Today is Monday

Thought I would try  to do a little update on our doings today.

I was up early and got busy on some paperwork that needed to be done.  Around 11:00 this morning we got a phone call from Diana (Assistant Manager at the LSC) that the case of wine we ordered/bought while in Nehalem, OR had arrived today.  Ron told her we would be down shortly.  So we got ready to go and made our way down to Hondo via Pipe Creek and Bandera.

Stopped in Pipe Creek to see if our mail had arrived.  Yea!  Thanks to Dee for sending it out so quick.  Inside was my new drivers license (remember all the crap I had to go through to get it) but no more worries, it has arrived and tucked safely in my wallet where it belongs.  We then drove through Bandera and down to Hondo.

First stop in Hondo was the Texas Workforce Center.  Had to check out a few things and found out we need to contact a lawyer (job for tomorrow) about some questions that we have.  Was encouraged by speaking to the two ladies in the office.  Then we were off to LSC and picked up our box of wine ~ definitely will be having a glass this evening!

We then headed east towards San Antonio to see if we could find where one of couple friends that we made while at the LSC are working as gate guards.  No such luck, so we turned Maggie (the gps) on and told her to take us back to Medina Lake Thousand Trails the shortest direction.  It was about 3:00 p.m.  Our ETA was 3:50 p.m.  Well we meandered and then needed to find a potty (you know how that goes) and so we headed toward Mico and found a port-a-potty, that had been cleaned earlier today!!!  and so took a few turns out of the way and then decided to drive to Medina Lake and see it from a different direction.  So amazing to see the water down so low.  And me without the camera ~ do need to remember to put it in the Jeep when we decide to drive somewhere.  Saw homes that used to be on waterfront property but not any more.  More like being on a cliff looking down on a river/creek.

We finally got headed back to the park, arriving at 4:30 p.m.  Decided to make dinner (already had meatballs and red sauce in the crock pot) so I made some fettuccine and had a delightful dinner with my sweet hubby.

And now hubby is watching Ax Men and I am getting ready to read a few of the blogs I follow. 

Wishing each of you a great evening.  Talk to you again soon.

Reality, Faith and Thoughts

A lot of things have been happening as most of you know.  And yesterday as I was waiting in the clubhouse to have Easter dinner that nasty Satan tried to enter my mind.  I found myself wondering "What are we going to do?  Do we start driving somewhere?  We have enough money to go about 800 miles.  I am scared and worry is starting to creep in."

And then I said out loud and yet quietly "OK, LORD, you say you know the plans you have for us, you told me that on Wednesday morning before confusion, disbelief, shock set in and we were fired.  Lord, help me to keep my focus on you, see the blessings we have (so many friends commenting on my blogs, on Facebook and through email) that I know we are not alone.  Forgive me for letting doubt creep in just a few minutes ago."  And then I walked away to say hello to some people and sat down and shared a delicious meal ~ the only thing that would have made it better was if there was dessert, making new friends and visiting with them for two hours.  And the worry and anxiety was gone.

Had a very relaxing late afternoon and evening with my hubby.  We sat outside enjoying the beautiful sunshine, listening to families laughing and playing in the swimming pool, reading and napping (Ron).  Later in the evening we had something I have not made in years: bacon and cheese toasted sandwiches ~ yummy!  Watched Amazing Race & Celebrity Apprentice before heading off to bed.  Slept well and woke refreshed about 7:15 this morning.

And then the mind began racing.  I got up, made myself some licorice tea, got caught up in my Guideposts Daily Planner ~ I write down each morning what we did the day before.  And I hadn't written in it since we left San Antonio to go on vacation!  So I started with Wednesday, April 4th through yesterday and then backed up to March 23rd.  All caught up now.  Then I read my devotion for this morning.  "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him."  I Cor. 2:9 and then I pondered on those words.  Feeling encouraged that once again God has shown me that He knows what the plans are that he has for us even though we have no clue, no idea.  Thanks for the reminder Lord.  And then I read through some emails that friends have sent to us in the last few days ~ and one verse that keeps coming to mind (my paraphrase) "No need to worry, the birds don't worry about where they will find food or shelter so why should I worry?"  Easy to read but sometimes so hard to follow and do. 

