Christmas as in days of

Nancy's worse nightmare: I am doing a blog and I have turned off spell check.

Christmas...eve...day...holiday...12 days of...cheer...gift...hangover...all of those phrases I have heard but not this one...Christmas pandamonium/bedlam/scramble/scream/non-stop. Oh yeah, for 30 days,too! Everybody in Texas wants to give our girls a party or at least bring by some gifts and candy. I already go to "Dora withdrawal" twice a week. Santa has appeared in a FED-X truck, on motorcycle (ask Nancy about that one), in an 18-wheeler,police dog, many youth groups, and last night AT&T. This will be a constant thing too until the real day arrives. Now, I am sure Nancy would want me to say "if you want to send anything send clothes or better a Walmart gift card for clothes."

Needless to say the girls are wild. WE try to keep things on an even whatever but I think last night we conceded to release some of our boundaries 'til after. Also, we saw the pure joy both in the girls and the AT&T group with their giving. It was all about "giving". And of ccourse, where do we learn the great lesson on giving. From the one whose birthday we celebrate. And if you can not celebrate this day ... I'm sorry. The AT&T group told us they had been praying for our girls for a month. What's really all about..."HIM"

By the way it is 3:00 in the morning here. I think O have calmed down enough I can sleep, so "and to all .....goodnight! rv

The Amazing Race

Here I sit for a few minutes the night before Thanksgiving counting blessings and just in awe how richly Ray and I have been blessed. We have experienced so much the last 6 months that will forever enrich our lives. Today was such a joy we took 7 girls to the beach - 3 who had never before been to a beach- and got to experience their joy in laying down in the water and being buried in the sand and searching for shells. We had a difficult time in pulling them into the showers to clean up enough to get in the van to drive home. Our blessings at this time include (2) 4 year olds, (2) 6 year olds, an 8 year old, a 10 year old and our 15 year old who is at this moment at 10:30 at night helping Mr. Ray thaw one of our a/c units.

Life has been non stop since 3 sisters joined us in October. We are required within 30 days to get our new children to the doctor, the dentist and get a vision exam. Then there's enrolling them in school. Our campus has been beset with lots of viruses and I have been to the clinic 4 times in the last 10 days. But hopefully, we have doctored everyone up and we will all be well for the holidays.

Last Friday I was making my afternoon run...to Head Start to pick up a 4 year old, then to an elementary to pick up a 1st grader (our other Elementary did not have an opening for this child so it was pick another school). When this was accomplished I was to take them home and pick up 4 siblings on campus and then to Jr. High to pick up one and then on to the Sr. High to pick up another in order to take them to a parental visit. While at the elementary school, I got a call that my 2nd grader was ill and they did not want to put her on the bus so please pick her up and take her to the doctor....trying to figure out how to be in 2 places at once it was decided that Ray would have to do the sibling visit run. So now at 3:00 all I had to do was grab my 1st grader, get to the other elementary and get the 2nd grader and then get back to campus to drop these kids and get Ray filled in on his run. He was in the yard without his phone so I could not alert him ahead of time. My time constraint was to be at the clinic by 4:00. At each school I had to park and go in for the children. So at 3:25 I'm back on campus, run in and give Ray the low down - I'm taking 2 children with me you are to take the other 4 and drop 2 off at one house and pick up one and drop 1 at another house and pick up 2 and then on to the Jr. High and Sr. High. Since Ray was going to use the van I had to go to the office to get another car - which they had trouble finding the key then on to the social service office to get paperwork and then checking the time...I had 7 minutes. Everything in town takes 5-10 minutes to get there. It all depends on how you catch the lights. So as I'm scooting down the road hoping to catch the lights ...and trying to catch my breath...I realize one of my dreams has been fulfilled...I'm actually a part of the Amazing Race - no, not to exotic locations, well, the valley is a little exotic and our prize won't be a million dollars but we won't take anything for the hugs and smiles and the I love yous that come our way every day.

Yes, I made it with 30 seconds to spare. And Ray made his run - not without complications. He got to the Jr. High to receive a call that the child had been transported to campus by another houseparent and he was to go back to campus to pick her up.

