Lovin Life

Lovin Life
Chasity, Napoleon, Christian & Cleopatra

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Equally good news on the Homefront

As my husband has now learned how to post here, he is updating ya''ll on his end of stuff, although I may occasionally put something in too. Well, good news from the hubby indicated he may be getting off the trainers truck and into his own sooner than we expected.. thats what all those crazy numbers of driving time equated too. So as it stands he is looking at the 18-21 of June to possibly being dropped off in ATL for his "test out" and given an assigned truck, after that one load and he is home for several days!!

So good news on the homefront, April & Dom had their not sure 3rd or 4th baby appointment, and as I have hoped all along that we could have a grandson, it seems that may be more possible than it was the day before we got a "looks like a boy". Of course of all the phone calls made to make annoucements to the grands, I was the only one whoooping and hollarring. I think everyone else wanted a girl. I look at it like this, Robyn has a girl, Jenifer has a girl, and they are both currently trying to get pregnant now. So let me have this little boy. As we don't see the grands much, due to the distance, I love them all the same and have plans to take them all to Disney or Universal when they are big enough to enjoy it. Plus, I have to work on the husband- I have put the idea in his head, TRUE Story- when I come up with these crazy ideas like taking the grands somewhere like that, I have to plant the idea and let it simmer. For instance, I have been saying for about 5 years now, lets get all the kids- family together and rent a beach house in like the Carolinas or someplace not so unbearably hot and easy enough to commute for all the kids/family and hang out for a week. I have always wanted this.. But with how the kids constantly bickered between them, he always said NO, it would not be as enjoyable as I think. Well, literally it has been 5 years, and he has finally agreed to try to get them all together sometime and do this. We have no plans in stone yet, but when we do, all will know. My 3 youngest uncles did this with their wives and family, rented a place on the cape? I think is where it was, and years later I seen pictures and videos and they had a blast. Sad part, since then one of them, Mark is now gone as he commited suicide some years back. But thankfully they have those crazy late nite truth or dare videos to share! So the moral of that story is, I have put a bug in the husbands ear to take the grands to a "theme park". But he isn't done simmering yet, and of course while he simmers they get older so it will be more memorable and fun for them!

More good news, Dominique has gotten a job offer... WE are incrediably happy about this. Times are tough and gettting a job is gettting tougher. He starts today for orientation at Wal Mart. April and Dom will be unbeleivably busy as they are sharing a car to get to work for both of them and April is busy back in school too! They can do it. I have always tried to push my kids to do more and do it better than myself. I have accomplished alot coming from my background, so there is no doubt they will make it, given some hard times and alot of hard work.

So good news from my huney maybe coming home earlier than expected. April is back in school. Dom has a job.
So what have I been doing, working, working, working, maintaining the homefront while the husband is away. Oh, yeah Joanns had a big sale and I was able to get to some hobby time!! Before my hubby left he knew how bad I wanted a new sewing machine, so before he left I got one! And just in time for a new baby, so I have had busy spurts of sewing baby diapers, blankets and bath towels. The first set of diapers was monkeys and bananas, April cut me off on the first set, she really wanted to know the sex before I started working on the next size up. Well we already know that the robots and dinosoars are in our future!

All of this good news puts us closer to our goal!! WE have hopes of relocating to north Ga, although recently my hubby has said, look in Tennessee, the land is lots cheaper.. So as a good wife, I have done just that. I submitted to him some properties that have breathtaking views with 1 or 2 bedroom camping like cabins on them! As you may or may not know, our ultimate goal is to have a lil farm family with 10+ acres and try to get off the grid as much as we possibly can. We have had several dates to do this by, but the dates keep getting pushed back for one reason or another. We know, we are taking care of and when it is supposed to happen IT WILL.

