Roads Less Traveled

I noted in my post called "Settled" that we realized soon after moving here to Bismarck that it was the longest we have been in one place in two and a half years. As I was driving home from daily Mass the other day, I happened to look down at the odometer on our Jetta, and the fuel tank mileage read something like 245.3 miles. Add that to the 64 miles we've driven on the Dodge Ram, and our total mileage in about a month's time has equaled what we would sometimes drive in a single stretch while in the semi!

We recently began using Progressive Insurance's Snapshot Discount devices, in effort to reduce our premiums by safe driving. At any time of day, we can log in and view the tracking the device is taking in; there have been days when we haven't driven either vehicle (Ben is able to work/study from home if he doesn't want to go into the office), or when we have, it's been less than 10 miles (usually just going to Mass or to the office!). The Olive Garden is just a mile away from our apartment, so not much is going on with the pick-up truck.

It just struck me how little we thought sometimes of all the mileage we undertook in the semi, and after all that driving, how little we drive now. I guess it is partly influenced by our current income reduction and not being able to afford to go anywhere but Mass or work!

All in all, it is pleasant to have this be our new routine of life, one that is not dictated by dispatch, interstates and truck stops. We like life at home, and that's all right with us!

Settled

It has been a great month in life off the road for the Martinek Family; we have officially been out of the truck for a month, and it is glorious! It took a little bit of time for me to really know that "I'm not getting back in the semi", as our routine has been just that for the past two and a half years: drive for a month. Have 4-6 days off. Get back in the truck. Do it again. I think that moving from Bend to Bismarck has helped this factor, as Bismarck is an entirely new environment that wasn't "tainted" by our previous schedule.

Adjusting to this new way of life has been so wonderful it is hard to put into words, but I like words and I like to blog, so you're going to witness my attempts to describe the transition.

We realized about a week and a half after we moved in that that was the longest we had ever stayed in one place since we've been truckers. Our prior record would have been 7 days at Christmas in Bend, but before that, I think we had a max of 5 full days off in one city. It's really nice to be stationary, we've discovered!

Once settled, at first, going to the grocery store wasn't a "what can I buy that I will use up in just a few days time?" kind of trip. We purchased a chest freezer for bulk items and meal storage (I love love love this thing!), so once we got our Sam's Club membership (someday I will describe my hate/like relationship with Mr. Sam Walton and his enterprise...but as Bismarck doesn't have a Costco, Sam's has to do), we loaded up on bulk meat and reduced sale items from the meat department. Buying food in bulk just makes so much more sense economically! It just wasn't something we were able to do while living on asphalt. We've broken down the costs of several meals we've made in the last few weeks, and it comes down to usually $4 or less for Andy, Ben and myself. I can actually meal plan too, which has been so fun to do! And, I love to cook/bake, so being able to really spend time in the kitchen has been great. Speaking of the kitchen, we *finally* opened up our Cuisinart Food Processor and have started using our KitchenAid mixer and oh, what more could a girl ask for? Oh yes--a bread machine, ice cream machine, coffee grinder, cast iron. I've got those too. I have way too much fun in my kitchen!

My health has improved in a way I was hopeful for but wasn't expecting; I feel SO much better not being jostled around in a truck 24/7. I'm continuing with my vitamin and supplement intake, as well as avoiding wheat/gluten (finally found the perfect GF pizza dough recipe!), and am able to move around on a regular basis with just walking and running errands (we've got a great walking path, aka "Bismarck Trails" just a half mile from our apartment). My last period only caused me to get sick once and I generally felt better over-all during that time. I'm very pleased with that aspect of this life change.

The work that we had lined up to do when we arrived was here waiting for Ben, but the position I was hopeful for was not going to be open for at least another month, maybe more. But fear not! Bismarck has a ridiculous amount of job opportunities for entry level or advanced in many lines of work. Because of the oil field boom in the northwest part of the state, there has been a vacuum of workers leaving Bismarck to work the same job for at least twice (sometimes 3x more!) the amount of pay near the oil fields (you can make $15/hr working McDonald's drive-thru, or $20-25/hr for washing out trailers). Once we really saw what was available, and once we really realized how much we loved being out of a semi, we decided to look elsewhere.

