New Day

Feeling the urge to say 

GOOD Morning!!

For us it means less than four more hours of work this week.

Then off for seven wonderful days.

Not sure what we are doing,

we just know we are not working!!

In Shock!

I am sitting here in disbelief!!!

Before we left Oregon I had my A1C down to 7.7

not great but not bad.

Some of you are probably asking 

What is A1C?

In layman's term it is the average of my blood sugars

for the past three months.

So today I got the results from  last week's A1C test

10.0!!!

Yes, 10.0 ~ I could not believe it. 

It has not been this high in years,

in fact, in 1995 when I was diagnosed it was a 12.6!!!

This explains why I am so dang tired all the time!!!

I really thought it would be about 8.0 to 8.5

but 

10.0!!!

I know that part of the problem is 

what meals are served here at The Ranch ~

Lunch today consisted of a Patty Melt on Texas toast, 

deep fried pickles, breaded cheddar cheese bites and jalapeno poppers.

I had the Patty Melt, one jalapeno popper, 

one cheddar cheese bite and two fried pickles.

Dinner wasn't much better ~ it was chicken pot pie (I ate the chicken insides, 

no crust), wild rice (I didn't have any) and a piece of chocolate cream pie

and yes I ate that.

Most of the meals cooked here at the ranch are fried,

deep fried and include French fries, fried chicken,

corn in all forms, chicken fried steak w/gravy,

pancakes, lots of bread/biscuits,  bacon, sausage, 

gravy ~ you get the picture

Not healthy choices

but great for teenage boys!!

I am supposed to be working on reports

for the day

and yet I sit here

wondering what the heck am I supposed to do.

My weight is down from when we left 

Oregon so that is a good thing.

But an A1C of 10.0

is NOT okay.

Would appreciate prayers

as Ron and I come up with an 

healthy eating plan

and 

quickly!!!

The week we are on duty we are expected

to eat family style with the boys ~

in the dining hall

the food that is prepared.

I have got to come up with some alternative

meals that are easy and quick to fix

(I don't have time to be in the apartment

once our day has begun)

and that can travel easily.

I am in shock 

and just shaking my head.  

And the Journey Continues

I am so 

for 

who know me well

and 

love me 

enough

to tell me the hard things.

I know that so often my emotions

like to run away

like a deer being spooked.

After a few good talks, emails,

chats and especially time with the Lord

my spirit has calmed once again.

Now looking forward to a couple of days off,

a couple of appointments for 

Isn't he a cute Santa?

And time with friends.

Can't believe we are close to celebrating 41 years

of marriage!!  How can that be???

(will write more about that later)

It Doesn't Really Matter

It Doesn't Really Matter

~ it doesn't matter how hard I try

I FAIL

~ it doesn't matter what you do for others

IT'S NEVER ENOUGH

~ it doesn't matter 

~ it plain doesn't matter

And I am

DONE!!!

I am done trying to be strong

I am done trying to give the benefit of the doubt

I am done trying to follow the rules

WHY should I try to follow the rules ~

no one is held to the rules,

consequences are not given,

told one thing but then another happens or doesn't happen

I AM DONE!!!

You want a robot,

you got one

You want a BITCH

you have one

Ask politely someone to turn the TV down

get told IT IT - Hell I can't even hear myself think

Yes, I am pissed and I don't care who knows it

I am told I am not fair

HELL, LIFE IS NOT FAIR

Why have rules and expectations

It doesn't really matter

Do as you please, there will be no consequences

Oh how I could write more

but really what does it matter

Nothing will change

the game is bide my time,

let the chips fall where they may

guess when real life

kicks you in the ass

then you might pay attention.

I might be paying attention sooner than later!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ready for a New Day

Today is a new day

and a different day.

Usually Tuesday's are our changeover days

but this week it changes to Wednesday here at the Ranch.

So today all four Home Parents will be on duty,

with four boys as three of our boys are on Home Visits

and one was released on Saturday.

It seems kind of crazy to have four HP's with only four boys but

hey, that's an extra days pay for both of us so that's good!

I woke up before my alarm so that tells me going to sleep about 10 pm

is a good thing for me.  I always feel so startled when the alarm goes

off, so I am thankful I woke up on my own.

My devotions came from both the New and Old Testament

Hebrews 11:8-16 The chapter on Faith,

Abraham had faith God would give him his promised land,

Sarah had faith God would give her a baby

So many in the Bible shared their faith of what they

believed God would do for them.

