Enjoying Life OTR

#63 Holiday Stories from the Road and Home

• Cindy Tunstall and Malinda Fox-Wellington • Episode 63

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What’s better than swapping holiday stories with friends who just get it? In this festive episode, the Enjoying Life OTRteam is sharing their favorite Christmas memories—whether from childhood, precious family time, or the open road. It’s a chance to connect, reflect, and celebrate the season together.

Your hosts Cindy Tunstall and Malinda Fox-Wellington are joined by our "Roadie and Guide on the Side" Dino Grigoriadis, along with our fun-loving team: Jess Graham, Joe Lee, Brian Wilson, and Gemma Ford. We’re taking a break to laugh, reminisce, and wish you all a "Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!"

Tune in to feel a little holiday magic, trucker style—it’s a celebration of the hardworking drivers who make every mile count and every holiday brighter.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at Enjoying Life OTR!

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Enjoying Life OTR—because LIVING WELL is worth the effort. We’re sparking curiosity, adventure, & resilience while honoring drivers and embracing a healthier trucking life. Discover creative life hacks & practical strategies to make the most of your time on the road. Join the movement!Explore, enjoy the food, snap the pic, and share tips on saving money along the way.

This podcast is for new and veteran drivers looking to stay mentally, physically, and financially strong while embracing the freedom of the road. We bring you real stories, expert advice, & practical tools to help you thrive, not just survive, in the trucking life.

Connect with Us: Join the Enjoying Life OTR Facebook Group – Share your journey, find trip recommendations, & connect with fellow drivers. Follow our Facebook page – Get the latest podcast episodes, trucking tips, & entertaining content. Visit our website – Explore our journey, see community highlights, and access resources for a healthier, more balanced OTR life.

For questions or to be a guest, email our host, Cindy Tunstall at EnjoyingLifeOTR@gmail.com #HealthierTruckers #EnjoyingLifeOTR #TruckerWellness #OTRLife #WorkLifeBalance



Dino Grigoriadis:

Welcome to Enjoying Life OTR. Hey there, this is Dino, your roadie and guide on the side. It's good to be back and I'm really glad that that roadie wannabe, AI, didn't steal my job. Listen, buddy, I'm often imitated but never duplicated, so you can take that and shove it where the microprocessor don't shine. I'm thrilled to be your host for tonight's special Christmas episode. We've got a sleigh full of fun lined up just for you. Not only will you hear some festive Christmas music created by the Enjoying Life OTR team, but you'll also get to hang out with the crew as we share some of our favorite Christmas memories, both from life on the road and those cherished moments spent at home. Our lead team of professional drivers is here to spread some holiday cheer and hopefully spark a few of your own favorite holiday memories. So grab some hot cocoa, settle in and let's enjoy this festive ride together. You won't want to miss a minute of it.

Cindy Tunstall:

Welcome back to Enjoying Life OTR. My name is Cindy Tunstall and I'm your host, and we are having a fantastic Christmas celebration with you today. So I know many of you are driving on this holiday and the team just thought, hey, why don't we hop on, share some favorite Christmas memories, and this will be a great opportunity, a way for you to get to know the Enjoying Life OTR team. We have the whole gang on the call today, so that's incredible. In no particular order, we have Ryan Wilson, joe Lee, melinda Fox, wellington, jess Graham, gemma Ford and Dino Gregoriales, so we have the whole gang on Hello everybody.

Cindy Tunstall:

How are you doing? Hi everybody, Happy holidays, Merry Christmas to all of you. Well, we're going to share some fun Christmas memories. So to kick us off, we have Jess Graham. Welcome to the show, Jess Hi.

Jess Graham:

I'm so happy that we were able to get together tonight and I love being able to get to know all of the fellow OTRs out here. It's really great when we get to connect. We see each other on the internet and share our adventures, but to hear each other's voices it really does give us a little bit extra special. I think I want to talk about my favorite journey home for Christmas in the truck. I have been OTR for 12 years now, and so I'm never a hundred percent sure if I'm going to make it home for Christmas, and this was about 2017. Tyler and loves were competing for my company's fuel dollars, and so loves came out and, for like six months, was giving us like 15 points per gallon or something. It was something so incredibly ridiculous to get us to fuel there instead of at the pilot, and so, like every single day we fueled, we were getting like 40, 50, $60 in points to spend at Love's and I'm like what am I gonna do with all of this? And it was about October.

