads that are under construction, bridges that may be too low and rush hour traffic in high populated cities. Also, if you are caught off route you can be faced with a very hefty fine!  Simple enough right...until the detour is through towns with narrow, narrow roads or the roads have trees with low hanging branches or the roads are as curvy as a snake or it takes 106 miles to go what would have been 20 miles on the interstate...not so simple then and also extremely stressful.That is why the driver told us to have fun on the Pennsylvania detour. Don't you just love sarcasm!!!

Now, back to our journey that has been filled with reassuring words from our fellow drivers.

We ended up spending the night in the parking lot of a closed down shopping center in a little town just outside of Stonington. It's times like these that I am so so so so thankful that I have all the amenities of home in this truck...especially, a bathroom!!!

The next morning one of the crewmen from the job site came and picked us up. It is always so encouraging when we have to have a guide to lead us to our final destination. The journey to the site was about 22 miles of little narrow curvy two lane roads and more overhanging tree limbs. Once we finally reached our destination it was a sight to behold. I wasn't really paying any attention when our guide rode off into the woods and we pulled off the road...well, I can't really say we pulled off because there wasn't a shoulder to pull off on. We were more like half on and half off. But anyway...I was sitting in my seat playing with my camera not paying any attention to what we were doing at the moment. After about 15 minutes of sitting there Carl says, "They want us to go up there." I turned and looked, "What? Up there! There is no way we can get up there! We will tear our truck up!"  I just started laughing. "They have lost their mind!"

The road to a day full of excitement

Sitting on the side of the road with our communication building aka vault.

After anxiously waiting another 15-20 minutes, one of the crewmen finally walked down the hill to get Carl so he could go scope things out. He was not a happy camper when he came back "Yep, we have to go up." It took all four of the men to help guide us up the hill. We had an 11'11" wide load and the road was 12'. It looked like someone went in there with a chain saw and cut down enough trees to make a path. There were large rocks on either side of the road and trees all up and down the edge of it. The limbs from the trees were hanging low and across the road. One side of the road was a hill that went up and the other side was a hill that went down. We had 2 men walking in front on each side of the truck and 2 walking in the back. The men up front had to make sure we would make it under the trees and that we had enough room to get between the trees. The men in the back had to make sure that when we went around a curve that the trailer would not hit a rock/boulder or hit a tree or for goodness sake slide off the hill. It was a very tedious job. The road was about 1/2 mile but it took us a good 15 minutes to get up. Finally...we made it to the top. Oh my...a little square with enough room for us to pull straight in...room for the crane...the pad for the building aka vault and another truck...that was the job site!

Our little hole in the woods.

Trying to relieve some stress.
 I couldn't even take the sign off the truck because of the trees.

A view of our surroundings.

Finally, we got unloaded! Now, the fun part...getting out! One of the men told Carl that they could pick up our trailer with the crane so we could back up and get turned around. Yes, that would be so much better than trying to back down and risk tearing up our truck. So, I grabbed my camera and got ready to do some picture taking.

Getting unloaded

They got the trailer hooked up and started raising it up. I'm standing down the road thinking this is the coolest thing everrr! Then I hear Kevin...oh for those of you that watch Big Brother and remember Jeff and Jordan from a few years ago...Kevin looked and talked just like Jeff. I finally asked him if he had a brother because I just knew he was Jeff's brother. They say we all have a twin out there somewhere...well, I met Jeff's twin. He was too cute! Ok ok back to the trailer...it's up in the air and I hear Kevin say, "Bring it down! Yes, bring it down now!" Then at that very moment the unthinkable happened...Our trailer. Fell. From. The. Sky.  My heart froze, my breathing stopped, my hands starting shaking and tears started filling my eyes. I just stood there...dropped my head and starting thinking Lord what are we going to do now. We can't afford to be out of work...how are we going to get our trailer fixed. I just turned my back to everyone for a few minutes and got myself back together. When I turned back around and looked at Carl, once again he was standing there cool as a cucumber. I thought, "Really, our trailer just fell from the sky! How can you be so calm?" When I said something about it later on he said, "Well, what was I supposed to do? I think I was in shock and couldn't believe what had just happened." 

