Walk Hard

This week was a wild one! Last Sunday, October 4, our nephew Sawyer decided he wanted to make an early appearance! My sister in law went in to labor at 33 weeks pregnant. They could not stop the labor and had to do an emergency c-section because he was breach. Robert Sawyer was born at 7 pm and weighed 4 pounds and 13 ounces. He is doing really well! He's a little fighter for sure! He will be in the NICU for a while but he is so strong!!!

It was strange going to the hospital without Travis. It was my first time being in there since we had Logan back in June. I talked to Travis quite a few times that night while we were waiting for them to finish the surgery. I know he felt terrible to not be there. It kind of made me laugh though. Before he left he made a joke about the movie Walk Hard. We were talking about how his friend Casey's baby was due right around the time he would be leaving, thankfully he came before Travis left so he got to meet him! He joked and quoted a line from the movie, "I'm gonna miss some things, okay ?I'm gonna miss some birthdays and some christenings. I'm gonna miss some births, period." I laughed so hard!! We didn't realize that he was going to miss little Sawyer coming into the world! I've been sending him tons of pictures though!!! He also gave me some input on our baby shower gift over the phone.

Travis and his trainer have spent most of the last week hopping back and forth between Georgia and Texas. I think they have now been to every major city in Texas! Thankfully he is still enjoying himself out there. I know he had a rough day earlier this week. He was very homesick. I miss him so much, but I know its 100 times harder for him because he doesn't have his family to lean on.

I have been so busy trying to stay busy that I haven't written a blog in a while! Last night Travis told me I need to hurry up because he is a fan and is ready to read!!!! I've been spending my time recovering from bronchitis (which took two weeks!!!), working and shopping for sweet baby Sawyer's baby shower! One of the gifts we got him was the most precious blanket that was embroidered with his name and a fox to matchhis nursery! A friend from high school made it for him! She does amazing work!

You can order from her here!

For the past two days we thought we were going to get to see each other! It's been driving me nuts that they haven't gotten here yet! They have to come back to the Charlotte terminal to get their truck maintenanced. They keep getting another load on the way back and this last load can't be delivered until tomorrow morning. Supposedly they will be back in town tomorrow afternoon and get to stay the night. I'm hoping it actually happens!!! Cant wait to see him! When they go back out after the maintenance he only has one week left of training. The longest times away from each other are almost over!

Sawyer's baby shower

Surprise, surprise

Sunday night I went to bed early. I was starting to get a cold and not feeling very well. I knew I would need the extra sleep for work the next day! Since I'm still the new girl I didn't want to let a little cold keep me out of work!!!! I woke up to the lights being turned on in the bedroom. I thought I had overslept and that my Mom had left work and come to wake me up. It didn't take but just a few seconds to realize that it was not my Mom in my room!!!!! It was Travis! What an awesome surprise!!!

Sleepy surprise face

He got back in to Charlotte around one in the morning and had his friend Casey (thank you so much Casey and Erica) come pick him up at the terminal. He came home and snuck quietly in the house. He said he scared the heck out of our cat Zoe. He took a fast shower and then came in to surprise me! It ended up being a good thing for him that I was sick because I was sleeping so hard I didn't even here him come in! Funny thing is that he was sick too! We were thousands of miles apart and got sick at the same time! It was so wonderful being able to snuggle up next to him when I went back to sleep.

The workday on Monday went by so slow! I knew Travis was at home so that's all I could think about. Plus I was definitely feeling the cold at that point! Finely I got home. We had pizza and wings for dinner, one of Travis favorite foods. Then we watched Monday Night Raw together. It was nice being able to actually watch it with him this week. I had to go to bed early for work the next day. He stayed up and played video games online with Casey. I know he enjoyed getting some gaming in while he was home!

Tuesday I went to work but ended up having to leave early I was so sick. I went straight to the doctor after leaving work. Turns out I had an upper respiratory infection and bronchitis. Still struggling with the bronchitis now!!! I felt bad because everyone at work knew that Travis was in town. I was scared they would think I was just playing hookie to get more time with him! It was nice to have that extra time though! We were lazy all day!!!

I made him meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner that night. That one is another of his favorites! We got to watch the season finale of one of our shows together! Thought that we would be apart during that! His parents stopped by for a little while to say hello and we had a nice visit with them.

Wednesday he had to leave again. We spent the first part of the day running errands and got some lunch. I took him up to the terminal around four to leave. I was so thankful to be off of work this time when he left! I got to actually say goodbye right before he left. I got to see inside the truck he has been in and meet his trainer, Justin. It was hard to leave him there but it was a lot easier than the first day when I had to say goodbye at work!

