THE AWAKENING

December 29th 2009, a day that will have a lasting affect on mine and my families lives. After nearly 11 years of having type II diabetes, my cheating the system finally caught up to me. I find myself temporarily out of work because of my bad habits. Now I find myself wondering what I will do to support my family for the next few months while I get things back in order. What a fool I was to believe that everything would work itself out by itself. Now my family has to pay the price for my ignorance. I apologize to my loved ones for my stupidity. I know that doesn't pay the bills, but at least you know I recognize my mistakes (as late as it may be). I will defeat this and become a better man, husband and father because of this.

My early New Years resolution is to lose 80 pounds and get down to 170 lbs and maintain that for the rest of my life, enabling me to get off all my diabetic medications for good and live a normal life by starting a new way of life effective today. A life of proper eating combined with exercise such as long walks with the dogs. I can and will do this for my wife my children my grandchildren but most importantly ME. GOD willing, I will be here to watch my Grandchildren graduate.

So in closing, this turn in my life may end up being the best thing that has ever happened to me. As we have been taught. GOD WORKS IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS, and things happen for a reason. I wish the best of New Years to all Mankind.

THOUGHTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST

I am sitting here at home thinking about Christmas and how it will be with none of my children or grandchildren here. I could sit here feeling sorry for myself but instead I like to think about all I have to be thankful for. I was thinking back when I was a child and how I didn't have a care in the world. My Mom and Dad did all the worrying. I now know how they felt when all there children left home. I miss my parents and hope they know that I think of them always and especially on holidays as they bring back such fantastic memories.

We will be having Christmas Dinner with friends as we have done in the past. Rick and Barbara are like family and we love spending time with them. So as you can see, Debbie and I will not be alone on christmas. My Christmas present will be having the opportunity to talk to my kids and grandkids. Skype and ooVoo are the next best thing to being there.

I want to take this time to wish all mankind a very Merry Christmas and A happy New Year. To hell with the morons who want to change our lives as we know them. They will never succeed as long as we hold strong to our values and beliefs. God Bless us all and to all a good night.

AS TIME PASSES

Well it has been about a month and a half since I had to have Kipper put down. It is still hard to think about and I still find myself having dreams of having him put to sleep. It is getting a little easier these past few weeks but I miss my friend. The only good thing of this whole ordeal is that he is suffering no longer. He was getting old and was in pain. That is all gone now. I just never realized how much I loved my dog and how much he touched my life and my heart. I guess that is what old people feel about their pets. Your pets become your new children and we treat them like kids. How silly old people get. I guess I am about as silly as you can get. Getting old isn't so bad but it sure hurts when you lose something you love.

SAD DAY IN MY LIFE

Well, I have not been on here for quite some time as so much has been going on but nothing really worthy of reporting. Well, that all changed on September 23rd. I got home that afternoon and had to make a delivery in town the next day. All was well until we got ready for bed. When I bent down to pet my oldest dog Kipper and give him a silly kiss (as all old people seem to resort to as they get older), when he bit me under the chin just a few inches from my throat. I knew what I had to do when I got home the next day. Well, after making my delivery, I went home to take him to the Vet. The Vet informed me she could not put him to sleep because he had bitten me. She said he had to go into quarantine for 10 days.

I have been having an extremely hard time with this even though I knew it was the right decision and something I had to do. I have small grandchildren just starting to walk. I could not have lived with myself if he ever bit one of my grandbabies and I had to look at a scar for the rest of my life with the knowledge that I could have prevented that if only I had made the right decision.

That has made me feel a little better as the days go by, but already I can only remember the good things Kipper brought to my life as we grew older together. I will miss him very much but I know he is better off and will never hurt anyone again. God bless you Kipper and may God watch over you in Doggie Heaven and I have your pictures on my sun visor in the BIG RED TRUCK. You will always be my Co-pilot as I travel these long and lonely roads and I will never pass a sign that says rest area 1 more mile without fond thoughts of the excitement you showed when I uttered those words to you. Farewell my friend. You are in good hands now and forever.