Jess Graham:

I started collecting not the big stuffed animals, but the ginormous stuffed animals like the biggest ones they have in the stores for my daughter and my nieces and nephews and my partner's grandbabies.

Jess Graham:

So my top bunk over the next like three months was slowly filling up to where I was. By the time I pulled into the driveway of the house the day before Christmas, I was sleeping with some giant stuffed animals because I'd ran out of room on the top bunk. I think I had 14 of the biggest one. I mean every single one of them the giant monkey, the some of the unicorns, like it was insane. They were just spilling out from everywhere and so Christmas morning we dragged them all in, when everybody was asleep, into the house and we woke up to the kids screaming because the entire living room was pretty much filled with these giant stuffed animals.

Jess Graham:

So that's, I think, one of my favorite memories of like I've always been a collector. I collect things along the way, treats that I can't get at home, that are regional, to different areas that I've gone, and it's a way for me to say hey, when I was in North Carolina I saw this and thought we should try it when we get home. So it's usually like a regional candy or a cereal or something that's that we can't get at home, but in this area they have it and it's popular and that's been one of my ways to connect.

Cindy Tunstall:

I love that story so much, so great.

Joe Lee:

That is cool.

Jess Graham:

Yeah, it's, it's been fun to to see the different things you know I've been able to bring home and experience over the years. And it's, it is, it's. It's not only that, it's when you give it to your kid or your grandkid or your niece or nephew, it's I was in this area and I thought of you and it helps connect, you know, and then when they're looking at it or when they're they're playing with it, they remember hey, you know, aunt Jess or Mom was thinking about me and got this for me. So it's one of those ways and I think people ask all the time how do you connect with your kids when you're over the road? And I found that through collecting. It's been an adventure because we're building something together. It's a collection of something, whether it's treats or, you know, toys, and it's changed over the years. You know, one year she wanted t-shirts and so we were getting different funny t-shirts from different states. She's gotten all the magnets, you know that kind of thing.

Cindy Tunstall:

So fun. Great way for your family to feel connected to your journey, so I love that you did that.

Enjoying Life OTR AI music:

Snowflakes falling on, the interstate Lights are twinkling. The season won't wait, miles away, but you're still so near. Every gift holds a love I wish I could share here the stuff bear tucked in my cap's front seat for the moment. We hug when our hearts will meet. Every mile I drive, I'm thinking of you. Making christmas memories, though the road is my view on a christmas wheels keep rolling on. Carry your love from dusk till dawn, through the cold and the dark. I feel your light. Every mile connects us. On a silent night through, enjoy your life. O-t-r-s-m-i-l-o-v-e. True, these christmas miles are all for you. Snow glow shines from a truck stop shop, a tiny reminder that the miles won't stop. But every trinket I find along the way is my heart's little message saying I'll be home someday, through the rain, the sleet and the winter's chill. I'm dreaming of you as I climb each hill and I'll be home someday, through the rain, the sleet and the winter's chill. I'm dreaming of you as I climb each hill.

Enjoying Life OTR AI music:

The road is long, but love makes it right. Every gift says I'm with you this Christmas night. All the Christmas wheels keep rolling on. Carry your love from dusk till dawn, through the cold and the dark. I feel your light. Every mile connects us On a silent night Through. Enjoy life, o-t-r-s. In my love. True, these Christmas miles Are all for you. Through the rain I roll, you're my guiding star, though I'm out here never far. Every gift I choose, every note I write Carries my love. This Christmas night, christmas wheels keep rolling on, carrying love from dusk till dawn, through the cold and the dark. I feel your light. Every mile connects us on this silent night. Enjoy life, o-t-r. I send my love through. These Christmas smiles are all for you. So here's to the loved ones we hold so dear. Every mile brings us closer, year after year. From all of us rolling down the line. Merry Christmas. From Enjoying Life, otr. You're always on my mind.

