Oddities in Olean

In Olean New York there are 25, four foot tall fiberglass squirrels. You can check out the squirrel pages on the city's website (see our links page) for Nutty O'St. Nick, Florence Squirrelingale, RN and more

...this is Ronald McSquirrel.....

Who knew?

When you think of New York you think of the city...at least I do. Who knew the state of New York was so beautiful?! I apopogize for my short sightedness! I have fallen in love with the green rolling hills of the Liberty State (sorry) Empire State and who knew they grew grapes on the northern border of New York and Pennsylvania? The people of Massachusetts and New Hampshire are very nice and extremely curteous. I definately look forward to exploring the northeast a lot more!

A gift from a friend....bobblehead Jesus.....what truck would be complete without one? Amen! LOL Yeah it worked! I can post pics now!!!!!!!

Super secret delivery!

We dropped off a load this morning that was tracked from pick up to drop off and we had to spend the night at a safe haven so the load remained secure. While it didn't seem like a big deal to us there are a lot of things out there that are important to other people! We're off to Cleveland this afternoon!

Busy!

Been busy this first week! Runs from Michigan to the Carolina's back up to Illinois and Iowa then back to Michigan. Got to ride through Trenton, the old homestead. Not much changed but its a lot more industrialized. No real down time yet, taking advantage of making money, fun will have to wait! Will post pics as soon as I figure out how to do it from my phone! On the road again.......

Success!

We have completed our first run as husband and wife team! I won't say anything about the fact that I took graveyard shift my first time out, or drove through the foggy mountains, passed through my first toll gates (they really need to make those wider), got stopped at my first weight station or went through my first mountain tunnels all while my busband was asleep! But never fear he does back seat driving just fine from the sleeper!

Greensboro NC is very pretty and hot! I can't wait to see where we go next!

Wating on a load!

Had a great send off yesterday from my friends at work, good food, laughs and tears. I will miss them but look forward to getting our first load. I'm all approved and "in the truck" so it's just a matter of time before something comes in and the big wheels are rolling! Thanks again...Love you guys!

On another note... we set expectations for ourselves and we move forward to make the expectations a reality. We have a picture in our mind of how things will be, but it's funny how reality has a way of being nothing like our expectations! So instead of going insane we adapt and we learn to go with the flow (of course some of us are better at this than others).  We need patients and we need to learn appreciation for the things that are, not get caught up in the regrets of how we wish things were. (HA! When did I become so...philosophical?) 

Think Small

Have you ever tried to take your entire life and fit it into a space that was 96" x 102"? It's about the size of a 8 foot square box....and I'm talking about everything from the kitchen sink to the bathroom. It comes down to what you need and what you want and it's surprisingly easy. Ask anyone who enjoys hiking, when you have to carry all you need and want on your back, you really need very little and want even less.

For instance, what am I going to do without my entire bathroom shelf of hair products? I spent good money on these products, real good money (your welcome Redken).  Or what about the other shelf that's full of makeup, moisturizers, cleansers, blushes and eye shadows (you're welcome too MaryKay)?

The answer is,  a few of these things will travel with me, I mean a girl can still drive a truck and look good doing it! But most of it will stay behind, after all we do have a weight limits we have to be mindful of and I don't think the owner would be appreciative if we could only have two pallets of material on the truck when the rest of the room was taken up by my stuff!

I am sure my husband will be appreciative of this post, girl talk on an expediters blog is just not manly, but it makes you think. What do you really need in life?

I am a professional driver!!

Yes! You see, when you hang at the truck stop, the lady occasionally comes across the intercom and says, "Professional Driver ...blah...blah...blah". That's me! A professional driver! (lol)  I've got to wonder what my father or my grandparents would say, I believe they would be as surprised as I am about our choices, but as everyday goes by I get more excited!

We spend our lives driving down the same roads, going to the same places and seeing the same people day after day. We live our lives in such a small fragment of the world (and happily so) that I am eager to see more of it! Crape` diem...and all that stuff.

Taking that driving test was one of the worst experiences I've ever had! I can't even express how happy I am that all the testing is over, at least for the next three years! As a bonus there's not a scratch on the truck...well maybe from a branch or two, or three.

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go...I'm standing here outside your door........

Test Day!

Tomorrow is test day....I just know I'm gonna fail! Everything is falling into place, truck is fixed and paperwork is being processed. Imagine...me...a truck driver..LOL

Studying

So I've been studying my hazmat and my pre-trip and I really can't wait until this is all over with. I have to learn to drive by the 13th which is when I take my test....so stay off the roads for the next week!  At least until I pass.

Preparation

OK, so the truck is beautiful and has all the comforts of home, but just like a house it needs to be cleaned. While my home isn't spotless by any means this truck is a mess! However, once we get the grunge cleaned and make it our own, we honestly couldn't ask for a better truck. It even has a bathroom! Seriously!

So while I learn to drive it (may I add I was awsome in my first attempts to back up!) we'll clean, prepare, pack and anticipate our departure......