Okay, the 41 year old drama is over. What's done is done. Oh yea...I got my gift from my kiddos - it was a new stainless steel microwave to go over my stove. I have been wanting to update mine. Not that mine's that old, and it's black. It's not like it's an ancient one. But, I wanted it to match my other appliances even down to the nametag. (Does that make me a snob?)



Don't know how many of you know this about me (probably all of you since my favorite activity it so talk) but Rob and I were houseparents at Cal Farley's Boys Ranch just outside of Amarillo and then also at Texas Boys Ranch here in Lubbock. This was such a learning curve for us. When we were at CFBR, the boys were pretty young. (Robby was in 2nd-3rd grade and Ronny was in 1st-2nd grade) There were two couples in the home that we lived in....Pierce Home. The other couple, Cane and Jill, shared the responsibility for 17 junior high and high school boys with us. Cane and Rob were very close friends and this was the first time that I ever got to see my husband really commit to a friendship. Anyway, when we first arrived at the ranch, we trained in another home for a short time, Johnson Home, and we immediately connected with one boy in particular. He was such a sweet boy but he really needed to know that he mattered. For whatever reason, we just clicked. He became "ours." Most everyone on the ranch knew that this boy was the Halls. Other houseparents had similar relationships...there was no way to predict which boys would click with which houseparents...it was just a God thing. So...after we moved into Pierce Home, this young man came to our home to get my "sweet tea." He would come and cook at our home and just hang with us. When we left boys ranch, the hardest part for us was leaving him there. Our hearts were broken. Several months after we left, he called us just before his graduation...he had no place to go. He wanted to know if he could come and stay with us....and thus began the relationship with our "oldest boy" Chris. He is now in his late 20's, married to a beautiful girl, Becckiey and they have the two most fabulous wittle men of their own...Brayden and Colby. He has lived with us off and on over the years, he has worked for VisionPro with Rob a couple of times but he is now a very successful salesman at Sears in their appliance department. So......long story longer.....Chris helped the kids get the microwave for me, at a phenomenal price to be sure and while our relationship with him can be rocky at times (you know me...always have an opinion...but I'm learning) - he and his family are very special to us and I wanted to say to him....THANK YOU....for helping the kids make my birthday super special! Thanks for remember to call and text on my birthday...a call from Brayden was super special! Love ya, mom.