Hybrid...

As long as I have been driving up to New England, I have often claimed that the area felt like my second home. It is by far my favorite route to run. After begging AA for weeks, I finally manage to grab this little jewel. Being a southern girl and loving New England, I am a hybrid!!

My first delivery was to be in Bloomfield, Connecticut. I arrived on Sunday night and set up camp only to oversleep the next morning. No worries, however, as I have big plans for my return trip "home". Leaving Connecticut, I take the scenic route up to North Adams, Massachusetts. Have I ever mentioned how much I love driving the two lanes. Well, the two lanes in Mass are my absolute favorite.

After delivering in N Adams, I make the executive decision to take my absolute favorite scenic route back towards Boston. Knowing full well it will cost me additional time, the journey is so worth it. The Mohawk Indian Trail !! Absolutely love this route...

At this point, I am halfway thru my journey with only 2 stops left. But, as I have mentioned before, I have big plans. So I slowly amble towards the Cape thinking I may get finished on Monday. After calling the customer, it was decided that my stay in New England was to be extended. Oh Joy!!

No seriously... Oh Joy!! I now have more time to appreciate my beloved New England. So I change my course and head up to New Hampshire. This customer only takes deliveries after 4pm. After sitting in the dock for several hours, my plan is finally set into motion. Quick text to a friend and I am on my way.

The Big Plans... Meeting up with Trucker ATK. You see, we have a little task at hand to be completed. A certain Scorching Habanero Doritos Challenge... "The Deadly Doritos Snackdown"

After a lovely visit, I make tracks south to set up camp for my final delivery in Hanson, Ma. Another treat in itself because this is possibly my favorite delivery. The owner of the company has been so good to me and Andy throughout the years, and it is always a pleasure to make an appearance here.

Trailer is empty and it dawns upon me that I am also driving past another delivery point where I have made a friend. Sooooooo, why not? I pull into Taunton, park the truck, and race inside to yell Surprise. I actually ended up spending the entire morning with my friend Pat, catching up on all the gossip. We ended the visit with a nice lunch at a local Italian restaurant, complete with a view of the lake!

Not wanting to leave just yet, I contact ATK again and schedule another visit. My pickup is set for 5am the next morning in Hartford, CT. I have plenty of time! Lucky for me, so does ATK. So he swings in to pick me up and takes me on a more scenic tour of Massachusetts. ATK is a local car hauler and a good friend of mine, so it was a pleasure to see him again before heading out.

The next day it was business as usual. Up at 5am to load a meager 280 pounds and begin the long trek home... sigh!!

What an absolutely splendid week. It was almost as if I did not work at all and that, my friends, is how it should be. Next week, the excitement continues as I head to SOUTH DAKOTA. I know, right! I have not been west of I-35 in years.. Hoping to see a few more friends next week!!

Did I ever mention how much I love my job? Yeah, I thought so...

The Wonderful World Of Disney

Thought I should try to get a few of my photos posted from last weeks vacation. You know, before I forget.


While I thoroughly enjoyed my little adventure into the enchanted and magical realm of Disney, I think I have come away with a valuable realization. I don't ever have to go back. I mean, for the price, I would do just as well purchasing a season's pass to Six Flags because there are only 3 rides that I even care to ride.

First and foremost, when it comes to roller coasters, the Animal Kingdom's Expedition Everest was the top choice.

The normal standby time for this ride is 2 hours.....But with a little help from the single passenger queue, I managed to ride to my heart's content. Or, until I was so queasy from the continual G forces. It has a few surprises for the newcomer, such as the twisting and turning backward slide through the darkened mountain. Also, for entertainment value, once inside the mountain, a video is projected onto the rocky wall depicting the Yeti and his brutal attack on the very tracks you are sitting on. Of course, even better than that, is the exhilarating drop and the corkscrew action.

Even though I am a coaster fanatic, I realized very quickly that I can only handle 7 back to back rides. Of course, in a 7 day period, that ended up being a number in the dozens.

Also a treat was the view while climbing to the top. Here you can just barely make out Epcot (to the far left) and The Hollywood Tower of Terror at the Hollywood Studios (formerly known as MGM)

And speaking of the Tower of Terror, that is the best ride of all. Hands down !! I think I could ride that one over and over all day with only food and restroom breaks. But, I do have a little secret for making that ride even more enjoyable. It is an elevator style ride that propels and drops repeatedly at random heights.

