Life's unexpected surprises

August 17, 2011-- I think that most of the time we think we have it all figured out. We've planned and organized and everything seems to be in place when all of a sudden life throws us an unexpected surprise. Some surprises good, others not so good.
    I left home with Levi expecting to go out on the road with him. My bags were packed, my travel sized toothpaste and shaving cream all ready to go, and mentally I was prepared to begin our little adventure together. But, it turns out that this new company that Levi is working for requires that a driver doesn't take any family members on the road for the first 30 days. SOOO.... I'm headed back home for a little while. We are still going to have our "Truckin' Adventure" it will just be postponed for a little while. Thankfully Levi will still be working two weeks on with one week off so I only have to get through two weeks before I see my hubby again. I will miss him so much, but I know my Lord and Saviour will comfort me and give me all of the strength that I need.
     Just about 14 days until I see Levi again....<3

Finding our "Nemo"....

    At the beginning of the summer I decided that I wanted to get some fish. I didn't want anything fancy with a huge tank and tons of fish, just two goldfish would do for me =) So I picked up two goldfish at the local pet store. First thing I did when I got home was take a picture of them through the plastic bag with my cell phone and sent it to Levi. I wanted him to name them!! (haha he named them Angel and Boomer) They were doing great for awhile, but one evening I went to feed them and Boomer was floating. The saddest part was that poor Angel would have to swim alone for awhile. BUT just about two weeks ago I felt it was time Angel had a buddy so I purchased another goldfish and named him Boomer Jr.
   I have to admit I wasn't thinking things through too clearly because the night before Levi and I left home for his job orientation he asked me what we were going to do with the fish while we were gone. (we also have a hermit crab) After careful thought I decided the best thing to do would be to take them with us! I know I know I'm crazy, who takes two fish and a hermit crab on a Greyhound bus ride and then onto a semi truck,  but I didn't have the heart to get rid of them.
    haha so I guess your wondering how I was able to transport these little guys. Well, I put them in seal tight Tupperware containers! The fish in one and the crab in the other. I then placed them in the bottom of a gift bag and simply carried them along, no one even knew they were in there, lol
    So I woke up after our first night at the hotel and went to go and feed the fish...but one was missing! I rubbed my eyes and turned on the lights just to make sure I wasn't going crazy. Sure enough only Angel was  in the fish bowl. After checking all around the desk that they're bowl was on I found Boomer Jr. on the floor. It was his attempt at escaping, but he didn't succeed like Nemo was able to. I guess this means the fish bowl will be less cramped, huh?

Day 1- Greyhound, Day 2- Relax

   Day 1: August 14, 2011, Levi and I make our finishing touches on our preparations for starting this adventure of ours. Staying up until 2am the day before to pack and clean the house left me a little sluggish at the beginning of the day, but soon it began to wear off and my excitement grew.We were headed to Mississippi for Levi's orientation and with the transportation and lodging taken care of by the company, I didn't have much to worry about. To many taking a greyhound bus is the opposite of adventure, the opposite of fun, the opposite of  "great traveling", but I've always enjoyed trying new things and it was my first bus ride. =) What could have been a 2 hour trip in a car took about 4 hours by bus, but I enjoyed sitting next to my husband the whole way there.
   When we arrived at the tiny greyhound station in MS we were able to call a cab to take us to our hotel. (Even the company took care of our cab ride!) The hotel was better than I expected and after we unloaded all of our stuff in the room, we took off for a cute Mexican restaurant in town for dinner.
   Day 2: August 15, 2011...Ever had one of those days when you found yourself with nothing to do?? When the everyday hustle and bustle of life just seems to be paused while you have time to relax? That was today. Sleeping in until noon, free coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts for "breakfast", an exhilarating workout, and a movie in bed to top everything off... A day like today doesn't come around often, so when it does make sure you enjoy it to its fullest and thank the Lord for the wonderful break.

The Reason for the Adventure

    Every new wife looks forward to spending lots and lots of time with her new husband. It certainly is easy to get caught in a fairy tale during the planning process of a wedding and lose touch with what reality will really be like after the wedding. I married Levi on May 13, 2011 and we headed off to Gatlinburg, TN for our honeymoon getaway with nothing but the money we received at the wedding. Ha Ha it was way to easy to spend every drop of the money we made at the wedding during our little one week excursion. When we returned home from our honeymoon, reality hit me like a ton of bricks. My husband was a truck driver, and what do truck drivers do? They drive, all day, everyday, sometimes for months at a time without having time to come home. Just 3 days after returning home from our honeymoon he had to return to work and I would have to "be tough" and spend the entire summer without him. 
    I'm not gonna lie, it wasn't easy. I had to learn things on my own and when the car broke down I had to figure out what to do without his help. I prayed long and hard about the situation of being separated and finally decided that nothing else mattered if I couldn't share it with him; the condo, the car, the job...nothing seemed as vibrant on my own. Levi returned home on Tuesday, August 9 and we began making preparations for me to start coming with him on the road. He joined a brand new company and will be driving solo now, so I get to be his team member...well, the cheerleader really since I can't actually drive the truck, lol. The adventure begins now...