May you all have a blessed Thanksgiving and while dining on that turkey remember that we love you all and will be thinking of you as we persuade our girls to try a little dressing and sweet potatoes.

BUSY MONTH

OCTOBER HAS BEEN A VERY HECTIC MONTH AND THE MOST HECTRIC WEEKEND IS COMING UP. We are leaving here Wed. (on relief) fly to B'ham to stay with my sister a few days then Sat. watch my soul bud's son q'back the Samford f'ball then drive to Crossville to witness Echo'c brother get wed about 2-ish Sun. then to our condo for various appointments Mon & Tues. then drive back to B'ham Wed. and fly back to San Benito by the time our 7 girls get home from school.



Seven girls? How? Easy! One of our previous five ran away and has not returned so in the mean time GOD sent us (at 1:30 in the morning three sisters 4-6-8 years old) to keep us limber. If you want more info on the girls or pictures or our needs here e-mail me . Or watch for our new book titled: GOD .. Are you sure?.......blessed!

Howdy! All you cowpokes out there. Funny but I have been talking thay way ever since I FINALLY SUCCESSFULLY AM THE PRoUD RECIEPTANT OF A TEXAS DRIVERS LISCENCE. YeeHah, don't worry bout my spelling anymore either.....they don't spell down here . Come to think of it though I have been asked to sit one.

There seems tro always be lots of changes in this arena. We only have five girls now but that could change at any minute. We have a four year old now and she is tuff to keep up with. Her name is Anjellica...the j is pronounced like an h and she sure is.

Idedicate this to my sister who says she is going to show everyone a pictrure of me she has on her wall. I am in my "BVDs" don't know why she has it. Well, so long litle doggies. and jappy trails to you...don't forget the j is pronounced like an h.........rv

My, we have been so remissful in keeping you posted. I guess we each thought the only one was doing this job. With school in session, it seemed as though we would have so much time on our hands, but no that is not the case.



One job that has been added is that of grocery shopping. We are scheduled to shop two mornings a week. Since we have never shopped HEB (Texas food chain), it has been good for us to do so and see what we might have been missing. The produce is always great. We are still buying watermelons and cantaloupes...yum! Fortunately, the girls are all good fruit and vegetable eaters.

So what keeps us busy with school in session, let's see. Getting everyone rounded up to catch a 6:30 bus, then making school runs for those who missed the bus or have been banned from the bus (yes, we have had 3 girls not allowed to ride for 10 days). The only good thing about this is that we charge them $5.00 for a ride to school. This money comes out of their accounts and goes into our cottage fund which we will use for summer vacation. We tell them that next summer when we are eating "high on the hog" that we will express our thanks for their contributions.

Then we have teacher conferences, open houses, PTA meetings, homework assignments, etc. They seem somewhat taken back by our hands on approach. I call and email their teachers regularly to see what is going on. Our 15 year old wanted to go to Open House with us, so we said sure she could by our guide. On the way into the school, she commented that this was the first time any parents had been to an Open House. Moments like that really helps us build bonds.

I have to plug these schools down here. They are doing a A1 job of educating these kids. The schools are bright and clean and well maintained. There are tutoring sessions at all levels. In the elementary it is a given that a child will stay after school if they are having problems in any subject. And when they don't bring in homework, there is detention the next day. The school has district goals but has set their goals several % points higher than that. The high school works off a system called referrals and that is misbehavior that warrants discipline. It begins at eating lunch in a separate room and ends at "boot camp". Every chance I get I thank all of those who are working so hard to do the best for the kids.

One last update. We now have a 4 year old. She has livened our cottage considerably. Bundle of energy and hasn't a clue what listen and obey mean. But we are working on it.

Thank you all for thinking of us and keeping us in your prayers. We will try to do a better job of this blog.

Hallelujah!

Have you all had the Hallelujah Chorus ringing in your ears all week??? That's because all of us houseparents have been shouting it at the top of our lungs! School's finally back in session. We were told the 1st day we were here that if we could make it through the summer, we had it made. How true! The last 3 weeks have been slooooow. No campus visitors, no life guards at the pool so no swimming and all of these kids really ready for a change.