There are 21 occupants seated on a single ride, and one of the things that I could not resist doing was my Wicked Witch laugh while proclaiming "I'll get you my pretty" Actually had a few folks believing that was actually part of the soundtrack for the ride. Of course, the room was dark at the time, so no one noticed it was actually me. Got a few screams out of that. Another stunt we liked to pull..after the ride was finished, my brother and I would lean forward and get as close to the elevator doors, so when they opened we could frighten the attendant with loud shrieks. That didn't work so well, as I am sure we are not the only ones to ever do that.

But my favorite stunt of all.....When told to securely fasten my safety belt....I er, um..would scoot forward in my seat before cinching it down. This allowed me more room to wiggle around and play with gravity because me arse had more airtime than those who were properly secured in place.

Then there was the Rocking Roller Coaster. It was actually pretty cool. 0 to 60mph in 2 seconds, and then spiraling and flipping through a blacked out room full of neon signs and objects. But not worth the 2 hour wait.

The food was not as spectacular as I remembered. The walking was even worse. My feet swelled every night and took up to 6 hours to stop hurting, only to wake up and do it all over again. Missed all the fireworks, and the shows I watched were not as brilliant as I had anticipated.

It was great to get away from the truck for a week, but I am equally as grateful to be back at work.

I know you probably expected a better post, but work is calling, so I will include more pictures at a later time *crossing fingers*.

Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, TN

Last week, I had a little time off and had scheduled a nice weekend getaway. During the course of said rendezvous, I made a few new friends.

I thoroughly enjoyed the petting pool, where I was able to caress Bamboo Sharks, some Rays (not sure if they were Sting, Manta, or otherwise) and a Guitar Fish ?!? In fact the little fellows in the tank were quite happy to be rubbed. There was one Ray in particular who returned every few seconds for a gentle caress. And I think the Bamboo Shark loved me as much as I loved him.

Overall, I was not pleased with the Tennessee Aquarium, often boasting to be the best Southern Aquarium. I beg to differ. While the main Ocean Tank was very nice, there was very little variety as a whole. And the River Tank, held even more salt water aquatic life....Hmmm??

I think I still prefer the Georgia Aquarium with it's many diversified inhabitants.

But it was a treat to play with the sharks in the petting pool. Now, I would pay just to do that again. And just for the record, did you know Rays are related to Sharks? Yep, I think I made some new friends......

Distractions

Once again, I have managed to take a break and put in a personal appearance on my blog. Lots of things going on. New Changes, Upcoming events, and Birthday plans. No, not my birthday. But I do love a good birthday. This month, the little blond girl turns 9 years old. She is such a girl, too! Which is so much fun. Also, Shadow has a birthday this month, and we are going to hide out in a distant city for a birthday bash!

Also, on Tuesday, my brother and nephew are going to meet me in Atlanta to pay homage to Bono, the Edge, Larry, and Adam! Yep, we have tickets to the U2 360 tour! This will be the Wonder Boy's first concert. No better way to start than with U2. Of course that means I had to give up my NE run, but some things are just worth it.

Also, I have finally found a local hairdresser that I think I am going to be very happy with. I stumbled on to her, while trying to set up an appointment with my Mother's hairdresser. I think I got lucky, because April is so much fun and did a wonderful job with my unruly hair! YAY!!

Hmmmmm, the running is not so much of a priority anymore. Well, at least the numbers. I have discovered that I have a much better time running without the garmin. I can put more focus into the enjoyment of running, because I am a numbers freak, I seem to put too much emphasis on time and distance. I have a local running trail that is 4 miles, out and back. So, I have been doing that as much as possible. I still seem to have a few complications from leg pain that I believe are associated with the truck, but I will no longer be using them as excuses. If the pain continues to persist, I will see out a reputable orthopedic doctor to diagnose my problem. By the way, the pain is none existent while running.

Well, I guess that about covers all the basics for now. Hopefully, I will be able to squeeze in a few blog posts as the events of October take place. Good Times!!

In the Beginning...