Cindy Tunstall:

Okay, who wants?

Joe Lee:

to go next. I'll go Well. Her story kind of got me going a little bit. My name is Joel and I'm a truck driver. I've been driving for 18 years. My name is Joel and I'm a truck driver. I've been driving for 18 years and coming into the holiday season and have a lot of memories come to mind over the years, both before driving truck and since driving truck. The holidays actually have kind of over the last several years, taken on some real mixed emotions for me my mother when I was a kid, always Christmas was a special time for her.

Joe Lee:

But she did all the holidays. She had big Easter dinner and Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas was always that thing with her and she kind of kept it in the family and kept things going. And since she passed away 18 years ago, shortly after I started driving trucks, things, things took on a big change and you know, my wife and I we tried to keep things together and and keep some of the family traditions and stuff. But one special Christmas since I started driving comes to mind and it was about probably 12 years ago, 11 years ago, and we hadn't seen our grandson in a number of years. My son-in-law and daughter were divorced and we hadn't seen him in a number of years.

Joe Lee:

My son, son-in-law and daughter were divorced and we hadn't seen him in a number of years and they kind of reconciled and he was coming to visit and you know, like I say, we hadn't seen him in probably 10 years and since he was about four years old, so he was coming to visit and so I went all out on Christmas and I knew I was coming home. I ended up I didn't get home until about midnight but everybody waited on their Christmas Eve and waited to open presents until I got there. So we spent half the night. It was probably four o'clock in the morning, five o'clock in the morning, when we finally finished unwrapping all the presents and doing our celebrations. But it's, driving can be difficult, you know, when getting home and things like that it's always a kind of a difficult time for us. But that one special Christmas it sure stands out in my mind.

Cindy Tunstall:

So sweet. I love that. So precious that they waited for you.

Joe Lee:

Yeah, I was. I was nervous about getting there and you know I was doing everything right. But you know how it is. You get out on the road and you can't always get empty as quick as you want to and things take extra time. And you know, being that time of year, you got traffic to deal with and you know weather and I don't recall what the weather was like. But anyways, I got there anyways and it was a great night and a lot of good memories were made that night and I still have a couple of videos. My daughter reminds me of it One of the special gifts I got, throwing knives for my grandson, and I got a set for myself also, and but didn't have a target.

Joe Lee:

So after after everything's done, you know, and we're sitting there having Christmas cookies and everything else I thought what can we throw these knives at? I thought I'm changing that bathroom door anyway. So here I am in our bedroom and I've got one bathroom door open and it was a walk-through bathroom and the other one was closed and all they could hear in the front room was what are you guys doing? And if my daughter comes in, she's like, oh my god, they're throwing knives. So yeah, and once in a while that video will pop up and she'll she'll say how I remember this. You know that facebook is. It has a great way of reminding you so fun well thanks for hearing this, josh, I appreciate you well, you're welcome, it was.

Joe Lee:

It was fun to do this.

Cindy Tunstall:

Okay, who wants to go next? Melinda, are you ready? You got a Christmas memory you want to share.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Yeah, you know, I grew up in a family that was separated almost my whole life, so I always had my mom's side and my dad's side, and trying to juggle all of them on the same day has been a struggle for sure, has been a struggle for sure. But I would say my farm is Christmas. Mary is, ironically, pretty much what they are now On the road, going from one place to another and jumping in, saying hi, thanks for the gifts. We're at food and then getting back on the road again and then talking how great it was to see everybody, while we're going to the next family to see everybody. Um, so on. The road has been a long-standing tradition for me with christmas and the holidays, and you know it's still a long-standing tradition because I am still on the road today, even though I'm not going to be bouncing from family to family, I'll be making deliveries or in between deliveries. So to all the other drivers out there on the road, like me, you have a Merry Christmas and be safe out there.