Good news for me

So there I was hauling for Target en route back from Memphis Tn to Madison Al. Madison Al?!?! Dont bother looking it up, it's as my bride would say tee-nine-nee... aka very small. So again im headed east in nowhere northernmost Mississippi and my trainer Ron tells me that of the mandatory 275 hours I need to complete training,  I have driven 77 hours. Ok, now that doesn't sound like a lot of driving time right?  Well to put it in to perspective,  I got on the truck Friday morning the 17th of June.  Now, I have had 4 days off and one day with only 5 hours of drive time.  Figuring out the the average milage I came up with just about 638 miles a day.  Still doesn't sound like a lot to most huh? Well my drive day is 10 hours and 45 minutes. DOT doesn't allow for anything more than that.  Now this also includes traffic `drop and hook` the trailer and drive through cities. Now my `home`is just about 200 square feetof shared living space.  Including sink less kitchen,  and a bunk bed. At least the commute from work to home is short.  Bbbaaaahhhhhaaaaaaaa. But yesterday the size of the of the truck came into perspective.  I parked on the side of a store and a Dodge Ram pulled along side. Well it went from being a full size,  to a Tonka toy. Damn,  what a wake up call.  80 feet long and 80, 000 pounds is a LONG and HEAVY vehicle. Now after careful consideration and deliberation I have named this beautiful beast Monique.  Idk why but it seems appropriate a name as ever. Im getting ready to stop and shower at the Love`s truck stop in Falkville Al, again do not look for it on a map. Its not but a one horse,  45 truck type of town. I must bid you a good morning/evening,  and close encounters of the 4 wheel kind is a preview name of the next blog.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Midway through hell week

So it is now midway through my first week of training. The first thing that can be said is that  my trainer is just like me. If you can forgive his southerness, and his warped sense of humor.  We started the week on a high note, making excellent miles and earning hime a decent amount of money,  well then Mr Murphy showed himself and his cousin Karma had stowed away with us. Now I had forewarned Ron of the dynamic duo and their insistence on keeping me company. As the miles rolled on under my big tires, I realized that I may have been wrong about Mr Murphy tagging along for the adventure.  NOPE!  WRONG AGAIN.  I ran over a re-tread in the parking lot, and sliced an 8 inch hole in the sidewall of the trailer tires. Thankfully Karma lent me a hand preventing a blowout on the highway.  Gettin the next run proved to be a chore in itself.  Off to Baton Rouge. Baton Rouge means gumbo, boudain, and jumblia. Well I found it, but I also found it at a bad time. Couldn't stop to partake in the culinary delightfulness, dammit.  Got a promise that next time we will find the time.  SOLD! !! Next trip headed down, Ron is hauling .... well going fast as truck will allowed and as we get to wherever it is we are the alternator locks up ?!?! Andthe serpentine belt snaps.  Hey look who it is, Mr Murphy has reminded me that he and I are inseparable buddies.  So we return to the distribution center after a 9 hour delay and find out that the load for Baton Rouge has been taken by another driver. Chalk another one for Murphy.  But wait there's more.  Do you know that it's HOT in these trucks without any air conditioning? do you know that it's HOT in the south right now? So NOW IM CRANKY. Oh and I have no COFFEE either. Alright,  acceptance of changes that you can not control is part of the job.  So im going to continue to practice backing up between parked trailers. Ron enjoys the additional stress added to an already stressful day of trying to not run into or over other vehicles on the road. I am headed to Memphis tn and I will be there just about lunchtime.  Can you say BBQ? Oh I can and will. I told Ron that I am a stomach thinker.  If we are able to, I want to participate in the culinary delightfulness of some backwood, off the map, known only to the local restaurant that will blow my socks off with how good their food is.  I have until the last weekend of June and I will be done and off of Ron's truck readying myself and my very own powder blue Werner for my love to join me. The road calls me and I am not able to ignore the gypsy that runs through these veins of mine. Seeing as much as I have and what little time I've spent driving,  I've found that little bit of happiness that will be a lot better when Chasity gets her bum in gear and gets her license.  I will post some pics from my adventure as soon as I can figure out how to do it.  As I have learned a new mantra `keep the greasy side down and the shiny side up`
Christian

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Third Rate Romance..