Ben was offered a position to work for a non-profit Christian financial advising firm; this is something he has been interested in learning more about and pursuing even before we got focused on paying off all of our debt. An inquiry conversation with an agent at this organization led to a more-in-depth interview and then offer. The process to get on board has been a little long and tedious, but it is something that Ben is very excited about and I know he will do very well with it. It is a line of work that suits his determination and drive and ability to achieve.

I have applied for a recently-posted position that is open for the Director of Religious Education for the Cathedral Parish here in town. The search committee and selection process/interviews are slated to take place this month, so I am excited about the possibility of really diving in to parish life and catechesis. In the meantime, I just completed my training week of being a server at the Olive Garden. I love hospitality and serving and making sure people's needs are taken care of, so this is a great fit for the time being. Plus, the tips to be expected are well worth wearing men's oxford shirts and now knowing how to tie a half-windsor around my neck.

As far as other opportunities, while not the most glamorous of positions, the Bismarck Airport/TSA is hiring for Transportation Security Officers (aka the people who check the x-ray images, go through your carry-0n bag and possibly do a pat-down). The pay scale and benefits offered are very agreeable, so that is another paid position I am applying for. Ultimately, if it is not in God's plan for me to work directly with parish religious education, our plan is for me to just work as much as possible for the highest pay so we can continue paying off our debt as well as prepare for parenthood (no announcements yet, folks).

I'll use that as a segue to other opportunities in ministry; the parishes here have so much to offer for getting involved. Whether you want to be a sub on the lector list, a trained EMHC, a member of the choir, active in the young adult group (or young at heart, for those over 40), a volunteer catechist, a couple presenter for engaged couples, etc., the opportunities are endless there too. The parish is very prayerful, very involved and very welcoming. Families here go generations back though, so we're anticipating being "outsiders" for a while. That part reminds me a lot of good ol' Mercer County, Ohio. If your family didn't settle in the area in the mid-to-late 1800's, your roots aren't very deep. Around Bismarck, while Germans were a prominent group to settle, they are the "Germans from Russia", and we've learned not to confuse the two.

Oh, right, back to the segue...one of the opportunities for ministry is to become a certified NFP practitioner. This is something that I have wanted to do since Ben and I learned the method (Creighton Model) 4 years ago. Presently, the Bismarck area has couples on a waiting list to learn Creighton because the 3-4 women practitioners that are already teaching are overbooked with clients and cannot reach all of the interested parties. It is such a needed ministry, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to pursue certification. It's a 13-month program with two separate week-long educational/training immersions in Omaha, NE. The diocese and parishes are great sources of support for this invested endeavor, which is a great blessing! Please pray for all couples seeking out NFP for their marriages, and for the practitioners teaching them the truths about their bodies.

I mentioned Andy's name above; my younger brother Andy is living with us! Our plan (before we knew what our plan was) was for him to move in with us in Bend, find work and start school. Then our plans changed to Bismarck, so he stayed in Bend for the duration of our last month out on the road, then moved with us to "The Bis" (I just think it's fun to call Bismarck that! Ha!). In less than a week of us living here, he landed two jobs in the restaurants (Ruby Tuesday and Paradiso Mexican Restaurant), so he has been very busy between them. It has been really nice having him here with us, as it is giving him opportunity outside of Mercer County. There is a Catholic University of Mary south of town that he plans to start attending in the fall, to make the most of his GI Bill and get a degree under his belt.

Bismarck seems to be a great fit for all of us so far; we feel very blessed and fortunate to be here. We miss life back in Bend and all of our friends/family there, but things just really do seem to fit. Making friends has been a great adventure too--I don't think I've ever met friendlier people than in this town! That makes it pretty easy at church; attending the young adult Bible Timeline event introduced us to Adina, who then invited us to dinner one night to meet her husband and another couple they're friends with. And, small world: Adina's husband is cousins with someone Ben went to seminary with. Oh, and--the associate pastor at our parish is also someone Ben went to seminary with (they were a few years apart and in different studies though). I love the connections.

