Saturday, January 26, 2013

Things I've Learned

Things I’ve learned so far on the truck:

1. Kansas is boring. It is full of rolling hills that all look the same. There is no signal for my cell phone or our current mobile internet. And it stinks.

2. Colorado has more trees in the first 5 miles than all of Kansas. This may only be a slight exaggeration.

3. The Rocky Mountains are beautiful.

4. Sometimes, the company can change their mind about where you should go after you’ve already started to head one way. That sucks.

5. Colorado has windmill farms. They have red lights on them so planes won’t fly into them.

6. Nebraska is flatter than Kansas. And it has more trees. By a lot.

7. If you know of a city in one state, there is likely a city by that name in another state (or multiple states). For example, there is a Lexington in Mississippi, Nebraska, and New York as well as in Kentucky.

8. 34 hour resets can be somewhat boring, but they are necessary from time to time. It’s a good time to do laundry.

9. There is always something to buy at a truck stop. Most things are probably things you don’t really need. That doesn’t make them less tempting.

10. Chicken plants stink worse than cow patties. A lot worse.

11. Tyson does something with beef too. I have no clue what, but they do something with it.

12. Sometimes, the smaller truck stops are actually the better ones. You may not want to take a shower there, but the parking lots are better and there is plenty of options for drinks. Bigger does not mean better.

13. Trees make for fascinating scenery when you've had nothing but rolling hills to look at for hours.

14. I have an irrational dislike of Kansas now. And a list of things that could make Kansas cooler. I never knew I could dislike a whole state before.

15. The heaters on a truck work really well. Like wearing a t-shirt warm. I like it.

I've been on the truck less than a week. I'm sure more posts like this will be coming in the future.

Monday, January 21, 2013

Meet Me in St. Louis

I have the best father in the world. Seriously, no one else is even a contender for the title.

Yesterday, my dad drove me 5 and 1/2 hours to East St. Louis, IL to meet up with Ace and get on the truck. This is only part of the reason he is the best father in the world.

My dad has back problems. He is in constant pain, unless he is doped to the gills. He does not do long car trips if he can help it. When I got up yesterday, he offered to drive me because he knew Ace was delivering near St. Louis. He wanted to see me smiling again, which he got to see every time he looked at me in the rear view mirror yesterday. I'm still smiling.

My father, who should not be in a car for 11 hours, was in a car for 11 hours yesterday to let me be with my husband again. He sacrificed his day and his body to bring me happiness. I will never forget that. Never.

My step-mom also rocks. She came with us, so that if my dad was hurting too bad she could help drive home. She had work today, and she works with little kids (under 2 years old). And she's still recovering from surgery (she seems to be doing well).

Today, I am with Ace. We are on the truck. Tonight, we pick up a trailer full of candy to drive it to Colorado. I don't know if I would be with Ace today if my dad hadn't driven me up here (I did help pay for at least some of the gas for the trip, and it was the least I could do).

I got to see the St. Louis arch up close (we made a wrong turn, and ended up right by the arch). I got to share in a new experience with my dad and step-mom. And I got to join my husband.

I have the best father in the world. And no one can convince me otherwise.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Waiting Still

I'm still alive. Hopefully, I'll be joining Ace on the truck soon. As it is, I'm still waiting for him to get close enough.

And maybe someday, I'll start trying to figure out why I seem to ignore this blog for a week and a half sometimes.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Signs You've Grown Up

Today, I am posting signs that you've grown up (things that I've noticed that I'm doing around my dad that show that I've grown up).

1. Folding your laundry, especially your underwear, without blushing.
2. Playing Cards Against Humanity (admitting you know what some of those cards mean is... awkward with your dad playing with you)
3. Admitting you need to go buy supplies for your period.
4. Listening to Afternoon Delight on the radio without blushing or squirming (still working on that one).
5. Knowing when asking won't affect what happens, so you don't bother asking.

Okay, it's a short list. But still.

And Cards Against Humanity is fun, but it's not clean. Which is why it's awkward to admit knowing what the cards mean.

But I'm growing up, or I am grown up. Or I am at least not as immature/young as I used to be. Or something.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Make New Mistakes

This year, I've decided to take Neil Gaiman's advice from December 31, 2011 as my goal for the year.

"I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever."

So, that's my goal for this year. To make mistakes. Especially new mistakes. I've survived the consequences of my old mistakes. I've gotten wiser from them. My life is not necessarily gotten better for those mistakes, but I've gotten to be a better, more mature person for having to deal with them.

So, this year I think I'll make new mistakes. And I invite you to join me in this.