And this morning it is hard to hold onto that faith and trust when inside I am wanting to cry, scream and shout ~ what happened?  why did this happen?  we had plans for the coming year and now what will happen?  And this happened to us but it affects others too ~ friends who have made plans to be with us, trips to join other friends for a weekend of fun and adventure.  And we have little money which makes me scared ~ where do we go in three weeks, actually 2 1/4 when we have to leave Medina Lake Thousand Trails?  Yes we can go park to park but do we use up the gas/money to go 250 miles and if so which direction do we head.  Do we head back toward AZ, CA, OR or WA where things are familiar or do we head towards GA where we have friends & family but then we have to pay for camping? 

I have made a list of things to do ~ should I just start going down the list and do things one at a time?  do I jump around on that list and do things in a crazy kind of order?  And then more things pop into my mind of things that need to be done...can you hear the craziness starting to roll through my mind and heart?  I can.  I even thought of posting on Facebook ~ "Does anyone want to contribute to the Ron & Ali fund to cover gas, groceries, medicine?  And then the next thought ~ does that question say I have doubt and where is my faith?  So I don't make the post on Facebook but I do share it with my friend so we can laugh about it.

I have so much to say but I feel like I have to be careful, can't and don't want to step on toes, since we don't know exactly what will happen with unemployment (we make our first claim on 4/17 and then will find out if we get any benefits) and we don't know if we are going to have to fight for the benefits or not.  Questions come to mind ~ do we have any recourse with the manner in which we were let go ~ the BOD didn't even follow their own contract with us.  Can you tell I am floundering, wondering what our next step should be.  I would love to have a sit down conversation with the BOD but believe we would be lied to as we know we have been in the past.  Can you tell I am perplexed? 
'
I so wish we were part of a close church family, that we had a good relationship with a local pastor where we could go and talk and cry and pray with and be prayed for.  I wish I was in Blaine so I could walk into Charles' office, sit in my spot on the couch and just blubber and blabber and know he would listen, give me some suggestions (which I always follow) and pray with me.  I am really missing my Northwood family and pastor/friend.

I would love to be able to go have a coffee date with my bestie so we could laugh and cry together but that's kinda hard when I am in Texas and she is in WA.

And now the tears have started to fall and it is hard to see what I am writing so I am going to close for now.  Will check in either later tonight or again tomorrow.  Ali

Reply to Changes are a Coming

Wanted to reply to the comments on yesterday's blog ~

Carol ~ 2008 was a year of the rollercoaster in our life.  On February 24th, little Opal was born 11 weeks early weighing in at 1 lb 15 oz, 13 1/2 inches long.  Her birth was very scary and we didn't know if either her or her momma would make it but thankfully they both did.  Suzanne can't have any more children, then went on to lose their daughter Emerald in April 2009.  Opal faced many hurdles, stayed in the hospital till she was 4 months old, during which time she was life flighted from Bellingham to Seattle.  We are so thankful she is the happy, healthy little girl she is.  She brings us such delight and enjoys life!

On March 24th, Christopher was born healthy and strong and is a delight to be around.  On that same day, Ron's mom was put on Hospice care.  It was definitely a day of emotions running from the mountain top to the valley and back and forth.

On April 24th, Anne went home to be with the Lord and her precious husband who had been gone for almost 30 years.  Truly a sad day to lose such a marvelous woman but rejoiced that she was with our Heavenly Father and darling hubby.  On May 2nd she was buried and that was the morning that Opal was airlifted from Bellingham to Seattle.  Another roller coaster day. 

But through it all, God was and is faithful.  Hard to believe it has been 4 years.  We are so happy for both Opal & Christopher and they truly delight us!!

Carol, Kenny & Angela ~ thank you for your prayers for us as we start another new journey in our lives.  It is very comforting to know that we are not alone and that we can call on our friends to specifically pray about different situations.  I keep reminding myself what Jer. 33:3  says "I know the plans I have for you."  And "all things work together for good for those who trust and believe in God."  (don't know the scripture reference).