REFLECTIONS OF MY LIFE

    Wow. Where to start. I am sitting here in Omaha, NE, having just got my A/C fixed. Thank you Lord. Last night was a very miserable night, with the temperatures still in the 90's at 11pm and no a/c. They got it fixed first thing this morning and I am sitting here waiting out some bad storms before finishing my trip to Norfolk, NE. 125 miles up the road from Omaha. So much has been running through my mind as I listen to some great music. My whole life has been passing through my mind, from my childhood days with my parents, into the Navy, where I met my 1st wife Patricia. She was good for me as she demonstrated every attribute I did not want in a wife. That last 2 years 9 months and 21 days.  A very hard divorce. I went to Hawaii for 2 years of a 3 year tour. The Island started closing in on me and I asked to have my shore duty terminated and wanted to go back to sea, out of Norfolk, VA. Crazy you think? I think not. It was the best decision I ever made. I met this very special young lady shortly after arriving there. She was amazing. So young and vibrant. She made me feel great and added meaning to my life again. 10 short months later, I married this wonderful lady named Debbie. my life was forever changed. Only ten months into our marriage, the first of my 3 beautiful daughters was born, Mary, then came Theresa and following the rear, Rebecca. Wow, how wonderful my life has been. Me and 4 women in the house. I learned real early in my marriage to lift the seat or squat, so I just chose to Squat. It was much easier that way. Then I woke up and my babies were all grown and gone. Where did the years go. I know we had rough times, but I can't remember them hardly. Only the great times run through my head. Maybe that is God's way of helping us cope with life. Out with the bad and in with the good. Anyway you look at it, I have been blessed many times over. I have 2 wonderful son-in-laws, a wonderful future son-in-law. A beautiful grand daughter and a very handsome Grandson. What did I ever do to deserve such blessing. I must have done something right somewhere along the way.  I hope this will help let others look back at all the great moments in there lives and thank God for all the blessings in there life. We must also thank him for the trials he has put us through to make us better in the overall scheme of things. Have a wonderful day and may you all be as blessed as I have been. To all my family and friends, I love each and everyone of you. Have a great day.

GREAT DAY IN BLAND

     Today has been a wonderful day at work, with a mixture of rest and relaxation, built into the middle. It was nice being able to stop in Bland and visit with Allen for about 3 hours. We had lunch in the little town grill, followed by some picture taking of the garden and various other things that I thought I could send to Matthew and make him even a little more homesick. Mean of me, hugh? I then got to taste some fresh cooked mushrooms picked from the local woods. They were fantastic. At least I wasn't worried about being poisoned as they were picked by world renowned mushroom hunter, Allen, or should I say bland renowned. lol. I was convinced it was safe, after Allen broke out his national audubon book on North American Mushrooms, and showed me the mushrooms that we would be feasting on. They were quite tasty cooked in butter. Here it is 10 hours later and I am still alive, so I guess I am out of the woods. lol. It was a great day and it is always enjoyable when you can take a break from the normal routine and add some substance to your life. It made me miss Matthew, Becky and Wayne but somehow made me feel closer to them at the same time. Kind of weird hugh? I guess I will close for now with warm thoughts of another good day in my life. Every day I get older, I learn to appreciate each day much more. I feel that every day God sees fit for me to wake up is another good day.

My love to all and good night.

UPCOMING VACATION

     Hello everyone. It has been a while since I have posted because my life on the road is so boring. I just never seem to have anything new to say or talk about, but now I do have something to talk about. Our upcoming New England vacation. Come travel with us the Griswalls. Oops I mean Daly's. We will be embarking on an adventuresome week to New Hampshire. There will be 4 adults and 2 infants crammed into a Dodge Quadcab pickup. What are we getting ourselves into. It would normally take 2 ten hour driving days to get there but seeing we will have 3 women and 2 infants, it will most surreally  add 2 to 3 hours to each day with extra stops for bathroom breaks and diaper changes. I would rather stop then have to smell them dirty diapers. I am sure when we finally get to New Hampshire, we will all want to spend the rest of our vacation sleeping and resting up for the return drive home, which will be longer as we are taking a different route home to spend a couple days with the other grandparents of little Wayne who they have not seen yet. That will be nice.  I will at least learn on this trip weather or not I will ever want to cram that many people in one vehicle again. It will be fun, challenging and definitely a learning experience for all of us, if we survive and keep from killing each other. All kidding aside, I am very much looking forward to getting to spend quality time with my family. That is what is the most important thing to me. My family will always be the most important thing in my life. I love each and every one of them. It would just be complete if my eldest daughter was able to go with us, but then I would have to strap someone on the hood like a deer. Oh well, I have bored you all enough for one evening. Take care and I will send more later. 

