Profile For Ed G.

Yesterday was such a busy day!

We heard from my soon-to-be before class while the kids were getting ready for school. They were so happy to talk to him in the morning! Got the day off on a good foot.

He studied map reading and trip planning with his class most of the day. They also learned how to do paper logs and got their driver numbers.

He was finally paired with a room-mate. He said he is a nice guy. It was strange trying to talk about his day with a listening ear in the room so I asked him if he could go someplace private to talk. He asked quite simply "Where?". The reality is that he has no real privacy right now and probably won't have much until he finishes training and gets in his own company truck. He will be solo then. So I have to just accept that I won't get the "whole story" until he has some alone time. He is one of only 3 guys that aren't from the local area there so he may be alone over the weekend. Today is the first day they get hands-on with the truck. I am just as excited as he is. No way to know if he can actually do the work until he starts learning those trucks! From what we have read from truckers, there is no classroom setting that can "teach" you to drive. It is all about feeling the girls (trucks) out.

I had housework to do for the first part of the day. Then a meeting at my son's school. Then my 5yr old daughter had a performance with all the kindergartners from her school in the evening. My soon-to-be called after school just minutes before we had to leave to wish her luck (break a leg kid, what daddy? why do you want me to get hurt?...lol). I could tell that it hurt his heart that he couldn't be here for her. She had been practicing for months.

I took video while my son tried to get pictures and she was soooo cute. It broke my heart that he couldn't be there. He always LOVES the kids school programs.

After the performance I had to get dinner cooked (glad when the money starts coming and days like this can be a drive thru dinner), kids bathed, and pets cared for. In the middle of all that activity, my soon-to-be wanted to talk. He was talking, kids were talking, I was trying to get it all done and I felt so bad. He just wanted my attention because he had to miss an important school function and I kept handing him off "Here talk to daddy while I....".

I finally asked him if I could just call him back after all that was out of the way and he said it was fine. I was left wondering if this made him feel excluded.

At last we finished dinner and all and called him back. I spent the rest of the evening uploading videos and pictures for him to our "secret' facebook page. He is really enjoying the constant updates and he said it helps that he can get on there and catch up with the whole day when he has a moment to spare. It is so labor intensive though to get it all out there and I wonder if I can keep up the pace. It has only been a few days and I am already exhausted! We were able to finally connect and talk to each other for a little while, then my 10 yr old was at my bedroom door sobbing. "I miss daddy!". I put him on the phone with her for a few and we talked to her again about why he is doing this.

He is doing it for US! He is doing it to get our family out of poverty because there was no work available locally that paid more than min wage.

She finally calmed down and went on to bed. My son talked to him for a minute (he is autistic and has a real hard time talking to him on the phone) and then my soon-to-be was ready to get off the phone. I felt deflated. Oh well, I thought, back to facebook updates.

I know we are going to have more of these days where we just can't seem to click because of his obligations and mine will often be different. I have to just let is roll off my back and try again.

Thank you so much for listening!

I bet you're hot. You should ditch this bum and hook up with me.

Hahaha

Love you and miss you and the kids a bunch. We'll adjust to this new life. I know how strong and capable you are and we really are a good team. The only thing that separates us is geography.

My soon-to-be trucker is leaving for company sponsored training in 9 days. He is not guaranteed any hometime before he gets on a trainers truck (could be out a total of 8 weeks). His pack list is as follows:

Classroom (this depends on your company):

Pens/Pencils: Clear 6in Ruler Calculator Notebook Motor Carrier Road Atlas (I've heard this is essential even if not company required) CDL Study Guide from DMV Work gloves (one pair for general one for fueling) Multi-tool with changeable bits Flashlight

Personal Care:

Money! Everything he uses for hygiene Over the counter meds (ie: Ibuprophin, Allergy Meds,, Pepto) 4 Short Sleeve button down shirts 2 Long Sleeve button down shirts 4 pairs of Jeans LOTS of underwear and socks (!extra! in case laundry proves difficult) Steel Toed Boots (required by some companies) Flip Flops for Showers Laundry Bag Sleeping Bag Pillow Extra Pillow Case Vaping Liquid, Batteries, and Atomizers (for e-cig) Towel Shelf Stable Groceries Paper Plates/Bowls Plastic Forks/Spoons/Knives Truck Driver's Day Planner An empty backpack

Entertainment/Communication: Harmonica Nexus Tablet Cellphone (subscription to Spotify for music) Thumb Drives Loaded with Movies. Charger Cables/Power Sources

He is carrying most of these items in a half duffle. His bedding will travel in his laundry bag and his groceries will be boxed.

I am sure I am forgetting something...lol, but I hope this helps. :)

Hey, that's me! LOL

I should clarify a couple of things...

The box of food, paper plates, etc are for the hotel. I'll be in the hotel for 3 1\2 weeks. There is a fridge and microwave in the room. Continental breakfast will be provided there and if I avoid eating out while I'm there I can save most of my living money for the first couple of weeks of OTR training. I won't be taking groceries and stuff onto the trainers truck. I may be able to cook meals with the trainer, but I'm not counting on it. Within my first two weeks on the road, I'll be getting my first training paycheck.

The half duffel that home fire was referring to is actually a military style parachute bag. Its about 26" long and soft sided. It will live on my bunk and I will be sleeping with it. All of my stuff fits inside this bag: clothing, tablet, atlas, toiletries, etc. Also I'm bringing a small backpack to carry my shower supplies and clothes from the truck to the showers. It is folded up inside the duffle bag.

I have 4 pairs of jeans and some shirts, but I also have 12 pairs of underwear, 12 pairs of socks and 12 undershirts. That way no matter how long I have to go between laundry mats, I will always be able to have a fresh set of clothes next to my skin. Jeans and shirts can stay pretty clean for a few days as long as the stuff you sweat on gets changed every day.

I have a really good sleeping bag. Its big and roomy. Canvas on the outside and flannel on the inside. Very warm, but can be opened up or slept on top of. I think this will be very helpful.

The past few days, I have been working on ripping my DVD collection onto a couple of thumb drives. They take up almost no space in my bag, and I can watch movies on my Nexus 10 tablet.

Hope this helps you a little bit. I'm leaving in a week for training, so we'll see how well I've packed.

Ed