Crow has been truck driving for 5 years ... the last 2 1/2 years we have been friends ... and we had already spent millions of hours on the phone ... and when he was home we would try to meet up and go out ... we have both seen each other through alot ... finally the right place and time for us to become more than friends happened ... that was last July ... Reminds me of a good Jason Aldean song called No ... would I have changed the road that I have traveled on NO ... because every road that I had traveled has led to you ... you all should listen to it sometime ... My daughter and I are very blessed to have Crow in our lives ... and I would not want to change one thing about how we all got here ... but finally it is together ...

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Hey gals

I have been wondering what the heck to make for DH on the road too. He doesn't seem to have access to a microwave much.

Lady C
We have a 5 year old son and a 6 month old cocker spaniel puppy. I work from home selling vintage costume jewelry from my website. DH has been a truck driver for about 6 months.

If they have no microwave, Tuna, treet, cereal, spam, chicken spreads in cans, things like that just go down the canned food isle there are lots of little things to buy there. Also don't know what kind of person he is but I used to take my food inside the TA truck stops and heat up my left overs. No one ever said anything to me.

jacks

I'm not a driver's wife but I'm a daughter of a driver. I'm also an only child so my life totally surrounds them. As a result, I'm pretty tuned into the dynamics of their relationship.

I bought my mom a t-shirt that said 'The only job harder than being a trucker is being a trucker's wife'. Pretty true.

Honestly, I think that my parent's marriage was actually helped by him being on the road. I would go so far as to even say it saved their marriage. Both are extremely independent people and need their alone time. I think its been good for my mom also because she's very self-sufficient, not scared of anything. They keep in touch via cell. She always knows where he is. Their time together is good but they're always glad when he goes back out on the road.

The hardest thing was raising a child with a partner who was gone a lot. It was difficult to make plans for family stuff because his schedule was so wonky. She ended up being the disciplinarian and I think she resented always being the 'bad guy'. But my dad was still very active in my life, knew what was going on, new my boyfriends, friends etc. He still is. He's a better dad and husband than a lot of guys I know who are home all of the time. Now mom is raising this crazy a%! puppy Dad just got. I think that's actually more traumatic than raising me.

The other part is that dad has never been the 'I'm the man of the house' kind of guy but he does want to feel like he's still important to the family. That can be hard when the family has had to learn to adapt without him there. So if something is wrong with the car, plumbing, whatever and he would normally fix it, you have to figure out whether you should go ahead and call someone or if you want to wait for him to take care of it when he gets home just so he doesn't get his feelings hurt. It's a guy thing. Women tend to be more practical- if we're lost, we ask for directions. If something's broken we call a repair person. Guys are problem solvers but not all that efficient when it comes to problems that could potentially hurt their pride. Guys think 'I could have fixed that. Why'd you call someone else'. These are the kinds of questions that I don't think come up in an off-the-road marriage.

If he is out a lot, (and that really depends on company, route, etc) you need to be kind of observant about how he reintegrates back into the home. That sounds weird but some drivers find it hard to be around people after being alone for a long time. Just give him that time to decompress.

Honestly, we took only a couple of vacations when I was a kid. But this really depends on your husbands attitude about work and personal time. My dad's attitude is a) I'm always away from home so why would I want to go away on vacation. b) I'd rather have the money than the vacation.

No. My mother never went on the road because she worked. But also because she's pretty girly. So hanging around dirty places listening to talk radio all day every day isn't her idea of fun. I'm also completely amazed how many of you pack meals for your guys.

On the topic of food for the road, Dad keeps stuff like peanut butter, gallon of water,bagels, lunch meat, fruit, and cereal with him. He also carries a cooler to keep stuff that will spoil. Some drivers have portable refrigerators. Eating healthy is a huge challenge on the road; the crones issue will make it harder.

This is entirely too long. But basically, if the two of you are committed to making it work- it will. But flexibility is really key to the process of adapting. I'll keep you in my thoughts.