SAME BULL DIFFERENT MONTH

     Things have been so uneventful that I haven't really had anything to write about. There still isn't anything interesting to write about, I am just bored stiff. I have been sitting in Coopersburg, PA. since Tuesday evening at 7pm. I have to pick up a load tomorrow, Friday at 1pm. Do the math. I have been doing absolutely nothing for 2 1/2 days. It will take be about 6 hours to get to Wintersville, OH. and then I will be able to sit for another 2 or 3 days.  I think I could do better on unemployment. What you think? I just wanted to say hello and let everyone know that I was still alive. 

     My daughter Becky is coming to town next week for a month and then the end of June we are going on vacation to New Hampshire for a week. Theresa and Mackenzie will be going with us. It will be myself, Debbie, Becky, Wayne, Theresa and Mackenzie all packed into my Dodge Ram Pick-up. It is going to be so crowded. It is going to be great. I am looking forward to it. The total trip will be about 2800 miles. Maybe I should fly. lol. 

     June is going to be a busy month and hopefully I can put it in words for this blog so I will always have memories of this vacation. Well until next time. Have a great evening.

BURNT OUT

     Hello everyone.  It has been a while since I have posted any thoughts but my mind has just been a blank. It has been really slow out here and anything that could go wrong, did go wrong. I have had problems getting miles as freight is slow as usual, and just as my miles start to pick up, my equipment starts giving me problems. First my truck, get that fixed, then my trailer, then my truck again. I just can't seem to get ahead. I must say I have been really bummed out, burnt out and any other word that comes to mind to fit the situation. I am so much looking forward to vacation but wonder if I need to send the family and stay out here and work. These economic times are hard on everyone and I am not looking for a pity party, just for some sound advice. I just don't know what to do anymore. Just keep trudging along, inch by inch, mile after mile. There must be an end to this madness somewhere.

     Enough is enough. I have bored everyone enough with all this crap. Send me your comments and let me know your feelings on the state of affairs in this wonderful country that our government is so set on destroying. Have a good night everyone. It is 3:45 am and was unable to sleep. The old mind going a mile a minute. My love to all my friends and family. God Bless

GREAT HOME TIME

     I just left the house this morning on my way to Charlotte, NC. I just had a wonderful 5 days and 6 nights at home. Debbie and I celebrated our 32 wedding anniversary and also Debbie's birthday. It was a fun filled weekend with very little sleep.  We managed to keep busy shopping, eating out and playing cards with friends. We had a drink or two in there also, so it was a magnificent weekend all the way around. I sure hated to leave this morning but I guess I can't retire yet so will just keep plugging along. I know Debbie hated to go back to work also. We have so little time together that it is hard on both of us when I have to leave. I am really looking forward to vacation the end of June. Two of my daughters and there children will be going with us to New Hampshire for a week. It will be awfully cramped in the pickup but we will do just fine I suppose.

     Well, until next time, everyone have a good night and a better day tomorrow.

A HAPPY MAN

     I am in a very good mood this evening as I am heading to Fayetteville, GA. which puts me that much closer to my home time with my beautiful Debbie. It seems like an eternity since I have seen her. I am excited, anxious and very happy to be heading that way.  I can't wait to see the boys also. (the dogs).

     I have a nice easy weekend ahead of me. I only need to drive 400 miles a day and I will be there Sunday afternoon waiting to make my delivery 1st thing Monday morning and then hopefully to Florida from there. I sure need this time off.

     I am used to having Debbie home with me the whole time and we can go out and do things together during the day. This will be different as I have not been home during the week since she started working. I guess I will be lost during the day and just mope around the house until she gets home and get all excited like the dogs do when she walks through the door. I will have to fight with them for her affection. I think I will be able to take her to lunch and that will be cool.

