My Greatest Asset
I started out writing a blog about mandatory detention and recruiting. Then the date October 18 on my computer struck me. As I kept writing, next week's blog the date kept distracting me. It is our 
anniversary. We have made, or actually Roxanne has made, plans for the weekend. We are going to a wedding about 100 miles from home. We are looking forward to a weekend getaway. The wedding is for one of Roxanne's fellow teachers.
It dawns on me that I don't know the teacher's name, let alone the groom. The name of the church is a mystery to me. The motel is somewhere in Stevens Point, WI. It is 2 miles from the reception, but I don't know where that is either. The one thing that I do know is that I will enjoy myself. Weddings have become a celebration to me, especially after watching our children get married. Plus, I believe that being blessed with a great wife leads me to believe that the bride and groom will be happy forever.
Having an understanding mate is a priceless asset for an owner
operator. Without Roxanne's encouragement I probably never would have become an owner operator. She had to believe in me enough to put the house up as collateral when I bought my first truck. That slightly used Century Class was a good decision, but no where near as the one when I asked Roxanne to marry me.
Owner operators spend a lot more time working than most people. In addition we spend time away from home. That leaves the operation of the home almost completely up to our mates. Our home itself was more of a commitment than most people make. We designed and built it together. We did have a contractor who helped with much of the operation, but we did much of the subcontracting ourselves. We also did the “unskilled labor”. Every night after the carpenters left Roxanne would clean up the site. We cleared the land together. Letting 
me put the house up as collateral was more than putting up a house. It was putting up our home.
Roxanne has supported me every step of the way. She has believed in me. The best piece of advice that I could give an owner operator is to marry up. Then once you do that appreciate it EVERY day. We speak on the phone a minimum of 3 times a day. I call home before Roxanne leaves for school. I call when she gets home. Then I call her again at 7 when my day is winding down. She will probably be sitting in the chair with her EMT clothes on, ready for the alarm to go off. At the end of the calls I always say “I love you”. I mean it. Having a supportive mate is the best asset that an owner operator could ever ask for.