Quick Trip to Oklahoma

This was quite an interesting development this week.  My friend, Jim Murcray, had asked me many months ago during this past year if I would help him drive a UHaul moving truck back to Tennessee.  He and his wife had decided to move there when she retired this past summer.  But the plans we make do not always come to pass, as Jim is no longer with us.  His passing came as a shock, with no warning prior to being admitted to the hospital.  But we, the living, have to move on, no matter how hard and sad that is.

So, his wife (Patricia) is making a move to Midwest City, a town adjacent to Oklahoma City.  It is a good thing for her to do as it does not have to be a permanent step right now.  It gives her time to be with family (her "adopted" daughter Kristin) there and for her to have a time to heal and renew.

She and her son Teddy (who lives in Tennessee) both drove moving trucks with household goods last week from California to Oklahoma.  There was still another truckload that needed to be moved.  So, in accordance with my promise to Jim some months back, I offered my services again to help.  I checked around and a four-door big-engine F-150 Ford pickup truck has been provided for me to do this, free of charge.  I was also given a 6x12 foot trailer to use, rented at UHaul at someone else's cost.  Patricia did not need any further expenses at this point, so I asked around.  God provided is an amazing way and this provision of transport is truly awesome.

After church today, I got the pickup truck, went and had the trailer put on.  Got four guys from the parolee Sober Living Program (that I am director of) to help load the truck and trailer, along with some other help.  Came home to pack and get ready for the trip now.

Oh, one more thing.  Patricia also needs her PT Cruiser car driven back there.

So, here's the plan.  I am driving the pickup with trailer, and Sondra will drive the PT Cruiser.  We will leave early tomorrow morning (Monday) and go as far as we can until we cannot drive any further for the day.  We are tired from today and this past week, so we will take it easy and try to be very safe and careful.

Apparently, there is to be another snow storm coming to Texas and Oklahoma on Tuesday.  We are driving the southern route (I-10 to I-20 and then up I-35) to miss as much bad weather as possible.  We hope to have arrived in either Oklahoma City or Shawnee, and settled down when the brunt of the storm hits.

We will spend a couple of days with family and then head back.  Indeed, it will be a quick trip, but well worth it to help a wonderful friend and then be able to take a little time to see mom, sister and brother-in-law (Marti and Bill), brother and sister-in-law (Noel and Janice), and our son and his family (Jason, Shelly, Jace and Kylee) who live there.

This may be my last blog post for this year, as 2009 fades into our memory bank.  Hope you have a great New Year's Eve, as you look forward to a wonderful and exciting New Year 2010.