A Weekend to Remember

We escaped this place for two blissful days! When you are burned out and exhausted, two days away can be the most amazing thing ever. 

Friday night we left work smack dab at 6 o'clock and ran home, packed a quick bag and headed to Toledo. We had to meet up with a guy to deliver some parts on Saturday but we got a hotel - and apparently it was the most expensive one ever cuz they charged $10 for breakfast! 

We skipped breakfast.

We really shouldn't have though cuz then we got kinda stuck at a machine shop where we were dropping stuff off... after six hours of talk we finally left for Subway. While I waited though I got to study some really cool old vehicles parked in the back of the shop. 

Is this cool or what?!

To the best of my memory, we had never sat in Subway to eat before. I felt like we were a dating couple - we sat across from each other and talked the entire time. The topic of customers, trucks, and money never came up; instead we discussed meteorites in Russia and our favorite country songs that we hadn't heard in ages. 

Sunday we had to go back to the machine shop to pick up a part to deliver back to another shop in our area, but we hurried and were out of there in lots less time than Saturday's visit. We stopped at Dairy Queen on our way home, yet another thing that I don't ever remember doing with my man. And then he took me to Kohl's just to go fun shopping. :)

We laughed and talked so much together - I think we'd almost forgotten that we are such good friends. The stress of work overpowers all too often and we get 100%  fried and sick of each other. 

I asked Blake on our way home if he'd had a nice weekend. He responded quickly that he was so glad and that he had had a great time too. The look on my face told him that he hadn't heard me correctly, but we laughed together when he realized what I had asked him. 

We needed that mini vacation. 

Our energy for living life has been renewed. :)

Journal Entry - 11 Yrs Ago

February 10, 2002
 Here I sit, writing in awe. Yoders got to Vermont today, but that is not what I am in awe of. I'll tell of that in a minute. Josh happened to be at Dan's and he looked up and saw a large van - one that did not belong in Vermont. All of the sudden he realized it must be them . He ran over and sho'o'nuf it t'was them. He gave them directions. They thought it was our house but I righted them on that. Anyway, I am in awe. I met the very first boy who actually put his arm around me!
 Here's the story. Maria, Lanna, and I headed outside after battling the little girls off of us. We headed out and slid on our boots and sleds when we could snatch one. Then after a while went in to warm up. When we came out, Blake and Mark were police. They slid into anyone who they thought were out of order. Once Maria and I came running out and as soon as they were off the sled I grabbed it and headed down the hill. Mark got on the back and yelled for Blake who came to the rescue. QUICK. This is the part where I am in awe. Blake put his arm around my shoulder from the side. "You're under arrest!" he yelled at me. I forcefully pushed him away. "Get off of me!" I yelled right back. Then Mark suggested to have me pull him up the hill. Maybe I would leave if I had to work, but oh no. I pulled right along with Blake (He kept his head aright and his shoulders square and he wouldn't look at me.) and told him how nice  he was to give Mark a ride up the hill... etc.

And that is my first memory of meeting Blake. :) 

(Apparently 12 yr olds are in such an awkward stage, that they don't even get many pictures taken. I could not find even one picture of either of us where I was convinced we were 12!)

Here you have it:

The most up-to-date list for a 

Diesel Mechanic Business Owner's Wife.

• Be sure to love cleaners. The stronger the better! Do not go green in this area. Oh and you should probably love cleaning too.

•  Prepare for phone calls 24 hrs a day. They will probably not be emergencies when they are at 10 o'clock at night, but learn to not roll your eyes. To that person, noise coming from his driveshaft IS an emergency. He may even think it's an emergency if he can't find a parking spot at your shop to unload his dead truck. And if the phone calls come at 4 a.m., just be thankful that your husband can answer the phone.

• Never forget that your spouse is still most important in your whole circle of people. You may not have fallen in love in a work setting, but you can certainly stay in love, no matter how stressful your work setting is. Even if you feel that he is of the least importance to you at the end of the day, wipe your "feeling slate" clean, leave work behind, and go home and pretend he just came home from a long hard day at work and you're thrilled to see him!

•  Learn how to write out checks or bills (when people are waiting) while you are on the phone pricing input shafts. Then learn to get them both right. ( In case you were wondering, the input shafts were wrong today.)

•  Care about people. Remember whether they are pleasant or whether they annoy you, they need their truck fixed, they need friends, and they need Jesus. 

•  Focus on what does get done, not what doesn't. Realize that the shop may be a disaster, but you DID get your phone calls made.

•  Fall in love with the colors black and gray. They will be your best friends. Your coats, your jackets, in fact, actually, all your clothes should be this color. Don't read "Color Me Beautiful" and other books that might tell you it doesn't match your skin tone. The tone of your skin will probably be more of a gray by the end of the day anyway so that really doesn't matter.

•  Do not get attached to your truck. Oh and learn the different parts of the engine. When the truck doesn't start and your husband is trying to tell you how to start it, it's a lot easier if you know what he's talking about.

•  Answer the phone pleasantly. Customers notice.

•  Honesty should be your number one policy in every aspect of your business. Appreciate that your husband holds firm to that, no matter if you feel that things aren't working out the way you wish they would at the time.

•  Grease is ok. Embrace that fact and realize that even if your hands are fairly black, they will wash off. Cleaner. Lots of it, remember?! The grease does not have to always remain on your wall by the light switches.

•  Learn to be a good boss and a co-worker. This might be interesting if you're never worked for anyone before but you can learn. Management can be tricky, but with time and determination, anything can be bettered.

• Make your husband's goals your own. A lot more can get accomplished that way.

•  Ask questions. They might seem dumb, but it's the only way to learn. 

•  Have an clean sweatshirt for when you have to drive somewhere. It keeps your seat belts cleaner. :)

•  Smile. Even if you are covered in grease and you feel like everyone who sees you will laugh at you, wear that grease with confidence and smile a lot. The goal is to not only be remembered by your outfit, but by a contagious personality. 

Have a Heavy Load to Haul?

I probably won't haul it. 

That being said,  if it's mine, I probably will.

In fact, I love hauling scrap, particularly. What could be better than cleaning up your own junk that is laying around, hauling it to the scrap yard, and getting paid?!

This load consisted of mainly 10 cummins engine heads, 3 cummins blocks, piles of brake rotors, a tote of pistons, and weighed just over 4000 lbs. 

It got unloaded much faster with the magnet on here than when I loaded it piece by piece.

I like the junk yard. 

Just as long as it's not mine.