An Adventure Awaits!

First of all, before I tell you the exciting news I have, I just want to shout out a HUGE thank you to the reader responses I received in just mere hours after mentioning things that could be donated to the ranch. We have three bikes awaiting some TLC by my awesome can-fix-anything husband, we have an abundance of embroidered towels in the works, AND we are waiting at this very moment for a queen bed AND a bonus futon to be delivered to us for the guestroom for our superhero relief parents. God is good, and He has shown that through the generous hearts of those who took the time to read about life on the ranch and do what they could to be involved. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity! You are a blessing to us!

So, our exciting news is....*drumroll please*

WSBR is going to Florida!!!!!!!

...maybe.

(P.S. TJ has no idea why we took this picture. Because the boys don't officially know yet.)

So, here's the story. We have a thing called "petty cash" that we receive from generous donors so we can do fun things together as a family that our budget wouldn't normally cover--go out to eat, go see a movie, etc. Recently, both houses received enough petty cash that we thought, "Hey, why don't we save this and all go on a vacation together before school starts?" Jon and Whitney brought up that their boys have never seen the ocean, and we think only one of ours has ever seen it, and we don't even know if he has. Blake and Jon began looking for a place we could afford to go where the boys could get to have the adventure of seeing the ocean. 

We have managed to find a place that we can afford to all stay, and Whitney and I are working on a grocery budget that can feasibly feed all of us without breaking the bank. We are so excited about this opportunity! Taking six boys, two babies, and four adults to Florida is going to be one (crazy?) fun adventure! But we are missing one little thing.

Plane tickets are totally out of the question. However, we think if we can raise the money for gas, that this trip will definitely be doable. We are in contact with some friends of WSBR to see if they can cover gas, but after seeing the loving generosity of you all with the bed, bikes, and towels, I thought I would reach out to see if anyone is willing/wanting to give. To give you an idea of numbers, we need about $900. Ideally, we still need about $1200 total for gas PLUS entertainment stuff (i.e. renting a wakeboard or surfboard, if we all wanted to go out for dinner together one night, etc.). If you are interested in giving toward our trip financially, you can go to the website link I put in the last blog post (but, PayPal will charge you a fee). You can also write a check for whatever amount you like (which we will gratefully and happily accept!) payable to Willow Springs Boys Ranch, and mail it to 880876 S. 3390 Rd., Chandler, OK 74804. 

Thank you all so much for the prayers you offer so faithfully, and the gifts you give so abundantly. We trust that God will provide to give these boys who have been given too many bitter memories one really great memory together as a ranch family. We look forward to seeing how He makes it happen!