I have developed a personal rule of thumb. Do not blog before two am., no matter what time I wake up.

I am now the beneficiary of a full fledge summer cold. That is putting the absolute best spin on the situation. (Buy myself a little more swamp land).

Finally Friday. I have looked for this day all week long.

MC's yesterday blog is very worth reading. A letter to his daughter who would have been twenty-one today. You can read it by clicking here!

Work has been just that. It seems as though this week has been constant. Who would have ever thought that shopping and drawing and coloring could be so tiring. Who woulda thought you can get paid for it? Every cloud has a silver lining. There continues to be much to do. We are at capacity trailer-wise. Actually to be comfortable we need about two more at present. Either late today or Monday morning the '00 Freightliner should be ready to go into the rotation. I happened by the dealer Friday and I think it will be a miracle if it is ready late Monday. We have another gentleman who is wanting to lease on two trucks to be dispatched out of Abilene while there is another man wanting to put three trucks on and be dispatched out of Fort Worth. We have a new driver (actually an old one who returned) who is supposed to begin Monday which means KO's personal truck will be going into the mix. In short the net gain in power units could be seven which would mean nine more trailers for a smooth drop and hook flow. For every action there is an adverse reaction. Going into this time of year I don't know if you can have too many trucks. Just KO's gin contract would require a minimum of five.

We have a fugitive running around. I don't understand why if a driver has a problem they just don't 'fess up. We had a driver earlier this year who was attempting to back under a trailer and poked two large holes in the front. KO and I took the trailer to the fleet shop and had to remove and re-skin the lower portion of the front. Sometime during the day Wednesday someone did the same thing to the same trailer again! No-one has volunteered any info so we will now begin to scan through all the bill of ladings and see who was the last person to drag the trailer before the damage was reported. I have an opinion but I will refrain from sharing it at this point in time.

Things have been kind of wild at the office. I began to try to leave yesterday and an hour and a half later I finally made it. Lots of nit picky details. Blowouts, trailers not loaded on time, unloading appointment changes, helping the core customer locate a delivery. I don't know what will happen when I'm out of the office. Call forwarding is good but sometimes it isn't possible to have all the resources with you to fix a problem. This week has been the first week of school and preschool for the owner's kiddos. I think the drive time for DO on Tuesday and Thursday delivering and picking up kids is going to really leave a huge hole in her day (ninety-two miles each day). I think that she is currently trying to put together some sort of car pool. I think it will make it easier on her and her gas bill! I also think KO is going to have to step up to the plate and become a contributing player on a consistent basis, not just in spurts. If you are going to be in business there are always going to be calls and jobs that aren't fun or pleasant to deal with, but a necessary part of doing business.

Flashback Friday! A few weeks ago we were anticipating a celebratory Friday at work after successfully negotiating the new contracts. Upon arrival at work we were notified that the contracts that had been signed the night before were being withdrawn. The gentleman who had negotiated on behalf of our core customer had told us that due to some problems with "corporate" the contract was not being offered (even though it was signed). We had successfully negotiated an eleven percent increase. Since then we have been notified that the leasing companies for our trailers is increasing their lease rates eight percent (which is why we are now intent on buying trailers). Everytime we have talked with the gentleman we negotiated the contract with, we never fail to ask him about progress on the freight allowances. He always points to the manufacturer as the problem. This same gentleman had been putting together a centralized dispatch for all of Texas featuring equipment maximization continuous move. We had learned that "corporate" had denied his request for 1.3 million in funding for computer hardware and software. At that point I told KO that I felt the gentleman from the core customer was on rapidly eroding ground. Yesterday this became a reality. The centralized dispatch is on hold. The position this gentleman hoped to fill is not going to be filled by him and his current job is being phased out. The company offered two options, transfer or retirement. He opted for the retirement and will be moving back to Minnesota in early fall. If you live by the sword you die by the sword.

Texas High School football began last night. There is a full slate of games tonight. Wouldn't it be nice if everyone's team could win? Thankfully I am not all wrapped up in the football thing. My first and foremost thought is that everyone needs to remember that it is, just a game. Play to your utmost ability, know that you can learn just as much from losing as you can from winning.

FATHER, I thank YOU for it all, for the victories, for the defeats, for the lessons learned. FATHER I pray for relief from this vicious cold, I ask for YOUR healing. I pray for a blessed day and a blessed weekend. I thank YOU for Krl and pray for her healing and renewal. I ask YOUR gifts of healing for Addie, Memama, Pepa, Hag, Bets, B., Lillie, Aimee, Jennifer, Ashlyn Kate, Jess, Dr. Mackie, Jeanine, Verlin, S.T., and Karen. I ask YOUR comfort for those hurting and grieving from loss. I pray for those of us who struggle as we attempt to follow YOU. Give us focus and keep us centered. I pray for our spiritual family and our leaders. I pray for the efforts to expand YOUR kingdom. Into my heart.