Write about some of the places you went with your father

Dad has been a truck driver for most of my life, so with that busy schedule there has not been a lot of time that he has been home. But here are things I remember.

I remember going fishing quite a bit. Not sure where the fishing was....but I remember doing it.

Of course we had the many trips to Nan and Pop's and Grandma and Grandpa Jones'.

When I lived with Nan and Pop, Dad sometimes had a route that was Salt Lake to Denver. So if I had days off from school, he would pick me up and bring me home to visit and then drop me off on the way back to Salt Lake. I didn't mind most of his trucking companions....but some were ewwwyyy. (Those usually didn't last more then one run!)

When I was little, Dad chopped firewood. I believe it was in Steamboat Springs. We would load up the camper onto the black truck and we would all go camping with him wherever he was chopping. I remember having to watch Dad's firewood truck (it was following us in the black truck) because if he was having troubles he would flash his lights and we were supposed to pull over. I was the light watcher! I also remember having to be checked for tics every night. Ah, the joys of camping. Plus the camper we had was just one of those little ones you see on the back of pick-up trucks. It did have a stove and fridge, but no bathroom. I remember Mom heating up a huge pot of water for us to have "baths". I also remember getting to climb into the camper from the truck - there was a window on the camper that lined up with the sliding window on the truck. We would go and lay down on the "master bed" that was up above the cab to the truck and just watch the cars as we were driving by. Ah, I loved that camper when I was little!

I'm sure we went regular camping too, but I really only remember the firewood ones.

A couple of years ago Dad was working for a cabinet company and he had to have a helper to help him unload the trucks. It was part of his contract. Well needless to say, most of his "helpers" weren't very helpful and would leave Dad with no one to help. I went with on one of his trips to help. We were down in New Mexico (and did some deliveries on the way there too). It was some of the hardest work I've ever done and it made me gain a huge respect for my Dad and his work ethic. He delivered to some companies, but mostly they were just home deliveries. And can I just say how rude some people are!! Plus they are idiots! If a company asks if a semi can get to your house, and you can't even get a big truck there - DO NOT tell them yes!! We were in a huge semi, and if it weren't for the amazing driver my Dad is I don't know how we would have gotten to most of these places let alone out. Not only were the roads little tiny, we had 90 degree turns into some places (and these were not 2 cars can fit through - these were maybe you can get one car through...), people that wanted us to deliver through their alley (yes the little tiny alley behind houses), one way dirt roads (that we had to somehow turn around on to get out), and teeny tiny mountain roads up to peoples cabins. Also I must say I hated all the mile long driveways that we had to haul these boxes of cabinets up. (They were not light!!! Think of the huge pantry cupboards - yep we had to haul those up too! OK mostly Dad did those, but I felt bad watching him have to haul those around.) We had one jerk that we got all 50 (yes I said 50 - it might have been a little less, but not by much) of his boxes up his FOREVER LONG WINDY driveway to his house, to have him open one box, decide he didn't like what his wife had ordered, and make us haul all 50 boxes back to the truck in the rain! His reason was he had a nice house, and he wasn't going to have furniture he didn't think was up to his standards in his house. (Some rich people are major jerks and maybe he should have gone with his wife to order it.) I learned a lot about people that trip, especially my Dad. He can control his temper so much better then me. I'd have probably lost my job after I told the first person where he could stick his cabinets.

The past several years (since Riley was born) we have been going with Dad every other year to family reunions. Those have taken us to Kansas, and several places here in Colorado. It has been a fun time. Although as a teenager there would have been no way I'd have gone to these. It's been nice as an adult to go and to bring the kids so they can meet relatives they might not otherwise see. Plus with both Riley and Alexandra I've won the prize for youngest person at the reunion and I'm hoping next year I can do the same with Scarlett!!

I have decided that I'm going to ask my mom for the picture albums, so that as I'm telling stories of our family history I can have some pictures that I can scan in!