This is an attachment point on NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft used to move the shuttle across the country.

Check this out: INDEXED

The way my church's building is set up, there are separate entrances for the main building and the part of the building used for the children's classrooms. Not the best set up, but it was an existing building and that's how it worked out. While it hasn't been a problem in the past, we have somebody sit outside the classrooms' entrance as a preventive measure to make sure nothing bad happens. I wish this wasn't a concern, but that's the world we live in.

This morning I had the duty for the first service. (we have two services on Sunday, too many people for one) My niece Rebekah was in class, there was no way somebody was getting past me!

Being able to do this is just one way my life is returning to normal after being gone for two and a half years. The separation from the people who I care about & who care about me took a greater toll than I realized. It really hit me today that this is where I need to be.

We had our monthly SoCal WidowNet lunch get together today. WidowNet is an online support group for widows & widowers. We met at the Mission Inn in Riverside. Good food, great friends.

You may have noticed that the truck cam has been down for a while. Sorry, it will be down indefinitely.

I am no longer a OTR truck driver.

Feels like a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders. It was a lot of fun for 2 1/2 years, the experiences were incredible, but being on the road wasn't taking me where I needed to go. I'm going home.

Where do I begin:
5-7 weeks away from home at a time, missing family, church, holidays, birthdays, friends, everything. Being on the road was separating me from everything that is important to me.
OTR driving is a sleep-drive-sleep-drive cycle that continues day after day without break for weeks at a time. OTR truck drivers don't have weekends.
Working more than 70 hours a week for not-quite-the-money-they-said-I'd-make is rather discouraging.
Even with making as much real food in the truck as I could, there is still a lot of junk/fast food involved. I have 40 more pounds to lose since I left.
Then there is always the fun of finding and, usually, training compatible co-drivers. Not to mention every time you go to sleep in the winter, you don't know if you're going to wake up to your inexperienced co-driver rolling the truck over in the snow.
There are some less-pleasant aspects of OTR driving I won't miss, like bathing every few days, peeing in a bottle in the sleeper & being propositioned by lot lizards while parked at a truck stop.
I hope to meet another woman someday and settle down. You can't meet anybody on the road, much less build a relationship.

I've started using the phrase 'while I was gone' when referring to things that have changed around town.

I started my new job today, delivering for a local floral wholesaler to florists & supermarkets. I actually *gasp* got out of the truck, walked around & interacted with real, live people several times today.

This says it pretty well.

Turn up your volume

My truck is still stuck in Fontucky, my co-driver jumped ship, and my cell phone is on the fritz. Not too worried about it. Changes are afoot. Can't talk about it yet, but it's all good.

It's been 9 years today. I still think about Jennifer every day. She made me a better person. It doesn't hurt the way it used to, but it still hurts. Some things you just can't change, dead is dead.

Maintenance took my truck hostage yesterday, doing a PM & fixing this & that. The new front shocks are nice. My co-driver hasn't shown up yet, should have been here yesterday morning, looks like he abandoned ship. Just ran some city work today. If he's not here in the morning, I'll be looking for a new co. Not the way to make money.

Samantha fell asleep in my arms today. It's going to be tough to drive away from that. Unfortunately, I have to. It's part of being a trucker.

I have to be at work Monday morning. I'm heading back Sunday afternoon to get the truck serviced, and get a good nights sleep before going on duty Monday morning. On the way home Friday night I was stopped at a weigh station & inspected. That's when I found out my company didn't file my Medical Certificate info with the DMV. They were cooler than they needed to be about it. The CHP let me go, and I took care of the problem while I was home.

My newest niece
7 Lbs, 3 Oz
20 Inches
8:13 AM

After almost 7 weeks I finally made it home.

Miss Rebekah loves her Goldfish. Her shirt, from her Uncle Drew, says: 'I'm the little niece of a U.S. soldier'

Her little sis Samantha is due to be born tomorrow morning. I can't wait! I love her already & I plan on spoiling her rotten. I can only imagine what my bro is going through.

As many of you know, I'm a member of WidowNet, an online support group for widows & widowers. Once a month a group of us have a lunch GTG (Get ToGether) in SoCal. I was finally able to make it again. We've been doing this in SoCal since January 2000.