Questioning

Lord, I come to you this morning asking you to reassure me that things are the way they are supposed to be...Lord I am really wondering what I am doing?  I know in my head you have led us where you want us but this morning my heart is asking am I here for the right reasons? 

I have lots to do this morning/today Lord...help me to dwell on You and Your love for me, to keep trusting You and I ask You to guide me each and every step and with every word that comes from my mouth. 

Lord help me to show Your love to each of those I come into contact with.  I need You more than I could ever imagine.  Amen.

Seeing Life through the eyes of an 8 year old!!

This morning as I was getting ready to go to the grocery store, little AB, 8 years old, said "Ms Ali I've never been grocery shopping with you can I go with you please?"  Sure you can!! was my reply.

So off we went with our 

in hand.  AB had strawberry and I had blueberry...AB asked if I wanted to trade one of his for one of mine...sure we can!!!  

After arriving at the grocery store and each of eating our last bite, we began walking into the store.  AB says "Ms. Ali if we get the water first we won't forget it."  Smart cookie there!!  So we put the 5 gal water bottles in our cart and off to the produce department.  First up are bananas and then a salad to go with dinner.  Then followed a conversation of having chili cheese dogs for dinner...sounds good to me...so we bought some hot dogs (already have chili and cheese at home) and got some hot dog buns too!  Picked up cereal: requests for Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms...no problem...then picked up some other groceries like grapes, bananas, pickles, multi-vitamins and 4 gallons of milk...these kids sure like their milk!!

AB was such a  big help, he organized the groceries in the cart so we wouldn't squish the hot dog buns, put the milk on the bottom so we wouldn't drop it, 4 bags of cereal fit real good on the bottom with the milk...as we were loading the groceries into the truck, AB says "Ms Ali, I like going grocery shopping with you...you let me pick up the heavy stuff and that's good because boys are supposed to help with the heavy stuff right?"  Oh, AB thank you for being my helper today!!  It was fun to see how you do things!!!

Once home, lunch was had by all...good ole peanut butter and jelly...how many sandwiches can eight kids eat...16...and one ate four of them!!!  I'm giving thanks I don't pay for the groceries around here.  And tonight those same eight kids had 16 hot dogs between them with the 4 and 5 year old only eating one!!  It is fun to see kids enjoying eating!!

Breakfast tomorrow is French Toast...wonder how many slices I will have to fix??

One thing we do at dinner time is go around the table and each person shares their low point and high point of the day...a few of them said saying good-bye to DP who left today to go back and live with his mom...we are all excited for him yet a little sad because we will miss his laughter, sense of humor and even those stinky feet!!!

Now everyone is settling down for the night so this HP Mama is going to pick up her crochet hook and work on a moose and a baby blanket...

Talk to y'all again soon!!

I'ts Been Awhile

Whew...where has the time gone?  Can't believe it's been two months since I last visited this place...I used to come here faithfully every day, then every few days, then once a week or so and now it's been over two months!!!

I have wondered about keeping my blog off/on over the years and I truly do miss journaling on a daily/every other day schedule.  I think for many reasons I have stopped yet lately I am feeling the need to pick up the pen (or keyboard) and write again but then Satan gets in my head and says things like "you better not say that because..." or "who really cares about what you and Ron are doing?" or "nobody reads your blog any way" or "what do you hope to see happen if you write about ?"  and the thoughts keep coming and coming and then I step away from the keyboard...

...then today as Ron left to go to Men's Bible Study and the kids are outside playing for a few more minutes I thought...hey hit the keyboard and almost immediately the thoughts started BUT I have plowed through and sat down here...

What's on my mind?  

FRIENDSHIP

I am so blessed to have friends, good friends, a BESTIE and acquaintances in my life.  I think have a lot more friends than many and I am so thankful for each of them.  Today though, I want to share about a few of them...

My longest relationship is friend, Corrine from high school...we lost contact for awhile but with the help of Facebook I reconnected with her brother and then her...I am so glad.  We have only physically seen each other once since graduation in 1975...YES that was a long time ago but each time we talk, write and yes, when we got together in Colorado a few years ago it was like a day had not passed between us.