Enjoying Life OTR AI music:

We'll see you next time To our enjoying life will be our crew Through the miles and snowy skies. We're thinking about you. We work hard to deliver With love in all we do. Merry Christmas, near or far From our hearts to you. The hum of wheels reminds us of our favorite Christmas past, a family around the fire and memories that last. Though the road is long, we feel the seasons glow with every twinkling light we pass and jolly songs we know. Happy holidays to all, and joy and life will be our crew Through the miles and snowy skies. We're thinking about you. We'll see you next time. The love we carry in our hearts will guide us on our way To those who wait with open arms for special holidays. No matter where the journey leads, the spirit's always near. Christmas on the road means love for all. We hope so. Dear Merry Christmas, we'll see you next time. Hey guys, it's Dino.

Dino Grigoriadis:

My memory would be I think it was 2018. Guys is Dino. My memory would be I think it was 2018. Now, I mean, we all know that we miss many holidays and family events as truck drivers, but for what I do, I miss that much more because we're literally gone all year because of what we haul. But 2018, I was on tour with Trans-Siberian Orchestra and you know, between 3 and 10, we're normally sleeping to get ready for a show, for the drive after the show, I mean. And that night every one of us got knocks on our doors hey, get up, get ready, you're going on stage. We're like you're kidding me, right? Like nope, nope, it's a surprise. So they literally woke up. All the drivers brought us out on the on the uh on the stage, and the band literally turned around and thanked us for all that we do and told the audience that, uh, you know, without these guys, we wouldn't have a show here. Blah, blah, blah.

Dino Grigoriadis:

And to be recognized was really cool, for us especially that time of year when it was Christmas Eve and everybody was going home and we're doing a couple more shows missing our family. So it was a pretty good feeling to be acknowledged like that.

Cindy Tunstall:

Oh my gosh, I love that so much. That's so great.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

That is so cool.

Dino Grigoriadis:

It was, it was. I mean, thank God we had a short drive that night, but it was real cool.

Cindy Tunstall:

Yeah that waking you up to come on stage.

Dino Grigoriadis:

Yeah, hey, get dressed.

Cindy Tunstall:

Now you're all wobbly crumbly. You better be good.

Dino Grigoriadis:

I snuck in my phone because I put a button down shirt on real quick and I stuck my phone on my pocket with the camera facing out, so it was kind of like I had a body cam on. So I got it somewhere on my laptop. But that was actually pretty cool to actually go back and look at it, you know, and then introduce us on stage and then walk on stage.

Cindy Tunstall:

That's a great memory. I love that, especially for the type of work that you do. It's so fitting that you would get to do something like that. So unusual to go on stage. I love it.

Dino Grigoriadis:

It's very thoughtful, right? Yeah, this year I might get lucky and actually make it home Christmas Eve.

Cindy Tunstall:

Oh, nice, well, I guess I'll go next, if that's okay with everybody. My favorite Christmas I have a lot of fun Christmas memories, but you know, as a mom too, especially. But I thought of one that was really special for me At this time. My oldest daughter was already grown and had moved out and my middle daughter she was probably I don't know maybe 10, 11 years old and my youngest daughter wanted a trampoline that year. She was really big into gymnastics and she wanted one of those great big ones so she could do flips on them and everything.

Cindy Tunstall:

I was like, oh, how am I going to hide this from her? You know, I kept saying no, we're not going to have that. And I kept telling her it was too dangerous, I was afraid she'd get hurt. And of course, the whole time I'm planning how I'm going to get her trampoline, so I'm scheming and trying to think it, and then I'm like I'm going to put it in the backyard right before Christmas day, and we always open gifts on Christmas day and so I was thinking, how am I going to hide this from her? So we were all trying to keep her away from the backyard and we had dogs. So you know every day, you know, all day they're kidding, they're out of school, so they're letting the dogs in and out, and every time she'd go near the back door we're all kind of holding our breath trying to scooch her away from the windows. Um, anyway, that morning we are opening gifts and she still is. You know, that was her big gift that she wanted. She wanted a trampoline and I'm still down playing. She's opened some little things. You could tell she's disappointed. And then we all told her to go look in the backyard and she was so excited was screaming crazy.

Cindy Tunstall:

But you know the thing that I loved most about this memory, because my middle daughter she had gotten to that place where she was now involved in the planning, and her sister was four years younger, so she was involved in the planning and the surprise. And it's like the whole family got involved, like we were enjoying giving this gift to her and surprising her in this way. But she was receiving and obviously she had a great time. But it was just a really fun memory because I think every year when the kids are growing older, they're just very different, you know, so that the memories are different and the Christmases are all very different when your kids are growing up.