     Well, I think I will get off here for tonight and get some sleep. I hope all of you had a great day today and a very great weekend. Until later

A DAY OF REST

     I rushed down here to Dallas even though I didn't have to be here until Friday just so I could take a much needed day of rest. This past week has been very busy and that I am thankful for but now it is time to unwind for a day. I can kick back, get on the computer, stay on as long as I like and sleep in until I can't sleep anymore. What a life. I want a local job. I'm tired of this mess.

     Becky put 2 more video's of Wayne on today and they were fantastic. Wayne has so much personality. He takes after his grandpa. Well maybe not. Wayne is so alert and responsive to every noise and movement in the room. He doesn't seem to miss a thing. I love it when I get on the Cam with Becky like I did tonight and Wayne did not hardly take his eyes off of his grandpa. I have not seen him in person yet, but I believe he will already know me when I get to see him in June. Isn't the computer age fantastic.

     I guess I will close for now as I am getting tired. So much for staying online late. Well it is 1:15 am so I guess that is late for me. I hope everyone had a good day today and a better day tomorrow. Live life to the fullest as we never know what tomorrow will bring. I hope it brings me the winning lottery numbers. I'm ready to retire.

GOOD DAY

    It has been a good day today. I drove 580 miles and had to put my truck in the shop for electrical problems and get the air conditioner fixed. All repairs were completed in 2 hours and I am picking up a load in the morning going back to that dreaded Texas. All this was accomplished without me losing any work. That is great. I am having the best week I have had in over 3 months. I have logged over 3000 miles this week and still have until midnight Friday on this week. I think I will start saving trips for next week because the bottom might fall out again once I get to Texas.

     I have been very chipper today for some reason. I can't explain it but I have been walking around singing and whistling for no apparent reason. Sometimes it just feels good I guess. I think I am getting excited again about going home. It will have been almost 50 days since I have had any real time off. The rest will be very welcomed. I plan on taking 6 days off. 

     I want to thank my Daughters Theresa and Becky for all  the videos and pics of the Grandchildren. It makes the evenings very enjoyable for me when I can get on the computer and keep up with everyone. It is very comforting and makes my nights so much better when I lay my head on the pillow with thoughts of my family and grandchildren fresh on my mind as I drift off to sleep.

     Until next time, may all of you have a wonderful and restful night.

FRUSTRATED

     I am sitting here in Lexington, NE enroute to Green River, WY. I was supposed to be home this weekend to celebrate our 32nd Anniversary, which was the 2nd and Debbie's birthday which is today. It doesn't happen to often that I don't get home for my scheduled home time, but it figures it would happen at this special time. It is frustrating and makes me feel terrible that my lovely wife is sitting at home by herself on this special day. All the kids live in other cities so there is absolutely no family with her today. She deserves better then this. I guess if I had chosen another profession this wouldn't be happening. I just want her to know how much I love and miss her and wish I could be there with her. She understands, but that still doesn't make me feel any better.

     I should be home in another couple of weeks and will make up for it then. She will just have to accept having 2 birthdays. The real one and the one we celebrate when I get home. I am going to pamper and spoil her the best I can. She deserves it. The finest restaurant, shopping, whatever her heart desires. I am going to make up for not being there.  She is my wife, my lover and most of all my best friend and that is what friends do for each other.

     I hope that all of you have a wonderful Easter weekend and be safe if you have to go out on the roads. Until next time.  

BUMMED

     It is 1:20 am on friday morning and I am bummed out because I was supposed to be home today for four days to celebrate Debbie's birthday and our anniversary. Well here I sit in Girard, Oh. enroute to Green River, WY for Monday morning. Seems to me I am heading in the wrong direction. Can't get much farther from Jacksonville then Wyoming. I sat for 2 days in Totowa, NJ try to get a load home and what happened. I missed 2 days of work and still getting further from the house. Now it is going to be another 2 weeks until I can try to get home. That will make 50 days since my last real home time. Hell, I should have stayed in the Navy. Maybe then I could have been stationed with Matthew and Becky in Washington. Wait, I don't think they let men as old as me stay in the Navy so that wouldn't have worked. Oh well, I am just rambling on, taking my frustrations out on this keyboard.