Ray's filled you in on some of our "exciting events". We have had some changes. Our first child to return to her mom. Bless the mother's heart and say a little prayer for this mom and her three challenging children. Then one of our midnight shoppers has been sent to another cottage. At this time we only have 6 girls and it is rather quiet. But I'm sure all of our bedrooms will be filled shortly. Just too many kids needing places to go to remain empty.



Monday after we got the kids off, Ray cooked us a good breakfast and then we hit it---cleaning, laundry, organizing. It felt so good. I'm behind on lots of paper work and personal organizing which I didn't have time to do when we got down here in June. So I'm really looking forward to getting it together.



Hopefully, we will have time to post more often. We love all of you - our support system. Thanks for your continued prayers and encouragement. N

AWOL

Just suppose ...you were in a foreign country (texas) and you were just sure you were doing everything "according to GOD's Will" and you are taking good care and building solid relationships with eight hispanic girls and you tuck them in bed, say their prayers, talk about the day, get a hug from the younger ones. You go to bed with visions of "stars in your crown" AND THEN AND THEN!!! About 1:00 am, one of the little ones calls your name and you" spring to the rescue" to find a border patrol officer at your door with two of your 9 year olds and one 10 year old who had evidently gone out a window,down a frontage road,over a mile, next to a busy enterstate, over a mile, to a busy Quick-sack,to get a bag of hot cheetos, confronted by a car load of girls, and a truck with one man, and finally the border patrol.............................now where do you put the stars?..............rv

SH-SH-SH

iT IS 4:00A.M. AUG. 13th AND I HAVE BEEN AWAKE ALL NIGHT. I AM TYPING IN ALL CAPS SO I CAN HEAR MYSELF. LAST WEEK WAS A DOOSY WITH LOTS OF WAR STORIES. NANCY AND I WERE SURE GOD SENT US HERE TO TEACH AND LOVE THESE CHILDREN, BUT WE HAVE BOTH HAD TO INLIST IN SPECIAL FORCES TRAINING JUST TO CATCH UP. THERE HAVE BEEN FUN MOMENTS THOUGH. lIKE THE TIME EXCUSE ME THE 12th TIME I HAD TO REMOVE A ROLL OF TP FROM A DEFIANT CHILDS "BOWL" OF BABY RUTHS. OR MAYBE THE TIME NANCY AND ONE OD THE KIDS WAS RUNNUNG IN THE RAIN AND FELL FACE DOWN IN ABOUT 8 INCHES OF WATER IN FRONT OF THE OFFICE WITH THE STAFF LOOKING OUT THE WINDOW. I CAN VERIFY ONE THING LARGE IN TEXAS......A RAIN DROP.....COVERS ABOUT THREE SQUARE FEET......DROPS AT THE VELOCITY OF A 44 MAG.....AND DOES NOT WASH OFF...........SEE YOU NEXT TIME...............ray

Where have I been?????????????????

None of you may have been asking that question , but I have! We thought we were coming way down here to be house parents (and that we are) but I have come to learn that "pace" is not in the Texas dictionary. By the way neither is logical or computer............they still do everything by hand down here ... except milk cows. We have tried for two months to register a vehicle and get Texas drivers licsence and get Texas safety inspection and Texas insurance and all departments took our social security numbers but...the drivers licsense people "now they want the original SS card not a copy not a picture not a pass word not a tot not a tittle but the ORIGINAL.......................and after the three weeks to obtain that I go back for the 6th time tomorrow with my new driving glasses on my nose............................I don't even want a Texas drivers thingie!! (i USED THIS CAUSE i CAN'T SPELL THE OTHER WORD.NEVER COULD)..BYE-4-NOW RAY



More to come about grass...ants...kids...

