Sisters

I love them, 

I miss them,

 I wish I could be with them,

so

I am thankful for pictures of special moments with them.

Coon Conversations

There was a thud that broke me out of my supper planning thoughts as we headed home from work.

Blake stopped mid sentence to inform me that he "got him". 

"Got what?" I asked.

"A coon or possum. I hit him square." 

And before I knew it, we were turning around with a "Gotta see what it was. He popped out in front of me really fast."

Back up the road we went and Blake rolled down his window as we neared the road kill. 

"Dude! Didn't your mommy ever tell you to look both ways before you crossed the road?! I hit you square! You weren't very smart!" 

I smirked and tiredly started back into my thinking.

We went further up the road and turned back around towards home.

Suddenly the window rolled down again and into the darkness I heard "Shoulda listened better. I guess this time,

 She was right!"

For Sale: Dodge Hoods

"21. (Yes, that would be 't-w-e-n-t-y o-n-e' of them.) Take one or all. Many colors. Old ones and newer ones. Motivated seller will consider all offers!"


This was the ad that formed in my mind as I dug through piles of parts. The very piles of parts to which I must proudly say I am part owner. Somehow, and I'm not sure how exactly, we have acquired LOTS of stuff. Parts trucks make easy money, but then there are a lot of parts left over that someone will probably want someday. We just have to find that someone! In our three years of marriage, not only have we bought and driven somewhere close to ten nice trucks, we have also bought at least 50 trucks that no longer were good at hauling anyone or anything. They have all turned into pieces and their remains are beginning to pile up.

I hauled a load of scrap to Speedie's. In theory, it is one of my favorite jobs. It cleans up my place and they pay me. What could be a better deal?! When I get there with the trailer (that I can't back very well), I am reminded by the junk yard guys- who are clapping at me from their seats in the excavator- that I really actually am not very good at this job. When I finally relinquish the driver's seat to one of the guys who is willing to stop laughing at me, I get reminded by the guys on the ground that they didn't actually get to see my turning around out at the road, but they DID hear about it over the radio. Thanks guys!

Hey but my cleaning up now hopefully will be something to be thankful for in the future. We are steadily looking for a place to move the shop and although we are willing to build if necessary, we aren't even able to find land in a decent location for a reasonable price. So while we continue to search, I'm anticipating what could happen. I can just picture it. January rolls around and we suddenly find somewhere to go. All the dead grass from the summer has by then completely died over top of the 21 hoods, the doors, fenders, driveshafts, axles, fuel tanks, and all the other stuff outside. Then there will be a layer of ice and then a layer of snow overtop of that and it will be so much work to move out of here, that not only will we end up junking stuff that could make money, we will also have to pay rent longer than necessary just in order to get everything dug out.

That would be why I feel an incredible drive to reduce our quantity of hoods- and increase yours. Please, oh please, wouldn't your truck look great with a new old hood?!

P.S. I did sell two hoods last week. Actually I think it was Blake who found the buyers, but I think we'll share the credit this time!

What God can do...

I don't know this man, but different friends who have lived in Papua New Guinea know him and have been updating via facebook and blogs. The story is a testimony of a God who can do anything, so I thought I'd copy it here.

Chad is Safe and Sound. God has answered prayers of thousands.

Yesterday at about 1:30pm Chad Earl left from Kokopo, West New Britain for Bom, New Ireland. Chad was heading out to do several People Group Assessments over the next several weeks. However, around 3pm a sudden squall came up and a wave swamped the boat he was traveling in and they sank in just a few seconds. This left Chad and 7 other passengers clinging to wood and cargo from the boat. Three of the women could not swim so Chad and some of the other men stayed with them. They fastened the boat gas tank to a wooden deck from the boat and waited for help. Right before they sank, they had been traveling with another boat which did see them go down and did return to check on them, however the boat would not offer assistance due to fear of the same fate. This boat soon left and continued to their destination leaving the 8 people afloat in the ocean. Darkness soon settled in, leaving Chad and the others clinging to a makeshift wooden float and some cargo for the night. Two of the men drifted apart as they were holding on to various pieces of cargo. They later drifted to shore in the night but Chad and the others remained at sea.

The NTM and church family rallied to action by contacting emergency services, embassies, friends, family, and prayer warriors. At daybreak planes and helicopters were mobilized for search and rescue. All the local folks around Bom rallied together and put together a large flotilla of search boats and went looking for the 8 folks at sea which included Chad. Shortly after 7:30am Chad and the others were all rescued, still holding their wooden raft with the boat gas tank. That is 15 hours of floating at sea, 12 of which were in the dark of night.

The NTM family want to thank the many government officials, especially the National Maritime Safety Authority in Port Moresby that worked hard to help us through this emergency. We also want to thank the local Patpatar People group for their help. The people of Patpatar and the surrounding areas did everything possible to make this a happy outcome. Thank you to everyone that worked as a team to be sure that each person was accounted for and returned safely to shore. Thank you to the many that prayed through the night. Of course, the NTM family did a great job of working together like a family does in a time of crisis – thank you. Chad was transported back to the mainland to re-outfit for his planned people group assessment trips. Chad has lost all his gear, computer, cell phone, camera, wallet, Bible, shoes, and backpack. He was left with only his shorts. However, we are so very thankful for his life and safe return.

Through the night we were so thankful that we serve the God that created the ocean and the stars, the wind and waves. We are thankful that a great and powerful God cares about people lost in a vast ocean and folks on dry land that are praying for their safe return.

I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there. If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by (in) the farthest oceans, even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.

Psalm 139:7-10


 To read a little more of the story written by another missionary, click here.

Yellow+Sunday+Kisses

Delightful afternoons

are sometimes

just spent

enjoying life

with my

best friend.