They had to rush a load to Corpus Christi, TX. This meant that they had to team drive, which Travis really didn't want to do during his training. Travis would drive while Justin slept and vice versa. I know Travis was not happy with that. The first time I talked to him about it he sounded pretty upset. I got him put on the prayer chain. The next time I talked to him he was in such better spirits!! The power of prayer people!!!!!

The next day they actually got to meet up with JP, Travis brother. What are the odds that two brothers who work for completely different companies would be on the same interstate in Texas, at the same time. They knew they were going to cross paths so they met up and had dinner together! How amazing is that! That was definitely God!!! I thought it was so cool!

Travis and JP with their trucks

They made it to Corpus Christi this morning and got their load there on time. They picked up another one and are headed back to the Charlotte terminal with that one. Luckily this one isn't a rush so they don't have to team drive this one.

I am so thankful that his trainer had a meeting on Monday! That is why they got to come home early!! It was the best surprise!! It couldn't have come at a better time either! I was able to take care of Travis while he was sick, and he was able to take care of me! Now it will be three long weeks for him to finish his training before we see each other again. I'm thankful for that extra time!

Sitting at the dock all day...

Travis and his trainer have been hopping all over the US!

The other day they were in Illinois and Travis had to call me because he was so excited about seeing a WWE truck at a truck stop! It was advertising next years Wrestlemania. He sent me some pictures of it. I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty jealous about that one!

Travis got his first experience waiting for a load on Friday. They were supposed to pick up a new load in Arkansas at the same time they delivered another. It ended up not being ready. Luckily they didn't have to "sit at the dock all day." They decided to go to a truck stop to wait. Fate was on his side! The truck stop they went to was completely empty. So Travis got the majority of the afternoon to practice backing. I know he was very happy to get this opportunity. He said he feels really good about the experience he's gotten this week.


Sitting at the dock all day by Trevor Hoagland


They are still waiting on a load. They have been routed from Arkansas to Tennessee to pick one up. It will unfortunately not be ready until tomorrow morning. They are stopped at a nearby truck stop for the night playing video games! He and his trainer have really hit it off. I have to thank God for that one! I spent a lot of time praying he would get a good trainer that he enjoyed spending all of that time with. He has a PlayStation in the truck. Sometimes they play when they are stopped for the night. Travis described the truck stop they are at as the smallest and emptiest one he has ever seen.

I am still trying to adjust to life with a husband on the road!! I get so bored so easily!! Luckily my job has been keeping me busy. I've been spending a lot of time cleaning and decorating the house for Halloween! I have to find things to keep me occupied. Bed time is the hardest! It's so strange going to sleep alone! 

All in all the first week of him being on the road has gone very well. I want to thank everyone for their prayers and kind words!!! Thank you for following us on this journey!!

Two Years Later...

Hello all!

It's been two years and a few months since my last post. Soooooooooo much has happened in those two years.

Travis came home from his training and we were out of the trucking world for the past two years. Boy was it a crazy two years. We gained a sister in law when my brother got married. We celebrated our second and third wedding anniversaries. We finally got pregnant after trying for a long time. Then tragedy struck when we lost our beautiful son Logan when I was 27 weeks pregnant. 2015 has been a rough year so far for us.

Now things are starting to look up. I've got a new job at Taco Bell as one of the managers and Travis is on the road again! After coming off the road the first time he worked in construction for the past two years. He worked for a company that installed safety rails in new houses until the permanent stairs rails were installed. It was a great job until his company started doing corporate restructuring. He tried a few different jobs this past summer but after a lot of thinking and praying we decided that him going back on the road for a while to get some experience would be good for his career. After getting a few months of experience over the road he will be able to get a great local job and be home every night.

So here I am, back to the crazy life of a trucker's wife!! He left out with his trainer this past Saturday. For those of you reading the blog for advice on supporting your husband through this journey, when he starts with a new company after not having driven for a while, be prepared for the hiring process to take forever!!!!!! It was a week and a half after he finished orientation before he got in a truck!!! They had to wait for his drug test and background check to come back. That didn't take to long. The part where you have to be diligent is getting them in contact with previous employers to confirm past jobs. It took so long for them to reach someone at his old job!!!! In the end he had to call and get them in touch with the right person. So if you run into that problem that is what I suggest doing!

