Wow, a lot has changed from 2011. Natalie is now 13 and Harley is 11. We have moved from Alabama to Massachusetts. We no longer have our dog Grace.
While we were in Alabama we had a lot of different experiences. Randle worked for HABD, a youth home, and volunteered with Youth For Christ. Then our whole family moved into a home at the youth home and Randle and I were house parents. It was an experience like no other.
Natalie and Harley liked the idea of having older sisters, but by the time we left, they had been burned and were ready for our little family of four. We were very blessed while we were at the youth home and made incredible friends we would not have made otherwise. We tried our best to live out a Christian life for teenage girls who had been abandoned, abused, and hurt in unimaginable ways. We tried to show them an example of a healthy family, and help them to find success. It sounds a lot easier than it is, and there is a lot of drama, accusations, and hurtful words and actions involves.
After we left the youth home, we spent a little more time in Alabama while Randle worked for Citrus Solutions. He cleaned carpets all over the Birmingham area, while working night shift at the youth home. The girls and I got to babysit my nephew each day. It was great. The girls had a blast with him, and got to learn a lot about babies and the care they require!
Last January (2015) Randle accepted a position with the Northwest Connecticut YMCA to run a summer camp. Randle and his dad drove up the at the end of January with the dog, guinea pigs, and moving truck and the girls and I drove up the first of February.
I have to admit after the Midwest and the South, we experienced a bit of culture shock. We are beginning to settle in a bit, and are working to get plugged in. Natalie attends the local high school for Physical Science and Spanish, and even played volleyball for the high school. Harley joined the 5th grade band and is learning to play the xylophone and auditioned for a part in Lion King Kids through the school and got a part in the Hyena Chorus. Natalie is active in our church youth group and got to go to her first hockey game/lock-in with them.
