What NOT to say at your family gathering

Family gatherings can be difficult. Or they can be amazing. It all depends on how we manage ourselves. Yes, we have all the power to make our holidays with our family wonderful or woeful. When we react to what others say or do, we ruin the entire day. On the other hand, if…

December 7, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Naughty or Nice?

Reputation is everything. Your reputation precedes you and either opens or closes doors for you. It is not fair, but people make judgement calls about you based on what they have heard about you. As the wife of a prisoner, then you have a lot to overcome. You have already been labeled as second-rate by…

December 6, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family Prison

Christmas Presents when Dad is in prison

Making Holidays special for all After barely getting through the first Christmas with Ron in prison, I promised myself that my sons would have a lot of presents from then on. The next several years, I found myself looking for ways to get as many gifts as I could for my sons. I needed to…

December 5, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family Prison

Telling Your Employer Your Husband is in Prison

“Should I tell my boss that my husband is in prison?” This is one of the most common questions I get. One of the biggest fears a wife of a prisoner is that the news of their husband’s incarceration will cause them to lose their job. For some, it is a very real danger. Some…

December 4, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

tyro blog things people say to prisoners wives

Family Prison

Stuff people say to Prisoners Wives

Has anyone ever said something really dumb to you? I am talking about the really stupid things people say to us when our husband is in prison. The, “I cannot believe they actually said that!” stuff. I am willing to bet that you have heard a lot of things said that should never have come…

December 3, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

8 Ways to know Who your haters are

We all have haters in our lives. They are the people who do not want us to succeed. They might pretend to care, but they really hope you fail. HATERS may talk about you, make fun of you, or try to talk you out of things that will make you better. Those are your HATERS-…

November 30, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

My Husband is Getting Out of Prison

Are you ready for the changes that are coming? “My husband is getting out of prison!” The long-awaited day is almost here. You feel elated, excited, and nervous. So many thoughts are racing through your head. Will this change your relationship? Is he the same man that you married? Are you really ready for the…

October 18, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

Prison Relationships

Do prison relationships work after release? After spending over 10 years visiting my man in prison, he was being released. I was ecstatic—and I was so nervous. So many questions were running through my mind. Could he love me the same now that he was free? Could this nightmare really be over—and could we live…

October 17, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

Family

10 Tips to Dating a Prisoner

Dating and prison are words that do not seem to go together. Prison is not typically a place we think of when we imagine a date. And yet, many women find themselves “dating” men who are in prison. There are a lot of things to consider before you should commit to dating someone…

October 16, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com

husband in prison ron and cathy tijerina

Family

Married to an Inmate

I am married to an inmate. Wow. I kept saying that in my head over and over again. I am married to a convict! How in the world did this happen? I never imagined that I would marry a man who was in prison. I was in shock that my husband was in prison. As the…

October 15, 20180Comments

Bycatherine@theridgeproject.com