Changes...Changes

It's been a few weeks since my last post and since then there have been a TON of changes. Keith is now home...for good. After three weeks on the road, trucking wasn't quite working and the pay wasn't going to work out like we thought it would. We knew it would be tough and knew the pay wouldn't be great, but as the reality continued to set in and we realized some things, it was better for us to cut our losses with trucking and move on to something else. The company he was with was a great company, but trucking is trucking. A weekend home to the trucking industry is not 48 hours or Saturday and Sunday, it's 34 hours, all day Saturday and out again first thing Sunday morning. Just long enough to do some laundry and get some sleep. He was working almost 70 hours a week and between what he was bringing home for pay and what we were having to spend for him to be out there it just didn't make sense. Now, he didn't just jump off the truck with no hope of a job, he actually had three potential job opportunities which helped make the decision a little easier...at the time. He wasn't able to make any phone call, fill out any applications etc. while driving. Heck, I didn't talk to him till almost 10 o'clock at night.

Needless to say after three weeks of being off the truck nothing has panned out and we are stuck in limbo. Keith is looking for a job more than anyone i've ever seen. It's been a truly difficult time but we are getting through it. It's testing our faith but we are trying to see through everything to the other side of what God has planned for us. At this time, I have NO idea what he has planned and the non-patient side of me wishes he would hurry up, while the faithful side of me knows there is a plan. There are times I'm angry, frustrated and don't understand why we are going through this. On the other hand, I am truly grateful for a husband who is doing everything he possibly can to look for a job, loves me unconditionally, my own job that I love, a home to live in and two adorable dogs who make us laugh when we find it hard to be happy and upbeat.

Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Keith will be going on an interview on Tuesday and there are a couple of jobs we are still waiting to hear on. I'll keep you updated...thanks for letting me get all that out. :)

Seven Years Ago I Married My Best Friend

May 3rd will always be a special day for Keith and me. It was this day seven years ago I married my best friend. After dating for four years, engaged for two we were married on a gorgeous May afternoon witnessed by many friends and family. I normally don't believe in the whole "good luck" things but they say it's good luck if it rains on your wedding day and rain it did. The great part was it didn't rain during all the preparation but it poured in the middle of us saying our vows which turned out to be really neat and memorable.

So much has changed and so many things have happened these last seven years but we have both grown so much. There is not one person in this world I would want by my side as we experience the ups and downs and joys and sorrows of life.

As we continue on this journey of marriage I look forward to all of the things it has to offer. I know it won't always be easy or fun, but I know I have Keith by my side.

Here are some pictures of us when we were little, dating and on our wedding day.

This is the first picture I got of Keith when we started dating...of course he wouldn't have given me this one so I had to get it from someone else, it's one of my faves.

My have we both changed :)

This picture was taken hours before the proposal at Disneyland!

I wanted all roses for our wedding and reception. Luckily, we were able to get them all through Costco and then had FABULOUS help setting up.

The big day!

I SAW KEITH...

ON THE FREEWAY WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME!!!

Most of you know I commute back and forth to Sacramento daily...well today Keith called and he happened to be at the Flying J on Highway 12 and said look out for us we're getting ready to head out of Lodi. He was so close the dogs could probably smell him! So...the crazy wife that I am I held my cell phone in position for 10 minutes so I could catch the Gordon blue truck as soon as I saw it! Not to worry...he should be home for a day or so Friday night (hopefully, Saturday at worst) so we can celebrate our 7 year anniversary!

So you're asking are there pictures...OF COURSE!!!

Here he is right when I see him...leader of the pack! ONK! ONK!!

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd here he is passing me by! I promise it was him cause he waved...no other truckers wave to me! Nice action shot huh!?

Week One...in the bag!

Well, I survived week one with hubby on the road! A few things to note:

The dogs are still alive and fed! YAY!

Dog "messes" have been picked up!

Garbage cans were put out on the right day and brought back up from the street!

The mail is being checked!

Bills are getting paid!

Painting commenced however I just realized the color is way off...I put the paint chip up to the wall and it wasn't even close - not sure how that happened.

My clothes have been unpacked and my closet is coming along.

Nothing has broken!

Dinners have not been so successful, i've been living on cereal, string cheese, nutri grain bars, bananas and other items fit for a 5 year old :)

It's kinda hard to get the motivation to cook when it's just me and i'll have a weeks worth of leftovers and i'm not a fan of leftovers. Needless to say dinner is a work in progress :)

And now for a Keith update!

Keith has been running around Northern California, Oregon and Washington! He's come as far south as Sacramento and I didn't get to see him :(

He's been sleeping good in his truck bed and driving like crazy.