Cindy Tunstall:

So it was just one that really stuck out to me and, like that was the year that she my middle daughter was like you know realized that they're, you know, santa putting these special gifts in their stockings. And she looked at me kind of side-eyed and was like mom, who, who's putting stuff in your stocking? So it just kind of funny and I was like Santa wink, wink, you know so, but it was just such a fun memory for me. So I love all those, um, I love Christmas time, so I even, you know I love everything about it. So it's like I love getting together with friends and family and I love giving gifts and, um, just getting the everybody just being in a better mood. Of course, traffic's a nightmare, so that's not not super great, but I love the holidays, so I've been grateful to get to share these memories with y'all. Okay, who haven't we heard from Brian? You ready? You got a Christmas memory you want to share?

Brian Wilson:

Yeah, this is Brian Wilson. I'm oh gosh, I'm an owner-operator. I've been for about 30 years now 32 years, I guess it is. I drive a 2020 Volvo VNL 760. I'm fixing to get a new truck here in another couple months, but I run mostly Midwest, get out on the East Coast once in a while, but in the West Coast, but mainly the medially Midwest Hauling general freight and then in the spring and the fall, the company I'm leased to we haul bedding plants out of Kalamazoo, michigan.

Brian Wilson:

But my memory just happened just a couple years ago. We took, oh my goodness, my son, daughter and daughter-in-law and two grandkids and we all went to Florida for Christmas. It was the year that that really bad blizzard came through, on Christmas Eve Well, it was actually on the 23rd. We left Hopefully we was trying to beat the blizzard and we didn't, because it hit every place and we made it down oh Lord, I can't remember Down into Kentucky and I had to tap out. I just couldn't drive anymore. You could see about five feet in front of you. It was snowing and blowing so hard. The roads were nothing but a glare sheet of ice, idiots crashing in front of us and I just I told my wife, I said we're done, I'm going to get a motel. So we slid off, got a motel, literally slid off. Yeah, I sit and got a motel.

Brian Wilson:

Got up the next morning and it was still pretty bad but the weather had stopped. But they, they're not prepared for weather like that down in Kentucky and further down south. And we got up over into Tennessee and it wasn't too bad there about the Tennessee Kentucky line on 75 down there it, the roads got better and we made it down to Atlanta, southanta, south of atlanta, stopped again for the night and then we checked into, uh, the, the resort on christmas eve, um, about two o'clock in the afternoon and it was still 40 degrees in florida. Uh, it was, uh, it was crazy cold down here, that that cold snap had hit most of the united states. Uh, that night, uh, we got, everybody was kind of resting up. Of course I, I was, I was probably in the best shape of any of them as far as the drive. But uh, we, uh, uh.

Brian Wilson:

My grandson, who was god, he must have been 11 at the time said grandpa, I want to go swimming. And I looked at him. I says you realize it's 40 degrees, right, and he said yep, so we went, we went down to the pool and we went swimming and it was, uh, probably not quite the coldest it's ever been when I was in the water, but boy, I tell you what it was cold. But we spent the week down there. We went to Disney or not Disneyland, I'm sorry we went to SeaWorld and just saw all sorts of different kinds of stuff. We had a really great time and that's probably the best, one of the better memories I've had from Christmas for quite a few years.

Cindy Tunstall:

Sounds like you're a fun grandpa.

Brian Wilson:

Oh, I try, my, my granddaughter actually my granddaughter and I went on what they call the super slingshot down there. No, that wasn't the super slingshot, it's the sky, the sky coaster. They put you in this harness and they hook you up to a cable and they, they, they ratchet you 300 feet in the air and then they count it down and you reach over and you pull on a rip cord, basically, and you free fall 300 feet down. It's cool, it's cool as hell. I just loved it. But my, my granddaughter, her and I did that together and I've got video of it someplace. But it's pretty neat. It was pretty cool. It was quite the adventure that week, that's for sure.

