Sweet Time! Family Time!

My oh my! What a vacation I have had! My sweet loving boss (aka My Husband) gave me 10 1/2 weeks off. Wow...I knew I was home a long time but until just now I  didn't realize it was that long.  Well Mama.. guess that explains why I seemed to be a little short and snappy at times. I must admit that there were times when I probably should have read one of my previous blogs on attitudes. Carl did get to take a week off at Thanksgiving and 2 weeks for Christmas but the rest of the time he was working. So 7 1/2 of those weeks were spent away from my hubby...no wonder I needed an attitude adjustment at times! My heart, thoughts and prayers really go out to all the men and women of our military who are separated from their love ones for LONG periods at a time. I know 7 1/2 weeks is nothing compared to the months and years they go through. I so appreciate the sacrifice they make for us each and every day. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Even though I was home for so long, there wasn't much rest and relaxation going on. My family kept me hopping! Mama thinks if she keeps me busy I won't miss Carl as much. :) I do love being home during the Christmas Holidays and taking part in all the activities that go on during this time of year. After Thanksgiving my calendar fills up in a hurry! Well, it's really the only time of year my calendar fills up or even has anything written on it. This year one of my nieces started the season off by having an Ornament Door Hanging making party after our local Christmas Parade. The children had so much fun decorating the hangers, eating cookies and then delivering the door hangers to the residents of our local Retirement Home. What a blessing that was...for all of us! That will certainly be a new Christmas tradition for us. I also went to a luncheon that Mama had for the women of our family. We don't get to see some of our aunts and cousins very often so this is something we all look forward to each year. Then comes my nieces and nephews  Christmas Program at Church, their school programs, and this year my 2 year old niece danced at her hometown's Victorian Christmas. How precious that was! I also helped my parents with a luncheon they had for the widows of our church. Our favorite Christmas tradition is Cookie Day. My mama, sisters and I and all the children get together and bake cookies and fix tins filled with goodies for family and friends. Even Timothy comes over and samples some of the treats and this year he got in on a little bit  of the cooking. He helped my sister fix her delicious divinity...which is always a 2 person ordeal. We had our traditional Christmas Eve Brunch at my sister's....had Carl's family over for our traditional Christmas Eve Oyster Stew Supper and then supper at my parent's Christmas Night. Carl and I did some babysitting for my sisters and had a Get-to-Gather at my house for some of my high school friends. In my "spare" time I worked on a few DIY projects. The best part about being home was being with Timothy! Even as busy as I was, it was so nice to see his handsome face, his glowing smile and to hear his contagious laugh everyday. So morning, noon or night I had something going on but I loved every single minute of it.



Well, my vacation time is over and Carl and I are back on the road. We loaded up Jan. 2 and are headed to San Diego, CA.  We are traveling with 2 other drivers and last night one of them asked Carl how much we weighed (the truck and trailer not us personally) Carl said 90,000 lbs which is about 3,000 more than the other driver. They started laughing and said his extra 3 was from me.  At first I was like "Wait just a minute!" I thought they were talking about my weight. Then I realized they were talking about ALL the stuff I put in the truck. Carl told them it took me 4 hours to load everything up. He was exaggerating just a little bit. Three hours and six pairs of shoes later I was ready to go! This time of year a girl just doesn't know how to dress, especially when traveling all over the country....so I need to be prepared!

P7 (Personnel Carrier)

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving and Christmas. I pray that the LORD blesses each and every one of you in 2013.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17





Til We Meet Again!
Only By Grace!

  Lynne

Blessings

I just have to share how amazing our LORD and Savior is and how He has been working in our lives the past month.....I am about to explode with excitement!

Blessing 1....What was supposed to be a 4 week run back and forth from Pensacola to Minnesota turned into a 7 week run. That meant a steady paycheck every week for 7 weeks and not having to look for loads for 7 weeks. Extra money is always a good thing....as long as God receives His part!