     I hope all my friends and family are doing well and can't wait to see everyone. I am looking forward to the New Hampshire vacation the end of June. I can sure use the down time. I wish all a good evening and a better tomorrow.

LIFES' EMBARRASSING MOMENTS

     I wake up to a beautiful spring day, the end of march, wondering what the day has in store for me. I look out the window to beautiful sunny skies and a high of 55 degrees, which is extremely good for Nebraska this time of year. I decide I will get showered and take a walk to look for some place nice to have lunch. I decide to partake in nourishment at Perkins "FAMILY" restaurant. Let me reiterate FAMILY. There are families coming in with there small children after church.   

     I have on the usual Truck driver attire, blue jeans and a nice pullover shirt. I walk inside to a packed house. People standing and waiting to be seated. I am being jovial and making the usual gestures such as good afternoon and how are you today. People are looking around at what's going on, taking in everything. I finally am seated and order a healthy meal of broiled Tilapia and shrimp on a bed of rice with buttered Broccoli and dinner roll with a glass of water.

     I am finishing one of the best meals I have had in the last month. I am getting up to leave just to realize at that moment that I have walked from the hotel, partaken in a grand meal, in a restaurant full of adults and children, all the while with my fly down.

     DEFINITELY ONE OF LIFES MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENTS.

DAY OF REST

     I am sitting here in Omaha, NE. waiting to get unloaded in the morning. When I get empty, I have to take my truck to the shop to have a auxiliary power unit installed, and as this is a 24 hour procedure, they are putting me up in a hotel. I will get a much needed day of rest away from this truck. I have spent the last 24 days in it and am looking forward to a day away from it. I will be able to stretch out in the room and actually take a bath instead of a shower. I am looking forward to unwinding a bit. I will be ready to go when my truck is done and will be ready to start working my way home for some much needed down time. I miss my family so much and it never gets any easier no matter how long you are out here on the road. 

     I hope everything is peaceful for all tonight and wish everyone a great nights rest. Until next time. Have a great day and another weekend is upon us. Yeah.

CAN'T GET OUT OF TEXAS

Here we go again. I sit all day in Houston waiting to get a load and what do I get. I load from Houston to Dallas. I just can't seem to get out of this Hell hole. I have spent the biggest part of the last three weeks in Texas. Houston, Waco, Dallas, Waxahachie back to Houston and now back to Dallas. Are there any other states in this country or have they all fallen off the map.  Could this be the Twilight Zone. OMG. Someone please wake me up from this terrible nightmare. If they keep me here much longer, I will have to start paying taxes here even though they don't have a state tax. They will create one just for me. What have I done to deserve this. To believe that people actually like living here. I can't see any reason why. Give me Pocatello, Idaho. Anything but this. 

      I guess that is enough of that. I got it off my chest. Will see what tomorrow brings. I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was spent in (guess where) TEXAS.  AAAAHHHHHH. I must go to bed now so I can have a few more nightmares. Have a great evening and I will talk to everyone another time. Sianara.

BACK IN HOUSTON AGAIN

     Well, it is Sunday night and I am sitting in Houston again. It seems like I can't stay out of Texas or Houston. There seems to be so much freight coming into Texas, but very little going out. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me. What ever happened to Quantum Physics. The law of supply and demand, and all that good stuff. I know that things will get better proportioned sometime, I just hope it is sooner than later.

     At least I can't ask for a more beautiful evening. Mid sixties and just absolutely wonderful. I guess you must take the bad and turn it into good so I am thankful for the great weather and it sure beats the snow up north. I guess I should count my blessings.  I have such great support from my family. It really takes special people to be able to put up with the rigors of having someone gone all the time and not there to depend on. Debbie has been doing it all our married life. First the Navy and now this. I guess she really doesn't need me as much as I need her. I don't mean that in a negative sense, but rather I know she can make it on her own if it came to that. I am the one who would be totally lost. I couldn't even pay the bills. I have never had to do it.

     It is so much fun doing this blog as it keeps me busy and helps the time go by much quicker. I get to practice my typing as I haven't really done much of it since I retired from the Navy. It is good exercise for the brain which people my age need so desperately. I really don't feel old until I get out of bed in the morning. A little exercise would do wonders. I think I want to start riding my bike when I get home. I'm sure Debbie would enjoy that too. Hopefully the bikes don't have to much rust on them.

