Mother Nature's Fury

Greetings from the great state of Texas! We've been very busy with this new company so far, traveling from western Ohio to Chicago to Denver to Kansas City to Phoenix to Los Angeles to San Antonio. We were to head to Georgia next, but our starter is giving us problems again, so we're in the shop.

Traveling from Denver to Kansas City last Thursday evening was a sight to behold. We were driving behind a long-and-skinny thunderstorm cell, which stretched from Dodge City, KS all the way up to the twin-cities area of Minnesota. For over an hour, as we neared the storm, we saw nothing but lightning light up the sky, bouncing from cloud to cloud. Not more than a second was between each flash, and the view was from every direction in front of us. It was really quite beautiful! Here is some video footage (bear with us, it was black out, but you can see all the flashes):



A short hour later, we were driving through marble-sized hail, wind, and rain so thick and strong that we could not even see the front of our truck! We literally had to stop in the middle of the interstate because the white lines were not visible. Thankfully, no cars were in our near vicinity, and stopping gave us a clearer view of the road. We limped along through the storm, getting in front of it where it was dry, but the winds were too strong for our trailer so we had to shut down at a truck stop in Salina and wait for the storm to pass us by again before we could continue east.

I feel confident in saying that I would rather go through a snowstorm than to go through something like that again.

In Salina, we waited in line to pay for our fuel, standing next to one of those storm-chaser guys. He wasn't with "Storm Chasers" proper, but it was a similar group, heading into the storm, waiting to see what they could see. They had one of those turtle-shell type, low-profile, armored vehicles. After going through that storm myself, I think those people are crazy...

We are so thankful the Lord kept us safe!

In other news, my weekend driving highlights are:
1) driving 10 feet away from a small herd of elk near Flagstaff, AZ
2) watching a shooting star fall over Sedona, AZ
3) seeing a creepy honey-I-blew-up-the-baby sized cutout of a toddler playing with an equally large tractor, west of Phoenix on I-10. Apparently this is to advertise the nearby flea-market. It was so life-like I half-expected the baby to stand up. Definitely creepy.

We've logged over 4800 miles since last Monday night. That's a pretty good week! Here's hoping to break 5000+ this next week!

Have a great week everyone! And congrats to Pat and Jill for competing and completing the Eugene 1/2 and full marathon on Sunday! Way to GO! God bless you all!

Peace,
deb

A Few Pictures to Share

We had an enjoyable 2 weeks off between our old and new companies, and were able to spend some time with family (including attending Austin's First Communion)! Above are "the boys", Isaiah-Avery-Austin, piggy-backed on me-Ben-Andy. Below is our beautiful niece Izabel, "borrowing" my toothbrush and toothpaste.


Here is a lovely message found at the United Church of Christ in Akron, OH (no, I wasn't driving when I snapped this photo). Please heed this advice! :-)

Finally, what's under your bed? This is just a glimpse of what's under ours, with our monthly supplies of food and drink.


We're in the great mountain city of Denver, CO at the moment, with our truck just getting finished in the shop (we had a fuse keep blowing). We'll update you with where we go next! Have a blessed day!

Peace,
deb

Leaps and Bounds Beyond

It is as if we have moved from the ghetto of Los Angeles to Beverly Hills (not that we would ever live in California, but you get the point)!

The differences between our old company and our new company are nearly astronomical, and has completely cemented our commitment to and desire for working with them. It has also positively reinforced our decision to leave our old company. A few comparisons:

Old: the terminals were dirty, dusty, and shoddy at best with trailers for showering (use your imagination), one driver lounge with one tv, cheap laundry at $1 a load to wash and $1 to dry, a bad-attitude guard and the gruffest maintenance people in the shop (including the foremen who were always covered in a layer of grime, shower habits unknown), etc etc etc
New: we've only been to the one terminal in Springfield, OH, but it is incredible: granite countertops, leather couches and seats, a flatscreen tv in any direction you look (including the laundry room), the laundry is free of charge, the shower stalls are all ceramic tiled with those great big showerheads, there is a driver shop to purchase company-logo attire and accessories, the shop foremen wear khakis and polos (and appear to shower on a regular basis), etc etc etc

Old: had we stayed, our pay would have topped out at 40cpm, after 5 years
New: our pay is 48cpm and will be until we leave this company (after the debt is all gone!)