And I am reminded of Ruth, how she clung to God and his faith

that He would provide for her.

And HE did.  I look at my own life,

we have been unemployed,

we have had to deal with major illnesses,

we have seen our boys struggle

and YET through it all

God has been faithful.

We have never gone hungry,

we have always had a place to lay our head,

we have always been surrounded by friends & family,

and we truly have never gone without.

And for that I am thankful.

And we continue on in faith.

We have hit a couple of roadblocks of purchasing

a travel trailer, but maybe the time is not right.

When its supposed to happen it will happen.

And I know I need more practice in being 

patient and learning to wait.

and then I read in 

Malachi 4:1-3

which when I saw the scripture in 

I immediately thought of our own little Malachi,

a cousin's grandbaby

who is fighting for his life, an infection

that began to block his breathing tube

and so I prayed for little Malachi,

asking God to bring healing to him, 

wisdom for the doctors

and peace for his parents, grandparents

and all who love him.

Would you join us in prayer 

for complete healing for this precious baby boy?

And then I read 

And I am reminded of many things:

But a gut wrenching emotions

without a change in behavior

is not true repentance.

I remember a time I was angry at the world,

every person and situation in my life

all because of things that had happened in the past.

I lashed out at everyone and anything,

over and over

until

I came to a place of forgiveness,

never would I hear "I am sorry"

from those who hurt me over and over

but I did find peace in the lap of my Abba Daddy.

I began to live my life in love and joy,

not hatred and anger.

I began to see the many blessings my Abba Daddy

shared with me:

a wonderful husband who loves me just the way I am,

though I know he much prefers the joyful wife not the angry wife,

two healthy son's ~ who have forgiven me for past wrongs

and let's me be a part of their and their family's lives,

an opportunity to do things that I could never imagine:

working in a carnival!!

traveling around in our motor home,

working at campgrounds where we got to enjoy HIS beauty

and meet wonderful people and who many have become

friends and even family.

Yes I am blessed beyond measure

and I thank the Lord

for reminding me that 

sometimes life looks bleak and scary,

doesn't feel real comfortable

BUT

if I continue to keep focusing on Him

His love will abound!

And for that I am truly thankful

that I am loved and blessed

and as 3 yr old Christopher said

"that leads to awesomeness!!"

How can I pray for you today?

And may I ask that you pray for little Malachi

for complete healing and peace for his momma and daddy

and

remember

Life Goes On

I know my last post sounded like I was ready to run

and run fast

I stopped, we stopped

and prayed

and talked with good friends

and our bosses

and took a week off

and heard the Lord say

and after staying quiet, resting, praying,

laying low due to cough

and spending time in the Word

we know we are here for such a time as this.

Days may not always be easy but we know 

we are never alone.

Someone saw this

as my profile picture

and said how happy we look

and you know what

We are happy,

we are happy where the Lord has brought us,

we are thankful for our health

(which is good most of the time)

we are thankful for health insurance,

doctors who take that insurance,

we love our children and grandchildren

and can't wait to see them the end of

November and December

we are thankful for our little apartment,

co-workers who love the Lord,

bosses who support us all the time,

even when we feel like handing in the key

and they just keep encouraging us

but most of all

I am thankful

for a husband who loves me 

through the thick and thin,

tears and laughter

and most of all,

all my quirkiness!

Really ???

I believe that we are called for a purpose

and yet right now, right this moment

I am ready to say I don't like this purpose,

this calling

and I think

God 

Made

A 

Great 

Big 

Mistake

or else what I thought was God calling us to this place,

for this season, for such a time as this,

maybe I was wrong,

plain

wrong.

Am I admitting defeat

no, not yet,

but is it clearly on my mind

yep,

you betcha.

Am I a quitter,

not usually,

usually 

I am the 

biggest fighter

but I don't 

think

I can continue in this fight.

Maybe tomorrow will dawn 

a new day and new thoughts

But right now

I can honestly say

that 

the 

time 

to

move

on 

may 

be

closer 

than

I realized.

We 

are 

having 

some

major

philosophical

differences

and I think they are going to win!

Change and a Purpose

I woke this morning crying out to Jesus ~

last night was hard, 

hard because I felt like I was fighting a losing battle.

How do you teach respect?

By showing respect even in the midst of hard stuff.

And the first thing I read was

God never changes

He is and Always will be the Same!!

