Sunday, October 27, 2013

Birthday Bliss!

Faith's birthday didn't start out so well as the day before she came down with a cold and did not sleep very good two nights in row. She missed Thursday and Friday at school. Friday was her birthday and she had been looking so forward to going. Not only was she going to be doing a special birthday activity at school but it was also her school's fall festival party.

I had serious hesitations about going forward with her birthday party on Saturday but thankfully, she had a good night sleep and felt much better.
Faith celebrates with her mommy, grandma, cousin and aunties
Faith with our dear friend, Joann
We had her party at our apartment building lobby which worked perfectly for the number of guests that showed up. It was so funny because she said when she came downstairs to the lobby, she wanted everyone to say, "Surprise!" Rob left shortly after bringing her down when he discovered it had turned into an all-girl party. (I really didn't plan it that way but none of the guys ended up being able to make it!)

Faith had a fun time visiting, listening to her new praise music cds, laughing at her mom doing the "Father Abraham" dance, eating cupcakes and opening lots of gifts. We were thankful many family members were able to come, friends old and young, a few neighbors and even friends who made the drive from Hazen.

Some friends were only able to stop in for a short time as they were in between weekend activities but we were glad for the presence nonetheless. We also enjoyed getting phone calls from her grandmother and grandfather and aunty Joh in Canada.

Faith getting a live birthday greeting from her uncle Todd who was at work on the rig
Greta and Aubryn left the boys behind in Hazen
Since we had lots of leftover cupcakes, (which were delicious by the way - chocolate with cookies and cream frosting) we called our pastor and told him he wouldn't have to worry about bringing doughnuts to the redefinition cafe service the next morning! Our little church family loved celebrating her birthday weekend with her and even sang Happy Birthday.

After church, the celebration continued as some of our long-time friends came over to visit. Faith isn't so excited to go out and visit others but she sure loves having people over to her place! The last birthday wish of the weekend came from our friend Kimberly in Kansas via SKYPE. Although the connection dropped, we still had a nice visit over the phone.

It was definitely birthday bliss turning 10 years old! 
Peggy always makes Faith laugh!
Faith with Bob and Lola
Faith with Lyle, Peggy and Jeremiah
Us with our 10-year old!

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Transitioning at Home and at Work

We have been in our new apartment for about two weeks now and I have also made the transition from working at Coventry to Aetna. In the midst of moving upstairs in our building, I also moved up north to the Aetna building. In both moves, I am happy to find that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
Faith watches her pink tv in our new apartment
On the homefront, the main reason we wanted to move to the top floor was because we were hoping it would be quieter. And it is! No more constant noise above our heads at all hours of the day! Although Faith still asks, "How long are we going to be living in this apartment," she is making the adjustment rather well.

If there has been one thing to get used to - it has definitely been that it is a lot warmer on the top floor facing south! I mean, like really warm! The temps have gotten down to about 40 degrees at night and we still haven't turned on our heat. In fact, we had to hook up Faith's portable air conditioner in her room because it was getting to be 85 degrees in there! I don't know how we're going to survive the summer up here but we'll focus on getting through winter first.

There are advantages to facing south though. We have a much prettier view and can see the capitol building from our balcony and we can also see Faith's school. Rob likes it because he can keep an eye on the vehicles in the parking lot. Plus, it is much quieter than facing Century Avenue.
our view from the balcony
I am finding it has also been a nice transition with my workplace moving up north. It takes me five minutes to get to work! I get home a little earlier in the evening so that helps with our supper and Wheel of Fortune-watching routine.

All in all, both the transitions at home and at work have been good for all three of us. It was a little crazy there for a little while with everything happening at the same time but I'm happy to report things are getting better day by day.

Friday, October 4, 2013

Bison Weekend!

Am I ever glad it was last last weekend that we traveled for the NDSU football game and not this one as we are having our first winter storm and parts of South Dakota are actually under a blizzard watch!

This weekend the Bison are getting ready to take on Northern Iowa at the Fargodome. It should be a good game considering our opposing team is ranked number four in the NCAA FCS division. But honestly, I am still thinking about last weekend's 20-0 victory over SDSU and how much fun I had with my dad and sister as we NDSU grads cheered the Bison on in person!
The Thundering Herd prepares to take the field!
My sister Tesa was the master planner behind the whole event. She had wanted to take my dad to a Bison football game and asked if I would want to come along. She was hoping for homecoming tickets but the only tickets she was able to acquire were to the Bison vs Jackrabbits game.

Brookings, South Dakota was a great meeting place as she drove there from Lincoln, Nebraska and me and Dad drove from Bismarck. I must say that because she lives in Lincoln, she is a die-hard Huskers fan but she cheers for the Bison too!

It rained and rained nearly the whole way there and we were all getting very concerned that we would end up sitting in the rain during the whole game. But when we arrived, the rain went away - it was a little chilly and there were some cold gusts of wind but alas during the 4th quarter, when the Bison started playing a lot better, the sun came out in full power and we even ended up getting a sun burn. 
Bison Nation!
Bison fans are on their feet (during the whole game!)
Bison Quarterback leads the team in prayer after each game and even invites the other time to pray with them
I was a little anxious about leaving Faith and Rob overnight but thankfully Michelle was able to help out quite a bit as she was here most of the day Saturday looking after Faith and also part of Sunday. I missed her so much after being away from her for nearly 36 hours!

I had a great time with my dad and sister though - we had lots of fun cheering the Bison on to their fourth victory of the season. I'll be cheering them on from my living room as they continue to win all the way to their 3rd straight national championship! Oh and by the way, "That's another Bison first down!"
Celebrating our win - sunburned faces and all!
Getting ready to leave South Dakota.