SNOW
We left the plaza and drove in some serious snow all the way back to New York.We saw alot of deer along the I-90 highway and when we came down before it was dark, I didn't see all the grape vineyards outside of Buffalo, NY. there were miles and miles of them. Ricky was wondering how we were suppose to keep the pickles from freezin. Just hoped for the best. We were lucky to get a spot in the small truckstop so that we had bathroom access. Drove down the next morning and got to do a drop and hook. The roads weren't too bad, the parking lots are always the worse. Went back to get our spot, buttt, of course it was gone... so back to the casino parking lot. We sat until our hours were getting short again of course, but we are headed home... after a side trip outside of New York City in New Jersey. All that area is just one big nightmare traffic wise, We did get down there without any problems... even though the directions were off. We got there and another driver had taked our load, but his was going to the same place, so was just a matter of getting numbers straight... and off we went to Lawrence, KS. Made it to Pennsylvania just as our hours were out, so that meant a good thing for the traffic the next morning. Got to the Ohio-Indiana line for the next night, was snowing really heavy, the rest area lot was very thick with ice and snow and fog was moving in. Left Sunday morning and when we hit the Indiana line the roads were terrible, Ohio salt trucks had done a lot better job. We saw several trucks in the median and on the side. Ricky did really good, I was very proud of him, his practice last winter helped. We called the girls as we drove through Indy, they were digging out their cars in their driveways. I told them to stay home, make hot chocolate and watch a funny movie... that's what I would have liked to do... : ) Called Jenn and she said they had gotten a little snow at home too, not nearly like what we had been in for several days, Thank goodness... She said they were all fine though, just cold. We got to a Petro just out from Kansas City last night... got there at 6:00pm and were lucky to find one parking spot way down by the lube shop.. was a long cold walk up to the restaurant and bathrooms. People were driving all around looking for a spot all night. When we left at 4:30 this morning trucks were parked in every available spot they could get away with. Spots for truckers to stay can get to be a nightmare most of the time. We delivered without any trouble this morning... was a chilly 19 degrees... but we are still waiting for a dispatch, hopefully to go on to Joplin..we were 27 when we went on the board this morning after our empty call. This is the part I wish the planners had a taste of. Sitting in a customers lot or worse waiting, for hours.Oh well, hopefully we will get home tomorrow.. I'm ready to sleep in my waterbed : ) Catch you up later.....

Livin our Dream....Belinda and Ricky

WINTER TIME IS HERE
We got up at 5:00am and the spots of water on the parking lot were frozen, just spots, we didn't get ice on everything. Thank goodness! Ricky drove on up to our delivery with ease. Got unloaded in just an hour this time.
Yessss that is a double plus. Right after Ricky punched in our empty call, we got a new dispatch, that's the way we like it to be. We left Hartford, MI and ran up to Zeeland, just out from Holland, where all the tulip bulbs come from : ) and we saw lots of blueberry bushes on our way there too... Picked up a truck load of pickles and are backtracking going right back to the same area we just left in New York, in fact we will take the same exit off of hwy 90 and stay in the casino parking lot again, cause our delivery isn't till Friday, but in Rome instead of Marcy. We drove to a service plaza just west of Cleveland and are staying here for the night. We took free showers here. This is a wonderful service they provide for truckers, even though they pay alot in toll charges.They have a lounge with TV's and a laundry too. The weather is saying snow and ice by in the morning here and all the way up to NY, we were hoping to get up there before it caught up with us, wish we had checked before we shutdown, would have driven further for the night. Oh well, I'm riding with a professional truck driver, : ) he can handle it : ) Gonna highlight for home after we deliver this load... gotta get home and get my tree up and shop for my Cody and Emily!! Get my Christmas cookies and candy made and plan that big Christmas dinner : ) Told you this snow is puttin me in the mood... : ) Gotta get in the bed, think we will leave alittle early in the morning to get ahead of the majority of the weather. Catch you up later.

Livin the Dream...Belinda and Ricky

SLIPPERY THREATS
We are sitting in Paw Paw, MI right now, it's west of Kalamazoo and Battle Creek. We have a delivery at 7:00 in the morning in Hartford, just a few miles away. It has been raining with the temps daring it to turn to ice all day. There has been ice on the trees and fences ever since we came through Toledo, OH this morning.Oh yea, remember us getting loaded in Marcy? Well, it was about 11:30 before we got to the dock, and they were out of the windshield washer fluid they were making and we had to get loaded off the production line as they packaged it. So we didn't get to leave for a couple of hours. Getting somewhere early doesn't mean much sometimes. Made it to Pennsylvania for the night. Drove on to Fulton, NY and did a drop and hook, was driving around in the snow in the parking lot looking for an empty trailer. Snow was all on the landscape, none on the road, thank goodness. Drove on to a parking lot for a local casino to wait for a new dispatch, had a special one for big trucks. The local small truck stop had only 5 spaces.. and with a Wal Mart Dist. center there were a lot of trucks looking for a spot. The casino sent a shuttle to pick you up if you wanted. I didn't feel very good so we bypassed this fun this time. Was the next morning before we got this load. Snowed during the night but was still good on the roads. Left for Fulton, NY, not too far away, and picked up a loaded trailer and will get unloaded in the morning, hoping the ice won't cause us problems . They are calling for it to be very icy here in the morning, we are at a small truckstop, but they had 1 washer and 2 dryers, well, 1 working washer, and even though its raining and cold and nasty, I did get the laundry done. Needed my sweatshirts clean so I don't have to wear my coat in the truck.. : ) Heard from Joplin Terminal about them losing power.. called Jenn and she said they were OK. Not out of power... that is a plus after the ice storm last winter. Hope my friends at OREILLY'S are OK delivering from the warehouse to the stores. Ice melt and antifreeze are in big demand this time of year. Well, gonna go for now. Catch you up again after we deliver.

