Happiness is:

~The waste oil burner that Blake bought while I was in Vermont. That was the nicest, warmest surprise he could have for me! Everyone is thrilled with a heating source other than the fume-producing space heater.

~The washer that Blake and two of his brothers were able to move into the basement last night. Our other one quit last week. I hated spending the money to go to the laundromat, never mind the minor annoyance of having to pack up all my dirty laundry and go somewhere else to wash it!

~The crocus blooms I spotted next to my porch steps. I love spring!

~The fact that I can cast all my care on God because He has promised to care for me. (1 Peter 5:7)

Books

 I have read four books in the past couple of months- a real accomplishment for a non reader like myself!

 And here they are:

The Power of a Praying Wife ~  by Stormie Omartian
   A excellent and fresh reminder first of all how powerful prayer is in any circumstance, but most importantly how much a wife's prayers have influence above and beyond what she ever imagined. With thirty topics on which to pray, it is a great way to pray through the month for your husband. It not only encouraged me to pray much more for him, but it also gave me a greater understanding of how to pray in general.

Why Pro-Life? ~ by Randy Alcorn
  A must read for any and all. We may say abortion is wrong, but how would you explain that fact if someone didn't care that they were killing a baby? Do we have any arguments that will stand up to a staunch pro-choice advocate? They know what they are doing and why. Do we? Do we have the answers and encouragement to help a lady change her mind or do we even care to try? Do we know what is happening every day around us? Abortion does not make you unpregnant. It just makes you the mother of a dead baby. And that baby had no choice.

Finding the Hero in Your Husband ~ by Julianna Slattery
  Every man wants to be a hero. Every woman wants a hero. Unfortunately women do not know how to encourage and allow their husbands to be a hero and men sink in despair and search elsewhere because they are not a hero at home. There is a difference between allowing and supporting. There is a difference between watching and encouraging. There is a difference between asking and nagging. Every marriage is different and scenarios are not exactly the same for each couple, but the book gives a wife some basic encouragement of how to be and bring the change that you have thought is only up to your husband to be and do.

The Art of Aromatherapy~by Pamela Allardice
   Essential oils have healing and relaxing properties that go beyond what most people would give them credit for. Ones such as Eucalyptus, Cypress, and Lavender are decongestive, head clearing, and good for the respiratory system. Some are soothing, calming or relaxing, such as Chamomile, Marjoram, and Basil.
 Captains of ships used Tea Tree tea to overcome scurvy and Australian Aborigines used poultices of these pulped leaves to heal wounds. That oil has many uses!
Rosemary and Juniper both were burned during different plagues to ward off infection. Today the oils are used as an effective inhalant due to their powerful aroma.
  This book is an incredibly easy read, yet filled with many fascinating facts and beneficial information.

Can you back a trailer?

I can't! Or so I realized the first time I hauled a 30 ' gooseneck load of scrap metal to the junk yard. Of course the yard was packed and people were waiting for me and... let's just say it wasn't working too well for me. One of the workers finally had to do it for me and the waiting guys were all grumbling about women drivers.

That was embarrassing.

Yesterday another load needed to go. I needed to take it. Not wanting to get in the same situation again, I asked one of Blake's 12-year-old brothers to go along with me (Yes, he has two). When the time came to back up, I suggested that I was pretty sure this was why I brought him along. He grinned and said he thought that I really ought to do it. After listening to him carefully explaining how to do it, and then his step by step explanation through the process, I carefully navigated my rig backwards and got back to the scale. When I went in to get my money, the lady at the desk informed me that the guys were all commenting on how well I did, for being a woman at least! The boss happened to be in there, and of course remembered how it went for me the last time. He began to expound on folks who have a CDL and can't even back up.

I'm told that "Practice makes perfect". In my case, I think it's something more like "A coach will always be needed". I have to admit though: the compliment gave me courage to keep trying!

Vermont

Last week I went to Vermont. Since Blake was not able to go along, Audrey went with me. I am thankful for sisters who don't mind driving, as I do not particularly enjoy it.
We spent three days at Mom and Dad's.

We went ice skating:

Kaylee, Christine, Audrey

Kaylee, Mom, Me

And we went bowling:

 And that was where we laughed a lot, because...

 ... pictures of us kept coming out dorky.

 And then finally Holly and I were both able to smile nicely at the same time, and we got a good one.

On Friday Kaylee had her "Growing Gracious Girls" get-together. They have a devotion, which is usually on character traits; this week was on kindness. They play a game or two. They do a project for someone. One week they made cards to send to ladies in prison. This week they made vegetable flower bouquets for their mothers.