No matter what is happening in the world

Jesus is here and always will be.

I was on Facebook for a bit yesterday afternoon

and I could not believe the the nastiness, the rudeness,

the name calling, the belittling that was going on

and supposedly between friends.

All over the outcome of the election.

What happened to people using kind words?

Being an encouragement to others?

I was dumbfounded.

Facebook has been a place for me to reconnect 

and connect with family and friends.  

Enjoying pictures of babies and seeing kids grow up,

sharing about our day ~ yet yesterday was like

someone said "let's be mean and nasty as we can be."

No thank you...I want and need positive in my life.

And so this morning as I got out of bed

because I couldn't sleep and I cried out to God

he showed me and reminded

He never changes, it is us who change.

And so I said to God 

"Please show me my purpose.  I truly believe You opened 

the door for us to come to MCH, to share your love with others.

Help me to be the light that shines in these boys life

EVEN on those difficult days when they don't want to listen,

when they lash out in anger, are disrespectful to us as the house~parents,

to the Unit Manager and each other.

Lord help me to just love on these boys ~

that is what I do best.

And I turned to Mark 1:16 ~ 18

16-18 Passing along the beach of Lake Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew net-fishing. Fishing was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions. They dropped their nets and followed.

And immediately felt like God was 

encouraging me,

letting me know that He is the one who has called us here,

to love on these boys

just as He loves on me/us.

And again, I am reminded 

and

And so I say

THANK YOU

JESUS

for loving on me,

loving on these boys

and 

giving us each 

a chance to start over

and to make 

today a better day

than yesterday.

Thoughts Abounding

My mind is flowing with thoughts.

It's election day ~ yes we voted, thankful for mail in ballots.

Now it is wait and see with lots of prayers.

Wondering if it is a 

as it sure feels like it with these boys.

Two are sick with the flu ~

and don't understand why they have to wear masks,

can't go to the dining hall and it doesn't help that they

don't feel "sick" but have all the symptoms.

We have an extra boy in the unit for a few days ~

so that changes the dynamics.

We got a new boy last week, Wednesday, and so he is feeling 

his way around the unit.  He is new to our unit but not to the ranch ~

so he is struggling with what is okay in this unit,

getting to know the other boys in a totally different situation.

Thinking how the change of houseparents is similar to parents 

sharing custody of kids...each has their own rules even though

they follow the same guidelines yet we are different people and so handle things

differently ~ neither way is right or wrong, it just is.

Tuesday's tend to be our hardest day

and every week we have a short house meeting once we come on duty,

to remind the boys we start new today and move forward.

The boys know we like to have fun yet they know we 

expect them to meet our expectations

and MCH Rules/Life Skills.

Sort of like MCH 10 Commandments

1. Use Good Words to Communicate

(no swearing is a biggy)

2. Be Gentle and Kind

(use good words and keep your hands to yourself)

3. Show Respect

(of people and property)

4. Listen and Learn

(listen when spoken to,

learn how to manage your feelings)

5. Understand Who is in Charge

(houseparents, unit manager, MCH staff)

6. Accept Decisions of Authority

(even when you don't like it,

remember wherever you go in life you will have a boss of some kind)

7. Make Good Choices

(in life, school and relationships)

8.  Focus and Finish Your Work

(school work, chores, projects)

9. Negotiate and Compromise

(when appropriate, remember #6)

10.  Build Trusting Relationships

(don't manipulate, be honest and true to self and others)

Seems easy enough right,

but not always for any one of us.

Sometimes we all need reminders.  

My reminder came to me through my devotion this morning:

And so throughout the day,

as things were shared,

and then things changed,

misunderstandings,

laughter and tears

through it all

and 

May God bless each of you who reads my blog

and as I always say:

please feel free to leave a message,

share a prayer request,

ask a question

but most of all 

Remember

Jesus Loves You!!!