This time Travis has a better phone, (thanks to his brother and our sister in law and his parents for buying it for him as a going away present) so we get to Skype! That has been a blessing for sure. I highly recommend using it while your husband is gone. It makes it so much easier to be able to actually see his face. He has a lot in common with his trainer and I know that helps him. He seems to be really enjoying the road this time, and for that I am so thankful.

So far he has been to Alabama then up to Illinois and now he's on his way to Wisconsin!! All of that in only four days. The time zones got us on Sunday! He forgot he was in a different time zone and tried to call me before I went to work. I was already at work so I thought something was wrong when I saw he had called me! The worrier in me (thanks Mom) thought the worst!! It ended up giving us a good laugh though!!

I'll be posting some of his travel adventures and advice for other trucker's wives on here every so often!!! Stay tuned and thank you for reading!

Really? Really? REALLY????

May 13, 2013

Travis called before they left today to say good morning to me and I fell right back to sleep! I didn't wake up until ten today and it was awesome! When I woke up I took my laundry and put it in the wash right away. I wanted to get my tights washed so I could wear the outfit I had planned to lunch with my Mother in law! Beth and the boys had decided to go too and surprise her!

After I took the clothes I made my breakfast and relaxed a bit while I ate. I went to put them in the dryer after that. While they were drying I went ahead and did my make up so all I had to do was change clothes before heading to Donato's. My boss called me to ask if I could go in at three to do the registers since she wasn't back in town yet. I reluctantly said yes. I got done with my make up and got down to get the clothes a bit before they were done so I had to wait a bit. When I got back and got changed we all left.

We got there a bit early and the boys hid behind the table to surprise Maw Maw. It was so cute! When she got there she asked if I had driven Beth's car. Now I am a terrible liar so all I could say was no haha! I said but there might be a surprise for you around the corner! Right at that moment the boys all saw her and screamed "Surprise Maw Maw!" She loved it!

My Mother in law and I got the same salad. It was some sort of apple and chicken salad and man I think I'm addicted to it now! The boys all got kids pizza's and Beth got a turkey club. The coolest part is that between 11 and 3 on weekdays its 50% off if you dine in! My lunch only cost me $3! It was a nice long lunch and we really enjoyed the time together.

After lunch Beth and the boys went to the in laws house while I went and did my work thing. I was about ready to throw something when I got there. It was bad enough that I had to do the registers on my day off. Jane had told me to call her when I was doing them in case she needed something else done. I tried three times with no answer of course. She also had scheduled for someone to come fix the broken warmer while I was there which meant I had to wait until he was done until I could leave! I was so angry! I guess I am just so tired of doing so much and being walked all over and used. Well that was my rant for the day!

After that ordeal I went back to the inlaws and Beth and I stayed there for about an hour. Our Father in law got home from work so we chatted with him some and that was nice. The boys played with their toys and they were really good when it was time to go too! 

When we got home cleaned up in my room a bit then got to work catching up on my blogs. Beth was working on a school project for Wes that he needed photos for. She made the cutest collages for it! 

Travis called me and texted me a lot last night! They were stuck in Boston for the night. The load they had dropped off had some boxes that they wouldn't accept. They had to wait until three in the morning for the dump area to open so they could drop them off. They decided to just stay at the dump part that night so that they could dump it and go as soon as they could.

Travis said that he had driven through Boston during rush hour! I was so proud of him! I would have been scared of that in a car. We got to talk for a long time but had a family emergency later in the evening so the blog is getting cut short! Sorry guys!

Mother's Day

May 12, 2013

Woke up today to a call from my sweet husband! Talked to him for a little while before they headed out to Massachusetts. I went in the kitchen to wish my amazingly wonderful Mom a happy Mother's Day! She was cooking breakfast for us. She even made decaf coffee so that I could have some too! That's how awesome she is, that's her day and she made us breakfast!

We ate our breakfast and finished the movie that I fell asleep during last night. It was so stupid! It was that new Wayan's brothers Paranormal Activity spoof. After that we watched Silver Linings Playbook which was AMAZING! I have got to go buy that movie! I laughed and cried, it was so sweet. I had intended to leave her house at two so that I could go home, check on Zoe, get my shower and go to the store before we went to Robert's for the Mother's Day cookout. I didn't leave until three because I just had to finish that movie! Mom even made a salad for lunch with homemade 1000 Island dressing, yummy!