We also played some games:

And we went to my friend Amber's baby shower:

Then we studied the map to decide the best way out of there:

We said our good byes in the parking lot:

From there we went to visit my Great-Gramma. She was thrilled to see us! We spent the night at my uncle's house in MA and Sunday morning headed home. Our little vacation was refreshing and fun. I missed my husband so much though, that even the trip home was exciting. It's good to be back!

*Photo credits: Audrey. Thanks! :)

What have I been up to?

---A visit to Lanna's where we got to hang out and just be sisters.

---A wedding where... I got to see a bunch of friends...

Joy, Ruth, Moses, Emily

Dwayne & Holly

 ...and where they had pretty bouquets and exciting music from movies such as Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang and Sound of Music...

 ...and where the happy couple left on this.

---A photo shoot with a camera that worked slowly (but did finally succeed at clicking pictures) and where the sun was really bright!

Driveway Gravel

  A dump truck arrived today. I always loved watching a dump truck as a kid, but the bang at the end was always my favorite. I'm still a little kid at heart and so I still enjoyed it. *smiles*
  After he left, I had to spread it where it was needed most- around the edge of the concrete pad out front of the shop and around behind the shop where it is/was mostly mud.

That skid steer and me work together kinda like oil and water. If you try really really hard they sorta kinda mix a little tiny bit, for a very brief second. Slowly I moved it and spread it out. I was even a bit impressed with how well I was doing. Then Blake came out. He hinted that he could do it faster and better. I didn't doubt it, but convinced him that I was having fun. After my attention span wore out, he finished. And I think he enjoyed himself. And, even though I knew he would do it much better than me, I was still amazed.

I think he might be concentrating. :)

  Old guys so often tell us that they've been doing something since before we were even born. So when I hopped on the skid steer and took a ride down the driveway with him to fill in a pot hole, I informed him that I was impressed with how excellent of a job he was doing. I then asked him how he learned to do it so well. He informed me that it's because he's been doing it since before I was born. :)

 Yes, the front wheels are off the ground, and yes, the truck on the trailer is a new thousand dollar gem to get turned into a thousand parts and hopefully more than a thousand dollars. I think the million pieces of rock now on the driveway make me even happier than that one big gem.

Expensive Ice Cream?

 Today as I left the shop briefly to run to the bank, I popped over a hill to find a truck flashing it's lights at me; the four-ways were on. I turned around and towed them back to the shop. Guess the test drive didn't go so well. I thought about how often I get to tow someone. Or watch someone be towed. As was the case yesterday.


  A good percentage of our customers are Hot-Shot haulers. Some haul cattle. Some are farmers. Most of them though somehow use their trucks for work. Consequently when their truck dies, they are in a panic. A vehicle is typically quite crucial to someone's income, but when it is their main tool, it is a problem.


 Yesterday I did not want to be at work so I convinced Blake to let me stay home until noon, on the condition that I would answer the shop phone from home. The first phone call was from a customer who hauls calves. He needed to talk to Blake because he had BIG problems. Turns out his wheel had fallen off. He had a double-decker cattle trailer behind him with 100 calves that had to be in Indiana before feeding time. So Blake spent a good portion of the day with Steve, one of our mechanics, helping fix the wheel. About three o'clock Blake was finally back at the shop to stay so he came to pick me up. I had greatly enjoyed my "half day" at home. :)

  We had barely been back to work for a full hour when we got another phone call. An older gentleman was in a predicament. He owns three trucks, which he rents out to Amish men who cannot own a vehicle but need one for their business. Last night on their way home from work with a gooseneck trailer loaded full of green logs, these Amish guys and their driver decided they'd like some ice cream. Stopping quickly was hard because they had a large rig, and when they backed way off the edge of the parking lot pavement to get enough out of the way, they didn't realize their trailer wheels sunk several inches and the trailer tongue gouged into the slight hill. When they came back with their ice cream and tried to leave though, let's just say it didn't move. One of the Amish guys decided to try driving. He put it in 4 wheel drive and dug four black holes in the pavement before Snap! And their rear axle popped.

  So Blake hooked up to his gooseneck and the truck owner took his other truck and we all headed the hour drive to the ice cream shop. Then after two trucks were hooked to the heavy load, the thing succeeded in rising up out of the soft soil back onto solid ground and no more rear axles were snapped. We hauled the dead truck home on our trailer and the other guy hauled the logs home behind his truck.

  The truck with a snapped axle now sits in the line with all the other trucks here at work. I'm sure if we don't get to it soon, he'll call in a few days saying he definitely needs that truck in short order. And we'll work a little later to get it fixed for him. No, it's not scheduled. It's called life. And until I get that phone call, I'll go back to working up an estimate for another truck that needs a head gasket while I continue answering the phone for people who are waiting on their trucks. Perhaps it has something to do with too many distractions. That being said, I think I'm distracted from that estimate. :)