He is scheduled to come home on Friday night so we can celebrate our 7-year anniversary!! Dinner reservations have been made at The Melting Pot and the top layer of our wedding cake as been ordered (it's become a tradition of ours to have the top layer of our wedding cake redone for each anniversary!) I'm so excited to see him and celebrate one of the best days of my life!

Here are some pics:

Here's Keith when I dropped him off in Chico for his first two weeks.

Here is Keith's Bed!

The Gordon truck on the left is Keith's ride, taken in Oregon!

And the highlight of the trip...THE OSCAR MEYER WEINERMOBILE!!!!!!!

What to do...what to do...

Without the hubby around all the time it's a given i'm going to have more time on my hands than I normally might. I have all kinds of things I need to do, more things I want to do and can't figure out where to start!

We just moved from Stockton (THANK GOD!) back to Lodi so I have quite a bit of unpacking to do - but that's really NO fun. I'm going room by room and making pretty good progress!

Painting...........sounds fun, maybe, but a little bit easier with hubby around. I'll probably start though cause he can't really say he doesn't like the color once it's up...right? :) Just kidding, we've already decided on the "house" color.

My Paris themed kitchen...this requires more painting, including going through pictures of my European vacation in October. Printing of pictures, wallpaper, staining of a cabinet and much more!

Then there's my "hobbies" - if your hobbies are anything like mine you may have quite a few, none of which actually go anywhere. Scrapbooking for instance...I have a great set up, products galore, and pictures for DAYS! I just need to get the pics printed and the creative juices flowing...and that last part is the hard part!

Photography...i've been thinking of getting into it more and more. My dad is a great photographer and I thoroughly enjoyed taking pictures in Europe. We'll see...that's kind of a long shot.

Then there's the all important exercise! I've never been much of an exerciser, don't really enjoy and wish I didn't have to. I figured what better time to start, just need the motivation now!

I'll keep you updated on what all transpires on my list of things to do! I'm overwhelmed now! :)

What every Class C (you and me!) driver should know!

I've always been nice to truck drivers granted they do annoy me at times since I do a lot of commuting...I mean really do you HAVE to go 65 well, the short answer is for the most part Yes!

I'm going to preface this entry with the following disclaimer: I know there are some jerk truck drivers who don't obey laws and are rude but for the most part they are law abiding and are just trying to get from point A to point B. They aren't trying to make your life miserable I promise!

Now on to the list:

1. Yes, they have to go 65 or whatever slow speed they are going.

I'm a speed demon just like the rest of you, but they can't be. I just learned that the trucks Keith will be driving are governed at like 65 mph. Do they REALLY want to go that slow...NO! But they have to.

2. They suffer far more than you and I do when/if they get a ticket.

That's right no online traffic school or other traffic school for these guys! Violation are automatic points on their record and the more points they get the harder it is to get a job and the list goes on.

3. Cell Phones??

Yes...and No. They can utilize headsets just like the rest of us, however if you're like me I can't stand them and do the speaker phone thing...it's not AT my ear but still in my hands. Technicalities really! :) If we are to get pulled over our fines are substantial but not so bad it really PREVENTS us from risking it. Truck drivers...$4,750 fine! That's right $4,750! Keith is prepared with his headset don't worry!

4. The trucks are big

Yeah, I know it's obvious but you have to take into account it does take a lot to move those things around and they can't just hit the brakes and come to a stop. It's more of a process to do anything they want to do. Next time you're merging and the truck doesn't just hop lanes like a jack rabbit don't get upset...just relax they're not being rude (for the most part - see disclaimer).

There are plenty of other things that we should know, but just be patient with them, they're not TRYING to make your life miserable. They have a lot on the line to keep their jobs and their driving habits are a lot of it. I firmly believe that part of getting your driver's license should be learning about what goes into driving trucks and there is a certain level of respect that needs to be granted to them. Again, there are some flat out rude ones, but others are just trying to move our goods from point A to point B.

The Modern TRUCKER'S Wife

Well... I never thought I would be a trucker's wife and if there is a stereotype I don't think I necessarily fit it. I created this blog because all of this is new to me and new to Keith too! I've learned a lot about trucking already and i'm sure to learn more. I've learned that no matter what God has a plan! He has opened the door for our new journey and we will go on it with him faithfully. I know it's going to be hard at times to be a "Trucker's Wife" but I am so proud of my husband and for what he has accomplished.

This should be, at times, a pretty comical journey as i'm definitely going to be facing new things without my husband at home. I'm just waiting for something in the house to BREAK! I'm not a needy wife and pretty independent but they just do things and you don't really think twice about it. I'm sure i'll have a whole new respect for everything my husband did...right down to the checkbook (yes, i'm TERRIBLE at math).

Thanks for following! :)