And being settled, apartment-wise: we scored a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment on the third floor of a recently built apartment complex (Ben and Andy will never forget moving all that stuff up two flights of stairs). It is set up in a way that feels much more like a home than an apartment; it has a kind of a ranch-like floorplan. The only disappointment we have is that the entryway/dining-room area is a really awkward space that doesn't lend itself well to having a dining table, so we have to keep that in storage in the garage. Yep, that's right; we have a 2-car garage! And a laundry room (that's in the apartment though, not the garage). It is so nice to have those extra spaces and to be able to use them well!

The weather so far has been fantastic too; we have it on good authority though that a winter this mild hasn't happened in over 75 years, so technically it's not a good one to cut our teeth on. We had a few pending blizzards that didn't end up producing, and we've also had 50 degree gorgeous sunny days.

Do you have any settled questions? Curious what it's like in Bismarck? Just ask and I'll answer to the best of my ability!

An Early Christmas Present

What a week we've had!

We've been blessed to attend Mass both the third and fourth Sundays of Advent (thanks, Ray and Mindy!), we've had a great week of miles (a 3000 mile load from Los Angeles to Philadelphia started us off), we're no longer using paper logs (I promise I will dedicate an entire post soon on the ins and outs of logging), at the end of the week we'll be spending Christmas with both of our families, and...

THREE recruiting bonuses will be on our paycheck this Friday, right in time for Christmas, and right in time for us to pay off our LAST credit card! The bonus money is enough that we may even be able to pay off my smallest student loan, all before January 1st! That puts our total debt to date paid of at around $48,000. We truly began paying off our debt in February, so 11 total months so far of paying off our debts equaling $48K is pretty darned AWESOME!

It certainly was slow-going at first, but paying off the smallest debt and getting that monthly payment out of the way really made the next debt easier, and the next and so on. And now, we are completely credit card FREE!

Student loans come next...and boy are there a lot. Ben's undergraduate degree was paid for by the religious community he was part of for 4 years, but his graduate degree, my graduate degree as well as my undergraduate degree are all on the docket for getting paid off. Currently all but two of the loans are in forbearance, which was necessary in order for us to get traction on paying off our truck, car, and credit card debt. The two that are not in forbearance will be the first to get paid off, which will be completed by the end of January. The loans in forbearance will become active again in March, so we'll have the minimum monthly payments start up then, but with all of the other debt gone, we'll be able to throw all extra income after our general monthly expenses at the smallest loan first until the last one is gone. Every day we're getting closer!


Current location: St. Peters, MO (a suburb of St. Louis), making Christmas cookies with Sarah Swaykus
Next load: pick-up in Effingham, IL and drop in Irving, TX (Dallas area)
Miles this week: 5000ish


Things to look for in our next posts: our newfound fascination with jump-roping, and command central inside our truck

Lincoln

Our company has a terminal in Lincoln, Nebraska that Ben and I like to frequent for many reasons: it is hardly used by any other drivers, there is a workout room and showers, free wifi and laundry, a courtesy van is available for checkout for 1-2 hour increments, and Lincoln seems like a fun, laid-back city. A lot of our loads have us traveling on I-80, so stopping in for a break here works out really well.

Last time we were in Lincoln, we were working on a 34-hour restart (one of these days I'll write a blog on all the ins and outs of trucker laws and regulations) and had the opportunity to attend daily Mass. We found the "old" cathedral and participated in the 8am liturgy with the Catholic elementary school students. This prompted me to contact our Bishop in Oregon, who hails from Lincoln. He gave me directions to the new cathedral, as well as his former parish; we plan to attend the vigil Mass there this evening!