Cindy Tunstall:

So fun, great memory. Thanks for sharing.

Brian Wilson:

You bet.

Enjoying Life OTR AI music:

Rolling down the highway, hauling dreams across the land With gifts and joy, from town to town, spreading love hand in hand. Our lifestyle's a bit unusual, but our hearts are always there, making the most of moments, showing how much we care. We're enjoying life OTR, bringing love from near and far, finding time to lie together beneath the shining stars. We can't always be home for every big event, but we cherish the moments, the memories heaven sent, making time to family when the road gives us a break, sharing stories, hugs and laughter Memories we made. Though the miles can keep us moving, our love will never fade. Together in this precious house, the best memories are made.

Enjoying Life OTR AI music:

We're enjoying life OTR, bringing love from near and far, finding time to laugh together Beneath the shining stars. We can't always be home For every big event, but we cherish the moments, the memories heaven sent. From city lights to country roads, our hearts lead the way, making the most of every chance to celebrate each day. Friends and family understand this life is who we are, driving joy across the miles, from every town to star. We're enjoying life OTR, bringing love from here and far, finding time to laugh together beneath the shining stars. We can't always be home for every big event, but we cherish the moments, the memories. Heaven says so here's to drivers everywhere, making life a little brighter from laughter, love and holiday cheer. We make the low feel lighter, enjoying life. We what's it all. Through every mile we roam, we carry love and memories Until the road leads us home.

Cindy Tunstall:

Okay, who haven't we heard from Gemma? I think you're next you, ready to share a fun Christmas memory.

Gemma Ford:

Of course, of course. So I'm Gemma Ford. I've been driving going on about six years now. I'm an OTR team driver and I work for a mega company all 48 states and I'm a proud grandmother. So let's go back to my one of my Christmases, all my Christmases my mom was. A Christmas was a big deal for my mom, so she always made it special. I did the same, and I've been fortunate enough to always be at home for the holidays. I've just been blessed that way. But one special Christmas that stands out for me is well, I was born in the Philippines. I'm a military brat.

Gemma Ford:

I came over to the United States when I was four and I'd never seen snow before, and we were in Massachusetts that's where my dad's family's from. So we were in Massachusetts and there's snow, and so it's Christmas morning and, like I said, I've never been in the snow. So, instead of waking up and going to pick out presents and open them, nobody could find me. So, and my grandfather he had a big property and they I guess from what my mom told me, you know they were searching everywhere. They went down to the basement and could not find me and for some reason, my dad looked and he noticed that my grandpa's big coat was missing, and they go outside and, sure enough, I am just literally playing in the snow.

Gemma Ford:

I have no idea I'm cold, I'm wet, but I had the best time in the world and I just, you know, remember the look on my parents and my grandpa's face just laughing because I had no idea that was snow. That's pretty much my you know best, most you know fun Christmas that I had been through, you know, because I remember, not knowing what I, what it was, you know I wasn't making a snowman or angel because I had no idea, I was just rolling all over the snow. So that's, that's about one of my funny ones.

Cindy Tunstall:

I love that memory. That's so fun. I also did. I grew up in the south and my dad was military, so we were always in the Navy and you know, but I always lived in hot climate, so I was older when I first encountered snow too. So I love that so much. Thank you, thank you.

Dino Grigoriadis:

Wow, what a blast it's been hanging out with you tonight. From the music to the stories, it's clear that the holidays bring out the best of life, otr, and at home, whether you're rolling down the highway or parked with loved ones, those memories truly make this season special. If you loved what you heard, don't stop here. Join us in the Enjoying Life OTR Facebook group. In the Enjoying Life OTR Facebook group. That's where the gang hangs out to share adventures and misadventures, laughs and, yes, even a few tips and tricks to make life on the road a little brighter. Most days, it's the little things that add up to Enjoying Life OTR. Hope to see you there and don't forget to stay tuned for our New Year's show. We're kicking off the year with some amazing episodes, including inspiring driver stories, that will get you fired up for what's possible in the year ahead. It's going to be great and we want you to be a part of it. Happy holidays from Enjoying Life OTR. Safe travels and we'll see you down the road.

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Cindy Tunstall

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