I have a friend that I made when we were stationed in Holland, again we have only seen each other once since we left Holland in 1979 but we have watched our families grow with our own children and now with our grandchildren.  Connie and I come from very different backgrounds and have very different beliefs about some things but we are still friends.  I always get a smile on my face when I think of her and especially when I see the little sheep ornaments she and the kids made for us one Christmas.  

And from our time at McChord AFB, now Joint Base Lewis~McChord, is my mama best friend...we have nursed each other's babies...YES we did...we have flown across the US to see each other for special occasions like graduation from college.  We have cried with and for each other and I know that whenever I pick up the phone Merel is on the other end she will love me, laugh with me, cry with me and pray for me...we have been there when our father's passed away and when our mom's have been sick.  I am blessed to be able to share my grandbabies with her and she shares her furgrands with me...we are sisters of another mother and I am so thankful to call her my sister (one of many).

There is my Mom, Friend, Sister, Co-worker, Confidant and Counselor who has walked so many miles with me...we have been separated by miles yet we are never far apart from each other.  Lynda and her hubby, Jerry are not only friends, they are part of our extended family...they have counseled us through some rough times and been there to celebrate for the wonderful times.  We may not write or talk every day but when we do it's like we were just together the day before.  Through my friendship with Lynda I have another "mom" I can call...Kathy...she has helped me through some rough times and encouraged me on difficult days yet smiled and laughed together so many times we can't keep track...and isn't that how friendship should be...

My BESTIE...Dee...I love her more than any sister that could be blood to me...we have laughed, cried, argued and not spoken but through our love for the Lord and each other we have always found our way back to each other.  I think Satan picks on our relationship because we are so special to each other...if I don't hear from her after a few days, Satan puts those thoughts of "she doesn't like you, she's mad at you, you said something to piss her off"...Satan never says "she loves you BUT JESUS brings us back together with an email or a post on Facebook...we have gone years without seeing each other but boy do we make up for it when we are together...like a six hour coffee date!!!  Only a Bestie would spend that much time on a hard chair at Woods!!!  

Oh, so many names are going through my head...Mary, Norma, Donna, Amy, Rachel, Barb, Sallie and so many more...I am truly blessed to have so many wonderful women in my life and I even have a few great men in my life...besides my hubby of almost 44 years!!!  Oh what my life would like without Ron...nope, don't want to go there.  And then there is Jack, Jerry, Gary, Charles, Jim ~ oh how I will never forget our first meeting, Gerald and a few who are no longer here on earth: Curt, Al and Don...

I know I have not listed everyone...how could one person do that...

I just know that friendship, true friendship is a gift from God and I am blessed with so many

one of the things I want to do in my life is to be intentional in my friendships,

friendships are not on a one-way road but a two-way road where we meet along the way, sometimes in short distances, sometimes it seems forever.  

Friendship...what does that mean to you?

Greetings from Blue Bonnet Youth Ranch

Our view here at Blue Bonnet Youth Ranch from our little home on wheels!!!

We spent last week at Colorado River Thousand Trails,

attended Cowboy Church of the Hill Country on Easter Sunday,

and then traveled last Sunday to BBYR

where we met up with our friends, Jack & Donna.

After chatting with Stephen, the administrator it has been decided we will be the Full-time Relief Home Parents working Friday afternoons to Monday mornings and filling in for vacations and emergencies.  We are excited for this schedule to begin but that won't be for a couple of weeks or so as we need to complete their training, get our TB/drug tests ~~ which I chuckle as I remember the time we were working for Funtastic Shows Carnival and Albert came up to us as we were pulling into the Portland yard letting us know THEY were doing random drug tests...and we said no problem and he kept saying "you don't understand, drug tests"  what he didn't understand was that was NOT a problem for us!!!  

We will have a two bedroom, two bath apartment for our main residence and then a suite in each cottage (like a hotel room ~ private bath, living/sleeping area) when we are on duty so we won't have to be moving stuff around each week.  I will take pictures once we are settled in!!!

We  will have a place for any of y'all that want to come visit!!!  We can't wait to see some of you come this way!!!!!