I am trying my best to keep this blog updated, as I am aware that I have directed the kids and families attention to it in order to keep up with us and "dad" for some... But I declare war this week! If it wasn't for bad luck, I swear (and I do that ALOT), I would have no LUCK! Thankfully, I was tempted into a little indiscrection with a "third rate romance" with the hottest man around! I won't give you all of the details, but I will tell you this, he called me at work on Friday AM and told me he and his trainer were bound for Cornersville, TN and due to his trainer being "out of hours" he was going to be in a hotel for 2 days while his trainer was home. So that was the GREEN light, I left work early, as I usually do when I am caught up. Packed the pups, and off we went to what was supposed to be a 6 hour drive one way. UGGH, and the rain and traffic and idiots among us... So through Birmingham I go.. The weather was terrible, but nothing was gonna slow me down. Seven hours later, I arrive at Cornersville, TN with my husband anxiously awaiting our arrival... Well the rest you know how the song goes....
Saturday morning, we are determined to get some coffee and breakfast. It wasn't going to happen where we were staying, only thing here was several gas stations. Nearest civilization was 12 or so miles up the road, so we head off to Lewisburg. Get breakfast at the local Shoney's and of course all the local, late nite, early am drunks join us too. To our right, we have a "couple" fine upstanding persons with hickies the size of Texas on both of their necks, still wearing last nites juking shorts and neon tops with the typical "I just got fucked" smile. I know the look. To the rear is the "couple" where the guy says really "you gonna wear that" we are just going to Shoneys, and the gal looks as she belongs of the cover of Vogue, she spent that much time on her hair. You know those kind too! And of course my husband and I, in very comfortable shorts, tops and famous flip flops! Gotta love those southern folks!
Oh, let me not forget the part about the tires... OH MY, so in the rain and traffic the car (I took the big car, not the SMART) hoping for a good ride, because the SMART isn't for long rides, especially with the lil dogs. Well, so much for the good ride, the roads were terrible- hell I felt like I was back in New England with how bad the roads felt. I even got out and looked at the tires a few times, I felt like I was skidding several times. So after breakfast, husband needed some things before heading back out on Sunday so we decided to head to Wal Mart and get an oil change and pick up his "to do list". He is walking around the car with guy and says "yeah Honey, I guess the car was acting up" UGGGH, he advises we need 2 new tires... NICE, is my southern "bless your heart" or others, not another damn thing! So here we are in who the hell knows or BFTennessee, getting tires so I can get home on Sunday. So another long story, ends with we literally drive the tires off our vehicles...
So on Sunday... the end of my third rate romance with my infamous husband as he and his trainer set their sights on Baton Rouge my husband would say with his freeench accent, low..

Thursday, May 16, 2013

What a week

So my 'orientation' is over. I leave Hotlanta at 0700 for parts unknown.  My trainer Ron states that I will be driving an 80,000 pound 73 foot truck out of town and onto the back roads of Georgia,  Alabama, Tennessee and wherever he wants me to go. Whenever we get to wherever it is we are to go, I am going to be dropped off for a 2 day rest in a hotel. Where this hotel is I dont know, hes southern,  and I didn't see him talking.  So I call Chasity and tell her the goodnews. So there is a hope that maybe  just maybe we can meet up for a few days.  As it stands now, I have to drive 275 hours with Ron, return to whatever terminal I am close to and test out of training phase 2. There are 11 different terminal locations I can test out. So I wanted this adventure to start and the good Lord has smiled down on me and said, that Hewill give me exactly what I wanted and then some.  After this weekend,  I am going to be able to see the majority of the rest of the 48 states AND whichever Canadian Providences I can get to. So pictures will be forthcoming,  descriptions of the hilarity, misery,  and everything in between.  I cant wait to share it with you.
Chris

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

A lil ranting...

