Dailey & Vincent

My uncle doesn't call me much, but when he does and tells me that there is something that I have to do, I figure maybe I should try my best to do it. 

He told me that Josh had just sent him a picture of a poster saying that Dailey & Vincent were going to be in concert right here in town and that out of all the shows he's ever been to, they were definitely the best! I was skeptical, yes, because perhaps like you, I had never heard of them. I searched them on youtube and was still unimpressed. I had intended to try to convince Blake to go along with me, but Blake watched them briefly on youtube too and well... He informed me that he is more of a Steve Earl kinda guy. 

Josh got tickets for us two to go and we figured we'd at least see what it was like. Blake sarcastically told me to have the time of my life. 

I have to say... that was the best concert I have ever gone too. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time and have never laughed that hard at a concert. The music was great, their humor was fun, the entertainment was fabulous.

(Gotta love $20 cell phones and the quality of pictures they can take!)

If you ever get a chance to go to one of their shows, please, please do it. 

You will not regret it! :)

Things I Can Not Seem To Understand

Why don't any banks seem to understand that having no credit and having no debt does not ALWAYS mean that you are a risky case?

If hot water cleans things better, why do most people brush their teeth with cold water?

What makes people think that living off the government is a good thing? If you let the government pay for your food, your health care, your schooling... and whatever else you need, then don't complain to me when the government takes more control over our lives and dictates that your kids must go to their school, for their set amount of time, with what teaching they want. You're stupid for relying on them in any way. This country was not founded on those principles and American public in general has allowed themselves to stop thinking.

Why are credit scores accredited as positive things when in reality it just is an I-Love-Debt-Score. After all, doesn't FICO stand for Financially In Complete Obscurity?!

How can some women so easily work full time and be a wife and/or mother? I'd love to figure out how someone who works all the time can still manage to keep their house clean. I feel like a slob. :)

What is it that makes some people think that being your own boss is a great thing? It's expensive, stressful, tiring, and almost impossible to get away.

Where do other automotive shops find mechanics?

How can I win with a banker?

Mostly my thoughts have been revolving around bankers, and loans, and credit scores. Can you tell?

One thing I do know: I have a promise.

Jeremiah 29:11 says

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

March Update in Numbers

1 - The number of banks that I am anxiously waiting to hear back from as to whether they can pre-approve us for a loan.

2 - The number of times we went out to eat last week. One night we went to Jake's for a sort of business meeting and Saturday night to Applebee's with friends.

3  - The number of banks that Economic Development has encouraged to talk to us if our bank does not choose to give us a loan. (Do you catch my persistency when I mention how we are really praying and hoping for a loan to be able to purchase a larger shop?)

4 - The number of us who went to hear Wes Stafford, president of Compassion International, last week. (I love having siblings around who will hang out with me and go to random functions that I find of interest.)

5 - The number of days ago that Josh left when he went to Vermont for a little visit.

6  - The number of trucks that are scheduled at the shop this week. Add about 20 to that and that's how many we'll actually work on :)

7  - The number of people who stayed at our house last weekend, the very same weekend that our septic pump in the basement started having issues. There were three couples and one two-year-old. We wish they all lived closer and that we could hang out much more often!

8 - The hour during which we typically come home from work in the evening. 

9 9  - The highest score that I got when we went bowling. For me, that is something to celebrate! 

10 - The number of days since the sump pump quit deciding when to pump, thus overflowing the basement drains. No, I'm not complaining. Ok I am complaining. Maybe some day soon we will own our own house and we can fix the pump when it needs to be done. :)

Lots to Learn

Evenings turn into parts- running dates.

Parts-running dates turn into analyzing-our-business time.

Analyzing-our-business times turn into realizing-what-I-don't-know time.

Realizing-what-I-don't-know time turns into lecture time.

Lecture time goes something like this:

What years are LMM Duramax?

How many liters of fuel can 150hp injectors flow?

What transmission is in an 01 Dodge automatic?

What does it cost to rebuild an Allison?

What years was a 48RE installed?

When do DPFs start and in which trucks?

How much does it cost to change injectors in LB7s?

 When did they switch to 6spd Allisons?

And the list could go on. 

Oh dear. There sure is a lot to learn.  

It'd really help a lot if I would learn all this. 

It will take me choosing to learn.
I think I want to... :)

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.