After the trailer fell, everybody was quiet...nobody was saying a word. Then they started calling out to make sure everyone was ok and once everybody answered they got quiet again and just stood staring at Carl. He was like "Why are they staring at me?" I told him they were waiting for him to blow a gasket but he never did. He just said, "I am thankful no one got hurt. This trailer can be fixed." I was thinking, "Yes...yes it can, but how in the world are we going to get it out of here to get it fixed. I mean really...we're at the top of a hill and nobody can get out...and there isn't enough room for a tow truck to get in."

Going up...only for a minute.

Bent landing gear

No this should not look like this!
This is the rub rail...both sides looked like this.

1 Thessalonians 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. 

James 1:19 says, "My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

With everything we had just been through my dear sweet husband followed both of these commands. He just kept saying over and over "I am so thankful nobody got hurt." He stayed calm...never raised his voice...never had a look of aggravation or disgust...and he listened with an open heart as Kevin told him what he was going to do. He prayed about getting the trailer fixed and the potential loss of work.

Doesn't Carlos look calm!

Matthew 6:34 says, "So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. Oh, how true this is and we certainly had enough troubles that day. Who had time to worry about tomorrow?? We had to focus on today. For a little while I thought we might be sleeping up in that little hole in the woods...along with 4 other people. But as I have said before God is so good!

Kevin immediately got on the phone and started calling people telling them what had happened and what they needed to do to get us out of there. He assured us over and over and over that his boss would fix our trailer. People...I can not tell you what a blessing that was. Most of the time if anything happens you are on your own. Not this time!

We were finally able to hook the truck and trailer back up. Let me tell you when I looked up and saw them raising the front of the trailer with the crane, I thought I was going to have a panic attack. But praise the Lord our truck and trailer were back together. They got someone to come up to cut the landing gear off (it had gotten bent and couldn't be raised). We were able to get the rub rail that had been snatched loose from the trailer cut off. I know this may sound quick and simple but it took about 3 1/2 hours. Now let the fun begin!!! When the trailer fell, it fell out of line with the road. Since we had no room and I mean noooo room to move around, Carlos had to move forward an inch back up an inch...turn the wheel to the right and move forward an inch...watch out don't hit the crane...turn the wheel to the left and back up an inch...look out for the boulders...turn the wheel to the left and move forward an inch...look out for the fence...turn the wheel and back up an inch...Stop...there's a tree...move forward an inch...stop...the fence again! This went on and on and on for the longest time. At one point we actually got to move 4 inches....oh the excitement there! If it hadn't been for the help of those 4 men guiding us and telling Carl how much room he had or which way to turn the wheel, I don't think we could have gotten out of there. Could ya'll see me trying to tell him what needed to be done....no....me either. But we finally did it....I say we...Carlos did all the work and I did all the praying! Bless his heart...his leg was given out after pushing on that clutch for so long. After the trailer was finally lined back up in the road, Kevin walked up to the truck shook Carl's hand and said, "After all that, backing down the road will be a piece of cake!" Once again with Kevin's help, we did what we did not want to do in the first place, we backed down the road. Finally...Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! We are out! 

Backing down this was so much fun!

We followed one of the workers back to their shop...filled our truck up with water...ate supper and went to bed. The next day they replaced the landing gear and fixed and replaced the rub rail to match what was on the trailer and by 5:30 we were on our way. It didn't cost us any time off work. So you see Matthew 6:34 is so very true. If we had worried about tomorrow it would have been worry for nothing. God had everything under control. Some of you may be asking,  "If He had everything under control then why did this happen?" Well, I don't know exactly why it happened. But I do know that it's just part of life. Things happen and  it's how we handle those things that matter...whether they're big things or little things our attitude...our words...our actions...matter. Jesus' life on earth was not a bed of roses so what in the world makes me think my life should be.  

Yes, our trial that day was nothing compared to what others have had to face. I think it is the little trials that prepare us for when those huge storms hit. If we can't handle the little things then how will we handle the big ones. Big or small...keep your faith and trust in Jesus. He will guide you through. I said we had 4 men helping us that day but the truth is we had 1 big powerful God who was leading...guiding...and directing 4 helpful men...1 happy couple...and 1 rambunctious little dog.