Photos of Sunny Glen

Trinity (6) and Anika (cottage guest)

Amber (16) and Pearl (10)

Vanessa (10) and Alexis (12)

Aisha (6)




Ray's new wheels... 15 passenger van

Common area in front of cottages

This is our house. 12 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, 4700 square feet. Look at the beautiful St. Augustine grass. Palm trees are the tree of choice in San Benito.

Getting To Know You

Thanks to Tammy who took the pictures now on this site when she was here in June. We are missing two of our girls and we will see about adding them.

I realize that we have been telling you much about our setting and not so much about the reason we are here - the girls. Due to privacy issues we have to be sensitive to what we say, but we find these children to be very open and within a short time willing to share much of their lives. We have most of these children due to the state removing them from their homes because of neglect or abuse. Drug use is a major problem here and the children fall by the wayside. In reading their histories, usually what happens is a neighbor or family member calls the state to notify them that there are children more or less raising themselves. Since we have the older girls on campus, we have several who were playing "mom" while mom was away doing her thing. Most cases the dads are absent.

This situation of being the "mom" presents some interesting challenges to us. For one, there are a lot of bosses in the house. Second of all, these kids haven't had a chance to be kids. The older are very protective of the younger ones. Since we have a group of 4 sisters in the house, we have had to convince the older ones that we will take good care of the younger ones and that they are to assume the role of sibling not parent. We often say let us be the parent. You be the sister. But as you can imagine, it is a learning experience for all of us.

We would like to open the door to the world for our girls. Let them see what is out there and what opportunities they can have by getting an education and choosing to live life differently than has been modeled for them. So when Ray and I choose activities, it is very often in the direction of education/new experiences combined with fun. I've told you about our museum trip. Another outing we had was an eco-dolphin tour out in the bay. The boat pulled a net and then reeled in their catches and showed the marvelous sea life that is beneath the water...all of the girls crowded in to look and listen and hold these creatures. Later that day we walked down a pier and watched the fishermen pulling in their catches. It was a delightful experience for all of us.

Ray and I thank you for your continual prayers. They are the reason we can get up each morning with energy and enthusiasm and thankfulness for this wonderful challenge God has given us.

We are Still Here or Life in the Cottage Part 2

Hello world! If you've been wondering if perhaps we had fallen off into the Gulf of Mexico or perhaps crossed the border (have I told you that it's only 10 miles down the road?) and had not made our way back, no to both. Actually, we have been lying by the pool sipping cool drinks and then when it's too hot gone on to the mall before we find a great Mexican restaurant to satisfy our hunger. Well, part of that is true! I do schedule to take the girls to the pool twice a week. The Elks' Lodge in town has graciously offered their pool to us. It's large and clean. What more do we need?

First of to my "friend" Will, do you really need Ray and me to identify who is posting? Please! Ray's posts are the ones with the humor...a little misspelling but who's checking?

Life is getting saner. We have about finished all the qualifications in order to be allowed to live in the state of Texas, the last being a social security card to get a Texas driver's license. Easy we just take our Tennessee license to the social security administration and apply for a new ss card and when it comes back we will return to the driver's bureau and we will be the proud owners of Texas drivers' licenses.

Our internet service is still sporadic. The laptop that belongs to the home is our best bet for connecting in this wireless cottage and that is only if we are standing in the exact spot at a certain time of the day. My long suffering husband has about used all his patience and we plan in the next few weeks to find a more reliable way to connect.

We are celebrating our first birthday since we have been here today. Sandra will be 15. They are to give us a birthday menu and she choose fresh roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberry salad, green beans, and cheesecake. Yum! We like this girl. Sandra is quite artistic. We have her working on sketches and when we find one that would work in the cottage, she will put it on canvas. And we will be the proud possessor of her first original piece of art.

During the last few weeks, we have had some great opportunities with the girls to explore the area. There is a museum in Harlingen (10 min.) that has moved some of the original buildings of the town to their site. They have the first house (1907), original hospital (1922) ( an interesting side note here is that surgery was on Saturday so the townspeople would stand along the porch and watch the proceedings through the windows), and an inn dating to the late 1800's. The day we visited they were celebrating Heritage days which included an Indian tepee with residents who shared their stories of the Indian culture with furs, bows/arrows, pottery which fascinated the kids. Also, we visited with some soldiers who participate in reenactment of the civil war period complete with dress and muskets/bayonets.

