I like it when I have days that are really productive and I feel good about.

Yesterday was one of those and it has been a while since I had had one. It was a long day. It was a hard day, but it was extremely fulfilling. I awoke shortly after five, grabbed a quick bath and hit the road. I had spent the better part of an hour the previous night loading my pickup (have you ever loaded a freezer by yourself? It isn't that difficult if you can figure out how to grab it!), and prior to that I had taken the time to load a few last minute items into the company travel trailer before I hooked it to a truck and it left from in front of the house. Tuesday morning we were to meet up at my parents house and travel to the jobsite together with the final two travel trailers. When I arrived at my parents, I immediately sprang into action (I did take a brief minute to flash my headlights across my parent's bedroom window (Pepa had told me not to. I'm sorry I just couldn't resist). I hooked up the travel trailer and circled to the front of their house, making sure that I left enough room for the big truck to park beside me. I was running an hour ahead of schedule! I gathered their newspaper and walked to the back of the house figuring I would have to ring the door bell. Much to my surprise I found the door unlocked and I made my way inside. Earlier I had seen the lights come on in the master bathroom, but now the house was dark. I turned the kitchen lights on and proceeded to start making coffee and then sat down with the newspaper. Shortly after the coffee was made Memama and Pepa made their way into the kitchen. I guess their is some truth to that old adage "wake up with coffee". I made a call to Kyle Patrick Henry (of course he hadn't heard his alarm) and then Memama, Pepa and I visited while we waited for his arrival and the big truck's arrival. Finally everyone was present and we bid goodbye to our hosts and began our trek westward.

When we arrived at STL, we immediately positioned the big travel trailer and unhooked it. I sent this driver back to my parents to leave this truck and pick up the truck I had left there yesterday that was pulling the company supply trailer. The plan called for Kyle and me to setup the two new arrivals during the four hours the truck driver was gone. Immediately we began the process on the big trailer. Leveling and stabilizing. Since I live in this one at the jobsite I was very particular. Last year I was never satisfied with the trailer setup. It never felt solid and it never seemed totally level. After three hours, everything was in place and hooked up with the single exception of the satellite. Water, propane, electricity, telephone, sewer. We then jumped to the second trailer. It is a much simpler setup because it doesn't possess the slide outs. Kyle and leveled and stabilized it very quickly and when we completed hook up of all the utilities we were ten minutes ahead of schedule. We then went inside Krl's and my trailer and began moving a few items. We put the microwave in place and began positioning items that "traveled" in weird places. (Call me crazy, but we have found if we will wrap the rolling tub files with a comforter and place them in the bathroom and shut the door, they will remain in place and upright.) I then began to purge the air from the gas lines and lit the cook stove and turned the water heater on. We were just about to walk out the door to light the water heaters on the other two trailers when Blacksheep 2 pulled in with the supply trailer. This trailer held many items important to our camp. Front porch, fencing material, satellite, and things like rolling bins that store dog food and diet coke or serve as a garbage dumpster. Kyle Patrick and I were about melted down. It was after three and we had not stopped all day for food or drink. We decided to remove a few items and then to park the little truck and trailer and hit the road back to Abilene.

Sixteen miles later we pulled into our local convenience store and bought refreshments. I'm sure the lady thought we were nuts. I got a one liter bottle of water, a one liter gatorade, and on the way to the register I couldn't resist a 44 ounce fresh brewed ice tea. The other guys loaded up too, just not to excess like I did. Surprisingly, by the time I arrived back in Abilene, all my drinks were empty! I was so thankful I had made excess purchases because almost an hour after our stop I began to cramp up really bad. In fact the truck driver offered to drive because he could see my hands and arms twitching and distorting. I even noticed at one point the indentation of the steering wheel in my hands and fingers. I guess I had lost a lot more fluid than I had thought.

We dropped Kyle Patrick Henry at his pickup and the truck driver and I continued on to Abilene. The plan called for him to pick up the last remaining truck from the yard and get it back to his house. I suppose I had purposely made this the last task of the day because I know this truck is the "favorite" of this driver. We coded into the yard and while the truck built air, I gave the driver two hundred dollars for fuel. Later in the week he will take this truck and make an Abilene, Midland, STL run to pick up and drop off forklifts.

After two quick stops on my way from the equipment yard to the house, when I arrived home I made my way almost directly to get a bath. When I exited and rejoined Krl in the family room it was almost nine o'clock. Krl had grilled dinner and after I had made a couple of phone calls, we enjoyed a good meal and then retired. Exhausted! It was a wonderful night until the muscle cramps returned about four. Finally I made the decision to quit battling them and I got up and drank a cup of pickle juice. It took longer than usual but finally the cramping subsided, worst part was I was awake by then!

While my day was filled with miles and physical labor, Krl's was filled with staying at home and doing business on the phone. She called the cell phone provided who had shipped the phones (the one's that they sold to our answering machine) and found that the previous day's information was not totally correct. I will admit, the free phones (after rebate) and the service package are far superior to what we currently have. Four times the minutes for $29 per month increase. Coverage area is excellent. No long distance, nationwide plan. No roam. The kicker is, our current cell phone service provider will not code our cell numbers over to the new provider. Now they are wanting to change our plan. They will give us double the current plan's minutes at an increase of $59 per month and they will have new phones for us to select from to purchase (no rebate) in about six months. I don't see comparable here.

I don't think the current cell service company has heard that the supreme court ruled that the number belong to us, not them.

I have been with the current cell service provider for sixteen years. Faithful and loyal. This is the only cell phone number and provider I have ever had. I wouldn't want to make a change if they were offering a comparable plan with comparable coverage and comparable perks. The way I see it, they can either tend to business or they need to get up off that porcelain chair and let someone else have their turn.

"Please release me, let me go. For I don't love you anymore!" (Who was that ? Ray Price?)

And that's news from the cell phone service beat.

Our plan is to vacate this humble abode Friday morning. We are hopeful we can spend Friday and the weekend finalizing the jobsite setup "inside" the trailer. Fall festival weekend begins Saturday.

FATHER, thank YOU for the tremendous day. Keep me centered, keep me focused. Abide in me.