What an adventure this was!!

Til we meet again!
Only by Grace!
   Lynne

Patience

What an eventful past few weeks we have had. I had forgotten  all about some of the places we have been until Carl starting naming them. "Goodness gracious."

In the past several weeks, we have been from Laredo, TX to Charlston, SC; from SC to Baltimore, MD; from Baltimore to York, PA. After battling the frigid cold, snow and ice in PA, we went to Morenci, AZ. All very easy loads...quick loading and quick unloading. And then we get to Morenci....

Morenci is nothing but a HUGE hole in the ground...literally. It is the largest open-pit copper mine in the US and one of the largest in the world.  When we got there we had to check in at the guard shack and watch a safety video...yeah right. The little lady behind the desk would NOT stop talking to us and making us fill out paper work so we could watch it. "You need to fill out this form and sign here. OK, now watch the movie." Carl, you need to write your truck number on this line and sign and then you can go...after you watch the movie. Lynne, I need you to sign here and here. Now, watch the movie." Oh my goodness, this went on and on and on. Every time we would start watching the movie she would interrupt us. When we FINALLY finished the movie and walked out the door, I looked at Carl and said, "Well, do you have any idea what the movie was about?" "No, all I remember is there are signs posted for Do Not Enter Here and safety equipment must be worn at all times." I laughed and said, "Well, that's more than I remember." This was about a 20 minute movie and that is all we got from it....some safety check.

This whole mine deal was quite an experience. We finally made it to the drop yard where we were supposed to unload.  I said supposed to!  There are about 4 or 5 different companies doing work at this mine. One company checks us in and another has to unload us. We were told to go ahead and unchain at the drop yard....big, big mistake. While waiting, Carl jumped in the truck with one of the men to go look at a transformer we were picking up.  In the meantime, I am told that we are going to have to take the piece of equipment to the top of the hill where it is being installed. They want me to start rechaining...joy, joy, joy.  Carl returns as the last chain is being tightened...perfect timing. "What are we doing?" "We get to go up the hill!" Ok, so lets get in the truck and go....oh no....we have to wait on the paperwork for the new delivery spot....C-R-A-Z-Y. We're not leaving the mine...just going to a different area. After 5 hours, we finally got unloaded.  Oh my goodness, I almost forgot to mention that Carl had to back down a narrow little road for about 1/2 mile to the new unloading spot. "They don't want much do they!" His favorite saying when we're put in tight places. Now, we're off to get the transformer. We had 45 minutes to get to the loading spot, load, chain it down and get back to the office to pick up the paperwork by 3:30. Well, when we got there, the transformer we were told to pick up and the one they showed Carl earlier were not the same. Ours should have weighed about 42,000lbs not 60,000lbs. Our truck and trailer are not set up to haul that much weight. Just great....just great! We are in a big hole...in the wall of a town...with no load and no idea which direction to head. We did find a little dirt lot in town to park....which ended up being the bus stop.  Thank goodness, we only had to sit for about an hour when a load came up...in California. California here we come.

A Trunion...whatever that is!

Carl had to back up this little road into a building that was just wide
enough for the trailer to fit in

Just a portion of the mine.

We were supposed to load at Fort Irwin in California....did you get that...supposed to load. As we were entering the base Carlos gets a call, "You're lying! Are you serious..no you're not! You're lying!" That's all he kept saying. That's right...cancelled! At least this time we're not sitting in a little town with no load...we're just in the middle of the desert!! Oh the joys of trucking... "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" Matthew 6:34. Oh, how true that is!

We did get a load two days later in Los Angeles going to Laredo, TX..but, it had to be TARPED (you know how I hate tarping). But I couldn't complain, at least we had a load. We had a really tall load.. 14'7''. Not the best kind of load to have when dealing with 40-50 mph winds. This time we fell under the category for  "high profile trucks use caution" on the wind advisory. Carlos loves to take the curves on the off ramps a little faster than I like but oh no...not this time. Slow and steady! Didn't want to take any chances in rolling that thing over. Not only did we have to deal with the winds pretty much from CA to TX but we also had some thick, heavy snow to contend with in Arizona and New Mexico. REALLY...what is the deal with the snow this year! It seems to be following us everywhere we go. So much for staying in the south out of the snow.