NOTE: I did this draft a week ago and just now getting back to it. So I will publish and try to get another one in today.

THE GRASS

If you are ever asked if you like St. Augustine grass, please if you ever did like me.....say NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I am fully convinced that where Sam Houston and Davy Crockett messed up at the Alamo was they did not plant St. Augustine grass for Santa Anna to mow thru to get to the Alamo...HE WOULD HAVE NEVER GOT THERE. The stuff is deeper than the tundra in Alaska and never stops growing. I cut grass every day and rake twice a day.

I have found it is easier to stand at the corner of the house with new eave bulbs and wait for the grass to lift me up that high than to get out a ladder. I fell the other day and bounced s0 high that Home Land Security investigated me. Did you know that ST. Aug. is the only natural life that can defeat Kudzue!!!!!!!!!it is rumored that it took over a town in Florida and would not leave until the mayor changed the name of the city.

St. Augustine was not in the "Garden of Eden"...and it is fire-proof...does that give you a clue who made it? Sorry, I hear the yard calling and I got to go when it calls..........................................would you just like a trim???rv

A Day at Sunny Glen Part I

Do you think that we have dropped off the face of the earth? Almost, not quite! I've had busy times in my life but this tops them all. If we survive the summer, fall should be a breeze. As in any new job, there's lots of orientation and we still are working on state regs but, I think we might have checked them all off last night when we did an online course about "consenters/assent policies". Only our government could come up with a 45 minute program to tell you that children have a right to understand their medical treatment. Enough political commentary.

How about a day in the life of Ray and Nancy:

7:30 Time to greet the day. Make some coffee. Start pulling out cereal, bowls, cutting up fruit, making toast. If my early bird girl should not be up, I empty the d/w (we run it twice during the day - no paper plates). One of our girls likes to get up early so I told her if she would like to empty the d/w that could be one of our chores. The next morning I hear dishes rattling at 6:15. Quickly, I sent her back to bed till 7:30.
Officially, the girls can sleep till 8:00 - 8:30 and breakfast is not scheduled till 8:30 - 9:00. Now all but my teens (3) and one of my younger girls will be sitting at the counter by 8:00. I've tried in vain to convince the teens that this is a pretty generous schedule. The general population would love to sleep till 8:30. That I'm enjoying staying in bed till 7:30. Some things we just can't appreciate till we no longer have them.