And to all my blog readers ~ thanks for reading and being a part of our lives.

NOTE: If you read The Wandering Workentins - this is the same post as what was posted there just a few minutes ago.  

Wanted to write you all and let you know what is going on with us.  Last Wednesday, 4/4 Ron & I were let go from our positions at the Lone Star Corral.  They gave us a reason which does not hold truth as far as we are concerned. We have filed for unemployment and are praying that God will find favor and we will be able to get benefits.

First I want to share our Wednesday morning: my scripture verse that morning was Jer. 33:3 “I know the plans I have for you.”  As we were being told that our contract was terminated immediately I thought “OK, LORD you know the plans you have for us so hope you plan on sharing them with us soon.”

Currently we are at Medina Lake Thousand Trails, Pipe Creek, TX while we get settled and figure some things out.  We have a 21 day park to park contract so housing is not an issue.  We will find out the week of 4/17 if we will get unemployment; hopefully we will get unemployment which will help considerably. We have about $1000 and have paid the most pressing bills.  My meds are fine for about another 2 months.   We have started to apply for different jobs and will do that every day. 

Other than that we are not sure of our plans.  One place we will be applying is Amazon.com for the October – December season.  They provide a Full HU site, $10 per hour with lots of opportunities for over time.  They are in Cambellsville, Kentucky.   We believe we will have no problem getting on with them.  What we will need to do is find a job for the summer months.  Because we don’t think we will ever have another opportunity to be in this part of the US so we are thinking we will move toward Kentucky, staying at TT parks along the way and boon-docking in Wal-Mart if in between parks.  We can always stop at a McDonald’s and Starbucks and use their free WiFi.  We have plenty of canned/boxed food in our food totes, a freezer full of meat and a pretty stocked fridge for the time being.  Good thing we like to cook and try new dishes ~ I am sure some will be pretty creative.

We would ask that you keep us in your prayers and that we will be open to the Lord’s leading, not get discouraged and keep the faith.  

On another note, we had a great vacation the week before we were let go.  We flew to Seattle and spent four days in the Blaine area seeing lots of family and friends and then we headed south stopping in Seattle for an eye check up and polish of my artificial eye and then made our way to Garibaldi, OR where we met up with Brandon and his family.   We were together till early morning on 4/1 when we made our way back to Seattle to fly back to San Antonio where friends picked us up. Worked Monday & Tuesday and then got let go on Wednesday.  We were so glad we had that time with family & friends, got rejuvenated and spiritually      refreshed.  

Here are some pictures - more will be added along with some fun posts.

Jamie, Opal & Grandpa

Opal enjoying her chocolate mouse!

Jamie & Opal (she looks a little tired because we met at 8:00 a.m. for breakfast before we headed to Seattle and OR).

Max and his beautiful smile!!

Christopher enjoying his birthday cake!  Can't believe that he & Opal are 4 already!

Treyson eating some cereal.  He is such a cuddler and believe me this grammy got lots of cuddle time in with him.

Max, Christopher & Grandpa heading into the Haunted Mansion at the Carnival (Funtastic Shows) in Clackamas, OR.  So fun to see many of our friends who we worked with when we traveled & worked with them.

Grandpa reading and Max watching a movie

Max watching the movie and Christopher wrapped in his new blanket that Grammy made for him.  Do you see a theme of BSU Bronco colors in these pictures? 

We love you all and will keep you updated on a more regular basis of where we are and what is                going on with us.  If you want to reach us, please send us an email at ali1257 AT gmail DOT com.

Love Ali & Ron

Changes are a Coming

Wanted to write you all and let you know what is going on with us.  Last Wednesday, 4/4 Ron & I were let go from our positions at the Lone Star Corral.  They gave us a reason which does not hold truth as far as we are concerned. We have filed for unemployment and are praying that God will find favor and we will be able to get benefits.

First I want to share our Wednesday morning: my scripture verse that morning was Jer. 33:3 “I know the plans I have for you.”  As we were being told that our contract was terminated immediately I thought “OK, LORD you know the plans you have for us so hope you plan on sharing them with us soon.”

