My Mom

My Mom often jokes that my sister and I will some day end up telling a psychiatrist all about how she messed us up since it is always the parents fault. We usually just roll our eyes at it. However if she wants to insist she is to blame for all that is wrong then I must insist she is to blame for all that isn't messed up too.  I can't put into words everything my Mom has taught me and done for me, it's impossible. I can't thank her enough for everything she has done. And I can never tell her I love her enough for all she has done for me.

I have always been loved and always known I was loved. This may seem basic but it is the most important thing a parent can do for their child. I knew growing up that no matter what I did my Mom would still love me. I knew I might have made her angry and I might have disappointed her but she would always love me.

My Mom taught me what it means to work hard. When we were kids she worked nights so that when we came home from school she would be there with us. On top of that she helped at our grade school watching recess and working bingo nights.

My Mom showed me who I want to be. I was thinking about this a lot earlier. My Mom has always provided me with a great example of who I want to be. She is smart, honest, loving, hard working, understanding, and kind. She will stop to give directions to someone who is lost even when she is busy or in a rush. She works hard and cares about the people she works with. I can always go to her with questions. My Mom does things for the simple reason that it is right to do.

I am a combination of both my parents, their good and their bad traits and habits. There is no way around it. I hope I make my Mom proud because I think the best gift I could ever give her is to live up to the example she has set for me.

So every time she thinks she deserves blame for some bad qualities or for something she messed up I hope she knows she deserves credit for all the good qualities and ways she was a success.

Be Prepared

I think I am getting to the point where I can consider myself very experienced in long drives. The crowning achievement was a 14 state and 4k mile sojourn a few years ago across a good chunk of the south.

I have also driven the 1k miles to TN multiple multiple times now and done it in all kinds of weather. So here are some things I like to keep in my truck for long drives and bad weather.

1. Jumper cables have served me well! A couple of times I have had to jump my car and a couple of times I have jumped other people's cars. It's easy to do and a good skill especially on long drives.

2. A tire inflator that I just got less than a year ago but I thought it made a great addition to my emergency supplies. I haven't had to use this on a drive but I have used it just to give a quick shot of air to my tires. It works pretty quickly and the cord can plug into the cigarette lighter or a regular house plug.

3. A small auto shovel in case of snow. You know in case I turn a corner and get stuck a couple of quick shovels and I can work my way out.

4. I am surprised by the amount of people that live in the north east and need a new brush to clean their car every year or just drive around without one. Why?

5. An emergency blanket in case I get to stuck to get myself out and I am looking at an extended sty in my car :-) Thankfully hasn't been used.

6. Not pictured is a Hagstrom map of the USA. Because sometimes gps signals can get lost.