Our two weeks off between gate~guarding and arriving here at BBYR was spent sleeping at night and being awake during the day or at least I should say tried to sleep at night and be up during the day :)

I still have times where I wake up at 3a and think I need to get ready for work.  Heard from some friends, it took them almost 3 months to get back into a normal schedule.  Sure hope it doesn't take that long!!!

Our phone numbers are staying the same ~ if you want our address let me know!!!

Wishing each of you a blessed day!!!

A Little Update ~

335 days of gate guarding is complete!

Actually our last day of work was Sunday, April 14 and we were on the road for a new adventure by 7:30a on Monday, April 15.

First stop was Kermit, TX at the Winkler County Park for five nights.

We slept, saw our friends Gary & Amy twice!! Enjoyed relaxing, made a couple of trips back to Pecos/Barstow: one to return the Lac Keys that we forgot to turn in and then once to go to the West of the Pecos Museum and get our mail.  

At the museum we saw life from the 1800's to present day.  It was interesting to read about the oil trade, see relics of homes and doctor offices and we enjoyed some cantaloupe jelly beans...Pecos is famous for cantaloupes.  That is one of the things we enjoyed a lot of last summer ~ so yummy and fresh!!!

While staying in Kermit we made three trips to Odessa to the Verizon store to get a mifi card.  Bought it on Wednesday, took it back on Thursday because it did not work and still spent over an hour on the phone with customer service Thursday evening and still it wouldn't work, so back to Odessa on Friday morning.  Was told "they had a new one that would work...well guess what, nope didn't work, same issue as the old one so we did not get a wifi card for ease of accessing the internet but such is life.  

Today, here in Columbus, TX I am thankful for the free wifi at Thousand Trails, Colorado River and where we are parked I can access it from our little home on wheels.

Saturday we left Kermit and made our way to Dripping Springs, TX and

Cowboy Church of the Hill Country  Ron had emailed the pastor and asked if we could park our trailer there for the night and then attend services on Sunday.  YEP ~ so we did.  We had a great day on the road and enjoyed our time together traveling once again.  We arrived at Cowboy Church about 6:30p and since we didn't have hookups when the sun went down so did we...it was so quiet it was almost hard to fall asleep BUT we did!!!  We heard a truck pull in around 5:30a to set up for the Sonrise Service which was set to begin at 7:15a.

We joined them for coffee before the service, met some wonderful people who love the Lord and celebrated our Risen Savior!!  What a blessing to be together, holding hands, singing songs of praise and fellowshipping with other believers.

After the Sonrise service we visited with a few people and then had a traditional Texas breakfast of burritos ~ made with scrambled eggs and venison sausage.  So very tasty and filling and of course, lots of coffee.

The worship service started just before 10a...what a joy and blessing to be a part of this service.  Enjoyed the music, both listening and singing and the sermon was wonderful sharing of what Resurrection Sunday really is and means.  It was wonderful to be in the house of the Lord, sitting with my hubby, singing praise songs and fellowshipping with other believers.  

After church we made our way to Columbus, TX to Colorado River TT Campground.

We did the basic setup and then headed into town to get gas (that's another story) and dinner...we ate at Nancy's Steakhouse.  For dinner we each had a salad, baked potato, steamed veggies, grilled shrimp and a ribeye!  It was a delicious dinner and most of all we enjoyed sitting together, no trucks interrupting our meal and a sweet waitress who kept the water and tea glasses filled to the brim.

We will be here at Colorado River TT till Sunday, April 28th when we will head out to start another new adventure.!!

Our new adventure is taking us to Blue Bonnet Youth Ranch where we have accepted the position of Relief House Parents.  To start we will be working 3 days with 11 days off!!!  And you know us, we can do a lot of traveling those 11 days!!  Ron is already busy planning multiple trips including Land O Lakes, Florida, Blaine, WA, Milledgeville/Atlanta GA, Arley & Cullman, Alabama, Nashville, Arkansas and Branson, MO to name a few!!!

We are looking forward to working with our friends, Jack & Donna, sharing God's love with children and hopefully making a positive impact on their young lives.

That's our news for now!!

Will update again soon!

Now it's time to head to the pool and enjoy the beautiful surroundings we find ourselves!!!