I went home after the movie to get ready and check on Zoe. I headed to the store and got ground turkey for my bunless burgers. I even stopped at the farmers market for some fresh vegetables to grill. I finally got to Robert and Taylor's house around 5:30. I was supposed to be there at five but I got stuck behind a bicyclist. I wanted to accept the beer they offered so bad but I have been doing so good on my diet I just couldn't! 

Robert made all of the burger patties and got the grill ready while Mom and I cut the veggies up. I seasoned them with butter and an Italian dressing packet. While Robert grilled the rest of us sat at the table and talked. It was so nice to have all of the family together!

The whole spread looked amazing and the only thing I really missed out on was the bun and the sweet potato fries. I know my Mom was loving her day with all of us! She has been trying to get us all together for over a month now! We enjoyed our dinner and talked a little more before I had to leave to go see my Mother in law.

I went to see her and give her gift to her. She wasn't expecting anything so I loved the look on her face! She was so excited! She absolutely loved it. I had used Beth's idea and made her a movie basket. I got a popcorn bucket and filled it with a box of popcorn, a Pepsi, a chocolate covered rose and five dollars so that she could pick out her own movie! Travis had helped me pick everything while we were on the phone. She loved hearing that!

I knew that it was about time for Travis to stop for the night so I hung out at his folks for a while. I was pretty sure he would call his Mom first so I wanted to see her face light up and boy did! It was so sweet! They talked for a little while and then I talked to him for a few minutes. He said I could call him when I got home. I started to watch this cute movie The Zookeeper with them but I got sleepy so I headed home. 

I talked to Travis for about thirty minutes. He was in Stanford, CT for the night! That's where the WWE headquarters is so we thought that was funny. He was telling me all about his trainer and how he is from NC. He sounded like a pretty cool dude which I am happy about. That was one of the things I was most worried about. After we got done talking I talked to Beth for a few minutes and then I was ready for bed! Good night everybody!

Out With The Trainer!

May 11, 2013

I opened up at work today and it went well. I was done early so I was going to do a bit of extra cleaning. When I went to grab the paper towel roll I noticed that there was a giant (and I mean giant) furry brown spider. That freaked me out for about twenty minutes! I had no idea where it went because it was way to fast to smush. Shortly after that Ashley came in and we started getting busy for breakfast very early today. Our breakfast rush lasted three hours and it was insane! It was the busiest breakfast I have ever seen in the nine months that I have worked there. People were having to take their food to go because we had no more tables!

Finally breakfast was over but then we had to get together a lunch catering really quickly. Luckily it was only ten items so we got them out really quick and were finally able to take a break! Lunch wasn't any busier than a normal Saturday so that was nice. We also actually had a dining room person so we didn't have to worry about anything but closing our area! Love days like that. Especially since I had to leave Ashley at 2:30 to deliver that catering. I got a text from Travis at 12:30 that he was about to get on the truck with his trainer! I was so excited for him! I told him to have fun and wished him good luck! 

My sexy husband in the truck

The rest of the afternoon went well and I was able to get most of the closing done for Ashley before I left. I left a tiny bit early since I had never driven the van before. Man that thing is so shaky and bouncy! I was going five under the speed limit the whole time! When I got to the address I about flipped out because the driveway was a mile long gravel road! I felt like I was going to bounce into the ceiling with all of the bumps and I was so worried about the food in the back! I made it to the end of the driveway and unloaded the food. I was in and out really quick! She was very pleased with how the fruit tray looked and that made me feel really good. I was so happy to make it back to the cafe and get out of that van that I took an "I survived" picture!!!

After that I finished up the closing and got Ashley all set up to deliver the chocolate covered strawberries. Then I headed home to set Zoe up for the night and get my stuff packed to spend the night with my Mom. Me, my Mom and Joseph went to Publix toget me something for dinner. I got a Bourbon Salmon Fillet from the butcher and they already had veggies to cook. We rented a movie from Redbox and headed back to her house. We started on dinner after we got home. My salmon was amazing and Mom did an awesome job on the vegetables!

We started the movie while we ate dinner. Travis called me around nine. They were done for the night. He had driven 267 miles just in that short time! He told me they were in Youngstown, OH on their way to Massachusetts. His trainers name is Tony and he had bought him dinner so that was awesome! We talked for a little bit and I let my Mom open her Mother's Day present while I had Travis on the phone. I had tried to pick a funny card so that she wouldn't cry but she still did of course! She liked her gift! I told Travis goodnight and we went back to the movie.

I finished my blog (barely) and tried to finish the movie. My eyes started to get really heavy around 10:30 so it was bed time! It had been a long day!