Husband off and gone since Thursday, I guess its about time to do some fussing? I am about overdo, I guess this is manic side of bipolar. Which I think everyone has a touch of, regardless of what all the psycho-babble bullshit people try to push down your throats about what "normal" is supposed to be.
So what set me off, well I had to tell you that my husband was gone like not home, to tell you this!! I called in sick to work on Monday- NO LIE, I have been sick with something allergy related, well its in my chest on Monday when I get up, too exhausted to do much more than flat iron my hair. That is usually not me, I am generally full of piss and vinegar by 6am. Called and told 'em all, told 'em even to tell the big shot boss to call me, she is cool and I have an amazing nurse manager. Well she called we chatted, life goes on. EXCUSED. Well, she calls back at noonish and questions some orders I had written, no problem.. ANSWERED, oh, and Criminal Minds was in the background as I was laid up in the bed with the laptop watching my favorite show.. LOVE, me some Morgan! Don't worry the husband knows, too! SO what sets me off is a friend calls that evening checking on me, she says GURL, your not gonna believe this.  Long story short, some of the folks I work with.... I had respected them enough to NOT come  to work and spread my unknown funk, hacking and coughing and stuff and someone has the audacity to say "she ain't sick, she is home with her husband".....GRRRRRR great gripes my ass. I bust it around there and you wanna talk trash about something you obviously know nothing about... YEP, I am all done with you! So after speaking with my husband last nite, who isn't here, I tell him.... hmmmm, I don't care how bad I feel, I am going to work just to infect all them blanky, blank, blank..not so nice by this point. However, I started antibiotics Monday AM, just incase. SO the tossing and turning in my head half the nite, surely paid off!
Especially when I show up to work this morning, and the haters are present, the boss (I will call her) says, your going to wear a mask? Right? Here it was, kind revenge... "NO, ABSOLUTELY NOT, I take a day off sick and ya'll talk trash about me, so here I am to infect all ya'll", she gave me a half crooked smile, she knew what I knew and she chuckled...she said with a wink, 'we would never talk about you" as she knows they are only a few in that department to be trusted and then its iffy.  I reassured her, I wasn't wearing a mask, I have 24hrs worth of antibiotics on board and life is good!
Oh, I'm not done yet, so I get up, before I even get to work I have another can of worms on my (home office) desk and the daughter that is back home, April, has left me a note to wake her when arrive at my usually first destination of the morn. This cannot be a good sign, as it usually isn't. Of course, not she has a flat tire, well change it, duh... I don't have a spare...?? Ok, so going to try to get off work early to get this child a tire, literally she and dom called all over Albany looking for a used tire. NO good, they said no one has one. So, pppppwwwweeeehhh, pppppweeehh, pweeeehh this is my blowing noise of my superman (women) costume when me or the husband, set out to save one of the children... It is a small inside and very funny joke between us, the other starts blowing up the costume and of course we bust out in a riot usually. Well he wasn't here to blow up my costume today, so I had the moral support of Dom, the baby daddy, as April refers to him, I am not sure what to call him yet, son, son in law... I just don't know, so we leave it alone for now.. Back to my rant, so the purpose of this tire story too, is April is "grown" well, you know she is 19 and expecting her own bundle of joy, so you know as grown as you get at this age. Well, my kids and my husband will tell you, I have a very hard time letting grown children be grown! So of course I called and found a tire in Albany. Well, here's what I mean, so this is the SECOND tire that has been replaced on this car, WHY? Well you guessed it, this uproar I'm in today, I'm gonna tell you. So April and Dom was in a car wreck some 30-45 days or so ago, she went to the adjustors and got a quote, well they gave her some money, she spent the money, car still broke.. HMMM, maybe it isn't cosmetic, maybe its something serious like the looks of a bent axle? I ask he about fixing it? They want some money, it wasn't her fault, hmmm things still aren't adding up.. Let MOM, call! Yep, So the body shop is telling me that she owes them $500, WHAT are you kidding. Nope, I call USAA, tell them the story, guy on phone scratching his head I am sure. Yea, isn't understanding either.. THE INSURANCE COMPANY isn't understanding... Something isn't adding up. Well, no that supermom is on the scene, guess what... YEP, April is pissed at mom, but the car will be fixed. Tomorrow we are off to the body shop, this time Mom is going.
So, obviously the moon is full tonite and I just needed to fuss. But on a side note I have some good news in the "adventure".
Hubby finished his "computer based training" modules and was advised he was being picked up by a owner- operator trainer either late tonite or early tomorrow, he is waiting on truck to be fixed at the teriminal at present. While he has been there, he as been learning lots of stuff, like why are all these people here still, no trainer? Not totally, they didn't finish there CBT's or like a female that is there, she has no available female. Huumm, thats not good for me in the very near future. Maybe my husband will have to train me. He has been getting me prepared, like bring breakfast and lunch because although they offer both, he knows I will not eat mystery meat sandwiches or hot dogs or most everything he has seen and eaten. He has eaten bugs before, so mystery meat sandwiches are nothing to him!
So another, sight into a memoir.. and hopefully a chuckle or two at our expense!! A day in the life...

Saturday, May 11, 2013

It's Officially, Official!!!

Two days ago the husband and I set out bound for Atlanta with the newest adventures in mind! Text messages this AM, confirmed all the hard work will have surely paid off.. Of course in weekly increments. Werner and husband are now one, and I couldn't be a happier girl, of course the bill collectors will be a tad happier!

What some would say as a nitemare in the making, as we made our way up to Atlanta on Thursday was, as we see all the Werner trucks at the hotel and people, lots of people standing around smoking. Unlike any hotel I have ever seen, course it could have been that we are not the BIG city kind of folks and generally do not like people that much to just hang out. We really didn't know what we was getting into. This company sends you a preemployment offer, hell we was thinking the offer was on our end. AS it turns out we was wrong the offer was on their end, after they get you up there and look you over with a microscope, then they determine if your Werner Worthy and you either get a STAY/ HOLD or your HIRED!! My husband proudly accepted the your HIRED badge today!

So we have had alot of officially the adventure begins today... BUT this time its really Officially, Official! He is supposed to be picked up by a trainer on Tuesday AM, fingers crossed and tons of prayers that it really happens that way. As I am anxious to get his phone of his happenings as each day passes.