I really do not know where to start, because of all the topics I listed on the last post, well, they all relate to one another, so Maybe I should do this by the day instead of the trying to separate the different topics... Yeah, That sounds good

DAY ONE ( Florida Vacation )

As you should be aware, I headed to the Sunshine state for a 5 day get-a-way. The weather was wonderful most of the time. It was overcast for most of the stay, so sunburn was a minimal risk. I did get cooked on the final day, but I was too busy kayaking to pay much heed to the telltale signs that I was slow roasting. On the second day, I ventured out early and joined the multitudes that were making use of a pedestrian traffic only route through the community and ended up traversing the sand dunes of this little island retreat. The run was great, although I am still much slower than the average runner. My legs were fine all day!! ( Keep this statement in mind throughout the following posts).

Of course, while staying at a tropical destination, you must indulge in the catch of the day, or in my case, a huge bucket of steamed everything. Crab, shrimp, mussel, oyster, crawdads, clams, and some new potatoes to top it off. Ummmm, yummy!! In fact, it was so delicious the first night, I enjoyed another bucket the second night. LOL

While the vacation was a nice reprieve from every day life, I have come to the conclusion that I no longer know how to relax. Seriously, I just spent an entire 8 days away from the truck, but my demeanor and attitude have not adjusted at all. There is, of course, several reasons for that.

First, I shall mention that while my legs felt divine the day of my run, they were swollen like water balloons the entire trip (except the ONE DAY). In fact my legs have been aching ever since I got into Frankentruck (but that is another post) So, the entire vacation seemed to be overshadowed by my anguish over just what exactly is happening to my body. The only way I seem to get any relief from the sciatic nerve and hip and knee pains, is to lie down on my belly. That does not lead to a very productive day, and you cannot drive while lying face first....Grrrr, needless to say the only thing left to do was endure. Oh yeah, I totally forget about the aches and pains while I was out row row rowing my boat! Did I mention how much I enjoyed the kayak..Ha HA, you would have thought I was in a competitive race the way I was slicing through the salty waters. That is a hobby I need to become more involved in!!

I should also mention the little adventure we had whilst parasailing... LOL....I am sooooo mean!!

I have been wanting to go parasailing for quite some time, and thought this was the perfect opportunity to do so. Of course, all adventures are best when shared with someone, so I loaded up my two nephews and one's girlfriend. I was going to ride with the youngest nephew, while the other rode with his girlfriend. Once we hoped aboard the boat, the first mate began preparations. Me and Asti Spumante(not his real name) were first, and after a brief trip around the bay, we were submerged in the water before being reeled back onto the boat. Next up was the Kiddo and Miss Ashlee. They had instructed the first mate that they were not to be dunked into the water. But I had alternate plans for them. So after another bayside boat ride, the captain asked if I wanted them dunked...." Well, of course, I paid for it so I think they should abide by my wishes. In fact, you should probably just let them soak for a bit!!" While slowing reeling them in, the first mate dropped them low enough to skim their toes across the top of the water, that is when I busted a gut laughing. Ashlee knew she was in trouble!! They were submerged and then dragged for several seconds...... Afterwards, everyone was in good spirits, even the victims of my little prank. You see, I think Ashlee really wanted to get dunked, but Kiddo is growing up and he had teenage things on his mind...Oh well, hope he forgives me!!

So yeah, all in all, it was a good trip, but I seem to need to learn how to relax again. I am going to practice this on the coming weekends. Hopefully I will have more non-trucking adventures to report in the future.

Highlights

Afternoon Showers!! But then it does rain everyday in Florida!

To beat the crowds, we headed out early for a little parasailing.

Well, of course you have to leave your mark in the sand...

And yes, we did manage to catch crabs!!

If you look really close, you will notice kayaks!! I spent the entire afternoon OUT in the ocean on a kayak. Too much fun. It was a two person craft, but I had more luck maneuvering it alone! And just for the record, it is best to hit the waters early when the waves are non existent.

Here is the old pier that sustained major damage from a hurricane. While exploring on the kayak, I was able to spot huge jellyfish near the pier AND watched the dolphins playing. They were literally just feet from my vessel. The dolphins, that is.

The view from the balcony!