Blessing 2....Before we even got to Minnesota Friday with our last load our travel agent (a.k.a. dispatcher) already had us another load to pick up on Monday. Now, we had been looking on the load board for several days and there was nothing for us to get. So when he called, we knew it was the LORD working.

Blessing 3....When we finally got to the job site Friday morning in Minnesota we could not believe our eyes. Trucks, trucks and more trucks everywhere. It had been raining since Wednesday morning so there were 2 days worth of trucks ahead of us waiting to get unloaded.....about 27 trucks. Now remember, the job site is in the middle of a corn field which was now a very muddy, boggy mess. It takes at least 45 minutes to an hour to unload each truck but that couldn't happen until the rain stopped and the sun came out and dried up all the rain. I know...I know...you are thinking how in the world is this a blessing. Just hang with me. Our unload appointment was for Friday at 11:00 a.m. That obviously did not happen...which meant...detention time...which meant...A LOT of extra money for us. The longer we sat the more money we made. Once again, I know what you are probably thinking. "How could you sit in the middle of a corn field for days?"  I had food, water, a shower, a toilet, a bed, a tv, some much needed rest time, and some much needed Bible Study time and My love....what more could a girl ask for? We got unloaded late Sunday afternoon and we made it to our Monday morning load appointment on time.  Good looking detention time check + load out of Minnesota = Blessing #3!

I forgot to mention that during all this time we were also trying to plan how we were going to get home to vote. While we were trying to come up with a plan God already had one. 

Blessing 4....We loaded Monday morning and unloaded Thursday afternoon in Laredo, TX. We were not able to find a load  home so Friday afternoon we just deadheaded home. Once again you may be wondering how is this a blessing. Well, here it is....our last Pensacola/Minnesota load paid us more than we expected which gave us some extra money so we could deadhead home. We got home in time for Sunday lunch with  our  family and with some of our church family plus we were home to vote. That my friends is Blessing #4!

Since Carl had not been home in so long he wanted to stay home for a week. So Monday, Oct.29 he told his dispatcher to take him off the board and not to call until the next week.

Blessing 5....Sunday night, November 4 was the first night of our 4 night fall revival and we were home to attend. We had planned to go back on the road Monday morning but that soon changed. On the way home from church Sunday night, Carl and I started talking about our plans. We felt like we needed to stay home so we could go to revival and just leave out Thursday. We knew that God would take care of us and take care of our needs. That is exactly what He did. Normally our travel agent would have been calling first thing Monday morning to see if we were ready to go back out but we did not hear one word from him....until....Wednesday morning with a load for Thursday going to Houston, TX. I get chills just thinking about how Jesus Christ had every thing perfectly planned out for us.

Blessing 6....My wonderful husband/boss told me if I wanted to stay home that it would be okay with him. He knew I wanted to go to the Titus 2 supper Thursday night. This is a wonderful ministry that some of our awesome church ladies have started. He also knew that I wanted to go to our Girl's Day Out with my mama and sisters Saturday. He started off by saying," I was thinking...now just wait and let me finish. If you want to stay home I am fine with that. I am not a mean boss!" Whenever he starts a sentence with "I was thinking" I am always like "Oh my, what is he up to!" Titus 2 supper + Girl's Day + super amazing husband = Blessing #6.

Friday afternoon Carl called and said, "I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want first the good or the bad?" I just sat there a minute and finally said, "Give me the bad."  "The bad is, I don't know what it pays but the good news is I got a load coming right back to the house. I will load in Beaumont, TX Wednesday and will unload Friday at the house! Do you think the LORD is working or what!!" I just started crying and said, "Yes, I do believe He is!"  So there we have Blessing #7...load right back home and the whole week home for Thanksgiving....just what we had been praying for.

On each and every occasion we both said we were not going to worry about anything. The LORD knows what we need and He will make sure our needs and yes...even some of our wants are met.

There is NOOOO way we could have planned all this to work out so perfectly. It was all the workings of OUR gracious, peace-loving and gentle LORD and Savior.