8:00 -9:00 We serve breakfast and lunch at the counter. Our kitchen is large with the double counter down one side. Six girls can sit at the counter
and we can work in front of them. I find this gives me control of what they are eating and keeps down waste. Two things I quickly confiscated were the sugar bowl and the salt shaker...they were salting potato chips, well, maybe they had not gone that far...but salt on carrots?? They ask occasionally for salt, but seem to have accepted this.
I work on the chore list for the day. This summer I've decided to rotate assignments daily so all can participate in every job. After breakfast, rooms cleaned, bathrooms cleaned, teeth brushed, they start household chores. Their favorite chore is meal prep. They love to be in the kitchen with Ray actually participating in fixing their food and isn't it amazing how much more willing they are to try new foods if they have assisted in the preparation. We underestimate what children can do. I've demonstrated all the household tasks and they do an excellent job when they want to. Actually, our best bed maker is my youngest.
While, breakfast is progressing, Ray is working on the menu for the day. Starting whatever needs prepping. If it is Monday or Thursday, we are putting together our grocery list. That is one of the greatest fringes of this job, that I don't have to go into a grocery store!!!!!! Unless, you count our commissary which is the size of a 2 -3 car garage. I actually enjoy going down there. That's where we pick up our groceries. They are all bagged with our name on them. The frozen things are in the walk-in freezer and the refrigerator items are in the walk-in cooler. The commissary has our staples: flours, sugars, canned goods, boxed items, bacon, eggs, cheeses, toiletries, cleaning supplies, paper products, etc. Our grocery list is produce, meat, breads, dairy and misc. odd items.
I check daily schedules. The first week we were here with the girls there were 13 appointments on our calendar. This did not count 3 days of VBS for the younger children and 5 days of church work camp for the teens. I did right well, I only missed two of them. One was on campus and they called me to send the child and the other I had taken the children off campus and we missed it. These appointments are doctors, dentists, vision care, counseling, tutoring, and family visits. Ray and I do not have to do all the transporting. There are a couple of people on campus whose job descriptions are gopher who help out in this. Also, the houseparents do some hook-ups. The good news is that the office gives us our schedules for the week with the designated drivers, so we don't have to spend time working on it.
Got the grocery list done. Checked the schedule. No one has to be ready for anything until 10:00 so, I will start a load of laundry. We have 2 mammoth washers and dryers. The girls all have laundry hampers, so I do one girl at a time. Figuring whose clothes are whose could be a full time detective job. We have a lot of, "she's got on my shorts." Why do you have on her shorts? "She gave them to me." Why are you telling me that she has on your shorts if you gave them to her? "I only loaned them, I want them back." One of the rules we were told to enforce was no swapping clothes. My thoughts were what harm could that be? HA! NO SWAPPING CLOTHES, NO BORROWING CLOTHES, NO GIVING CLOTHES AWAY WITHOUT GOING THROUGH ME!!!!
Laundry's started. I will walk up to the office to take the grocery list and my bills that need to go out. We have a mail basket there where we pick up our incoming mail and accounting misc. Now I will walk to the Learning Center to our other mail drop. This has to do with schedules and clinical/academic info about the girls. Back to the house.
Shoo the laggers away from the counter. Some would love to sit and eat all day long. Check to see that everyone is engaged in taking care of their rooms, dressing, teeth brushing, etc.

Now I've sat too long. We don't have anything too pressing this morning and we are experiencing our first rain since we came. So it is overcast and none of the girls are stirring at 8:00...most unusual. I need to pull on some clothes and get in motion. Think I will let sleeping girls stay down for a bit.

More to come. Please continue to pray for us and our work here. Pray for our girls Sandra, Amber, Alexis, Vanessa, Pearl, Jewell, Trinity, Anika, and Aisha. Yes, that's 9 - we have an extra for 3 weeks. They have more struggles and challenges and baggage in their young lives then most of us will have in our entire lifespan. Love to all of you. N

Setting up life in the Cottage

As Ray alluded to in his last blog, I was awhile agetting here. On Sunday the 3rd Dallas encountered lightning storms and DFW was closed for 2 hours early in the morning. That probably shut down most of the country and made the flight attendants arm up on extra strength Tylenol before they ever left home! In Nashville my flight was only about an hour late leaving. Landing in Dallas with all flights delayed it seemed that I would make my connection. However, we sat on the runway for an hour waiting for our gate. That's when the attendants' Dale Carnegie training went into high gear. Wow! Some folks just don't understand there are some things in life unavoidable and bad weather and late planes are two. Anyway, I missed that flight so had 3 hours and did what I do best - found food and reading material...

I flew into McAllen about 45 minutes from Sunny Glen because I had AA frequent flyer miles. When you all come see us you will fly into Harlingen on SW (unless you have some miles you need to redeem). The Harlingen airport is 10 minutes from us. I rented a car so that Mike could drive back to McAllen on Monday, returning the car and flying off to Nashville. Even with a 45 minute drive it's an easy commute - freeway as they call it all the way. Good thing as Mike drove off on Monday and then called a couple of hours later to let us know that his flight was cancelled (again due to DFW weather). So I hopped back on the freeway and picked him up catching up on all that had happened since we had last seen him. His flight the next morning was uneventful!