Old: we drove the "economy" version of a tractor: the cheapest, easiest-to-produce, no frills or bells and whistles (Freightliner Columbia)
New: we get the upgraded version: a Freightliner Cascadia with clean-idle certification, a bunk warmer that produces low emissions, and closets with doors (!)

Old: the shop is a ragpile mess of parts, workers, and messes scattered about
New: the shop is immaculate with a well-organized separation between parts and service (it's as nice as a truck dealer, or better!)

Old: an outdated type-writer kind of communication device to get information to and from dispatch
New: a touch-screen interface tool to communicate between us and dispatch, with other perks of a gps system and multi-media safety videos

Old: the terminal lots were gravel, with more potholes than level surfaces
New: the terminal lot is one smooth and level slab of concrete and no potholes

Old: orientation was very unimpressive and very unprofessional with a lot of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants mentality (and took 5 days), and handouts were copies of copies of copies with nothing organized or looking crisp in appearance; orientation was not paid
New: orientation was extremely professional and well-executed (and took only 3 days), with handouts bound with covers! We were paid $58/day for attending orientation

Those are just a few of the perks to whet your appetite of a new glimpse into the industry. We can't wait to get a load and start driving out on the road again! There are a few cosmetic things that need to be addressed with the truck while it's still at the terminal, so right now we're hanging out with family in the meantime. We're looking forward to sharing our new adventures with you!

Have a beautiful spring Saturday today! God bless you!

peace,
deb

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

Two Weeks Notice

At last, I now have the time to deliver the good news!

It's been our plan ever since we first started trucking with our current company, to move on to another better-paying company when the time is right, and the time is finally right!

About three weeks ago when we were "stranded" in the Seattle area for 3 days straight waiting on a load, waiting on our home time, and with no entertainment options, Deb and I began to get antsy. We decided it was best to start calling some different trucking companies that we were interested in to see what they had to offer. Of those which we called, many we had spoken to before, several months prior, but we decided it would be a good effort to call again and see if anything had changed since we last spoke.

Of those former contacts, one proved to be particularly desirable, which hadn't been when we previously spoke. As I spoke with the recruiter, I was informed that certified and experienced team hazmat drivers were being offered a $5000 sign-on bonus and a starting pay of 48 cents per mile (cpm), which is more than one-and-a-half times what we are currently making. This is surprisingly and fantastic good news; it is like earning overtime pay for all the work we are currently doing. To say the least, Deb and I were very excited!

However, this opportunity did provide itself with one small obstacle to overcome: for our hiring area, this company required that we live within 50 miles of the I-5 corridor. We presently live within 100+ miles. So, as I spoke with the recruiter and she informed me of this news, she said that they initially wouldn't be able to take us on, unless we moved closer to the I-5, something that neither Deb nor I had any desire to do. But, as she spoke with me further, she encouraged us to still fill out an application and see what would happen, that maybe they would allow for an exception.

We submitted our application and waited several days to hear back from her, which we eventually did. She informed us that they would not take us on with us living in our present location. She informed us of this via email, and to say the least, Deb and I were quite disappointed. Nonetheless, we did not want to lose this opportunity, and still not wanting to move, I decided to call the recruiter and ask her if we could work out some sort of deal. I offered to them to waive the $5000 sign-on bonus or to decrease our starting cpm by a few cents, or to have us leave the truck and trailer somewhere along the I-5 and have us commute, or we would be willing to cover the cost of fuel to cover the extra distance in that commute (because their preference is that we take the truck/trailer back home with us)...pretty much anything and everything. Apparently my eagerness to come up with some deal that would be mutually beneficial, the recruiter decided that she would talk with her supervisor again and see if she couldn't make it work.

So, we waited a couple more days.