Livin our Dream...Belinda and Ricky

HURRY UP & WAIT
Well, we got a dispatch about 3:30, to run up 200 miles to Reidsville, NC for Saturday morning. Had just enough hours that we decided to go on up there hoping for a parking spot. Got to the customer and they had alittle room in the back by the docks, and we got permission to stay. Heated up some Ravioli, Ricky got on the computer, and the guys said if they got our order ready they would wake us. Well, they didn't, so much for leaving early. Our appointment is at 10:00 am et and other trucks are pouring in this morning. So we'll be lucky if we get to the dock for our appt. We have to be in Marcy, NY tomorrow, east of Syracuse. The weather site on the internet is letting us believe the snow and ice will be moving out while we are driving up, but more is moving in Sunday night. Man, we may get stuck up there for a couple of days. The dogs and me like to look at the snow, not get out in it. Well, I'm looking at the bright side, just another week and a half or so and we will go home for Christmas. I haven't been home in 2 1/2months, Ricky in 3. Time to see my grandbabies. I am looking forward to putting my tree up this year and dragging out my other decorations. Ricky might not be so happy to do the dragging out : ) He has to do all the moving around of the boxes for me : ) I think I will even get him to drag old Santa out of the shed, along with my candles and put them up in the yard. : )
Guess I'll go for now, it's time for us to load, yea..right..and hopefully the Werner truck is through, and we can get to the dock. That means Ricky needs me to batten down the hatches.. Catch ya later....

Living the Dream....Belinda and Ricky

CHRISTMAS TIMES ACOMIN
Snow sure puts the holidays in your heart...Got to PA and it was snowin like heck...the wind was blowin, Ricky was holdin hard to the steering wheel.Got to a service plaza about 70 miles from the customer and found a spot, lucky, and shut down. Was so cold, had to park a long way from the doors to the stores, the wind was blowin hard...my ears were freezin, gonna get my earmuffs before we come back after Christmas. Gettin unloaded was an ordeal. Had to turn the truck off while we were at the dock, and it was 26 degrees. kept waiting for them to call us on the CB to come get our paperwork.. was there for 4 hours. Ricky finally went in to check and tell them we were freezing.. no one had been in the trailer in a while.. the load was short or something.. nothing to do with us..picked up the trailer preloaded from Mexico... arghhhhh... after he went in they decided to let us go... on our way to a truckstop..got a dispatch to pick up the next day in Pottsville, PA, about 70 miles from Carlise.. where the truckstop was. Got fueled.. had a few hours on our clock and decided to get close to our customer for the night. Went on up and got about 20 miles from it. Was a good thing we didn't try to find them in the dark...was in a residential area where the road was tight.. got a partial load of ladies undergarments, then went to Pine Grove, PA, about 17 miles back and picked up bird seed. Quite a combination. : ) Then took off for Laurens, SC. Was still just a snowin, made it to a rest area in Virginia.. just above Roanoake.. for the night... still snowin... got up, no snow, : ) drove on down to Laurens, wouldn't take us early... had to sit at another truckstop for 5 hours waiting, got a good late lunch at the waffle house, then went in to the Wal Mart Dist to do a live unload... was there for 3 hours... then got a dispatch to drop our trailer around the corner at a tire place and bobtail to Lugoff, SC. Now who would name a town such a dumb name? Came over to a Target Dist. and found an empty trailer. Came over to the Pilot and have been sitting here all day...just waiting... can't really go get a shower or anything... might get a dispatch that is a hurry up and go... hate this part... give the drivers some info to work with... arghhhhh... anyway..gonna go, will catch you up when I know something..

Living the Dream....Belinda and Ricky

AHHH JOPLIN
Made it to Joplin... like to have never got out... We knew we had to get the oil changed, but there were a bajilion other trucks there getting stuff done.. hardly anyone on the board for new loads.. there were 5 other trucks in front of us to have work done. So they got us a hotel room.. : ) off we went with the dogs, got good showers, and slept on a real mattress, headed out at 6:00am to pick up the truck and start towards PA... got to the yard and they haven't even touched our truck. : ( would have laid in bed a little longer... anyway, so I got the laundry out and got it done, Ricky worked on some new papers for getting on the better insurance plan... his anniversary of 1 year at CFI was Nov. 29th. Time goes by faster the older you get.. sure doesn't seem like he went to school a year ago, or that he's been driving that long. Anyhow.. it was 1:30 when we finally got out of there. So we had to drive till late in the night again. Got to Indianapolis to shut down.. were lucky to find a spot.. : ) but that winter cold got here first.. was 60 when we left Joplin was 30 here.. and 26 when we got up this morning. Trying to hurry and get the dogs in the truck after a potty break, I had the door open and stood up and whacked my head.. have a bad head ache this morning.. think it might be a concussion...hit just below where the doctors left that hole in my head.. maybe I need to wear a helmet instead of a CFI cap..haaa well we are gonna drive on in to our customer or at least to the closest service plaza, if there's a spot, cause it will be night time when we get there. Gonna take some Tylenol... catch ya'll up late..

Livin the Dream... Belinda and Ricky