Give thanks to the LORD for He is good! His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 118:29

 I pray each and every one of you have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Til we meet again!
Only By Grace!
   Lynne

Seasons

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. Ecclesiastes 3:8

Vibrant reds, yellows, oranges, and green....harvest time; corn, peanuts, cotton and soybeans.....goldenrod, peanut dust, achoo achoo, yes it's  allergies...pumpkins, cornstalks and hay bale decorations....football games and football traffic...rich colorful sunsets...goodbye shorts and flip flops and hello jeans, jackets and boots...it's fall y'all!

We have been driving from Pensacola to Minnesota from Minnesota to Pensacola; back and forth back and forth for the past 6 weeks. We usually deliver Friday mornings and load back in Pensacola on Tuesday mornings which doesn't leave time for any dilly dallying around. As Carl says, "truckin up!" Well, let me retract...I am only on week 3 because I took a 3 1/2 week hiatus. Carl says it was 4 but who's counting.  Anywho...I have enjoyed watching all the fall colors come alive which is something that doesn't happen at home. We may have a few fall colors here and there but for the most part it's all green and then one day it's all brown or bare. Everything south of Tennessee is still pretty much green but once we get north of Nashville the colors really started popping.

Last year we spent most of the fall season out west...no trees..no colors and before that I was still teaching so I am pretty excited to watch the changing of the colors. Not so excited about the cooler...wait colder temperatures but I am trying to deal with it.  I had to put the shorts away my first week back out but I have refused to put away the flip flops. Looks like that is coming to an end also...my little toes are turning blue in this 50 degree weather.

His hard hat on top of his hoodie just cracks me up!

Can you say FREEZING! 34 degrees 20mph winds

This past year has really given me the opportunity to see the beauty of each season. I love seeing the bright, vivid colors of fall... the soft, still, quietness of the snow covered mountains in the winter... the bursting of colors as they once again come alive in the spring....and the business of all the animals as they scurry around in the summer. In the south we really only have 2 seasons summer and fall....hot and cool.

Just as we have weather seasons we also have seasons of life. We are constantly growing and changing.  My life season right now is working and traveling with my love. You may be in a season of your life that means moving to a new place; new home, new job, a new town or state. Sometimes we go though seasons of illness and even the loss of a loved one. Some seasons may be short and some may seem to last forever. No matter what season of life we are in God is always right there with us. "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8. As we go through each season we should approach it with the joy, peace, trust and comfort that comes from God above. Spring is my favorite time of the year. I love how everything starts growing again. The flowers start blooming and color is everywhere. The birds are busy making new nests for their babies. The squirrels are busy running up and down and jumping from tree to tree and the warmer temperatures...oh, the glorious warmer temperatures. I also love the season of life that I am in right now. I pray that it lasts a really really really long time but if not then I know that it is all part of God's great plan for me. "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. It is easier to see the beauty in some of our life seasons than it is in others. If your season is one of happiness and joy and excitement I pray that you continue to keep your focus on Christ. When things are going great we tend to let our focus shift away from Him. We may not talk to Him as much, or read His Word as often. If you're going through a difficult season, I pray that you put all your trust and faith in Jesus. Grab His hand, hold on and follow as He leads you through it and into another season of your life. Even if your season seems to be dark and gray, look up and find the beauty and joy. We should give thanks and praise Him in all our seasons of life.

Well let me tell you about our season of traveling right now. Since we have been traveling the SAME OLE route going on 7 weeks, not much has been happening. The Mississippi, Missouri and the Tennessee rivers have been crossed 13 times; we have been through Nashville 13 times; St. Louis 13 times; have seen the same houses 13 times and I do believe we have probably seen the same cars 13 times...you get the picture!

