Home!

I am so excited for winter this year because WE WON'T BE DRIVING! Seriously, I think I might actually enjoy the snow (at least for the first 2 months).


Did I mention that Chris and I are done driving? It came about quite suddenly but has been fantastic. Near the end of July we were getting very frustrated with Farnsworth (the material company we had been working with for 4 years). The routes our drivers were being given were nothing like what we were told they would be. In fact it was nearly the opposite. In the beginning we were told that they would be going mostly east-west from somewhere in the middle of the country (Kansas City, Denver) to the west coast (Washington, Oregon, Cali) and be home every other weekend. Instead, they were going north-south on the east coast (where there is: more traffic, more weigh stations, more toll roads, more expensive fuel, more cities) and getting home every 2 1/2 to 3 weeks but only because our drivers asked to go home (and Farnsworth complained about it). We originally made the deal that we would use their trailers for free and they would pay for maintenance and they would get to use our trucks and drivers. Win-win for both of us. Instead, they started complaining very early on about us using the trailers and always needing reefers (refrigerated trailers that make it easier to get loads out of Utah and are required for our other potato loads). They made comments about "since you are using our trailers rent-free".... Grrr. And every time there was a maintenance issue (which there were a lot) we ended up paying half. It finally hit the fan when our driver deadheaded (driving with an empty trailer) from PA to NC. Our driver says he was told to deadhead, their guy Tim says he did no such thing. Of course we believe our driver because he knows our rules and is a company driver and would never think that he could drive that far without a load unless he was told to do so. and we had already had several issues with Tim. It finally became too much strife. We weren't happy, Farnsworth wasn't happy. We talked about pulling our other drivers away from Farnsworth and just keeping our load (the one Chris and I had been doing for 4 years was still going great). But when push came to shove it wasn't going to work.

We were driving home on a Friday and Chris finally hit his breaking point. Too much stress, too much work. He was obviously working while we were on the road and then when we would get home for the "weekend" he was working an additional 30-40 hours. It was crazy. So we talked about options. We could keep driving and hope things got better, we could take a week off for some relaxation (it never worked, all Chris did was play catch-up on our weeks off) or we could stop driving and just run the other trucks. This was the best option but very scary. We had this as an end goal but weren't to that point yet. It requires a LOT of cash flow to run a trucking business (probably most businesses). It normally takes about 30 days to receive payment for a load you run for someone. So for one month we would have to be able to cover paying our drivers, paying fuel (big money), paying both company and personal bills and have money leftover for unexpected breakdowns and repairs. Yikes! Plus, now we would have to buy trailers to replace the "free-but-for-the-guilt-trip" Farnsworth trailers. So we talked and talked about what to do. At first we thought maybe we would just take a week off, see how things went and then make a decision. But by the end of our weekend we had made up our minds. We prayed, fasted (thank you family for joining us in that) and went to the temple. In the end we decided that although it was really scary we were going to take the leap. Chris was extremely nervous and worried about if we could make it or not, he is the one who takes care of everything so he had a much better idea of what was required. I was nervous because Chris was nervous but, in general, I was pretty confidant that things would work out. I have so much faith in Chris and his abilities that I just knew we would make it through. And we did! :)

Our first official day of being off the truck was August 1st. So this weekend will be two months that we've been done. It is surreal. For the first several weeks, every night we would have the feeling that "I need to get everything finished up so that I can be ready for work tomorrow... oh, wait, I don't have to go anywhere." It was crazy. I have missed my Tuesday Subway sandwich (foot-long turkey, wheat bread, pepper jack cheese, lettuce, extra tomatoes, extra pickles, mustard, salt and pepper, wrapped separately). I have missed seeing the beautiful Idaho-Wyoming border area just south of Jackson Hole. Oh, it was always so gorgeous! I've missed the sights as we drove through so many different states. My biggest regret is that we didn't get to say goodbye to so many people. We really did make the decision so quickly that no one knew we were done until we were done. We had been working with most of the people for the past 4 years. So I was really sad I didn't get to say goodbye, tell them how much I appreciated and enjoyed them and wish them well. But really, that is my only regret. I am loving being home!

After our first week home, we went to Telluride, CO with my family for a week. It was great. When we were back home we realized that once we were home for 3 weeks straight that would be the first time in 8 years that we had been home that long. We've taken time off longer than that but it was for big vacations so we weren't actually home. :) So we have now officially been home for the longest time since our 1-year anniversary. Woohoo! Chris is still working (of course) but his hours are much more reasonable. He's not going crazy with stress anymore for which I am extremely grateful. I am now a stay-at-home-mom-with-no-kids. But we're working on that part, too. :) So, in a (very large) nutshell, that is how we came to be OFF THE TRUCK!

These sunglasses saw me through a lot of daytime driving. I am a sunglasses girl. (Get it? They saw me through? Hee hee.) They broke just a few weeks before we were done. It's almost like they knew....


I wore these jeans every week for I don't know how many years. At least 3. They were super comfy but nearing the end. I don't think they would have lasted many more washings. :)


I slept with my little Tigger every day/night. He was a good little hand rest. Now he's on my bed at home. :)


Oh, pillow. How I love you. I got this pillow from Grandma Roberts (pillowcase included) and it is so wonderful. When I first took it to the truck Chris didn't care for it (it had Grandma smell) but after a few weeks it became the pillow of choice for us both. Now it's my favorite pillow at home. We have lots of pillows now. The original ones from our bed plus the ones from the truck. You can never have too many pillows.


These are some of the beautiful colors I'm missing in Idaho right now. The drive from Idaho Falls to Pinedale, WY was always my favorite part. Year-round beauty. I will miss you!


Oh, on a side note... we drove just over 2 million miles in our time on the road and went to 43 states. The only ones we missed were Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Alaska and Hawaii (obviously). It was such a wonderful job and I feel so blessed that Chris and I were able to share that time together.