Everyone joked and said there would be a baby boom.
Dear Peanut,
When all your friends have October birthdays, don't feel left out.
Your a lineman's ice storm baby.
Love,
Mommy
Showing posts with label linework. Show all posts
Showing posts with label linework. Show all posts
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
When will we learn?
It seems that every time Steven and I plan to leave town, a natural disaster or horrible storm occurs. A few times we have gotten lucky with his crew not being called out. Though more often than not we lose that battle. This weekend was no different. We had made plans to go to the river today, just the two of us because I have to work every other weekend this month. Well of course Arkansas got pounded by a huge thunderstorm, complete with straight line winds and tornadoes. Poor Steven didn't even make it home on Friday. I was planning to go to Batesville to pick him up Friday evening, but before I could even get home he called and said they had been called out. This time he is in Russellville, Arkansas.
Maybe someday we'll learn our lesson and start leaving town without actually making plans.
Maybe someday we'll learn our lesson and start leaving town without actually making plans.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Day #22
I was finally able to speak to Steven again tonight. I talked to him this morning, as they were driving from Houma, LA to Texas, but a lot of the phone towers are out in Southern Texas, so we hadn't spoken since about 11:00 this morning. His crew is staying in Woodville, TX. Phone service is sketchy where they are working, but closer to the hotel it is ok. He has absolutely no idea when he will be home. Today was day 22. (And no, I'm not sitting around counting. I honestly had to look at my calendar to figure it out.) The map below shows where they are.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
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. :-)
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. :-)
Sunday, July 27, 2008
I just talked to Steven.
I figured it would be easier to post the updates of his whereabouts here, as opposed to answering questions like, "Have you talked to Steven today?" "Where's your husband?" and "When will he be home?" a million different times in the next week or so.
Anyway, I just talked to him and he is still in San Benito, TX.
See the red arrow? That's where he is right now. He's about 13 or 14 hours from Jonesboro. I think. Ok, I just checked Mapquest. Apparently it is approximately a 15 hr. 4 min. drive. Nevertheless, he said the area they are currently working in doesn't look too bad, but he's heard from his bosses that the other side of town is a total mess. He believes he will be there until the end of this week at the very least, but that's not counting if they get sent to another town after that. They are working 16-18 hr. days, stopping only to eat a meal or crash in bed at the hotel at night.
He said all safety is 100% mandatory right now because of all the different types of power they have there (wind, solar, wire electricity, etc.). I still worry though. People have been known to concoct some crazy power sources after storms. Please pray for the safety of my husband and all the other linemen in Texas tonight.
Anyway, I just talked to him and he is still in San Benito, TX.
See the red arrow? That's where he is right now. He's about 13 or 14 hours from Jonesboro. I think. Ok, I just checked Mapquest. Apparently it is approximately a 15 hr. 4 min. drive. Nevertheless, he said the area they are currently working in doesn't look too bad, but he's heard from his bosses that the other side of town is a total mess. He believes he will be there until the end of this week at the very least, but that's not counting if they get sent to another town after that. They are working 16-18 hr. days, stopping only to eat a meal or crash in bed at the hotel at night.
He said all safety is 100% mandatory right now because of all the different types of power they have there (wind, solar, wire electricity, etc.). I still worry though. People have been known to concoct some crazy power sources after storms. Please pray for the safety of my husband and all the other linemen in Texas tonight.
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