Currently we are at Medina Lake Thousand Trails, Pipe Creek, TX while we get settled and figure some things out.  We have a 21 day park to park contract so housing is not an issue.  We will find out the week of 4/17 if we will get unemployment; hopefully we will get unemployment which will help considerably. We have about $1000 and have paid the most pressing bills.  My meds are fine for about another 2 months.   We have started to apply for different jobs and will do that every day. 

Other than that we are not sure of our plans.  One place we will be applying is Amazon.com for the October – December season.  They provide a Full HU site, $10 per hour with lots of opportunities for over time.  They are in Cambellsville, Kentucky.   We believe we will have no problem getting on with them.  What we will need to do is find a job for the summer months.  Because we don’t think we will ever have another opportunity to be in this part of the US so we are thinking we will move toward Kentucky, staying at TT parks along the way and boon-docking in Wal-Mart if in between parks.  We can always stop at a McDonald’s and Starbucks and use their free WiFi.  We have plenty of canned/boxed food in our food totes, a freezer full of meat and a pretty stocked fridge for the time being.  Good thing we like to cook and try new dishes ~ I am sure some will be pretty creative.

We would ask that you keep us in your prayers and that we will be open to the Lord’s leading, not get discouraged and keep the faith.  

On another note, we had a great vacation the week before we were let go.  We flew to Seattle and spent four days in the Blaine area seeing lots of family and friends and then we headed south stopping in Seattle for an eye check up and polish of my artificial eye and then made our way to Garibaldi, OR where we met up with Brandon and his family.   We were together till early morning on 4/1 when we made our way back to Seattle to fly back to San Antonio where friends picked us up. Worked Monday & Tuesday and then got let go on Wednesday.  We were so glad we had that time with family & friends, got rejuvenated and spiritually      refreshed.  

Here are some pictures - more will be added along with some fun posts.

Jamie, Opal & Grandpa

Opal enjoying her chocolate mouse!

Jamie & Opal (she looks a little tired because we met at 8:00 a.m. for breakfast before we headed to Seattle and OR).

Max and his beautiful smile!!

Christopher enjoying his birthday cake!  Can't believe that he & Opal are 4 already!

Treyson eating some cereal.  He is such a cuddler and believe me this grammy got lots of cuddle time in with him.

Max, Christopher & Grandpa heading into the Haunted Mansion at the Carnival (Funtastic Shows) in Clackamas, OR.  So fun to see many of our friends who we worked with when we traveled & worked with them.

Grandpa reading and Max watching a movie

Max watching the movie and Christopher wrapped in his new blanket that Grammy made for him.  Do you see a theme of BSU Bronco colors in these pictures? 

 

We love you all and will keep you updated on a more regular basis of where we are and what is                going on with us.  If you want to reach us, please send us an email at ali1257 AT gmail DOT com.

Love Ali & Ron

Hanging at Sea Tac Airport

I am sitting on the floor at Sea Tac Airport close to our gate, N14, found one plug in to charge my computer on.  So not like Houston that has multiple charging stations all along the concourses.

We have had nine wonderful days with family and friends - will be posting more specific blog posts on here and at "The Wandering Workentins" in the next week.

As we were driving here we saw lots of darkness ~ we left at 5:48 a.m. from Molalla, OR.  Left a note for the grands as to why we did not wake them up (they were sleeping when we kissed them good-bye) and then gave Brandon a big hug and even got a few spoken words from him :) and a kiss and mumbled byes from Danalyn.  So glad to have had time with them this week and to reconnect with them and the boys.  (pictures to come)

Last Tuesday stopped to see Christie & Todd at Erickson Labs Northwest for a Spit & Polish ~ actually a good cleaning of my artificial eye and boy did it feel wonderful when Christie slipped it back in.  Before leaving Blaine Tuesday morning we had a nice breakfast with Jamie, Suzanne & Opal and then made a stop at the DMV and got my much needed drivers license.  One of the hassles of having only one eye is that now they need a form from the doctor saying yes I can drive ~ give me a break - I have been driving for almost 40 years.  Enough whining - I got the dang license and am good for five more years.