Then on one early morning as I was driving west on I-80 in Nebraska, I decided to give the recruiter a call to see where things stand. She simply informed me that they were willing to make an exception for us, and that they would take us on as is. To say the least, I was sitting on cloud nine! I was not simply tickled pink, because they were accepting us and taking us on, but also because a few years ago I never would have attempted to negotiate a deal. I would have simply and quietly accepted what they had to say and looked elsewhere. Acquiring this job is in some sense a great achievement that I'm thankfully proud of!

We've already submitted our two-week notice to our current company and have decided that the best time to make this switchover is while Deb is taking her comps back in Steubenville, OH. Our new company, US Xpress, has a terminal and orientation site located in west-central Ohio, Springfield, OH, and so this just made good sense to have the switchover during this time. It also provides the opportunity to visit with Deb's family for a couple of days. We'll have three days of orientation beginning on April 21st, then hopefully by week's end we'll have ourselves a new job (we're not technically hired on until we complete the orientation, until the company is satisfied with our performance), a new truck, and a considerably new income.

We were always hoping to make money this good in the trucking industry, but in many ways this is a goal fully come true. This is top of the market money, and most companies that we spoke with topped out at only 42-44cpm. So, we're making almost $12,000 more a year with this company than with other places. As we've spoken with other friends in the trucking industry, they are known to be a reputable company, quite large, and well-maintained. We are looking forward to this new adventure!

This money is as good as we could have possibly hoped for, and it is sooner than expected, and so we should hopefully be able to pay down our debt, establish a financial base and nest egg, in less time than originally planned. As Deb likes to bring up, we should be debt-free by her 30th birthday, and on our way to a new life of both business and employment opportunities.

Please keep us in your prayers and may this note find you especially well during this Easter Triduum. May God be praised for His love and goodness to us!

Peace of the Risen Lord,
Ben & Deb

P.S. A 48cpm pay and near 240,000 miles a year equates to a salary of $115,000. That's pretty decent money for 4 weeks of school training, 9 months of experience, and $10,000 to cover the cost of schooling.

How Pierre and Stan Have Blessed Our Lives

Well, after some arm twisting, Deb has finally motivated me enough to write a few thoughts about our trucking travels. Of course, it helps that we finally have a working laptop and internet connection in the truck! Purchasing these two items is a huge milestone for us, a work of delayed gratification of almost nine months, so both Deb and I are both overjoyed to have finally approved the purchase of these two items. However, the “new” laptop and internet are not the only purchases that we have made lately. As Deb has already mentioned, we decided to invest a little money and add Al, Stan, and Pierre to our collection, and boy!, are they welcome co-workers. And it is to how they are helping us out financially that will be the topic of my first blog post.

For those of you who don't know me, I have a myriad assortment of interests, ranging from philosophical studies and discussions, to football conversations, to home remodeling and engine repair, and to, last but not least, number crunching, financial analysis, and business interests. And it is to these latter interests that I will be turning. In the trucking industry, there are some bare “necessities” which cannot be overlooked or done without, and are often associated with the romantic vision of a trucker and life out on the road. The prime two would be the coffee thermos and the trucker's coffee mug. These are indispensable items, and it would almost be an injustice to imagine a trucker in his seat, with his one hand on the steering wheel and with his other hand left empty, left without a coffee mug nearby. In fact, some of my most favorable moments out on the road so far have been when I'm cruising down the interstate early in the morning, with the sun just beginning to rise, casting its glow and shadow on the face of the earth, with my favorite cup of coffee or tea in my mug in hand, sipping away as I go. These moments are truly glorious and quite difficult to convey in a few simple words.

With that said however, coffee and tea, especially on the road, are really expensive! I mean, really expensive. The average 16oz cup of joe (or tea for that matter) will run a guy or gal a buck fifty or more for every fill up, and with several fill ups ideally a day, we're talking some serious money, at least $60 to $90 a month, and that's with some lean drinking. Well, that's an expense that Deb and I were just unwilling to pay and so I got to thinking about ways to get around this money monster. The most obvious solution would be to make our own coffee or tea, but we didn't like the idea of the hassle associated with taking care of the coffee maker, not to mention the space that it would take up, as well as its proneness to falling over (riding in a truck is a bumpy ride), as well as the coffee filters we would need and the water...you get the point. Having our own coffee maker was not much of a solution.