"Is she here? Is she her? Oh, Miss Nancy!" were the cries as I came through the door. Then, "where's the man?" The man??? Oh, Mr. Ray, he will be here tomorrow. Busy few hours visiting with Terry and Adrienne (interim houseparents since April - Terry is campus director), seeing the girls' rooms, helping get them packed for their vacation and getting familiar with the house. Terry and Adrienne had planned to take the girls on vacation but due to a sinus infection, Terry was still a bit under the weather. So one of the young couples (part of the office staff) volunteered for the job. It worked well for me to have them for the week...as they were invaluable! Terry has been affiliated with childrens' homes since he was a child and his parents were houseparents and then he and Adrienne worked in that position at another childrens' home before coming to Sunny Glen about 4 years ago.

One of our largest tasks was to go through all the closets/storage and clean out what was unnecessary, unusable, outgrown, etc. etc. See, all my downsizings over the last 2 years are paying off. In a house this size, I don't want as much as a thumbtack that is not useful! This was a vast undertaking and Adrienne was great! She is one of those people who never seems to run down and no job is too big that she won't tackle it! Yes, she's on my speed dial. Actually, she had been working on this since she moved into the house but as you all know it is a continual job and if you ever get behind there seems to be no digging out!

Ray arrived on schedule at noon on Monday. The girls were pulling out as he was pulling in. So he had to wait until late Friday night to see them. We quickly unloaded the truck and got the beds in shape. The week went entirely too quickly, as we needed at least twice the time. In addition to cleaning out and setting our apartment up, we had doctor's appointments, meeting with insurance reps, training sessions, and red cross certifications. Seems like we passed everything.

This posting was not too interesting, so I hope you skimmed it. Maybe tomorrow I will have time to get into the details of this life.

Love you all. N

the trip

6/12/07...well you may have wondered where I have been. It has all been a blurr but this story is true. 6/2/07...After the Smith Family reunion and some family hugs at the condo, mixed with some "are you really doing this?"times scrambled with loading the truck...the car dolly "who gets the plants?"mixed with lots and lots of thunder lighting and buckets of rain,a flood soaked tothe bone,last minute pictures, glances of saddness glances of trust, and encouragement. What great children we have!!!THEN..dun dun dun ...a great calm...much like being led out of Egypt, crossing the red sea, and reaching the wilderness. The journey was taken over by "M". I drove out at 5:20 with M as shotgun,singing the songs from"". paint your wagon". Pouring down rain, lots of traffic, it took o0nly nine miles for M to look over at me with his good eye and do his "Clint Eastwood"...pull over...! He drove to Forrest City Ark. Tired but safe and dry.6/3/07...AROSE! A little sunshine! Breakfast @ motel bar free waffles and peanut butter...fuel for the tummy...truck wa blocked...could not get out...had to take the car off the dolly, get truck out put car back on, go to bathroom. Finally, left parking lot @ 8:30...bought gas...called to check on Nancy...flight may be stopped in Dallas ...we could beat her there...10:18 thru Little Rock...11:30stopped at rest area to let nature take its course...Oklona ...getting cloudy agasin...on we go...M...still @ the wheel...sky getting darker...we know not what lies ahead...12:30...Texarkana...sky getting darker..WAIT! Iknow why!!!!!!!!!!12:31...Entered the Great State of TEXAS....more to come...I think I hear the kids...its 4 in the morning...

Sands of the Hour Glass

The line from the soap, "like sands of the hour glass these are the days of our lives" continues to run through my head as we hasten to get ourselves collected. We truly shut down over the week-end and enjoyed friends and family...the condo pool was a great gathering spot. Yesterday was spent basking in the freedom that we enjoy in America by participating in the great American pasttimes of sunning, swimming, tennis, eating (burgers, of course, had to be one meal) and diving into homemade ice cream. These are the times of building great memories!

Now on to the finish line...pack, sort, clean, organize. You know I think my order is wrong and there in lies the problem. This week my verse is going to be "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." Phil.1:6. I will hold fast to that promise even when those clouds of doubt and whatifs, nowwhats, ohnos, begin to sail my way!

Please pray for clarity in purpose, good use of time, letting go of unnecessary and safety of travel this week. I will write again when we are hooked up in San Benito. Blessings to all of you dear friends and family.