10 Day Writing Challenge ~ Day 5 ~ If Given a Pass for Anything in Life What Would it Be or Do You Already Have It?

Day 5 Writing Prompt is a bit different...so I rephrased it to fit more to me....

It doesn’t necessarily mean that every single thing always goes exactly the way you want.

But it could mean that everything, in the long run, does work together for your ultimate highest good.

It could mean that sometimes when a door closes, it’s because you’re being steered in a better direction, in the long run.

What one piece of evidence from your life (e.g., a grace you lived through, a miracle or blessing you received unexpectedly, a time everything worked out when it looked like it might not) suggests that you might already possess a Whole Life Spiritual VIP Pass?

I don't need a Whole Life Spiritual Pass because I Have JESUS in my life, I believe he was born of man, died on the cross and was raised from the dead to save me from all sin and give me ever lasting life (John 3:16)  I reflect, often on my life where I came from and where I have been and where I am headed, what I have done and do now that is different...I think about questions from people who have helped direct me in my life..."what could you do differently?"  "where was God when????"  and "what would Jesus do?"

I seek God when I am troubled, I give him praise for the many blessings in my life...if I were to list them out I couldn't write them all down because I would get cramps in my hands from writing or typing...but I know I am blessed, I am loved by God, I am HIS daughter, the daughter of the KING, I'm married to my best friend, who has loved me through the good and hard times, who has laughed and cried with me, who has thrown his hands up and said "what the heck?" and hugged me so tight I could not breathe.  I have known joy...seeing the face of innocence in the eyes of new born babies and the face of sorrow watching my baby breathe his last breath and wondered why? oh why? did this or that happen??

I am thankful I can look back and see that even through the rough times I can see how they could be worse...what if I had gotten pregnant when I was raped by my step-dad?  how different my life would be from today....and I can play the what if game?  what if Royce had lived...how different our life would be....what if Ron's dad had not gotten cancer...would we have stayed in the military and retired...how different our life could be...but I know that I am where I need to be, right now for today, for such a time as this...I remember asking our pastor's wife one day...how do you know you are doing what God wants you to do??? and she said...you just step out, take one step, God has the power to change the direction of that step if He sees fit...so each day I step out in faith, that I/we are doing what and where the Lord wants us to be and do...

We have talked a lot lately about the near future...a job that might  be offered, a trip we want to take and then we say well what if???  and so we step out, believing and trusting the Lord that each step will lead us where He wants us to be and that no matter what is going on or what happens, we are never alone and HE is always with us and HE will always provide a way.

Yes, we make plans, just ask Ron how many trips he has planned and planned again but we have learned to be flexible, when we come to a crossroad we say left or right, straight or turn...and we just move forward.

We have plans, we will do this if .... and we will do that if .... and through it all each day we will give Jesus the love He has given us, we will share His love with others the best we can...that's all we can do...is to love others as God has loved us.

10 Day Writing Challenge ~ Day 4 ~ Letters to Myself

Writing Prompts are hard sometimes, yesterday I wrote about not focusing on the past and then this morning the prompt for the writing challenge I am doing asks me to think back to that little girl and what would she want me to know today and what would I, as an old lady would say to me...this is a hard one but let's see what I can learn from little Alice or the grown up and worn out Ali has to say....

Day 4 of the 10 Day Writing Challenge ~  Just let the words flow onto the page, in bullets or fragments or whatever:

1. What questions do you have for your Younger Self?

2. What does your Younger Self want to remind you?

3. What questions do you have for your Older Self, a version of you 10, 20 or even 30 years in the future?

4. What does your Older Self want you to know?

As I read the prompt the first thing that came to mind was this picture of me:

taken in the first grade (1962 or 1963)

and how my mom was so mad when she saw the picture because I had taken the bow out and put it back in sometime before pictures were taken that day...I see a little girl who just wanted to look so pretty...and I must say she sure was a cutie pie!!! So innocent.

Little Ali would want to remind me that life is precious, enjoy every moment and just because times can be hard it's okay because there is always light and good around you.

When I look in her eyes I see hope and anticipation, hope for future and wonder where will she go?  Little Ali would  never have imagined that she would fly on an airplane, live in a travel trailer because she wanted to, worked for a carnival or learned how to be a good mom and love her grandbabies to the moon and back!!