But—some solution was needed. Making your own cup of coffee is vastly cheaper than purchasing one retail, especially if all you're using is the coffee grounds/ tea leaves, and are mooching the rest (namely the hot water) off of the truck stops. One can make a 16oz cup of coffee or tea for as little as 10 cents (10 cents!) using the generic Folgers coffee (or Townshend's tea leaves), and for only 25 cents for the higher quality, premium Starbucks or Millstone coffee found in most grocery stores. The incentive for making our own is simply too great to overlook. And so, in a moment of creative ingenuity, I thought it best to purchase a large thermos (Stan) and a 16 oz coffee press (Pierre) for our coffee making purposes.

Stan holds about a half gallon of hot water and since he stays hot for over 24 hrs, we only have to refill him once every day or two. Thus, with him in our company, we have some hot water always accessible to make some hot beverage. Add Pierre to the mix, and we have coffee or tea whenever we want it. This becomes especially advantageous when you consider that we don't always have to park at a truck stop to get some coffee or tea or to take a break. Rest areas become a real alternative and considering how enjoyable it is to stop at a rest area (not as much traffic, easy off and on the highway access, more enjoyable settings), this is a definite improvement. Additionally, Stan also allows us to make oatmeal in the truck and he has proven to be especially useful for cleaning up any spills that we might have (hot water goes a long ways for cleaning). Adding to that how useful both Stan and Pierre should continue to be after our trucking days are over, one can easily see why we have welcomed them into our company with open arms and hope that they will continue to bless us with their presence for years to come. (If you haven't noticed, Deb and I are turning into Tom Hanks on “Castaway.”) :)

P.S. There is some even better, “great news” to come from me, but I wanted to write about this first to “break me in” on the blog post writing, and thus the other news will come in the near future.

P.P.S. Unfortunately, the great news is not that Deb is pregnant. I know, we can hear the sighs of disappointment from here, but hopefully, that will be a blog post in a year or two. :)

Sunny Sacramento

Can you believe that it's not quite spring yet but the high today in Sacramento was 78 degrees? We took advantage by utilizing our roller blades! The truck stop parking lot is huge and there weren't many trucks parked yet, and it felt great to get the blood pumping and our muscles used!





Driving near Lincoln, NE the other day brought a challenge: we blew a tire! Ben was in the back sleeping and all was going well with my driving and then, POP! I look in my side mirror to see smoke coming from the driver's side front axle of the trailer tires. I immediately put on my four-way flashers, slowed down, and pulled off to the side of the road. Ben woke up and checked out the damage:

Five hours and many phone calls later, we drove away with a brand new tire and were on our way!

When we were on our last home-time, we looked into getting an up-graded laptop to use while out on the road (our present one was a 2000 model!). After a Craigslist search, we found a place in town that refurbishes "older" computers and resells them for a relatively inexpensive price. We made a purchase on an HP 4-year old laptop and are so thrilled with it! It moves with great speed, plays dvds and has awesome picture quality. Adding to that, we adjusted our cell phone plan a bit to allow my BlackBerry to be used as a modem for internet service on the computer as well! That means I can now update the blog on a real computer using more than just my thumbs to type!

We have some other really great news*, but in Ben's introductory contribution to our blog (stay tuned, hopefully it will happen in the next week), he will be the one to share!

*Mom, if you're reading this, no, the other really great news is not that we're pregnant. We're still waiting.

In other other news, we have named our little coffee/tea french press: Pierre. Our whole brood of coffee/tea related items was joined by "Stan Jr.", a smaller green thermos, gifted to me by Becky and Michelle for my birthday. Having names for them all may seem strange, but it certainly helps both of us to know what the other is talking about in reference to them.