Using the courtesy van is great too--we've enjoyed a few great meals in this city, and this afternoon was no exception. I had noticed the last time we were here that there was a "Buzzard Billy's Armadillo Bar and Flying Carp Cafe" somewhere near the university district. That restaurant has a personal tie; when my dad used to travel throughout the country working for Tigereye, he would try to find fun places to visit or eat at off the clock. A trip to LaCrosse, WI provided him the opportunity to visit Buzzard Billy's Flying Carp Cafe. When he came home, I remember him telling us about his meal--the Jamaican Jerk Rub seasoning was so spicy he got a nosebleed!

I made special requests that he pick up fun t-shirts at his various travel locations (Idaho Six-Pack, Forrest Gump, G.R.I.T.S., and others made the cut), so he obliged in bringing home a t-shirt from this restaurant. After he passed away, I thought it would be neat to visit some of those places he had been; LaCrosse, WI unfortunately is not often a stopping point. When I saw that Lincoln had this restaurant, I knew we had to go!

We enjoyed a wonderful meal of shrimp, gumbo, hushpuppies, red beans and rice, armadillo eggs and bread pudding, all while watching college football. It's definitely a stop we will be making again!

The Strife is O'er

...now we just wait to see if the battle is won...

I feel free! It is such a relief to have taken those comps and now we're just in the waiting game to see if I passed! My apologies to the dear readers (Sandy) for not posting any updates since Easter, but I've been spending most of my free moments going over my notes for the big test!

We've been in Ohio for over a week now; on Monday last week we finished up our last load with CRST in Akron, then drove our rig to the drop-yard in Columbus where Joe and Andy picked us up and helped us unload our belongings. Some of you remember that my first load ever driven as a professional driver with CRST was 40,000 pounds of Bud Light. Not to be outdone, I suppose, our last load with that company was 42,000 pounds of Corona and Pacifica beer, with never a load of beer in between. Maybe one of these days we'll get a load of Guinness...

Right now we're hanging with the Wilker clan in western Ohio making our visits with family. Last evening's events included rolling down the "hill" in a cylindrical tile, the results of which had Andy running into a tree and Ben landing on his forehead earning a strawberry with surrounding hues of grass-stains. Tonight we'll join Grandpa, Uncle Tom and Aunt Esther for supper; afterward we'll head to Springfield for orientation to start in the morning with US Xpress!

We are so excited for this opportunity to be moving "up" in the industry, and are looking forward to sharing our new experiences with you from this company and the different places we will be going. Ben and I brainstormed one afternoon all of the various stories and topics we could cover, and came up with a list several pages long! If there are any curiosities you have of life in this business, don't hesitate to ask!

In other enjoyable news, we've been able to visit with some friends we'd been trying to get together with for quite a while! On Divine Mercy Sunday, we were able to visit with Steve, Dianne and baby Charlie in Front Royal, VA, and attend Mass (that made 3 Sundays in a row for Mass!!!). In the few days before comps, we spent time with the good people at the Apostolate in Bloomingdale, including Bob & Christy, Jim & Kay, and Mr. John Martin. After the big test on Saturday, we hung out with Sarah R. in Robinson, PA, attended Mass (4 in a row!) on Sunday morning at St. Peter's in Steubenville and saw a whole bunch of great people from the university at the donut social. We then headed back toward my mom's and stopped in Westerville, north of Columbus, to visit with Michael, Jennifer and John-Paul (Ben's godson). JP wanted to know "What are you still doing here?" after he woke up from his nap.

We've had a great visit with all of you and look forward to the next time we'll be able to spend time together again!

We've been out of a tractor cab for so long that (can you believe it?) we're itching to get back into that 8' x 8' box and just drive drive drive. It's time to see some more of the country! Spring is in full bloom everywhere (except for West Virginia) and we can't wait to see more of that seasonal beauty!

Have a beautiful Tuesday, folks! May God bless you abundantly!

Peace,
deb

What We Listen To

Ben's trainer, Herb, was a very generous guy. He bought most of Ben's meals during their time together, and at the end of the training period, as he did with all of his trainees, Herb gifted Ben. He had recently updated his personal XM/Sirius Radio device, and gave Ben his gently used device, as he no longer needed it. And thus, enter into a whole different aspect of being on the road.

