Faith's Mom's Blog

Some people start their Christmas season the day after Thanksgiving. Not us! We actually wait until about the second week of December, when we go to the Nutcracker, put on by Northern Plains Dance . (Plus, this year, both of us were still recovering from covid in November!) Every year, Faith loves to see her friends perform onstage and visit with them afterward. We have been going to this performance since 2017, and it never ceases to amaze us! It's been so fun to watch the growth of her ballet friends as they take on more challenging parts each year.  Enjoying the Nutcracker for the 6th year in a row!  One new thing that I was able to do this year was go to the Lorie Line Christmas Concert. She has been coming to Bismarck for 30 years and I have always wanted to go, but it has never worked out. This year I was going to try to go with my parents, but then decided not to, as by the time I was going to get tickets, it looked nearly sold out. But then a friend of mine asked if I could

A snowy Century Ave. Last Tuesday at this time, most of North Dakota was getting blasted with a historic blizzard that lasted 3 days. We have experienced blizzards before, but this was probably the worst most people in the state had ever gone through. For me, it brought back memories of the catastrophic blizzard that occurred at the beginning of April in 1997. At that time, I lived in Fargo.  What made that storm so bad is that many parts of the state had already received 100 inches of snow throughout the winter. That wasn't the case this year, as the central and western parts of the state have had severe drought conditions. While most people were thankful for the moisture this blizzard brought, it didn't come without its challenges (especially for the ranchers who were in the midst of calving). The good news is, the storm was not unexpected. As a result, people could make preparations in advance. The most I needed to do to prepare was make sure we had plenty of groceries and

Every year in May, Faith and I run into the same problem. It's hard to focus on school this time of the year! I know most families are probably in the same boat. What makes it extra hard for us is that Faith's homeschooling group, Inspire Collective, ends the last week in April.  In her mind, Faith is already done with school! This beautiful weather does not make doing school any easier. However, it is great for doing some fun activities, like the things we have done this weekend. On Fridays, Faith and I usually take a trip to the library. It was during this past Friday that I realized in the evening the Band Day Parade would pass close by the library.  We have gone in the past and Faith loved the marching bands! This might sound strange considering she gets startled by loud noises, but for some reason, she just loves them! She also really likes parades. It was the perfect evening for one.  Faith and I enjoyed "dog watching" and seeing all the different kinds of dog

Last year I had a tough time getting used to the idea that my daughter had somehow turned into a teenager. This year, I'm having a hard time believing that my daughter is 14 years old. 14! How in the world did that happen? Admittedly, her birthday started a little rough with Faith waking up saying she didn't want to celebrate. I chalked it up to her being really tired due to her long day on Tuesday which had begun at 7:30 a.m. If you know Faith, you know that is really early for her. Somehow in the midst of her crankiness, we managed to get her up and into her chair for her first feeding of the day without the occurrence of any major battles. When Faith heard her auntie Joh singing Happy Birthday to her while leaving a message, her mood shifted to being happy and joyful. We called Joh back, who had taken time during her lunch break to make the birthday call. We also talked to her grandparents in Canada, which helped as well. After the phone calls, she decided she di

It can be hard for Faith to try new things. She loves routine, which makes it hard to adjust to change. While that’s true for many us, it can be nearly impossible to get her to try something different. There are some things I just know she’ll love if she’s able to give it a chance. And that’s exactly what happened a couple of years ago with New Life’s Immersed Night of Worship. A lady from the worship team started the monthly event, and even though Faith was a little hesitant about going at first, she has come to truly love it. At Immersed, Monica simply stands at her keyboard and sings worship music. Those who attend can worship in whatever way they want to - by singing, dancing, sitting quietly, or even lying down. It's a night that the Holy Spirit is free to move and Monica lets the Spirit lead. Over the past several months, there has been as many as 30-some people filling the small room at the church office. Other times, there has been less than 10. People