     Well it is that time to say good night so will send my best wishes to all my friends and my love to all my loving and caring family. Thanks to you all for being you. Until later.

COUNTING THE DAYS

     It has been 18 days since I left the house on this extensive road trip. It seems like months. If it wasn't for the internet keeping me in touch with all my friends and loved ones, I would probably lose my mind. I still have about another 19 days before I go home again. This is a couple weeks longer then I usually stay out, but am doing this extra time so I can be home for Debbie's birthday. I am going to wine and dine her the entire weekend as our anniversary is the 2nd and I will miss that. I am going to make it a great weekend for her.

     It is very slow out here again. I got empty at 11 am this morning and dispatch said it would be saturday or sunday before they had enough freight for all the trucks sitting in this area. There are 8 of our trucks sitting here in this truck stop. I hope it picks up shortly. It is costing more money to be out here on the road then most of us are making. It is expensive eating out 3 times a day.

     I have been on the internet for approximately 10 hrs now and have caught up on everything that I could do on here. It is getting boring so I need to get off here for the evening and give it a break. You can bet that I will be back online first thing in the morning. It definitely makes the day go by a whole lot quicker.

      Until tomorrow, may the evening bring you all joy and happiness as the weekend is finally upon us. hoorah.

ONE HAPPY GRANDPA

     I am sitting here in Waxahachie, TX. waiting to leave for Pauls Valley, OK at 6:00 a.m. I have been online viewing pictures and videos of my precious Granddaughter and Grandson. What a wonderful way to spend the evening. I want to thank my fantastic daughters, Rebecca and Theresa for posting these pictures and videos so I can keep updated while I am on the road and so far away from everyone. It gets very lonely here on the road by yourself, but with the modern marvels of today, I can keep in touch with all my family and friends via the web and webcam. It makes life so much more enjoyable. As for my other wonderful daughter Beth, I sure would like to see you put that camcorder to some good use and send videos of yourself and Travis so I can keep up with you guys too. You are falling behind there kido. 

    I wish to say goodnight to everyone and hope your evening is peaceful and restful so you can attack tomorrow with a full head of steam as the weekend is upon you. My love to all .

BORED STIFF

     I am sitting here in Kansas City, Mo. while my truck is in the shop getting some much needed maintenance. I have been searching the web for anything and everything I could think of, from Sailboats to the most exotic cars. It is so cool how you can type in anything in google and there will be some information about it. I guess if you can think of it, there is an answer for it.

     I heard on the radio today that the main newspaper in Seattle, Washington officially as of today quit printing the paper. Everything is now online. Hundreds of people were put out of work. Nobody is buying the newspaper anymore. the news paper is becoming a thing of the past. Everyone just goes on line to get all there information. Personally, I would much rather spill my coffee on the newspaper than on my computer keyboard. Liquid and keyboards just don't mix.

     I saw a picture of Becky and Wayne today dressed in green for St. Patrick's Day. It was Wayne's 1st St. Patrick's Day. He also gained a pound this past week and is 9 lb. 14 oz.  He is growing so fast and developing quite a personality.  Matthew is going to be so surprised when he sees Wayne.  Infants grow so fast. My 3 girls were infants and the next day they were mothers. Time goes by so fast. Like a nanosecond. It is so amazing how generations are developed. There are 5 generations alive within our family. That's pretty cool.

     I will be in Ottawa, Kansas in the morning and hope there will be some freight to keep me moving. It has been 8 weeks since I have had a good productive week. I am due for some good luck.

     Well I must cut this short as I need to get some sleep before I continue my journey. I hope everyone has a wonder night and better tomorrow.

AT THE END OF THE ROAD

     Well I am sitting in the little town of Hampshire, IL about 15 miles from Woodstock. I have reached the end of the road for this trip and wonder what tomorrow will bring as far as work goes. I hope I won't have to sit to long, but am not getting my hopes up.  This has been a very easy and enjoyable 3 day trip. I finally got out of the rain this morning. I have been in the rain for the past 5 days. It is amazing how large some of these weather fronts can be.  At least it was rain and not snow. I have seen enough snow for this year and am more than ready for spring and summer. I will be ready to start making some west coast runs when the snow fall stops. Maybe I can make it out to Washington to see my daughter, son-in-law and grandson. That sure would be nice. I can't wait to get my hands on little Wayne. He needs some grandpa time. 