Monday Post

After reading the last two posts, I've told Ray that I'm not sure I can blog with him. We can stay married but I'm not committed to mutual blogging. Oh, Sunny Glen has no idea what is hitting their campus!

What a wonderful day we had yesterday visiting with so many of our Woodmont family. Your prayers and encouragement mean so much. And offers to share in this ministry to meet needs of the kids are so generous. As we get to know the kids and the programs at Sunny Glen we will share what we see are needs.

Plans have been made for Ray and a friend (Mike T) to drive a truck and pull my car. They will leave late Saturday, June 2nd. I'm flying out on Sunday. Our need to be there on Monday the 4th has to do with the fact that the children will leave that day with the current houseparents for a vacation. That gives us a few days to get familiarized with the house, unpack, find our way around town and be ready the next week to begin our training. Most of it is on the job except for the CPR and learning state/home regulations.

Please keep us in prayer this week as we continue cleaning house (literally and figuratively) at the office and condo. Since we are leaving the condo furnished, the packing is kinda slow having to decide take or leave. As hard as we have tried to get rid of stuff the last few years, it seems we can't totally escape it. There are items in life that you just need.

A Texas sized goof

Boy I made a Texas sized goof when I said they don't put meat in their chili...They don't put beans in their chili!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!TRUE!!!No wonder there is a gas shortage.

Want to make me cry ? Just sing Vince Gil's "Look at us" I become a "not-tuff". We may be in the next "Harry Potter" wouldn't that be.....a hoot.

Chef Ray

What Nancy is not telling you is I get to do all the cooking. Yes,for eight little girls! I get to give them their first taste of "stuff" for breakfast....."peanut butter casedias" for lunch and "haul-off" for dinner.

The kitchen is fantastic with a huge gas oven , a double oven , a huge refrigerator and a huge freezer. Texans do everything "huge" thats because there is so much room out/down there.

I think they worship cows there. I say that 'cause they don't put meat in their chili....can you believe it.???? Everyone has their own water tank and wind mill and if you yell "Remember the Alamo" they run and hide. Got to go. Ya'll come.rv

Two Weeks Out

Here we are with the clock running trying to figure out how to tie up loose ends here and get us to San Benito. This whole trip has been orchestrated by one who has the whole universe at His command so I'm sure this is a piece of cake.

Since I like things orderly (somewhat), I feel that I need to do a recap for those of you that we have not completely shared the last month's happenings. As you read in our mission statement Ray and I were unsure what we needed to be about...but felt that we still had something to offer somebody. For several years we were busy with Pop (Ray's dad). He went into a rapid decline in January and after 3 weeks of hospital/skilled care he passed away ready to go on to a perfect world. In March I saw 2 ads in the Christian Chronicle for houseparents. Something sparked my interest and Ray agreed that we should make inquiries. Upon checking a map, there was one I preferred because of location, so composing a letter outlining all of our limitations, I sent it off.

Within a week we received a phone call from the campus director at Sunny Glen Children's Home in San Benito, Texas. He was interested in us despite our age and inexperience. But asked if I knew where they were located. Yes, I did and being in the "valley" with year round warm weather was quite appealing. Next question was when can you come for an interview. We had a trip planned to Tampa the middle of April so it seemed feasible to make a wiiide swing to go by South Texas. The entire time of our visit I felt like I was at home. Sunny Glen is small with 4 cottages/8 children each. The staff were welcoming and manifested a spirit of unity and purpose and joy in their chosen walk. We were greatly charmed and entertained with "our" girls (8 between the ages of 6 and 14) when we dined with them that evening.

The next day we were off to Florida. I thought Ray will never go for this. But very shortly I realized that he was making plans to go. God you are awesome and powerful! So our 4 days of vacation were filled with how tos - how to go back to Nashville and introduce this idea to our kids, g'kids, families, friends, work, etc. But things have gone so smoothly. Kids weren't suprised. Life will go on without us in Nashville...Vetter Electric will continue (I think they are glad to get rid of us). With the generous vacation time (3 weeks on and 1 week off) we will be back often.

Okay, I feel better. Everyone's on the same page. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue preparations.