Beautiful blue skies and then...

Tucson, AZ

After we unloaded in Laredo, I found a really nice paying load from Mississippi to Idaho. We haven't been able to avoid the snow by staying in the south so we might as well embrace it....yeah, I know, it sounds good anyway! So off to Mississippi we go to pick up our load. What was supposed to be one piece of equipment (if you read that carefully you know where this is headed) turned into five pieces and they ALL had to be...OH MY GOSH....TARPED. It took us literally all day. We ended up having to move outside the gates to finish so they could lock up. It was about dusk when we finally finished. I got Spice out and as we were walking I looked down toward the tree line and saw something black. All in a panic, "Carl, what is that down by the trees? "I don't know. Is it moving?" "Yes, it's moving. Is it a wild hog?" "Either that or a wild dog." Then before I knew it, Carl snatched Spice up in his arms and off to the truck he went. We kept watching and then it waddled back into the words. "I think that was a black bear! Are there bears in Mississippi?" "I don't know, there could be," he said. So I got on my phone and started researching...yep...I think it was a black bear. They have been seen crossing the Mississippi River from Arkansas to Rosedale, Mississippi. Guess where we were...at the Port of Rosedale...on the Mississippi River! I think he was standing in the words watching us because I kept seeing little eyes shining in the dark.

You are not going to believe this, but if you read my post about the hear nothing, see nothing, and speak no English super trucker that backed into our truck...well, it almost happened again. Carl had taken Spice out for a walk and I was brushing my teeth getting ready for bed. I heard him put Spice back in the truck and then all of a sudden I heard him blowing the horn. I'm thinking,"Los what are you doing? You are going to wake everybody up." I looked up front and he had turned the head lights on and there sat a trailer about a 1/2 inch from our truck. Praise the LORD Carl got back in the truck when he did or we would have a messed up truck again. Carlos ended up having to get out to help him back into his parking space. He was like,"Man, I'm sorry. I didn't even see you until you turned your lights on." REALLY...REALLY! How do you not see this big white truck sitting here. Black or dark blue I might could understand...but...WHITE! Carlos said we needed to buy some of those orange cones to put in front of our truck. Maybe that would help.

To top off all the fun we have been having and too enhance our thrill of tarping, we spent another whole day redoing one of our tarp jobs. And of course, it would have to be the largest piece of equipment with the tarp we now call "Big Red." That machine has so many hooks, knobs and other things sticking out of it that it made it very diffficult to get the tarp tight. We do not like flapping tarps....flapping tarps rip and tear. We have worked too hard and spent too much money on those things for them to rip. I wish I had taken a picture of the machinery after we loaded it. It looks like a piece of junk...all rusty, dirty and filled with trash. It's been sitting up for about 3 years.  It probably doesn't even work anymore but oh yeah...they wanted it tarped..Once again, the thrills of trucking...but I wouldn't have it any other way!!

When I first started trucking with Carl, it unnerved me something terribly when things didn't go as planned. I would get so frustrated when a load was cancelled or when we had to sit for a period of time waiting on a load. So let me just say, that during the first several months, I was frustrated a lot. I have realized that during that time the LORD was teaching me patience and that things happen in His time not mine. You may have heard the saying "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans." Well, He did a lot of laughing the first several months of my new trucking life. Whenever Carl and I are waiting on a load now, the first thing we say to each other is "I'm not worried. I know the LORD will take care of it." And He always does! It may not be as quickly as I would like but in the end the timing and the load are always perfect for us and what we need at that moment. We see in the moment. He sees the whole picture and what lies ahead of us. During the past several weeks, we have said "I'm not worried...a lot! What a blessing it is to be able to turn my worries over to Him. Living life in peace is so much better than living it in frustration.

"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 hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Only By Grace,

    Lynne





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