The pups and I are sad to have to sleep alone, but they had no problem keeping me on my side of the bed last nite. We are in hopes that the tons of paperwork piled on my desk from KSU and VA will surely keep me busy for the month of May, not counting my regular work schedule, as I am still training to which I am sure is my replacement! It is all good, plan B is in full effect!

Fingers crossed still, that all works out and by the end of the year our dream of relocating to North Georgia in the mountains will be a reality! Until then, back to reality of what the northern family would say as "flatlander" living!!

Saturday, May 4, 2013

The adventures of....

I think the title should say Chasity & Christian's newest adventures/ blog, as I log in and it says only my name. Not really fair to my husband because without him, there would be no us!
Today was a HUGE success, actually worth getting out of bed for! My husband, Christian had his driving test in Columbus with DOT. This is HUGE, due to in fact we cannot start our next adventure without this part. He has accepted employment (for as much as accepted gets without being there yet) he leaves May 13th for HOTLANTA and will be gone for 2 months, give or take training. From there you will be living vicariously... I say that with the deepest love in my heart, we have facebook friends whom have told us, they love to read what we are doing on facebook, where we are going and what we are up to next. As facebook has alot of our friends, I think it has some of our enemies, drama kings and queens who just like to be in our business. SO, with this blog, I invite all who want to follow us on our adventures to please do so... We openly accept all types of friends!! & frenemies!!
So as you will see my posts and within my posts are just as random as my thoughts in my brain. Probably more than anything this blog will accomplish is so I am able to re read back through it in future years to tell the stories, I want to tell but have long forgot due to my senility. I have a story to tell about that, our current neighbor, I will call him Mr Jack- NO LIE, upon introduction of meeting this ole man he introduces him self and his wife and tells his age as 76, then as the introduction goes on he tells us he is 74 and it changes again quickly and says "well I have had a stroke or 2" so "I don't really know how old I am" so not to fault an ole man, everyday without fail he brings his dogs into our front yard to take a shit, of course out our front window we can watch him and the dogs. He frequently wanders around our side of the house with his dogs, initially we often wondered and talked between ourselves about it and how it aggravated us. Until one day, as we are too in our front yard and his dogs wander over to take care of business, as he has trained them to do, he yells at the dogs and demands them back to his yard and isn't understanding why they would be in our yard. Well lets see.... scratching our heads... we used to pick (between ourselves) but we have decided it, that we are not getting any younger and I often ask my husband, "who are you, what are you doing...? huumm, what... shiny..." we have decided that this blog is a great idea to tell what ever we want, while we still can train our dogs to shit in our own backyard!
I told you all of that to tell you, that Christian has permission to post as he is out on the road and update US, on his adventures while I am still here on the homefront for a "bit"..So more on this recent adventure undertaking and it coming abouts..
Did I say that we BOTH had original plans for nursing school and upon graduation of nursing school, we were planning to travel the country as traveling nurses... that is how we met originally, I was traveling in Vermont and he was a correctional officer II in the prison I was sent to. That should be its own blog all itself... I should name it, KARMA, there is an untold story there as well.. But back to the current blog, so Plan B was that if we didn't make it through nursing school our other option to continue to travel was to go to truck driving school and travel that way.
Well, you guessed it... one of us didn't make it.. actually both of us. After Christian what they call double D'd out, which means he cannot progress on for another 5 years. He pursued me to continue on, and I did for another semester. But my heart wasn't in it. I did not want to do this without him, that was not our original plans.
Hell, if you knew we do ALMOST everything together. Like that time in New Hampshire, I always wanted a purple motorcycle after my first graduation in nursing school as an LPN, I always said once I got through that (and it was complete HELL) I would have a purple motorcycle. Two small problems, I had never driven my own motorcycle and after graduating nursing school then, I had married an idiot who said I would kill myself on it and he would never agree to me buying a motorcycle. Good thing, I divorced his ass. So as Christian and I was dating, we drove down to Manchester, that was the nearest "happening place" in New England from where we both lived and we happened into a motorcycle shop, and we mingled around and looked at some stuff... I'm really not sure why on earth we was in there, but of course I said "yea, I would really love to have a purple motorcycle", well long story short, we ended up buying a purple motorcycle that day and a white one too!! So for the man who won my heart, taught me to ride a motorcycle too. And so the adventure... BEGAN
Our motto was while we was dating... this isn't JUST a relationship, its an adventure. The same holds true only now we say marriage!