We arrived in Seattle late Friday, 3/23, spent the night with friends Sam & Janna Dyck (we house shared over 30 years ago!!!) So fun to get to reconnect, laugh and enjoy each others company.  Thanks Sam for staying up till 4:15 a.m. even though you had to be at work at 7:00 a.m.  Next stop was IHOP in Everett where we had breakfast with Heather Loggains and her girls: Montana & Berkley.  Wow have those girls grown!!  Thanks for making the effort to connect with us.

We then made our way to Blaine with a stop at Pacific Builders to pick up Ron's Christmas gift.  Used the pretense to wish Stephanie congrats on the new arrival coming to their home soon.

Kimberly made this with a picture of our motor home.  Ron was so surprised.  If you are interested in one then give Kimberly a call at Pacific Building Center (click on the link above).  I will take more pictures once we get it set up at home.  Going to use it as a night light in the motor home.

Then onto Birch Bay: stopped at The C Shop to say to Patrick & Patricia, Keith & Saara and the gang.  Lots of chocolate bunnies hanging around that shop.  If you want a special treat for this Easter check them out and tell them Alice & Ron sent you.

And then to the Lang Hotel, hosted by Jim & Mary Lang.  So good to spend time with them, have a sweet place to rest our head, get lots of visiting in and a home base to run around and see so many friends & family.  Was super excited to see Jamie, Suzanne & Opal along with lots of friends throughout our time in Blaine.

Well the computer is fully charged so now I can get up off the floor, at least I hope so.  Will write more later and show off lots more pictures.

Stuff

Tried to think of a catchy title but nothing comes to mind.  It is 6:15 a.m. and I have been awake since 4 a.m.  Lots of STUFF on my mind.  A little anxiety about the upcoming trip to Washington/Oregon ~ flying is not my favorite thing to do and I am just thankful that Ron is going with me ~ that will help me for sure.

 I can't wait to see our kids and grandkids and  our Northwood family and as many friends as possible.  We will be reconnecting with friends we have not see since the early 80's, reconnecting with friends we have not seen since 2009 and 2011 and then reconnecting with our family and giving Jamie & Suzanne a big congratulatory hug to celebrate their recent marriage and most of all hugging and playing with the grands!!

And my mind is full of thoughts of where the Lord is leading, asking questions of why and wondering why somethings happen that seem to come out of left field.  Praying for clarity in situations and seeking God's peace in everything we do.

Had a hard few days recently, said some things I regret, used tones & words that were inappropriate, seeking God's forgiveness and being thankful that His mercies are new every morning and knowing that He is faithful and is always with me even when I feel so alone.  And praying for healing in relationships and situations.  Seeking His will not ours.

Finding that I need to get back to writing more regularly and remember the reasons why I write: to get all those mumble/jumble thoughts that run amok in my head out on paper (computer) to where I can find clarity of the issues.  And the need to stop worrying about "what others think" of what I say when I write on my blog with my thoughts.

I need to be more disciplined intentional with my time and my actions.  I need to be intentional with my time and activities and stop letting things just happen.  I chose the word "intentional" for this year and it has slipped away from me.  So starting today I am back on track of being intentional in what I do as well as what I eat.  The last two weeks have found me slipping, nope, falling back into old habits: not caring about what I eat, not exercising daily like I know I should and need to do, being intentional in my quiet time: being specific about reading, praying & writing and not doing things because they are expected of me but because things are important to me, satisfying to me and things I care about.

And I need to remember not to "react with a knee jerk response" but to use my mind and my abilities and to think before I speak.  And remembering to keep my focus on the Lord because when I do that my life just goes more smoothly.

Not sure if this makes sense to anyone else but I know the Lord has brought me back to this place of beginning again, starting over, today is a new day and a new chance to do what is right in my life.  I need to remind myself daily of my life verse: Trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding BUT to acknowledge HIM in everything and He will direct my paths.  Prov. 3:5-6