Loving the Southwest Territory

They say payback is a...well you know. After working all summer in the southwest our reward has arrived. The weather has been so enjoyable. I can't remember a job that we have been able to wear shorts and flip flops on a daily basis in November. Temps in the 70's and even 80's...um yeah, bring it! We spent a couple of weeks in the Phoenix area taking care of all of the Arizona stores. People that know me know that I don't have real fond memories of Phoenix... but I'm getting better about it. I've decided it is a great place to visit, but could never live there again. However, We are becoming very interested in the Parker/Lake Havasu area. Located in the northwest corner of the state on the California border in the high desert...its beautiful. This summer it was miserably hot, 105+, when dropping our loads at the Lake Havasu store, but now it is just perfect! Perfect enough to even look at some properties for a possible second home...we could become snowbirds! Its far enough away from Phoenix for me and the people we have met have been nothing but helpful and friendly. Parker is located directly on the Colorado River and as I was driving through last week on a full moon, I don't think I have witnessed anything more beautiful. We need to get a 34 hour reset in this area to look at more properties and explore this option further.

I also have to give kudos to The Loves once again. When arrived home this week we had each received a cute card in the mail wishing us a Happy Thanksgiving and enclosed was a $20 certificate to buy our family a Thanksgiving turkey or groceries. We have NEVER worked for such a great company that appreciates their employees and takes care of us so well. Thank you Tom Love and family. Nice touch and very much appreciate your thought.

On a different note. Our meals have been almost all out of our truck since California has some of the best Mexican food ever. This must be curtailed. I have not had to buy any new clothes, however, I am not comfortable where I'm at right now and need to make some changes. I purchased a Nuwave Mini Oven which cooks with infrared technology. It grills, steams, bakes and toasts. Just picked it up from home, Amazon is my best friend, and made a few trial runs while on home time. Made filets, broccoli and new potatoes one evening...very yummy. Then tried the baking with some Pilsbury Grand cinnamon rolls. They turned out great, so when we head out tomorrow this will be our new addition to the truck. I'm seeing more grilled chicken over yummy salads and other healthier alternatives.

We have been off for the past 5 days now and we have completely enjoyed our home time. Spent time with family, got our green chili fix, had a early Christmas celebration, got the plates for our new Mini, a snow storm, got a tattoo, lunch with a long lost cousin of Jeff's (30 years), spa day for London, nails done, hair cut and colored and of course nightly soaking in our hot tub that I wish we could bring with us in our sleeper! But fun time is over and its time to get back to warmer weather...oh darn.

As I sit here and finish my glass of Merlot, I wish everybody a very Happy Thanksgiving and hope you all have a great holiday with family and friends. We will be somewhere warm, hopefully, enjoying each others company. Thank God we found each other!

Its All Good

The last couple of weeks have been great. We made a great choice in making the move to Love's and running the southwest region. It is November and we haven't seen one snowflake fall from the sky...and I don't miss it one bit.

Last week we ended up delivering to the Vegas store last, so it was time to try another pet friendly casino. We chose The Hacienda in Boulder City...for a couple of reasons. 1) It was Halloween weekend and Vegas hotel room rates were ridiculous. 2) The Hacienda offers free hotel rooms for CDL holders...bonus! 3) We were both looking for a quiet, mellow weekend.

The Hacienda is located on Hwy. 93 inbetween Vegas and the Hoover Dam with a spectacular view of Lake Meade. It has slots, tables, including craps and live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. It has a buffet, steakhouse and even a movie theatre. This is however not the Taj Mahal of casinos.  It is older, however the beds were still comfy. The food was mediocre...not great, but not senior center bland either. They also offer several trucker food specials in the cafe that are a great deal. A 12 oz. NY Strip, 3 eggs, hashbrowns and toast for $8.75...most specials were under $6. It has ample truck parking directly across the highway from the casino and if staying at the hotel, you can park in the casino lot.  There are several hiking trails that go towards the Lake. You can even take a trail all the way to Hoover Dam...approximately 2.5 miles. $29 and $69 helicopter rides take off directly in front of the hotel and fly over the Lake and the Dam. We have taken a helicopter ride a couple years ago from the Vegas airport to the Dam and back over The Strip. It was an awesome experience, so we opted out of the 5 minute ride being offered, but if you have never been in a helicopter, this is a great option. We did however meet a fantastic couple, Daniel and Jena, dairy farmers from Wisconsin.  They had not taken a vacation in 18 years. They were a hoot...its probably a good thing they were leaving the next day, I think the four of us could have found some real trouble to get in to. One of the many bonuses of this job...meeting the coolest people from all around the country that you would never have the opportunity to do if you sat in an office all day.

Our entire hotel stay...for 3 nights was $56.34...seriously. I also hit a 4 of a kind on a video poker machine and won $65...sweet!

I still can't say it enough. It is great to work for an awesome company and be appreciated and run in a fantastic region and have great equipment that is well maintained. We run consistently every week and enjoy a very generous paycheck every week for a job we both are enjoying immensely. We are truly blessed.