If he is out a lot, (and that really depends on company, route, etc) you need to be kind of observant about how he reintegrates back into the home. That sounds weird but some drivers find it hard to be around people after being alone for a long time. Just give him that time to decompress. YOU SAID THIS>

You are so wise here. Even now that I've been home for 3 years I still go back at times to those 18 years on the road. It is so hard to become human again, paying attention to those around you and often it's too easy to tune people out.

You spend so much of your time surrounded by people you don't know that I often had to pinch myself and say hey they're talking to you.

LOL!!

That is a whole nother thread..
jacks

Okay Ladies I know this is your room but..... I'm the one on the road, gone for weeks on end (no one is home) and how come I have this problem? I think I've painted almost all the rooms in my home still have a couple more but I'd rather repaint the kitchen....seems I don't like the color I picked and painted. This will be color #3.....

Hello ladies,
Here is my intro lol
Amanda 32
Mother of four wonderful boys 15,14 and twins that are 9 soon to be 10 next week grrrrr i feel old lol.
I work from home doing cust service for a well know company.You would be surprised,how many company hire out homeworks anyways that is for another day lol.my dh and i have been married 5 yrs togther 8.He is the best man in the world,Ive always said if i cant stay married to him,then i have no business being married,He gets home about every other weekend.He worked for one company he would come once a month and like mom always said he was good for 2 weeks and then he needs his Amanda fix.Me i get to wanting him to come about every 3 to 4 weeks lol.Or when the boys have things he missing out on.I think getting to know the trucking business is great,My husband is a little high strung and i cant count the many times ive had to play middle man for him and the company he is working for not always easy but always seems to workout lol.One company he worked out they called me saint amanda just because i could deal with him lmao.Ive went on the truck with him a few times cant say its the life for me,but i think it was more i missed my boys,The trip to vegas id have to say was my all time fav,anyways ill stop rambling.Its nice to meet other wife,be it old pro or newbies,We all need a helping hand in this life style. Oh shoot i forgot three member of are family. We have two Great Dane and then my dh boxer

I spent 18 years on the road with hubby and i in ways loved it but other ways it could be a problem. But we got along and people always bragged on us that we could do so well living in that small box LOL!!

Nice to meet you ladies. I don't want to complain but when you gals and guys have along paragraph can you break it up a little for my eyes sake. LOL!! I guess thats the writer coming out in me.

Jacks
OH i loved Vegas too. Love the cheap food.

Thanks for all the info. My husband is in his 2nd week of training and got to drive the rig this week. He is loving it. Thank GOD!!! I am so busy with work that I don't have time to miss him yet.

Oh, so we're telling about ourselves?

I'm Debbie, 31 years old, and married to a (sort of) driver. Kinda complicated. We own and run our own business. We're in fresh seafood, so that makes our trips shorter because of the perishable product we carry.

We've been together since I was 14 and he was 16. High school sweethearts. Awwww.

We have two sons (9 and 4).

He's on the road nearly everyday, but not always for overnights. When he's doing the 3 day trips, I have to go on the road (not in a rig, just a little box truck) to make the local deliveries, so that's always an adventure. Well, I say local deliveries, but they're in Baltimore and D.C., and that's about 2 1/2 hours from where we live.

Right now, I stay home, take care of the paperwork for the business, take care of the kids (and their sport activities) and the house, and take care of the local deliveries.

Doesn't leave much time to repaint the bathroom, and I'm not very handy anyway.

I like to cook and bake, but find I don't have much heart for it if he's not here to enjoy it with us.

I love family getaways, but haven't had much of that recently. You know, just getting away from the hustle and the bustle of everyday life. Last vacation we got was last February, a week at WDW.

I guess I'm trying to find myself a little more now, since he's gone 6 days out of the week and he's not here for me to dote on and take care of which used to fill up my days (and my nights). That's why I'm here. To talk to other women who have to keep themselves busy while missing their husbands.