     I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. To all my friends, have a great night and sweet dreams.

PEACEFUL NIGHT

     I am sitting in Charleston, Mo. on a very chilly saturday night. It is very dark and peaceful. I am wondering what all my family is doing this evening. I have been on myspace killing time until I can get tired enough to go to sleep. It is nice to be working again..I have 3 days total on this trip and will hopefully be in a good area to keep working. I have to be in Woodstock, IL Monday morning between 8am and 10am. That isn't any problem. I only have to drive 430 miles tomorrow. I will be there early evening and will once again be online killing time.

     I found out that my future son-in-laws Dad passed away today. I know this is a very hard time for him. He was with his father for 2 days and then had to go back to work. His father passed right after he got to work. I pray his whole family will be able to come to peace with this in a short period of time so the healing process can begin.  My prayers are with Grady and his family.

     I hope everyone has a wonderful night and remainder of the weekend.    

THE ART OF SITTING

     I am on the start of day 2 sitting and waiting for a call to go to work. I am becoming quite good at sitting. I average sitting 3 to 4 days a week, and each week the sitting seems to expand in duration. I am becoming very good at certain tasks on the computer, as I have ample time to practice my techniques. I just had a wonderful practice in the art of video chat with my daughter Becky and grandson Wayne before we lost our connection. Wait, that is something else I can do with all this idle time. I can try to discover a way to prevent video chats from dropping off line. (making a stronger signal, since the wireless companies can't seem to get it right). They might even be willing to pay me a few bucks. Back to sitting. I figure at the current rate that my sitting time is increasing, I should have the art of sitting down to a science in about a month and then can become a full time professional sitter. The pay isn't to great, but I can work on other skills, like my typing mistakes and most importantly, my spelling. I hope all of my followers out there have a wonderful day and better evening. JOIN THE SITTING CLUB TODAY

UNCERTAIN TIMES

I am writing this much earlier than usual as it has become routine that I work 1 day and sit for 1 or 2. There seems to be no end in sight. It makes one wonder how much worse it is going to get before it starts improving. I really believe we are in this down spiral for quite some time. I think it will probably be mid 2010 at the earliest before we start to see any improvement. I pray I am wrong. My heart goes out to all the millions who have lost there jobs and have had there lives turned upside down. I am hanging in there and just feeling very fortunate to be employed. With all the companies downsizing to save money, I get to thinking. Why doesn't our government downsize. They could cut the house in half, the senate from 100 to 50 ( 1 per state), office staff etc. They might have to work a little harder and finally start earning some of that money they make. Maybe they should have to work 20 to 30 years to earn that retirement instead of only having to serve 1 term. These are just some of the things that could start in repairing our economy. It needs to start at the top and trickle down instead of the reverse. Until government is ready to practice what they preach, I just don't know how much better it is going to get.  We can only hope and pray our government will make the right decisions.

Well I hope all have a wonderful day and a better evening.

A WONDERFUL EVENING

     It is such a beautiful evening here in Houston, TX. I was on the internet goofing off as usual when I got a call on Skype from my beautiful daughter Becky out in Washington. We had a very nice video chat and I was able to see my very handsome grandson Wayne. He is getting so big. He is about to turn 8 weeks old. I can't wait to see him in person and get my hands on him. Hopefully they will be in Florida in June for a whole month. I can't wait. I miss my Kids very much. They have been in Washington for almost a year. It is hard to believe. So very far away but with the advancements in technology, I am able to talk to them face to face on the computer. It is wonderful. This is so much better than the old way of waiting for days for letters to arrive in the mail. I am so happy for all the modern gadgets we have today.

     Well, I must get ready to go to bed as I have to get up early to make my delivery. I would like to say a special good night to Debbie, Rebecca, Wayne and Debbie, the ones who read these insignificant thoughts of mine. My love to all.

