This March, I left the front lines of working with the youth in the group homes and moved into office work at the Ranch.

I dislocated my right knee three times over the past five years - once goofing around out at the farm with my family, another playing football with the kids at the Ranch, and lastly in March 2012 I slipped on some ice.

My doctor put me on rest from March to May and scheduled knee surgery to correct the problem. When I was cleared to return to work I couldn’t return to my youth care worker position at Rever House.  It was not safe for me to work in the house. I cannot run with the kids, jump, lunge squat or turn too fast. This really limits my activities within the household.

I got a call from Therese in human resources and she offered me a return to work position in communications working in the archives project. The purpose of the Ranch’s archiving project is to collect, describe, digitalize, and store slides, photos, and documents that have been collected since the agency opened in 1966. To date, we have collected approximately seven thousand images in a variety of formats, including 35 mm slides, negatives, and photographs.

The return to work program helps employees who are injured/disabled get back to work as soon as possible and it includes options like transitional work duties.

I was unsure what this career change would mean. I was nervous as I have never worked in an office or worked a normal 9-5 job. For my entire six year career I have been working shift work and engaging directly with the kids.

I was initially excited to be working regular hours.  I would be working similar shift as my husband and be able to see him more often. This feeling changed when I first started working in the office. Working the evening shift most of my adult life has made me a night owl. I am up most nights until 2 a.m. doing homework or relaxing. It was SO hard switching over and I still have not gotten use to it. I try to go to bed early, but find myself reading really late or doing home work.

It has been nice being home at the same time as my husband and having the weekends off has been a treat. I really do miss working with the kids.  It’s a lively and entertaining job! Nothing is ever the same. The kids keep you active and on your toes. Even though the job has its stresses it’s so fun! Sometimes in the office you have to try really hard not to zone out!

In July I had knee surgery to repair the massive damage I have endured and I’m now on the mend. What the future has in store for me at the Ranch I’m not sure but in the office or on the front lines we are all working towards the same thing – helping kids and families heal.