Speaking of my birthday, I had a great day! We originally planned on getting a group together to go on a ski trip up to Mt. Hoodoo, but time and money did not permit that little adventure. Rather, we had friends over for a dinner night on Friday and a brunch on Saturday! Thank you to Adam, Kathy, Eric, Justin, Pat, Carolyn, Matthew, Sharon, Michelle W, Michelle O, Becky, Eric, Ray, Breanna and Jill for helping me celebrate! And thanks for the chocolate! :-)

In other news, we are (still) in Sacramento, picking up a load early in the morning and heading to the Seattle area. Then we'll head out to the east side of Pittsburgh! We look forward to being in that "familiar" territory, even though we'll be in that region just next month for my comps. Speaking of, please keep my studying efforts in your prayers! This is just one of three last steps to completing my masters degree, but is by far the largest chunk...

Have a beautiful weekend, and Happy Spring! St. Joseph, pray for us!

Peace,
deb & Ben

Meet Stan, Al, and Jack

Ben and I really enjoy drinking tea while out on the road. Each month we stock up on our loose-leaf flavored black teas from Townshend's Tea here in Bend. Their varieties range from Vanilla Peach Apricot to Creme de la Earl Grey, Mango Mist to Rose Petal, Ginger Peach to Assam Irish Breakfast. They have other varieties of green and white teas, but black tends to have more caffeine. Mate is another type of tea they have (a traditional Argentinian drink that is very, very planty/earthy) that we've come accustomed to. Every now and then we enjoy a good cup of coffee (Pilot Travel Centers have the best on the road), but it can be very expensive with a few refills a week. Enter, thus, Stan.

We met Stan at Target last week and are so pleased he joined us out on the road. With a lifetime warranty, 26 hours of heat, and suitable durability, we knew he was right for us! He is shown here with some friends, but he is the one in the back. It is really amazing that even after "just" 12 hours of holding our hot water from the truck-stop tap (hey, water is free, and they have it at the perfect temperature right next to all of the coffee varieties), he will still be steaming! This helps us out with the tea, coffee, and even oatmeal.




Al was a few rows over, and was necessary to join us as we mistakenly set down our other coffee mug and forgot about it. He is shiny just like Stan! We also purchased a truck-friendly french press for these loose-leaf teas and eventual coarse-ground coffee. But, he doesn't have a name yet.








Lastly, meet Jack. He often gets called other names, but 95% of the time, is one of the greatest assets we have on the road. He is a truck-specific GPS device, well worth the investment. He also switches to "four-wheeler" mode for when we drive our pick-up or Jetta. Jack is just one of the many "personalities", or voices used. His cousin Lee, from Australia, comes to the fore when my mother Eileen is around. His sister Samantha is not pleasant to listen to, and if we're feeling really adventurous, we'll communicate with his French relatives. All in all, the entire family is extremely helpful, but Jack is our favorite.

These three "guys" have really made our time in the truck more enjoyable, cheaper, and without significant headaches. If anyone out there is considering a career in this field, you won't be disappointed with these additions!

A few other quick things: we're on our hometime now, enjoying great Central Oregon weather and getting a lot of work/errands/studying done. Highlight of today: I picked up my two "new" vintage Bebo Norman cd's I had ordered last month. He is fantastic! Also, please kindly overlook my spelling errors; 99% of the time I am updating this blog through my cell phone and it does not have a friendly editing page.

Have a beautiful week, everyone! God bless you!

peace,
deb & Ben

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

A Nice Break

We've been spending a lot of time on the eastern portion of the country this last week with "short" runs (less than 1000 miles), from Ohio to Georgia to Kentucky to New York to Massachusetts and even Rhode Island! We had some time to spare before we dropped last night in Indianapolis, so we called up the Wilker clan and met them in Eaton, an hour or so from home. Kate, Joe, Andy and Tex visited with us as we went for a bite to eat and then enjoyed two games of bowling. It's nice to see family; we haven't since Thanksgiving. This morning we got to visit with Mindy, too, outside of Indy. Thanks for making the trek to hang out, averyone!

We're heading to Walton, KY, just south of Cincinnati to pick up a Conway load and head out to Aurora, NE. They're keeping us busy!

Have a great week, everyone!

God bless,
deb & Ben