If any of you readers have XM, you know how enjoyable it can be to have virtually unlimited channels to unlimited genres of music, talk radio, sports radio, etc. For a small fortune of lifetime membership, we are able to enjoy all of these things and more! Ben had listened to XM every day in training, while my trainer's (old) truck didn't even have a cd player (a month without Bebo is hard), so I didn't much listen to anything. It took a little convincing on Ben's part, then, for us to agree to the subscription. It has made a world of difference in our spiritual lives, in knowledge of current events, of financial savvy-ness, and general mental health of not going crazy listening only to the lull of a diesel engine.

At first, I simply listened to Prime Country for 2 weeks straight and took a walk down memory lane with country hits from the 80s and 90s. Then I discovered the bluegrass channel, pops at the opera, and the message. Ben spent most mornings listening to Mike & Mike and The Herd (especially during football season), and on weekends we loved listening to numerous college games (with near hatred of USC football announcers) and NFL games on Sundays (fyi, the Colts downhome podunk announcers are so much fun).

About 3 months into trucking, we discovered the Catholic Channel. It took a little warming up for me to enjoy it, but we have gained so much spiritual growth and insight, that the small fortune spent has been 100% worth it! The Catholic Channel is sponsored in part by the Archdiocese of New York, and part of that sponsorship includes broadcasting daily and Sunday Masses live from St. Patrick's Cathedral, often celebrated by the Archbishop, His Excellency Timothy Dolan. As we're not always able to make it to Sunday Mass, participating in this way provides at least the spiritual nourishment given in the celebration of the Liturgy. This channel also broadcasts "Busted Halo" with Fr. Dave Dwyer, "Fully Alive" with Dr. Greg & Lisa Popcek, and my personal favorite, "The Catholic Guy" with Lino Rulli (he was one of the producers of "Champions of Faith: Baseball Edition"n which is an excellent piece if you've never checked it out). It has been so enjoyable to listen to this channel and so uplifting at the same time. If you are an XM listener, tune in to channel 117.

Another favorite as of late has been The Dave Ramsey Show. As you know from earlier posts, we are in this whole trucking business to pay off our many debts. We went into this careere with great ambition to get it all taken care of as quickly as possible, and discovering and listening to Dave has given us renewed vigor. If you've never heard of him, check his book out from the library or spend the $25 to buy it: "The Total Money Makeover". We are following his suggestions to become debt-free, which as our plans and compensation go, will occur three years from now. Goodbye credit cards, goodbye student loans payments, hello freedom! When callers phone in to his show to let the listeners know they are debt-free after so many payments and much "rice-and-beans-beans-and-rice" budgeting, Dave lets them scream at the top of their lungs, "WE'RE DEBT FREE!". It's truly quite inspiring and motivating and we look forward to that day in the not-so-distant future when we will be able to do the same. Our present sacrifice in "normal" lifestyle will be worth it when we have that financial peace of mind!

Do you have a favorite channel you would recommend us to check out? Let us know!

We've spent the past several days in the Seattle area, as freight is moving a little slow. We're thankful though, as we were able to find a few trails to do some walking on, in the shadows of the Snoqualmie Mountains. A highlight of the weekend, besides a fantastic 4-mile hike, was getting together with AJ & Sarah, going to Mass at Blessed Sacrament parish, and enjoying a bite to eat at Bahama Breeze. Check them out at http://west-coast-steins.blogspot.com . Thanks, you two (three!) for taking us out! It was so enjoyable to spend time with you!

Our home-time is scheduled starting Wednesday this week, so we're soon to be back in Bend, studying our brains out and celebrating my birthday. God is so good, life is great, and we are richly blessed.

God bless you too!

Peace,
deb & Ben

Driving Down the Debt!