Mississippi River at the Illinois/Missouri line

Missouri River in Missouri

Stop, rest, relax and pray Chapel in Minnesota

Because our loads have been oversize loads we can only travel from sunrise to sunset which means very early mornings for me and you know I am not an early morning person. I'm talking 5:15 early. But as they say the early bird gets the worm. We are getting lots of worms then. I tried to sleep in one morning while we were riding but the roads were so bad that they almost beat me to death. Carlos said he kept waiting to hear a big thump from where I had fallen out of the bed. I started to get up several times and get dressed but decided it was safer to stay in the bed. I mean it is really ridiculous at how rough most of the roads are....especially in Alabama, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. Los said it is like riding a bike down a washboard dirt road. You know uggggggg! Their DOT people really need some more training when it comes to road paving and patching. Poor LC is being beat to death..not to mention...us!

Los doing his washboard dirt road imitation

Oh, oh, oh did I mention we got a new refrigerator. Oh yeah baby, we got us some groceries now. There are no words to express our excitement. No more fast food and no more truck stop food! After we got it we were probably two of the happiest people to ever eat a simple ham sandwich freshly made in our own little kitchen. We have had spaghetti; pork chops, rice and black-eye peas; chili and hot dogs (and not the chili from a can); cube steak, rice and beans; pepper steak and rice; stew beef with carrots and potatoes; hamburger steak in cream of mushroom soup with black-eye peas and rice; and chicken-n-dumplings. All cooked from our very own kitchen using an electric skillet, a microwave or the crock-pot. This truckin' duo has been eating good! Belly's full and smiles on our faces!

It may look small but it can hold lots of food. It even
has a decent size freezer.

Til we meet again!

Only by His Grace!
       Lynne

Nothing is too small

Minnesota sunrise

Trucking...not your typical girlie girl job and certainly not one that most people thought they would ever see me doing. I am still very much a girlie girl even in my jeans and Georgia boots. Morning shower, hair fixed, make-up and yes that definitely includes lipstick, bling bling and cute clothes will always be a must for me. That's just who I am! The only thing I did have to give up were my "heel highs" as my niece says. Although, I did think seriously about putting some in the truck but then again decided that might not be such a good idea.

Many of the job sites we go to require us to wear hard hats, safety vests, jeans and boots. Well, I am sorry but the blue hard hat and orange safety vest I was having to wear just wasn't working for me....so.... I got me a hot pink hard hat and a hot pink safety vest. Oh yeah...I am stylin' now! Just because I am doing a man's job doesn't mean I can't look like a lady.

I am always getting asked if I enjoy what I am doing. YES, YES, YES!!! I LOVE IT! Making money while we travel and seeing new places plus being with the one I love 24/7.... what's not to love? Ok, I know the 24/7 would turn some people off immediately but we really enjoy it. I tell Carlos all the time that I wish he had a pocket to put me in. You know like a kangaroo pouch. That way he could just carry me with him where ever he goes. He just laughs and is probably thinking yeah right! And just for the record....I do work.

While I was on vacation, Carl was hauling windmill hubs from Pensacola, FL to Hardwick, MN. I am always fascinated when we see fields and fields full of windmills. So, I was so excited to join him and see all the work in progress. We have delivered hubs to job sites before but this was the first one where we could actually see the different stages. It was really amazing. It is astonishing how something so huge can look so much smaller when it is viewed from a distance.

Windmill hub

Windmill tube...takes 3 per windmill

Windmill blade

Look real close and you can see a man at the top of
the first tube

two down one more to go

windmill cell

blades connected to hub...hope next time I can see them being
connected to tower

Standing in the corn field looking at all those windmills, I started thinking about how awesome and amazing our LORD and Savior is. His power is so great but yet nothing we go to him about is too small. He doesn't love us from afar. He loves us up close and personal. He loves every tiny little detail of our lives and He wants us to come to Him no matter how small or how insignificant we may think the problem is. When I am trying to find a parking place I always pray for a spot close to the door. He may not always answer that prayer because sometimes I know He is saying "Now Lynne, you really need to walk and get some exercise!" We finally got a new refrigerator for the truck but 2 days later it quit working so I prayed and asked The LORD to please show us what the problem was. He did...a loose wire. NOTHING is too small for Him. If it is important to us, then it is important to our LORD. Just like those windmills that can appear smaller in the distance sometimes it may feel like God is distant from us. My dear friend keep your faith and trust in Him. He is always faithful and is always right by our side. Put your sights on the LORD and what He wants you to do not on what you want to do. If Christ seems distant don't turn away from Him turn and reach out to Him. If you want to see and feel His greatness get up and go to Him. The closer we got to those windmills the more substantial and powerful they got. Stay close to The LORD by praying, reading His Word and having an intimate relationship with Him and you will see just how powerful and mighty He is. And remember nothing...I mean nothing...is too small for Jesus Christ our LORD and Savior.

