Scary couple of days…

Well another week has rolled by and unfortunately this one had a little more drama in it than I wanted. Sunday morning found us arriving at our terminal in Taylor Michigan where we dropped the trailer from Nogales AZ. Since we were very low on hours we decided to do our reset in Taylor. Therefore, it would be Monday afternoon before we headed back out. We decided to do laundry, watch TV, and just chill for the night.

Monday morning found us with a run from Taylor heading up to Quebec and then down toCrossville Tenn. Pretty decent run plus we had not been to Canada in a while so we were both excited. (Actually I was nervous…you know how Irene gets with Border Patrol) Around noon we were getting ready to shower and head north of the border when Irene mentioned that her chest hurt and she was not feeling well. She lied down on the bunk in the sleeper and within minutes was in serious pain. I asked her what hurt and she said her chest, but the pain was moving slowly down. My 1stthought was “heart attack” but she said it was more like extreme heartburn. I decided to drive to the store and get some Zantac or Pepcid to see if it would help. The store was just around the corner but by the time we arrived she was in excruciating pain.

Once at the store I grabbed some Zantac and Pepcid and hurriedly ran towards checkout. Of course…18 checkout lanes and 3 people working. Wait, I know, self-checkout! Of course another guy is just walking in that lane but he happens to notice my urgency and politely says “go ahead”. “Thank you sir” I replied. He then says to me“if you need a restroom they are right over there”. Totally stunned I stared at him and then it hit me…oh no! “My wife is sick in the truck and I am just trying to get out of here quickly,” I told him…I guess he thought I had a potty issue…lol

So off to the truck I sprint and this is where it begins. As I opened the door there were voices coming from the back that I had only heard once before and then I saw her…it was Linda Blaire from the Exorcist in my sleeper. Irene was screaming things at me I never heard before. As I looked at her I asked, who are you and what did you do with Irene…”GIVE ME A PILL” was all I heard. I swear her head rotated 360 degrees just like in the movie. I was so nervous I dropped the 1st pill on the floor as Irene screamed at me to hurry up! Finally I gave her a Zantac and water but it was too little too late…she looked at me and said, “it feels like labor pains”… wait a minute, what do you mean labor pains…”hey Lucy you gotta lot of explaining to do".

Just then a guy beside us was getting into his car so I asked him where the nearest Urgent Care was. He directed me to Oakwood, which was only a few blocks away. “Thank You God”, I thought to myself. Meanwhile, Irene was doubled over and moaning in pain pleading for me to do something. I told her that we were on our way to Urgent Care (while I held 2 pens in the sign of the cross as I drove…just in case Linda Blaire came at me)...ha ha! The next thing she yells at me is “why are you hitting all the bumps, it makes it worse” in which I answered… “Irene we are in Michigan there are no smooth roads”. When we arrived at Urgent Care the staff took one look at Irene and immediately told me to bring her into an examination room. All they asked about were the symptoms, they told me that the name and the usual paperwork can wait…all attention was on Irene. Of course I was praying the Dr. had Holy Water and a Bible because I’m was pretty sure we were going to perform an exorcism…lol.

Anyway after an EKG the Doctor assured us that it was not her heart. They then gave Irene a GI cocktail along with 2 shots one for pain and the other for nausea. Finally Irene started to settle down…The following day we had more tests, but the end result after all the testing was done was a Gall Bladder attack and the Gall Bladder needed to come out as soon as possible. We decided to contact our own family physician and get a referral to a specialist back in North Carolina to get another opinion before we decide. Irene is back to herself and feeling well right now. In fact she is currently behind the wheel heading us to our Lancaster terminal as I am writing.

Irene and I laugh about it now but it was pretty scary at the time…we are both glad that it wasn’t something worse. A lot of crazy things run thru your mind when a loved one is sick or in pain…we are blessed though that everything will be fine and we look forward to better days ahead.

Russell's Museum 

 

What a great week we have had…we are finishing up with 6143 miles for the week.  Last week we had a last minute save that put us at 5760…not bad for this time of year. On Wednesday morning we were in Lancaster, PA dropping a trailer at QVC.  We found out that we would be picking up in the afternoon and heading for Nashville, TN. Oh what to do with our free time? 

The shipping and receiving clerk at QVC had mentioned to us there was a Mennonite store just down the road and she highly recommended it.  I was excited because as I have mentioned in the past I am very intrigued by the Amish and the Mennonites. There way of life is just simple. Irene, on the other hand, was very skeptical as she is with everything. I was telling Irene that I am getting baked goodies! All their products are cooked and baked with all natural ingredients and none of that chemical crap that the food industry puts on us. Irene’s reply of course (and I expected nothing else from her), was that they probably buy the stuff at Wal-mart and wrap it in their own packages…she kills me. Once we were in the store I was like a little kid. Let’s get this and oh I want that…Irene on the other hand just walked and looked but said nothing. Well not until we reached the baked goods. Banana bread…bingo! She couldn’t resist…”but Irene, don’t you think that may have come from Wal-mart” I asked?  I had to poke some fun at her, I couldn’t resist. Wait…what’s that Éclair dish you are holding? Irene managed to find this Éclair in a plastic dish that looked incredibly delicious. After our shopping excursion we headed back to the truck to put away our groceries. By this time it was getting closer to lunch and instead of making sandwiches or soup, someone (Irene) decided to try the Éclair.  Well by the moans and sounds coming from Irene you would have thought she was…well never mind. Anyway I asked to try a little and OMG…it was incredible. Irene asked for it back and I said “no, it’s probably from Wal-mart”, I told her.  The fight was on!  We looked like two seagulls fighting over a fish on the beach for that Éclair. I did give it back so she could enjoy…I’m such a softy. Well after that wonderful desert and the Banana bread Irene has a new outlook on Amish/Mennonite baking.

If you are ever in the Lancaster, PA area you may want to check them out. It’s located at 820 Ivy Road Lancaster PA, 17601.  The name is Forry’s Country Store, or you can visit them at www.forryscountrystore.com.

 

Another great find we had this week was Russell’s Car Museum located off I-40 at exit #369 in New Mexico. Actually, it is a very nice truck stop, which has a museum, a travel/gift store, and a restaurant. The car museum is a definite “Man Cave” and a must see. Mustangs, Corvettes, Model A’s, 57 Chevy Belair the list goes on…all I could do was drool. There were also a few motorcycles along with a Willy’s jeep on display. One of the bikes was a 42 Harley Flathead. We have posted some pictures to tease everyone into stopping in if you are ever out that way. The people were very friendly especially Art. He is a super nice guy who took the time to tell us all about the place and where to get the best pictures.  He helped us in capturing as much of the collection as possible and he also took our photo…thank you again Art! If only we had more time I would have stayed all day. The store was also very nice with lots of things to purchase for the gift or souvenir seeker. We did not have time to eat there, but if the food was anything like the rest of the place, I am sure it was 5 stars! For those of you wanting a closer look check them out at www.russellsttc.com …we hope you enjoy it.

As I am writing this we are cruising across Texas headed for Michigan and realizing just how blessed we are to experience all we do day in and day out.  We get to meet some wonderful people along our journey…like Art from the museum. Keep the cars looking pretty Art…we will definitely be back!

Pictures