Thinking ~

It's what we all do at different times of the day

THINK

I have been doing a lot of thinking lately ~

~ why don't I seem to have enough time to get done the things I want to do

~why do I feel I am always rushing to get the things I need to do done

~ been asked if I have done everything on my bucket list

~~ heck I don't think I even have a bucket list

~ am I supposed to be doing something I am not doing

~ why do I feel so unsettled right now

~ why can't I seem to get on a schedule

~~ both during our week off and our week on duty

~ why do I feel so discomboobulated???

yes that's a word I just made up

And then I go through my mind

~ we really like our jobs here at the Boys Ranch

~ we see we are building positive relationships with the boys

~ we are better off financially then we have ever been

~ we are both healthier than we have been in a long time

~ we don't really want for anything; 

oh there are some things we would like to be different such as 

relationships with some family members

I know what I am missing

~ being involved in a church family; we enjoy the worship services at MCH Chapel, the messages are great, directed towards real life issues facing the children in care at MCH and even to us personally but it's not our church  YET on the flip side it's hard to find a church family when we try to take advantage of having a week off and being able to travel and see the area we live in, going camping, going to the ocean and just enjoying being together

~ making new friends; we have connected with some of the other couples we work with yet on our off week each couple is off doing the things they want/need to do so where else do we make friends

Sometimes I think I think too much.

I want to ask someone, sit down over a cup of coffee, go to dinner with people and build relationships out of our work atmosphere but don't even know where to find people

and then thinking I need to write letters, send an email or a card but during our week on it seems there is never time and on our off week I am catching up on sleep, spending time with my sweet hubby, doing fun things or just plain hibernating without any demands on my time

so I find myself asking

what's a gal supposed to do

do I schedule stuff

do I just stay busy to say I'm busy

do I just keep doing what I'm doing

and feel like I am missing something

but what is that SOMETHING?

I don't know

I just don't know

So I guess I just keep plugging along,

keep thinking about things

and moving one foot in front of the other

Self~Control - God is the One to help me to have self~control

Monday, a new day, a new week which led to lots of thinking last night. 

Isn't that what most people do ~ think about Monday as a new day, time for new beginnings.

So I got on the scale ~ UGH did not like what I saw, my weight is crawling the opposite direction of what I want.  My eating is once again out of control...thoughts of "get with the program"  "get off my fat a** and get moving again"  "make good choices" you know...the litany continues on and on.

And now it is Tuesday, first day of our work week.  The dang house alarm went off at 6:00, then lots of yelling...am sure the new boy in our house doesn't know not to come out of the bedroom before 6:30 am.  Knowing my alarm was set for 7:00 am I rolled over and went back to sleep.  Got up when my alarm went off even though I had been hearing lots of noise from the boys for the past half hour.  Made my way to the kitchen to make some coffee and then got dressed for the day.  Coffee was ready and so headed to my little corner to meet with God.  

I began praying, telling God once again I had failed at spending time with Him daily.  You don't want to know how long it has been since I sat in the quietness of my corner and just talked and read God's Word.  And how unhappy I am with myself regarding my weight, my eating habits and feeling like such a loser.  

And then I opened Our Daily Bread for my devotion of the day.  

And once again I sat humbled as God met me right where I am this morning.

Ready for a Change?

Read: Galatians 5:16–25

Self-control is probably one of the hardest things to master. How often have we been defeated by a bad habit, a lousy attitude, or a wrong mindset? We make promises to improve. We ask someone to hold us accountable. But deep inside, we know that we don’t have the will or the ability to change. We can talk, we can plan, we can read self-help books, but we still find it difficult to overcome and control many of the things that are inside us!

Thankfully, God knows our weakness, and He also knows the remedy! The Bible says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). The only way to gain self-control is by allowing the Holy Spirit to control us.

God is not nearly as concerned with our ability as He is with our surrender.

In other words, our key focus is not effortbut surrender—to live moment by moment submissively trusting in the Lord rather than in self. Paul says this is what it means to “walk by the Spirit” (v. 16).  Are you ready for a change? You can change, for God is in you. As you surrender control to Him, He will help you bear the fruit of His likeness.

I am in need, Lord, of Your power so that I might change and grow. I surrender myself to You. Please help me to understand how to be submissive to You that I might be filled with Your Spirit.

God is not nearly as concerned with our ability as He is with our surrender.

INSIGHT:

Today’s passage exhorts us to “walk by the Spirit” (v. 16). Just as a surgeon operates by means of a scalpel, we are to walk by means of the Holy Spirit. We are to be consciously dependent upon Him in attitude and choices. Yet there are two spheres of influence that pull us in different directions. The term “flesh” is used to describe the old sinful way of life that seeks to live independently from God and exhibits behavior displeasing to Him. The “Spirit” refers to those behaviors that flow from the indwelling Christ and produce fruit exemplifying His character. When we walk by means of the Spirit, we can say no to the flesh and yes to the Spirit. 

