What in the world is wrong with my car!?

It sounds like your transmission. The transmission isn't an easy fix, but it's relatively cheap if you bring your own tranny to the shop to be installed. Shop around for the best repair price on labor and make sure they replace the seals when they install the new tranny. You can go to http://www.car-part.com to find a transmission near you. Most junk yards will warranty the part against failure for 90-days so if they install it and it doesn't work, you can take it back and get another one for no charge. You can get a perfectly good transmission this way for a fraction of the cost of a new one. Just make sure they will pull it and drain it for you because it is most likely illegal in your state to transport it with fluids. I know it is in my state. On that site, look for an A or B grade transmission for either an explorer or a ranger (they're the same thing) with preferably less than 100,000 miles on. The less mileage on it the better. Remember though that this is at the least an 8 hour job. Your truck will be in the shop two days for this. Get the seals from Advance or Auto Zone, it;s cheaper than buying from the dealer/shop. You may also buy the fluids at those places to keep from overpaying at the dealer/shop. I would recommend however that you get the work done at a dealer by a Ford certified transmission guy. They're less likely to mess up and will get the job done quicker.

Miss there is actually no way to diagnose the problem over the internet. I know that one individual told you to just go out an a new tranny when it could be that you just need a tranny flush. So what I'm going to recommend to you is that being that you obviously don't know what you are talking about or what the problem is, I'd tell you to take it to a Ford dealership and have them take a peak at it and see if they can come up with a solution. BTW I'm not trying to be rude with the whole you don't know what you are talking about, that statement wasn't meant in a negative conotation it jsut meant that you honestly don't know, and that's fine a lot of people don't. BTW don't just rush out and buy a new tranny because that lady said her husband is a such in such, remember that's her husband not her, and he isn't sitting infront of the open bell housing saying okay you need a new tranny. I can't tell you for the life of me how many times I have had people come tell me that they needed a new clutch and then I bleed the clutch line and clean the master out and they go wow! that's all it was! clean hydaulic fluid is very important and that's why they have the tranny flush.