Frequently Asked Questions

With Steven being gone this week, I've gotten lots of questions. Actually, I've only gotten a few more than normal. People usually have lots of questions as soon as Steven mentions traveling or working out of state. I'm not sure if people are concerned or just curious as to how our crazy life works. I guess as newlyweds that barely live together, we are a bit of an oddity.

Anyway, here are a few of the most commonly asked questions.

Q. Who does he work for?
A. Razz Electrical Services. They are based in Louisiana. This answer has actually changed a few times in the last few years. He started out at U.U.C.I. from Conway (he was working in the Fayetteville area), and he then went to Pike Electric, which is based in North Carolina (he worked in MO and TX).

Q. What exactly does he do?
A. Steven is a lineman. He builds power lines. He has been in the linework business for almost 2 years now. He loves his work and plans to do it until he retires.

Q. Isn't that dangerous? Don't you worry about him?
A. Yes and yes. I try not to think about it though. I've watched him work, and I know that he takes the proper safety precautions. That's all I can ask of him. I can't control what other people do, so I just pray. In my own little world he is getting up and going to work and it stops with the word "work." I do pray for him everyday, but I don't think much about what he is doing other than that. I just remind myself that technically he is no safer doing that than any other job. When God says it is time to go, it's time to go.

Q. Do they pay good?
A. We aren't starving. :-)

Q. Do they pay for his hotel/food/gas?
A. Hotel-Yes. Food- He gets paid a weekly per diem. Gas- No.

Q. When does he come home?
A. Normally he leaves Sunday evenings, works Monday - Thursday and comes home Thursday nights.

Q. Do you stay at your house, all by yourself all week?
A. Honestly, I get this more than I ever thought I would. The thought of doing anything else never crossed my mind until people started asking. Yes, I stay at our house. Where else would I go? We have 3 dogs and a cat, and I don't think they would travel well. I have always enjoyed being home by myself and am not bothered by it.

Q. How do you do it? You must miss him a lot...
A. We lived over an hour away from one another when we met. In the 4 years we dated, we lived in the same town less than 18 months, and that was broken into two segments. I got most of my crying out the first 3 months we dated, when he lived in Batesville. (He would drive to Jonesboro on Friday night or Saturday afternoon and would go back on Sunday evening. I hated Sundays.) He went to doing linework in the fall of 2006, and we were forced to get used to it pretty quick when he spent a few weeks in Oklahoma that October working his first ice storm. Honestly, you get used to it though and fall into the routine. It isn't always easy, but it isn't the end of the world either.

Q. Will he ever work close to home?
A. I have no idea. There is always the possibility of his crew getting a random assignment close to home, but it isn't very likely. Other than that, the answer is no, unless he gets a job with a local co-op. We're waiting until after I graduate to worry with that though.

Q. What will you do when you have kids?
A. I'll send them on the road with him. :-)