By Jaime Fernández Garrido 

Wow!!!  Once again God has met me right where I am.  What jumped out was "One of the fruits of the Spirit is SELF-CONTROL!!!  Which I lack dearly!!!  One part of my mind says this is what you need to do but the other part says "it doesn't really matter, you are who you are and one of those things is FAT!!!"  And then the tears began to flow...Lord I have been "dieting for more than 40 years off/on" the operative word there "I" not WE - me and God together.  I read my devotion and then saw myself crawling up onto my Abba's lap, his arms wrapped around me and His sweet voice saying "it's okay Ali, we got this, one step at a time or in this case one minute at a time...one meal at a time, even just one bite at a time."  Sitting in my big recliner feeling peace once again, not beating myself up but saying "we've got this God...well You do" and so today in this moment I feel encouraged and am reminded I am not alone.

What about you?  Do you ever echo my thoughts ~ feeling like you are alone on a journey, whether it is a Journey of Getting Healthy, Journey of dealing with loss ~ so many people I know are dealing with some form of loss ~ the loss of a spouse/father of her children, loss of a little girl's innocence ~ wondering why she had parents who only thought of themselves, loss of a sibling through death or anger/jealousy...the list goes on.  There is no magic pill or tonic to heal these hurts/wrongs....only Jesus to love us through our pain, our hurts and tears.

I would love to be able to pray for you, share my story with you ~ hoping to give you encouragement and walk beside you just as so many of my friends have done with me.  Leave me a comment on how I can pray for you or how I can contact you.  

Today I am thankful that God is my friend, my Abba daddy, who is always ready and waiting to hear from me.

  

Fun Trip to Galveston, TX

First a quick update about life at The Ranch

We are enjoying our work/life here at The Ranch.  One of the benefits here in Waco is that we work seven days on and then have seven days off.   Our week with the boys, which I wrote a bit about last weekend, is going well.  We remind ourselves often, boys will be boys and teenagers aren't the best of thinkers.  We look for the good in each day and try to focus on the positives with "our boys."  And we marvel how the Lord is leading us as we live and work with these boys.  

One night last weekend I headed to bed early as I had a headache.  Like I always do, I kissed Ron before heading into our apartment.  Two of the boys reacted with a groan...I asked what was wrong and one of them said...do you always kiss all the time?  I said you betcha...we love each other and kissing each other when one of us leaves or heads to bed for the night it is just a reminder to both of us how much we love and enjoy each other.  Many times over the past month we have been asked "have you really been married to each other for 40 years?"  and we always say a resounding YES!!!  For these boys knowing someone and being married to the same person for 40 years is not the norm.

Evening Cruise, Galveston TX

Galveston Texas

September 7 to 10, 2016

One of our goals is to go on a weekend getaway at least once a month.  Our weekend was from Wednesday to Saturday.  (We are off Tuesday's at noon to Tuesday's 9 am).

 Wednesday, September 7th

On our way to Galveston we came across the George Bush Presidential Library

Here are just a few of the pics we took. 

We hope to go back again where we can spend more time.

Thursday, September 8th

A Day at the Beach

We enjoyed the day as we drove the length of Galveston Island - 32 miles.

We really enjoyed walking along the beach and had planned to go back on Friday morning for a few hours but the weather wasn't cooperating.  We look forward to going back to Galveston and spending more time at the beach.

Friday, September 9th

We took a two hour evening cruise.  It was beautiful and very peaceful.

We were able to see some dolphins though not quick enough to get pictures.

 Captain Ralph did a great job on guiding us on our tour in the Gulf of Mexico.

Saturday, September 10th found us taking the long way back to Waco.  We put our address in and then chose the "avoid highways" option.  We saw a lot of neat entry gates to ranches, found ourselves trying to avoid the heavy rains but most of all just enjoying our time together.

We hope you enjoyed this small glimpse at our Galveston getaway.

Happy Birthday Again Joanie!!!

Today, September 11, 2016 I am reposting my blog post from September 11, 2015 because nothing has changed.  Today is my sister, Joanie's birthday and just as last year I felt these things I feel them again today.  So much has happened within our family over the last year, more memories made, major moves and job changes, exciting happening's with our family that I would love to share with Joanie but alas she still chooses not to have contact with me or anyone in my family.
So once again I say:

Happy Birthday Joanie!!

Even though you have chosen not to speak to me since September 2008

I want you to know that I think of you often, wondering how you are doing.

