Keeping it Sacred or Getting It Back, Just One Drop

I am a very blessed woman. I have an amazing man. We have been through hell and back in our short marriage, but I promise, there's not one person on this whole planet that I'd rather walk through hell with. That's a fact.

I hear trucker's wives talk about how they are afraid of their man cheating, or how they can't trust him, or how he has done this or that or whatever. Oh. My. Goodness. I guess I have my Grandma and Papa to thank for my view that marriage should be forever, no matter what it takes. Grandma died many years after Papa, still signing her name Mrs. with his initials and last name. Am I saying that you should stay if he cheats while out on the road, heavens no, only you can decide that. I just have chosen to do what it takes to make sure my marriage is strong and healthy. I can't control what he does when he's not here. Heck, I can't control what he does when he is here. I can; however, choose to control me. I choose to treat him respectfully, uplift him and pray for him daily. I choose to be the wife that God created me to be. When I make mistakes, I do my best to learn from them and go on. When he makes mistakes, I do my best to do the same. I don't know how I would handle infidelity, and I pray I never have to. I choose to be faithful, honest and true. I know that goes a long way.

My husband is my hero, my soul mate, my very best friend. The 6 months we were separated were the longest, most painful days of my entire life. I did what I had to do, I prayed for that man every single day. I prayed that God would show me where I had done wrong and compel my heart to change. I prayed that God would heal both of our pain and allow us to grow in Him and in each other. I prayed that God would make him happy, no matter what that meant.  I never once took my ring off, I tried once because he told me to, but that didn't even last an hour, it was wrong and I knew it. I never flirted with another man. I never acted single. And I never, EVER, gave up hope.

This video from Plumb helped me through some of those dark nights. It still picks me up on days when I miss him.

But now, he's home - well, when he's home, he's home - but when he's out on the road we do things to keep our marriage sacred and strong. We write notes, we send videos, pictures and cute texts to one another. We both love music so sending videos is a great way for us to uplift one another. He reminds me every day that he loves me and wants me and I do the same for him. We talk about what is most important, and about silly things that don't matter to anyone at all. We do our best not to argue, fight, or jump to conclusions. We communicate and build one another up. We read together and pray together. Above all, we do our best to respect one another.

I pray that no matter who you are, that you have someone amazing in your life that you can share it with. If things are hard, I pray that God will bring healing. It only takes one drop. If I can pray for you or with you, if I can help you in some way to find that one drop, please let me know. If you don't want to post a comment, drop me an email, ThatTexasLady@gmail.com.

Here's What I Know

So my sweet man has only been behind the wheel of that big truck for a few weeks, but here's what I know.

• Trucker's marriages are made of something special (the ones that last)
• Finding a job in a rural community is very hard
• Learn geography in the 5th grade when it's easy!

So being married to a trucker is hard if he's someone you really do love, and my sweet man is the LOVE of my LIFE. I mean, I know some trucker's marriages aren't all that, just like some regular marriages. I have heard of couples that go weeks without hardly a phone call and they're all good. Not me and my man. Some days he's crying and wants to come home, some days I'm crying and want him to come home, some days we just want him home. Point is, it's never easy being apart from someone you love. Period. But you do what you can and you make it work. You get your OTR time out of the way, then you get a local gig ASAP. That's our plan anyway. Plus we do little things to keep the love alive when he's gone. We leave each other little notes, we text as often as possible, we talk on the phone several times a day...and thank the Lord for Facetime and Skype. I don't know what truckers did before the smartphone. I love being able to see him, that just makes me weak in the knees like a teenager with a crush!! I love it when I hear my iPad ringing!! One big thing, no matter what time it is when he's headed to bed, we say "goodnight". It doesn't matter if it's midnight or 2pm. If he's going to bed, I tell him goodnight. I just love that.

Okay so, my sweet man takes care of me. I really don't have to work if I don't want to, buuuut, I'm just not the kind of girl who can sit around and watch soap operas all day. I need a job. I need to do something. So I started looking for a job and Oh. My. Gosh. there are none to be found. I am attending substitute teacher orientation next week, but I don't know if they'll let me in - sigh - my tattoos are probably not compliant with the dress code. But we shall see. I had some twit at the dog park the other day tell me that she was sure Hot Topic in the mall was hiring, since she noticed I have tattoos, and they would probably hire me. Ugh! Yeah, sure, with all of my skills I want to sell panties and belly button rings to goth teenagers all day long. Gag! Stereotype much? Maybe I will just take a class or something instead? Perhaps I will learn a new skill, like belly dancing or something...

And finally, for any kids who might be reading this: LEARN GEOGRAPHY WHEN YOU'RE A KID AND IT'S EASY!! A little confession here, my asphalt cowboy said he was going to Illinois last night and I had absolutely NO CLUE where Illinois was. I am a Texas girl, born and raised and as far as I was concerned, Texas was all I needed to know. If it's north of Oklahoma, I will never need to know where it is. Alas, I was wrong. So, I keep an eye on the dispatch list and open up the map every time it says he's in a new state. I'm brushing up on my map skills, guys. Be proud. I'm also learning how to fix EVERYTHING, since it all has to fall apart when he's gone, hehehe.

Thanks for hanging out guys. I am researching a situation where a prescription from the doctor might allow you to carry your firearm at work. Anyone else heard of this?? Let me know what you think?! Have a great Labor Day!

Cooking and Packing for a Healthy Trucker

Sooo, I've only been at this Trucker's Wife thing for about a minute and a half, but here's what I've learned: you never know when he's coming home AND every trucker's wife out there is wondering how she can feed her man healthy and inexpensive.

The latter is my new goal. As an organizer, I have plenty of ideas how to pack the healthy foods and even how to cook the healthy foods. For most of us, though, the problem is if I cook for him and freeze it, he's gone for weeks at a time, so how's it gonna stay frozen? So, meal plans that don't require a chest freezer, that are healthy and economical, and that can be eaten cold or prepared quickly.

I am gathering my thoughts, taking pictures and making plans. As I prepare for his next home time and what I'm sending him out with I will keep you posted. Please feel free to share your meal plans and ideas. Let's get these boys eating healthy and keep them out of the Greasy Spoons!

I will include printable packing lists, grocery lists, and meal plans as we go.