Category: Blog

I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Turn-About Ranch.

In 2015, I was struggling with severe depression, anxiety, and anger after the unexpected loss of my father. Not knowing how to cope due to dishonesty with counselors, not being willing to change because I was blaming everyone else for my actions, and struggling through managing severe anger towards everyone around me were just a few of the “highlights”. At some point, I sat down and decided that:

 My life wasn’t worth anything so I might as well end it if I can’t fix it.
 I needed to at least try and change for my Momma so she doesn’t have to lose her daughter and her husband.

I remember when my mom picked me up …

Being a parent is hard! That is especially true when it comes to raising teenagers. As a parent, you don’t really get an instruction manual on how to raise your kids. However, here is a guide to the common pitfalls we see with parents and how to avoid them.

Teenagers are known to be naturally moody and a little rebellious. After all, they’re learning who they are and are testing boundaries. However, there is a big difference between what is normal and what is actually Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Yes, that’s a real thing! Discover the difference and what you need to know about this ODD disorder.

Recently, I tagged along with the Turn-About boys and a few of the staff members to hike to one of Escalante’s strangest treasures: the Cosmic Ashtray. The formation resembles a volcano at the top of a sandstone mountain, a rock island resting in the center of its “crater.” In winter, it is quite a spectacular scene. The red and yellow sandstone mixes with the white of snow, and the whole landscape looks like a giant Cold Stone tabletop filled with ice cream and crushed candy. The winter makes Escalante seem to glow.

At the trailhead, we took a closer look at the snow, and we were amazed to see huge ice crystals all over the ground, with some of the shards exceeding the width of a …

As I mentioned in my previous post, the New Year is a great time to look at setting goals to overcome addiction. I suggested that one way to work on overcoming addiction is to replace that addiction with other activities. I’m not a clinical psychologist or expert on behavioral science, but in my experience, it can be helpful to evaluate these three aspects of your life when making goals: social, physical, and mental/emotional.

By looking at each of these areas, you can evaluate what you must do to combat the multi-faceted burden caused by your addiction.

When setting goals in those three areas, it is important to not place the stakes too high or think too broadly. Your goal doesn’t necessarily have to be “I’m going to …