A lot of people are blogging these days. There are blogs about style, blogs about parenting, blogs about food, blogs about decorating…there are even blogs about trucking! But an owner operator at Bennett has taken her blog to a new level turning her blog into a book. “Adventures of the Truckin’ Duo” is a new book written by Lynne Aldridge, the wife and one half of the “truckin’ duo” along with her husband, Carl Aldridge.
Aldridge, who spent her career as a teacher said she was used to joining her husband on the road during the summer months. But in May 2011, she retired from teaching and in July 2011, she started riding with her husband full time.
After looking for a way to keep friends and family abreast of what they were doing and where they had been, Aldridge decided to start a blog about their adventures where she could tell the story and add photographs as well.
Both the blog and her new book chronicles some of the day to day adventures the duo encounters on the road while Aldridge weaves in Bible scriptures adding extra special inspiration and meaning to each story.
“Carl and I like to take time off and enjoy the sights around us a much as possible even if it’s for only a few hours,” she said. “We like to call it a working vacation…getting paid while we sightsee! So, in that sense, the book isn’t what you might think of when you are thinking about a trucking book. This book is about the loads and trips we take and the messes we get into, but it is also about how the Lord is always right there with us and how our love and faith in Him gets us through every difficult situation we are faced with.”
Aldridge said when she first started blogging, she had no intention of including Bible scriptures. But then she said the Lord had a different plan.
“From the very first one (blog entry), He gave me the scriptures and the words to connect everyday life situations with what we were doing; whether it was a fun, exciting trip or one with lots of obstacles,” she said. “The Lord has taken my life and put His words to it.”
Aldridge said when she started blogging, she had no intentions of taking it a step further and making into book, but she said her family and friends can be very persistent.
“My goodness, when I was teaching, just writing a simple note to a parent took many, many sheets of paper and a lot of time to get the words right,” she said. “I am not a writer at all and it takes me several days to write just one blog. But, the Lord always gave me the words I needed. So after three and a half years, I finally listened and decided to turn it into a book.”
Now her family and friends are especially happy that Aldridge finally listened to them and made her book a reality.
“One review I received about the book said it is a beautiful love story, love of God, love of Carl and Timothy, love of family, country and love of nature,” she said. “Others have said they thoroughly enjoyed it. They said it made them laugh and cry and they felt like they were right there with us.” Aldridge received the first copy of the self-published book Dec. 8, 2014.
“After printing the book and waiting on the first copy, I wasn’t feeling real positive about it,” Aldridge admitted. “I just didn’t think it would look the way I had envisioned or what others had envisioned. I must say though, when I received the first copy, I was beyond excited! I know it’s crazy but I felt like a little child waking up on Christmas morning to see what Santa had brought. As I was holding it and looking at it for the first time I thought, ‘I did it! I really did!’”
Aldridge said she wants the book to make people laugh, to know that life is full of excitement, and that it’s full of troubles, but to also appreciate each and every day and to know that no matter what we are dealing with or facing, that God is always right there with us to carry us through.
“If just one person comes to know the Lord through the reading of this book, then it was well worth the headaches I had to get it printed,” she added.
Lynne AldridgeThe question now is will the adventures continue in the blog and perhaps even book number two? Aldridge said her husband says yes on both counts.
“As long as we are trucking, and as long as Carl is married to me, the adventures will always continue,” Aldridge said, adding as far as the book goes, we’ll just have to wait and see.
Read the “Adventures of the Truckin’ Duo” blog. To order Aldridge’s book, visit blurb.com.