Like I have said to many, 

I don't know what I did to you

that makes you hate me so

but I want you to know

I love you!

I wish you would speak to me

and tell me what is wrong.

Matthew 18:18 tell us

and so I don't understand how you can claim to love Jesus

and be a Christian YET refuse to even speak to me.

Jesus tells us to love one another

and yet you despise me.

I just don't get how you can say and do things

that conflict radically from each other.

I asked our niece to see if you would allow her to give me your address

so I could send you a birthday card

Your reply - NO!

What gives?

What do you think Mom, Dad or Kathy

think about how you refuse to speak to me.

You have nephews who have grown into some of the

best young men around and yet you choose to act like they don't exist.

Your stubborness is causing you to miss out on so much.

Do you even care that you have a great niece or four great nephews?

I thought long and hard before writing this post.

But I have heard through the grapevine that 

you read my blog so I am putting this out there.

Happy Birthday Dear Sister!

I am saddened to think that you have no siblings in your life, 

no nephews.  I am thankful that at times you speak with our niece.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a family get together

and encourage one another?

I think so.

Your niece thinks so.

Your nephews would love for you to meet their families.

I can only do so much.

So once again, 

I am reaching out to you.

Wondering if you will accept the offer

to connect once again.

I love you.

Ron loves you.

Happy Birthday Joanie!!!

One Month

One month, can't believe we are already into our second month here at the Ranch.

It has been an interesting time: times of laughter and tears, crazy mistakes and great accomplishments, easy and tough times yet through it all the Lord has been right here with us.

We began our time here with two weeks of orientation, shadowing, being shadowed and then it was time to start officially as House Parents (HP).  

Our first week on was filled with boys who chose to be defiant to see how far they could push us ~ they found out we will not hesitate to call in reinforcements if necessary as we demonstrated our first Saturday morning here when they engaged in a food fight in the dining hall, left the dining hall without permission along with using every swear word  ever said ~ and yes, we had heard them before.

And laughter at my expense when I got lost taking a threesome to school at a different campus ~ of course they waited to tell me I was going the wrong direction when I was almost to the main campus!!!  

Received lots of thanks from two boys who I had to take to doctor appointments and pick up from football as I stopped at Sonics because I was dying of thirst and can't leave them in the car to go into a store.  

And then we had our first week off...can you say 

and that's just what we did that first Tuesday we were off.  A four hour nap and then heading to bed even before 9 pm.  And we slept till 9 am the next morning!!!

Our first week off we did some shopping for the last of household furnishings we needed like a couple of pole lamps, bed stand lamps, cleaning supplies and of course some groceries.

That's one thing that is different here at the Ranch then was at Astor House ~ because of our schedule we do have to do some cooking on our own.  One night I made a roast with all the fixin's and my go to ~ spaghetti.  

On Saturday we went to the farmer's market and then a flea market where we got some 

pear cactus fruit!!

It was delicious and we can't wait to get a bit more.  

Dinner Saturday night consisted of bbq ribs, fresh corn on the cob, fruit salad made with cantaloupe, pear cactus fruit, apples and oranges ~ yummy!!!!!

Sunday we attended Greater Waco Baptist Church

and stayed for their potluck ~ you can never go wrong there!!  

Not sure if we will go back or not ~ it is a huge church and doesn't have some of the things we are looking for like a women's ministry group and small group Bible studies.  

Monday we stopped at 

sort of like a Dunkin Donuts with lots of choices.

Donuts were delicious but that is one place we won't go to very often ~ can you say

SUGAR OVERLOAD???

And then it was time to head back to work.

We were rejuvenated and ready!!!

I am happy to say that our second week has been much better.  

Wednesday there was a major leak in the water system at the Ranch and we had to take the boys, yes six boys to dinner ~ not something I was wanting to do for a long time.  You ask why ~ well if you saw their behavior in the Dining Hall  you would understand: hoarding of food, wasting lots of food, swearing and "picking" on each other.  Nope, not on our agenda for a long time.

