Blogging...

I'm not sure where to start really. I didn't feel like reading my last blog to see where I was or what I was doing at the time. But I know it was posted before I went home for my last time at home. Which, by the way occurred earlier than anticipated and was a blast.

I had delivered a load to Mount Crawford, VA at a Wal-Mart Distribution Center and was waiting for my next assignment sitting in their parking lot. I got an order to pick up an empty trailer and head home. I was confused since I wasn't supposed to go home until like Tuesday of the following week. So I checked for an empty trailer and didn't find one and called in to make sure all of this was actually legit and to request a reassignment for an empty trailer elsewhere. They told me to forget it and just bobtail home.

255 miles.

Nice.

I made it home that evening around 4:30pm and was glad to be home. I was sorta disappointed because I had to cancel plans with friends that I'd made for later in the week. But I was certainly glad to be home regardless.

One of the days that I was home my hunny and I went shopping to buy each other Christmas gifts. I bought him 4 pairs of dress pants for work that he desperately needed. He bought me my first pair of Carhart Insulated Overalls. We're a hawt couple.... har har har. I didn't get to bring the overall's home that day though... I had to leave them to have them altered as they were about 4" too long. Go figure!

Anywho. I had a great visit at home and was sad to get back on the road when it was time to go. But I've had a fairly good run of it since I left the house on the 19th. I picked up a load in South Charleston of all places and headed to (crap I'm drawing a blank here)...... Ahh yes, St. Louis Missouri. I dropped my load there the next day and then drove to another Missouri location to pick up my next load which delivered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. This was actually two deliveries in one. Both at Sams Club stores. I had to make the first delivery at midnight and the next across town at 3am. It was interesting.... and exhausting.

From there I went to meet an Okie from Muskogee, who told me to shut up when I asked him if he was indeed an Okie from Muskogee or if he just worked there haha. I picked up a load in Muskogee and started out for Rincon, Georgia just north of Savannah.

I haven't made it there yet as of course... it seems that things always have to happen to me along the way to prevent a timely delivery. I was making very good time from the Pilot station in Russellville, Arkansas I took last night's break at today and had decided that when I stopped for fuel at the West Memphis OC this morning that I'd take the time to have a window on my sleeper berth fixed that had broken two nights before.

The fixin' took no time at all and I was on my way within an hour, fueled, fixed and ready to go. I made it about an hour and a half south of West Memphis, Arkansas when it happened. I was cruising down Hwy 78 in Mississippi, listening to the local Christmas radio station singing along with Brenda Lee... Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree.... when a pick-up truck loaded down with scrap metal and other sorts of junk came blazing past me in the hammer lane.

I saw him hit a bump in the road and subsequently saw the chunk of whatever it was bounce out of the bed of his truck and then hit the pavement ahead of me. There was nothing I could do to avoid what happened next.

With the loudest crash I'd ever heard, the object bounced up from the highway and smashed into my passenger side windshield. Shards of glass sprayed into the cab and all over the dash board. It didn't completely shatter the windshield but it busted it up pretty badly.

I had the shit scared out of me when that thing hit the windshield... I screamed and I think I actually threw up a little in my mouth before I started to slow the truck down to pull off the side of the road. I needed to regroup and check the damage.

I was able to drive to the next exit where there was a truck stop. I started the necessary series of phone calls and sat on hold forever waiting to find out what to do. After about an hour the decision was made for me to head back to West Memphis to get the windshield replaced. I drove round trip three hours and never made any actual progress towards my intended destination.

But I did get darn lucky that the window guy was at the OC when I got here this evening. He was just about to leave when I went into the Maintenance Bay with my request for repair. If he'd not been there at that precise moment, it might have been three days before I could have gotten it fixed, what with the holiday and all. So luck was with me today.

Of course, I was advised not to drive my truck beyond 5mph for at least 3-4 hours while the glue that holds the window in place sets up. So I had to call in to Support Shift (weekend warriors) and let them know I wasn't going to make it to Rincon tomorrow as planned since I can't make 700 miles in one day (legally).

So here I sit. Relaxing and enjoying some free wi-fi access. I'll get a good nights sleep and then head out in the morning. Fun fun!

Hope everyone is having a very Merry Holiday weekend and that Christmas finds you happy! I assume that my Christmas will be spent somewhere in Georgia, maybe sitting down with fellow drivers enjoying hearty converstion and maybe some pumpkin pie!

Till next time.... Happy Holidays and Much Love