 *Photo credits to Shannah

My Friend Kylie

It's really not normal for me to make friends with the younger generation such as this, but this little girl thinks I'm pretty cool. 

How can you not make friends?!

Once she stayed at my house while her dad and Blake went to a truck pull. The evening went sort of like this: 

(big smile) "I want to play with toys".

Go find toys. 

(lacking in smile) "I'm scared. I want to watch a movie"

Turn on movie. Go back to making supper.

"I like baths. It's time for a bath!" 

Hmmm...let's distract this one as long as possible. "How about making cookies?!"

(big smile) "Come watch a movie with me!" 

...................on and on.....................

 "I want Mommy. I want to go home."

Want some ice cream?

(big smile and happy nodding)

Eats half of ice cream in dish but swallows none. Finally spits it all back out.

Hmmm, how about a bath now?

"Yes!"

Run water in bath, child steps in. 

"Ow! My foot hurts! I want to get out now!" 

Needless to say it was an interesting evening, but when the guys got back at two in the morning, Kylie and I woke up and happily said goodbye to each other.

Despite all that, it must not have been too bad because when she stopped by with her dad and twin brother yesterday, she informed me that truck pulls really scare her and that she thought she should go to my house instead. We all burst her bubble when we told her that there was no truck pull.

Everywhere I go, she chooses to hold my hand. I don't mind. It's just different. I don't make a habit out of hanging around kids, but the cool thing is that kids don't seem to notice that. If they decide to like someone, they apparently don't feel too shunned if they are ignored or too uncomfortable if they are talked about while they are in the room. I'm glad that kids, in general, like me despite the fact that I don't typically choose to hang around them. They actually are kinda fun! :)

1096 Days

Of washing greasy jeans.

Of listening to my chatter.

Of learning to operate a business.

Of understanding how another person can think so differently.

Of trying to cook tasty food.

Of living like an adult.

Of establishing life in a state different from where I grew up.

Of choosing to love another person some days.

Of spending Sundays sleeping the exhausting week off.

Of googling questions rather than asking Mom.

Of never knowing which truck is going to be working at which moment.

Of truly becoming best friends.

Almost 1100 days ago, 3 years to be exact, two kids put their arms around each other and, holding onto their promises to each other, marched into the future with absolute confidence. 

 Yep, that'd be us!

And now, three years later, we understand each other more fully*, fight more fiercely (realistically,of course, because we know full well who will win!), give more willingly, and love more deeply than we ever did that day.

Just when I think I love him more than I ever could, I realize I just learned to love a him a little more.
I love you Blake!

*This probably fits Blake more than me. :)

Maybe I Should Turn Wrenches...

But I won't. Or I can't. I won't because I can't, or I can't because I won't. I'm not sure which it is, but my job description does not include the word "mechanic".

That being said, my job does include a lot of things that don't normally get included in a girl's job description, or even just one person's job description.

 Yesterday I scrubbed a new-to-us flywheel grinder. Today I tried to clean a corner in the shop. Seriously I could spend my entire day, every day, Cleaning. Organizing. Cleaning Parts. and Cleaning. Then in my spare time I could list all those clean parts (that I would then be able to find) on ebay...
  
I love cleaning. In addition to that, I answer the phone. And talk to customers who stop by. And take care of the billing department. All accounting actually. And go on test drives- the longer ones where several miles need to be put on just to ensure that the fluky problems don't happen again. And run after parts.

I'm told that being a parent requires you to be a jack of all trades and to adapt easily and to think quickly. Some days I confidently feel like I'm going to be really good at parenting because I've been practicing all those things at work. It even seems that parenting might be more relaxing. (Don't worry- I know that you moms are all laughing at me right now :) )

Today was crazy. Several different folks desperately needed their trucks and nothing seemed to go right but the phone kept ringing.

--The one truck computer arrived but was one year different and so the oil pressure gauge now doesn't work.
--Another truck had to have a computer swapped but it doesn't shift right and the guy who can flash it correctly is on vacation until Monday. My customer is panicked because he needed the truck two days ago. 
--One truck was supposed to just have an oil leak, and ended up needing an injector.
--Another truck came in for trailer brake light wiring and ended up getting an exhaust manifold.

How am I supposed to schedule so that we aren't so crazy when that kind of thing happens?

We even have customers show up from New Jersey. A truck showed up on a trailer today because he was using so much oil and he can't seem to find a diesel mechanic in NJ. (He found us after he broke down a few miles from us several months ago.)  Turns out he needs an engine rebuild now.  

As a word of warning: if you own a diesel, do not put off repairs. Fix it while it's small. Not fixing it leads to bigger problems and then bigger problems, which then really break your wallet!

None the less, that engine rebuild is now added to the other six that are waiting to be done. Engine rebuilds are expensive and time consuming; I always feel terrible having to tell people how much it will cost to fix their truck. I wouldn't make a good doctor. At least the poor folks' health is still with them even after their wallet is empty!

In addition to the seven engine rebuilds that are awaiting our attention, we have a Ford Cummins swap to do- a good 100 hours of labor. We also have a camper that needs one of those rebuilt engines. Unfortunately some brilliant camper designer put the engine under the bed in the back. We haven't completely figured out how that job is going to be done! And then there are all the normal little every day projects that steadily come in.

One guy this week drove an hour and twenty minutes to get here because he had been told that if his truck ever needed work, he ought to bring it to us. He didn't have a phone number though so he drove here to make an appointment. I told him that it would be at least two weeks before I could get him in, which was a bit of a let down for him!

One solution to our work overload was to hire a new guy, who will start on Monday. Hopefully that will help! I really don't want to have to learn to turn wrenches. It seems too complicated for me! :)