Look to the LORD and His strength; seek His face always.

1 Chronicles 16:11

Only By Grace!
   Lynne

Faith, Hope & Love

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 

 But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13

WOW!! It has been a while since my last post. Carl said this should be a short and easy post to write "I stayed home with my mommy and my daddy!" HaHa! He is so funny!

My sweet sweet daddy!

My silly playful mama!

I did stay home....for 4 1/2 weeks....and that still wasn't long enough for mama. She kept me hopping the whole time. She thought if I stayed busy I wouldn't miss Carl....yeah right! Every night when I would talk to him he would always ask "Well what does your mama have planned for you tomorrow?" And there was always something.

After being gone for 9 weeks our first stop....find Timothy!!! My how we missed that boy! I think he was missing us just as much because he called several times during the day wanting to know where we were. He was anxiously awaiting the arrival of his mama and daddy. That was the best looking face we had seen and the happiest laugh we had heard in 9 weeks.

Birthday parties, family time, football games, shopping with family, yard work, DIY projects, lunch with friends, Church, Prayer group, more shopping, family time, talks with Timothy, soccer games, Church, sitting on the front porch talking to Timothy and more family time....yes, it was a busy busy 4 1/2 weeks but I loved every sweet precious minute of it.

It was a joyous time but was also a difficult one. While at home we had to say goodbye to our baby girl Cheyenne. What an enjoyable 10 years we had with her. We called her our tornado dog. In 2002 our community was hit with a devastating tornado. The day after it hit we went outside and saw a new face with big brown eyes looking at us. Ginger and Spice had them a new sister. I don't think they were ever real happy about the new addition. But I sure did love her and will miss her!

 Before Carl and I started our trucking adventures together we prayed that if we were doing the right thing that God would open doors and clear the path for our new adventure together. I prayed very specifically for things to happen but only if it was God's will. Not only did He answer the prayers I prayed but He also went beyond that and met needs that we had not even prayed about. It was like a neon sign flashing.  Three months later our adventures began only to have them come crashing down 1 month later. I shared with you about the storm we went through and that I never asked God "Why us?" But I did let Satan get in my head. I began to question if we had done the right thing.  "Would it have happened if I hadn't been with Carl?" "He might have been in a different place maybe even at home." I knew in my heart that God had answered our prayers and had opened the doors for us, but I was letting Satan do just what he loves to do...get in my head and make me doubt. Well, we came through that storm stronger than ever...in our faith, our trust in God and our love and commitment to each other. This past week I had a real eye opener. As I was studying my Sunday School lesson Dr. David Jeremiah stated that opposition can actually be a sign that you heard God correctly and that Satan is doing all he can to discourage you and cause you to turn around. I would have missed out on so many blessings and adventures and moments with God if I had listened to Satan and turned around. The LORD opened that door for us and only HE can close it! What a blessing each and every adventure has been! One year of work, play and adventures down...and oh, so many more to go!

Well, my vacation has come to an end and it is time for me to join my sweet loving husband for our next adventure...can't wait to see what The LORD has in store for us this year!



"The LORD is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged." Deuteronomy 31:8

Yes, mother I agree 8-9 weeks is too long to be gone and our prayer is that our trips will become shorter. But the LORD knows what needs have to be met and the time that is needed to meet each one. So be patient!

Til we meet again!

Only By Grace!
     Lynne