ETERNITY IN CYBERSPACE

As I have come accustom, I am sitting all day with no work to do. I went online at 6AM yesterday morning and have not gotten off yet. It is 2am the next morning. This is ridiculously addictive. It is absolutely the best time to make the day go by and take your mind off the rigors of the day. I will probably be sitting all day today with nothing to do also. I hope president Obama can do something to help the economy. I did not vote for him but I will support him as he is what the general public wanted. I hope and pray it was a wise decision. I feel we are in this recession for the long haul and hope we can all make it through it. I say on the news today of over 300 individuals and families living in tents {a tent city) in Sacramento, CA. Very sad indeed. I thoughts and prayers go out to each and everyone of them as it could be me or my loved ones tomorrow. I have been through hard times before, but this just feels different. We need to stay strong and help one another as much as possible. Maybe, just maybe, this will bring us closer as individuals and as a nation. This very well could be Gods way of checks and balances. Things always seem to work themselves out. I believe that we all will survive this and become stronger individuals and a nation with new found knowledge and wisdom.

     So as I get ready to retire, God bless us all and have a peaceful and restfull night

AT PIECE WITH LIFE

It has been a very uneventful day traveling from Tonkawa, Ok. to Waco, Tx. Pretty boring actually, but I am feeling great for some unknown reason. I am in a very happy mood. I guess it is because it has been a beautiful day near 80 degrees and maybe spring is in the air. I love the changing of the seasons. Green in the spring and summer and the changing of the colors in the fall. We could skip winter. That would be fine with me. I am starting to get more people commenting on my insignificant thoughts. It is kind of nice having people read your thoughts and making comments about them. It is hard to write your thoughts when you do the same thing everyday. From the time I get up in the morning until I lay my head down to rest, always the same things just a different day. It is kind of like the movie ground hog day. How come I keep getting older. I guess there are some things you just can't slow down. I hope everyone has a wonderful and peaceful evening. Until tomorrow.

EXERCISE THE BRAIN BEFORE IT'S TO LATE

Several interesting things happened today during my travels and I couldn't wait to get stopped and add them to my blog.  As I sit here in Tonkawa, Oklahoma  rethinking those events, I realize I can't remember what it was that I wanted to put into words. Getting older has its draw backs. Brain cells deteriorate, the body joints ache and you keep telling everyone how great you feel. Hogwash. My children have all left the nest and I am away from my wife and I realize I have nobody here to keep me young. I need to find a way to exercise my brain before it is completely gone. I could call my OLDER sister and make myself feel better, but she probably wouldn't know who I am anyway. lol. I could call my younger sister, but she is always too quick to remind me that she is 15 years my junior. 15 1/2 to be exact and she won't come to the Senior Center to see me.I guess maybe typing will help me exercise both my spelling and regenerate some brain cells. Only time will tell. To all my family and friends. Have a great day.

THE MIDNIGHT POST

It's a beautiful midnight hour here in Lincoln, Nebraska. I will be leaving early in the morning for Waco, Texas. I hope today is as nice as yesterday was. I am really looking forward to spring and summer. I have seen enough snow to last me a lifetime. I love the snow from my living room window, but hate driving in it. I have 4 more weeks before I head home. Same old thing just a different day. I always find myself wondering what tomorrow will bring. That seems to make the days go by faster. I did not get to see any of my family online today which is always disappointing, but I will be thinking of them when I lay my head down tonight. To all my loved ones. Goodnight and I love you all.

MY FIRST BLOG ENTRY

I am sitting in Atalissa, IA. forming this blog per Becky's request. It is 10:35 PM and what a beautiful March evening.  As always, my thoughts are of my wife and kids. It is so hard being apart from them for so long. It gets very lonely traveling and being so far away from family and friends. We do what we must to provide for our loved ones. Just knowing that I have such a loving wife waiting patiently for my return makes it all worth while. Debbie has been putting up with me being gone for almost 32 years and she never complains. Maybe that's just because I am not around to hear it. Getting this computer was the best thing I have done in a long time. It really keeps me occupied when I have down time out here on the road. I have plenty of time to think about my daughters and grandchildren. I am able to skype  with them and see them while I am out here and it makes it seem like they are sitting in the same room. Technology is amazing. I don't know how I survived without a cell phone and computer. They sure help me keep in touch with everyone