On the Road again.......

I come from a Navy family. We moved every 15 months when I was a kid. In my adult life, this lack of roots and tumbleweed tendency continued. As an aircraft mechanic I worked away from home half the year....it was the best part time job I ever had! I worked either 7 days on and 7 days off or the wonderful schedule of 14 0n and 14 off....you can get into a lot of trouble on a 14 & 14 schedule!

Now I'm a Product Intigrity Specialist....I inspect fuel systems at general aviation airports. A professional Airport Bum. Best job I will ever have. My territory is the Northwest US. From North Dakota down to Kansas, over to Northern California and up to Alaska. It must be THE best fishing territory in the USA. I am still testing this theory so I will keep you updated.

My mother prepared me for this job. I see that it's taken me a lifetime to get here. It was worth the wait. Just wish my mother was still alive to share it with. My mom, my best friend and the only place on earth that I felt perfect died after my visit with her on Mother's day 2008. I spent my travels last year trying to escape my unmanageable life. After her death I had to take guardianship of my beautiful Grandmother to ensure that she would stay safe and happy from my evil uncle, who lived off her social security and kept her folded in the bed like a taco. Now she happily scoots around the nursing home and occasionally remembers who she is. Then after the court battle for my grandmother, Hurricane Gustav hit my house in Louisiana that I have not sold and it threw a massive tree through the roof. While I was cleaning up from Gustav, Hurricane Ike was brewing in the Gulf. I prayed that it would come finish off my house but instead, it went and hit my house in Texas. 2008 was a rough year. Roughest was the loss of my mother.

So....with all the stress that I was under last year, I thought I was feeling yucky and "not quite right" because of the stress...nope. I am a diabetic. Not a needle needing diabetic and I hope it never gets to that point but it requires that I become basically obsessed with what goes into my mouth. Most times, that's not such a bad thing. Like tonight I realized that 2 potatoes and 3 pounds of crawfish does nothing to my blood sugar....I seriously mean nothing. Life Is Good!!!! and then there are times when I experience death by grilled cheese. It's still new and a learning experience for me. All in all not such a bad thing since I have lost 18 pounds in 2 months, quite smoking (did I mention that I lost 18 pounds!!!) and I walk 3 miles a day. I feel pretty good, far better than I was feeling and with my stomach now flat, I have delusions of beaches and bikini's before the age of 50 hits in a few months. Not a bad goal at all.....maybe one in a cougar print? Yeah, right!

So I hit the road the day after tomorrow and will be traveling till November. Off to a good start too, Las Vegas for a week and I get to stay in the same room for the WHOLE trip! I do the happy dance when I get to stay in the same room 2 nights in a row so I think this is an omen for a good year. Last year I stayed in 98 different hotels, flew 109,0o0 miles on Continental (the other airlines don't count since I don't have elite status yet) and drove 27,324 miles for work. I am a true road warrior. My mom prepared me for this as I said. So many miles on the road as a kid, she taught us road games like "Punch Bug", license plate bingo, and stupid songs like "I see Grass, I see grass" that me and my brothers would sing in chorus, very badly when we were just too bored. My father really liked that one..not! We had bladders that could be synchronized and go for entire states before needing relief, Texas was a bit rough to get through.

So my mom would love this job and would love to travel again. Her body just couldn't make it anymore so I take her with me in spirit. You know it's a good life when your mother truly was your best friend. A priceless woman she was. A loving soul and I swear she had to have been the strength of the world cause it sure fell apart when she left this world. I miss her.

So, come on mom, I see grass, I see grass, I see trees, I see trees, I see cows, I see cows.....