But necessity changes things and we have learned over the last 10 years to be flexible and I mean real flexible...so we had a pow wow (Ron and I) and came up with a game plan...Ron would take three boys and I would take three boys and go somewhere as long as it was not McDonalds.  I took my three boys, J, D and D and went to Chick-fil-et.  We ordered, they stayed within their limit and we had a pretty uneventful meal.  Helps to have free WiFi for the boys!  And then I get a call from Ron ~ where are you ~ we can't decide where to go.  So Ron and J, B and T joined us.  We stuck around for about 15 minutes when the boys began to get a bit too rambunctious for our liking.  But hey, there were no food fights or swearing ~ just six! teenage boys being boys.  Looking at girls, slurping the last of their pop way too loud but again, they were boys being boys!!!

Wednesday night we had a mini-house meeting.  We told the boys thanks for their good behavior at the restaurant and for not embarrassing us in any way.

Then things got interesting.  Got a call from the On-call Unit Manager who said we were going to have an extra boy for the night...you know its serious when a boy is taken from his assigned home to another ~ yep it was serious.  It involved 2 boys from the Ranch and 1 girl from Main Campus getting arrested ~ yes for something very stupid and that could have some very long lasting consequences.  

We called our boys together and said that  we needed their cooperation, 100% compliance as we needed them to do their night chores, get ready for bed and stay in their rooms without any issues.  

They did a fabulous job!!!  

Thursday was a busy day...court appearances, having to have meals delivered for me and the one boy staying in our unit - nothing like cold eggs or a chicken sandwich stuck together...thank goodness I could make a protein shake for breakfast and yogurt and fresh fruit for lunch.  In the evening our houseguest was able to go back to his home unit but wait, never a dull moment where we are at ~ the youngest boy on the ranch, age 11, decided he was going to run!  Now where is he going to run?  We are at least 3.5 miles to the main road, we sit on 2500 acres and its a long walk to anywhere.  So what does he do, he runs to our home unit with his HP following behind.  He ended up staying the night in the other wing with one-on-one care for the night.  

Friday was early release at school and then a rush to get four of the boys ready to go on home visits. Life here Friday night was definitely different with two HP's and two boys.  The boys ended up watching a movie and hanging out with Ron for some guy time.

Saturday, J returned just after supper, in time to go to a local car show.

 

And then it was off to Dairy Queen for some ice cream.

And this is how we ended our evening

This morning we attended University Baptist Church with the boys and then went to Vegas Buffet - Sushi, Mongolian Grill and lots of oriental food.  Again the boys were great.  As I am writing the three boys are watching movies and having more guy time!!

Tomorrow we get to sleep in ~ the Dining Hall is closed for the day so we are on our own for breakfast, lunch and supper.  We are going to be BBQ'ing burgers, hot dogs and watermelon for lunch and the boys have asked me to make dinner...it will probably be my standby ~ spaghetti.

Our other three boys should begin returning to our home unit about 2 pm and the last one is due home around 8 pm.  Life will definitely be busy tomorrow night as we get ready for school on Tuesday 

BUT

we are off Tuesday at noon and are planning a getaway for a few days.  We are either going to Galveston (the beach) or Fredricksberg (wineries)!!!

Hope you enjoyed this little recap of our past month here at the Ranch!!!

Our New Home

Whew!!  We are finally settled into our new home here in Waco, TX

We have a two bedroom apartment which is attached to Slator North (our boys home) here at the Methodist Boys Ranch.

The Main Entrance to the Boys Ranch

The front door of our house.

Another view from our living room.

 

One of the views from our living room.

Our front room

the door in the living room leads to the foyer of the house.

Close up of my babies :)

The wall in the kitchen that continues from the living room ~
on the other side of the stove is the double recliner.

Another view of the kitchen, from our bedroom doorway

Our Bathroom

And yes I know I have lots of earrings and necklaces!! 

..

 Below are the four different squares on our shower curtain.

 

 

Our Bedroom

 When we left Newberg the bottom frame to our bed was broken so Ron figured he would just make a new one when we arrived here in Waco.  Anyone who knows us, knows we have lots of storage totes, at one time alone we ahd 19 Christmas totes...not so many now :)

So here is Ron working on building the frame for our bed:

 Taking a much needed break :)

 And the finished bed.

We can store 4 totes on each side of the bed.

 

One of the windows in our very long hallway.

In our spare bedroom I am working on a craft corner and this is my corner
I have set up for my quiet time, Bible reading, letter writing, etc.

We are planning to get a hide-a-bed couch for in the spare bedroom too!

Because of our schedule of working 7 days/off 7 days we have lots of time for visitors

so if you want to come and see us, let us know and we can coordinate with our schedule.

We are quite happy in our little home

and look forward to making lots of 

memories here.