It Almost Rained on Our Parade

-
Every year I am disappointed because neither Faith nor Rob wants to go to the 4th of July Parade in Mandan with me, so I end up not going at all. This year was going to be different though. This year I had a parade date - my dad! Also, I was going to be meeting up with my friend Kristi and her family who sit in the same spot every year. I was so excited to go to the parade!

The night before the big event, Rob and I asked Faith if she wanted to go, too. She has only gone to the parade twice and didn't seem to really enjoy it either time. So, I was totally expecting her to not want to go again this year. But then she said she did want to go and started asking all sorts of questions about what we were going to see at the parade. Even though she seemed excited, I didn't get my hopes up too high. Sometimes she acts excited about something, but when it comes down to actually going through with it, she changes her mind.

Whether she went or not, I was still happy to be going with my dad. Imagine my huge disappointment when this morning while getting ready, I heard what sounded like fireworks outside. It wasn't fireworks though; it was thunder accompanied by lightning and rain. When Faith got up, she had determined she was going to the parade with us, but we showed her it was raining outside and told her she probably wouldn't be able to go.

My dad got here around 9:30 and shortly after his arrival, there was a sudden downpour. Me and my dad decided to still chance it, but we decided to leave Faith home with her dad. She was very disappointed but at least she could still watch it on TV. 

As I got ready to say goodbye to her, she looked at me with the saddest face ever and said, "But I want to go too, please mommy." My heart started breaking into a million little pieces and me and Rob decided rain or shine, she was going to the parade.

We quickly got Faith changed into her red, white and blue apparel, gathered our stuff including sweatshirts and an umbrella, and hurried down the hallway to the elevator. Then we stepped outside, and the clouds miraculously parted, and the sun came out. It wasn't going to rain on our parade after all!

Parade goers

My favorite part of the parade - all the pretty horses

Yay for Canada!

What a great message!

One of my favorite floats!

We had so much fun sitting with my friend, Kristi and her family!

Both Grandpa and Faith loved this Kenworth!

Rodeo Clown - The PRCA rodeo is another great event in Mandan over the 4th!



Famous actor James Drury from "The Virginian" waves to the crowd

It wouldn't be a true North Dakota parade without tractors and other farm equipment

Thousands of people lined the streets for the Mandan Parade - a tradition since 1881


I am so glad Faith came with me and Grandpa to the parade. It was really truly amazing how well she did in the midst of all the noise and people. She only startled when the firetrucks sounded their sirens but then she would laugh and relax again. 

For some reason she loved the big Kenworth truck - every time it honked, she would scream with excitement at the top of her lungs. She actually seemed disappointed when it ended nearly two hours later. When we got home, she asked, "Can we go to another parade tomorrow?"



Comments

Post a Comment

Most Popular Posts

My Little Vacay to Nebraska

-
Image
When one thinks vacation, they probably don't think about Nebraska, especially in November! But when I heard that a friend of mine was going be having surgery in Omaha, I began thinking about how great it would be to go down that way, especially since my sister, Tesa has lived in Lincoln for 17 years, and I have never had the chance to visit.  Lo and behold, my dad had also been talking about heading South to Texas in November to hunt wild pigs. My two respite care workers were available to look after Faith starting on a Friday morning through Tuesday evening. All I had to do was book a flight so I could get back home.  Despite all the details falling into place, I was still anxious about it. I haven't flown since Faith was a baby, so I was especially nervous about that part. I prayed about it and believed that everything would be okay.  On the morning of my departure, Faith woke up just in time and her respite care staff was able to get her dressed and take her to her da...
Read more

My Tetanus Shot Ordeal: A Real Pain in the Arm

-
Image
Last Wednesday I had my yearly doctor exam and when she said I should get my tetanus shot updated, I didn't think twice about it. The nurse said my arm would be sore for a couple of days, gave me a handout and stuck the needle in my arm.  The next day my arm was sore and although I found it a little harder to pick up and carry Faith, I was glad the pain wasn't going to last long. Boy was I wrong! But not only was my arm sore, my whole body was. I felt achy and extremely tired. According to a medical site on the Internet, these were mild side effects of the Tetanus shot. If these were only mild side effects, I would really hate to have them at a moderate or severe level. My arm is still red and sore on day 2 after my tetanus shot. On Friday, two days after getting the shot I felt so tired that I took a four-hour nap after getting Faith off to school. Then on Saturday I took a three-hour nap up until 7 o'clock, but still felt tired and was able to go back to sleep around 10. ...
Read more

Goodbye to Our Special Tomato Adaptive Car Seat

-
Image
Today we said goodbye to our Special Tomato adaptive car seat. And special it was. It helped Faith stay safe and secure in our Hyundai driving her back and forth to therapy appointments, shopping excursions, and many other activities. It also helped us through our time of not being able to afford an accessible van. Like all adaptive equipment , the special car seat was expensive and although it is the law that a child is secured in a car seat while traveling in a vehicle, neither health insurance nor Medicaid would pay for it.  Thankfully, we were able to receive funds from the fundraiser, the Great American Bike Race ( GABR ) which helps families pay for services and equipment that insurance doesn't cover for kids with cerebral palsy and related disabilities.  After doing research on the Internet and talking to Faith's physical and occupational therapists, we decided to go for the Special Tomato adaptive car seat. You would think something with that name would b...
Read more

Guest Post: Who Needs Sympathy?

-
Image
Guest Post by Stephen Gallup Last week, a columnist for the local newspaper interviewed me in connection with a memoir I wrote that’s being published this year. It was a comfortable, low-key discussion in which he asked about the basic facts regarding my disabled son Joseph and what I’ve learned that might be of value to other families. It was the sort of dialog that required no special preparation in advance. I just sat down with him and talked about the subject closest to my heart. But looking back on it now, one thing bothers me. In concluding the interview, the reporter expressed heartfelt sympathy for everything I’ve endured. He was being more than polite. I mean, he laid the compassion on with a spatula. Startled, and already thinking ahead to what I had to do next that day, I just thanked him and said goodbye. But now that final note troubles me. I don’t want sympathy! First of all, from the point of view of a new author hoping to promote his book, sympathy...
Read more