We are happy to report that we have 2 (of our unfortunate several) debts paid down! Both were credit cards, one with miscellaneous expenses and the other had the purchase of our Dodge Ram pick-up truck. It feels great! We plan to have our VW Jetta car payments cease in 2 months by paying that debt off in full. Baby steps!

We spent Super Bowl weekend back in Bend and had a great visit with friends during the game. The rest of the time we spent working on our degrees, which was uber-productive. I've got my comps coming up in April, so it's time to buckle down!

Right now we're hanging with Sarah Swaykus in NW St. Louis. Earlier today we went to Mass at St. Jude parish in Oak Grove, MO. We're on our way to Memphis!

God bless you!

Peace,
deb

Frozen Florida

Rodman, I'm pretty sure you're the only follower of this blog, so here's an update for you!

We just spent a nice long weekend in Tampa, FL, where the temps hovered around freezing the entire weekend and we witnessed the natives in ski-masks and parkas. Not quite what you would expect in the Sunshine State! We had hoped to visit with the Creedican family, Florida Branch, who reside in Tampa, but they were back in the Northwest for Grandma Betty's funeral (may she rest in peace--a beautiful woman with a heart after the Lord!). Then I remembered that my Franciscan University neighbor was from the area and set to track him down. We were able to touch base and enjoyed a few meals together (including a Tampa staple: La Teresita's lunch counter with the best black bean soup I've ever eaten and some fantastic Cuban flatbread). He drove us around the "old" Tampa, Ybor City, along Tampa Bay, and through downtown. We also were able to attend Sunday Mass (Baptism of the Lord) at St. Lawrence. The choir sang all the Mass settings in Latin; it was pretty close to heaven :-). Thanks, Jeff Lambert, for your company and showing us around!

Because of our layover (freight in Florida just doesn't pick up the way it does in much of the rest of the country), we were able to watch the Cowboys/Eagles and Packers/Cardinals games at a local pub. Normally the truck stops would air the games but they didn't have any local channels. Instead, we enjoyed pub food and even sang some karaoke songs. Good times were had by all!

Presently we're in La Salle, Illinois and will be heading west toward the Reno, NV area tomorrow. It is still cold up here, and we look forward to seeing what I-80 west will look like.

Please keep our safety in your prayers, and we will do the same for you!

God bless,
deb

Boiled Peanuts

Presently we're in the small town of Alma, Georgia, and just treated ourselves to some down-south bbq at Smokey's. We haven't received our next load yet so we're taking advantage of the library to update ourselves with a few things online!

We were at the TA truck stop north of Atlanta on I-75 Saturday evening and took a stroll to a nearby foodmart advertising bbq (unfortunately the bbq place had closed years ago). While inside the foodmart, we observed two large crockpots filled with boiled peanuts. Huh? What on earth is a boiled peanut and who decided this would be a good thing to do? The clerk was kind enough to let us have a taste-test of the regular and spicy variety; they boil the peanut in its shell with spices or just plain water. It's a mushy mess, but kind of tasty. Has anyone ever heard of this southern delicacy before? :-)

While we were in training, neither of us were able to make it to Sunday Mass. Since we had a long period of time in which to deliver this load, we requested permission from dispatch to botail (i.e. drive the tractor without the trailer) to a nearby town 15 miles away to attend Sunday Mass. Thankfully they said yes! It was such a blessing to be able to attend; the congregation was welcoming and the priest was top-notch in his celebration of the Liturgy and in his homily. He greeted us afterwards asking, "Are you two of mine, or just passing through?" A nice shepherd to his little flock. We also received a nice treat: the second communion song was "O God, Beyond All Praising", a beautiful hymn which Ben and I had set for our gathering hymn at our wedding (but unfortunately wasn't played). I'd never heard it played before so it was a sweet blessing from above!

One of these days when we get a little more time on the internet I hope to post some things from our training weeks and first starting out together. We'll also get some pictures up of our rig (a Peterbilt!) and of the various sights we get to see everyday as we travel across this great country. Stay tuned and keep us in your prayers for our safe journeys!

God bless,
deb & ben