Showing posts with label accessible van. Show all posts
Showing posts with label accessible van. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 19, 2022

Historic Blizzard Keeps Us Stuck Inside All Week

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 that Faith had all the supplies she needed to make it through at least a week. I couldn't run those errands, however, because our van was in the shop (it had a leak in the EVAP system).

My dad came to the rescue and drove me around so I could run my errands. The last stop I made was the grocery store. The store was jam packed and a lot of the shelves were bare. Everyone seemed to be preparing for the Apocalypse instead of a major snow storm! Even though there was no snow yet, schools and businesses were already closing. I knew Faith would not be going to therapy or her day program the next day. She took the news surprisingly well. I have tried to instill in her that there are three things that can cause plans to change: the weather, sickness, and car trouble (or elevator trouble in our case!) 

Sure enough, early Tuesday morning, we were covered in a sea of white and it didn't quit snowing and blowing until Thursday night. Finally on Friday, the snow stopped long enough for people to start digging out with their snow plows, snow blowers, and shovels. My dad used his Bobcat to clear out their yard and on Friday he and my mom were able to pick up my fixed fan. Our parking didn't get clear until late that night so they brought the van here on Saturday. 

Faith had been doing well through most of this, but I could tell her patience was coming to an end. She was also getting anxious because she did not want to miss church on Sunday. And we didn't, despite the fact we had gotten more snow earlier that morning and the wind had picked up. Our once cleared parking lot was once again filled with snow. I wasn't sure I was going to make it out of our parking spot, but I did! (Thanks to the van being backed in and the all-season tires). The roads weren't the best, but we made it safely to church and back. When it was all said and done, Bismarck got over 20 inches of snow, beating the previous record for the snowiest April ever. North of us, Minot got 36 inches of snow. It was definitely an Easter to remember for us and others across the state.

Faith is a super happy camper today because she got to go back to occupational therapy and her day program. But alas, another storm is on the way. I better start preparing for that one!

Century Avenue is eerily quiet on the first night of the blizzard.

Our parking lot on Thursday afternoon.

My dad trying hard to stay on top of things at his place.

Phew! We made it to church on Easter Sunday!

A car we passed on the way back home.

The blizzard isn't going to stop us from hitting Caribou Coffee - it's back there somewhere!

Coming in to our plowed parking lot.
Bismarck's snowiest April ever!

Faith is super happy the blizzard is over!


Sunday, May 16, 2021

Ready for Summer (And Some Rain)


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 dogs people brought to the parade. I fell a little bit in love by an orange puffball of a Pomeranian that came over to say hi to us. The parade itself was fun, and the marching bands were great. (Like this band in the video, that represented several schools from the southwest corner of the state. Can you guess what song they are playing?)

Besides taking in the parade, we also took in the kindness of others. One lady in front of us made a point to move so Faith could see better. Another lady offered Faith some of the candy that had been thrown her way. One lady that was in the parade came running over to us, said "Hi" to Faith and gave me a hug saying, "God bless you." Faith just looked at me and said, "Why did she say God bless you, it's not even Sunday!" I honestly don't know why she did that, but it did bless me! There was also a five-year-old boy who made friends with Faith and introduced us to his older brother and younger sister.  

The next day, Faith was super excited to finally go to the Northern Plains Dance production, "Sleeping Beauty." This has become a tradition for us ever since the mom of Faith's friends gave us complimentary tickets one year to "The Nutcracker." We have gone to that production every year since then and also their spring productions.

Me with Faith and my great niece
Last year, the spring production was canceled and we also had to watch "The Nutcracker" via livestream. That was fine, but it's just not the same as being at the Belle Mehus in person! This year, Faith's grandma and cousin came along. It's always special to share these wonderful experiences with others. (When Faith asked where grandpa was, grandma said he was home watering trees). Faith also saw a few of her Inspire friends after the program. 

Honestly, we don't usually do so much in one weekend, so I wasn't sure if Faith would be up to going to church the next day. She said she wanted to go, however. I'm so glad we did! We went to a church we had visited last week. When we pulled into the parking lot, where they actually had an open handicap parking spot, there was another van just like ours! Same make, model, and color.  (Note to churches: those handicap spots fill up fast, maybe think about adding more!) 

When we rolled into the sanctuary, I was trying to find a place in the back and a lady came over and asked if we wanted to sit with her family. She grabbed me a chair and Faith sat next to her son, who was also in a wheelchair. Turns out, they got their van in the same way we got ours, through a fundraising effort. It was nice to share stories about how God provided for every one of our children's needs! 

Still thankful to my brother for helping us get our van (and the paperwork taken care of!)

 We truly had a blessed weekend. Tomorrow is Monday and Faith heads to occupational therapy (OT), which she does twice a week. I will have to write a separate post about that, because it's been really interesting and helpful for her. We will also try hard to finish our last 10 days of school!

It's supposed to be nice all week in our neck of the woods, so hopefully everyone can get out and enjoy the nice weather. Although, if it rains, nobody will complain, as we desperately need it.


Thursday, November 12, 2020

Faith's New Van

Finally, on November 4th, the day the elevator in our building was fixed, I was able to take Faith downstairs so she could check out her new van! It happened to be a beautiful day, close to 80 degrees, which is rare for North Dakota in November. We had respite care that day, so I had her record me getting Faith loaded up for the first time.  

Faith is all smiles about her new van!

Faith is ready to roll!
After loading her up, the three of us went for a fun drive including a trip through McDonald's so Faith could get a chocolate chip cookie. Faith was having so much fun as we drove around. She kept randomly shouting out things like, "Happy Birthday!" and "Merry Christmas!" (I am looking forward to driving around and looking at Christmas lights with her this year!) I guess she really does think her van is the best gift ever! 

Faith inside the van.

Earlier this week, we used the van to take her to an appointment with the general surgeon. She wanted to check Faith's stoma for her feeding tube. I'm glad to say we are making progress with getting her skin back to normal. 

We also used the van to take Faith to Inspire Collective, her homeschooling group, which finally started up this month! It is a very small group this year, but we are okay with that. Two of Faith's best friends aren't going this year, so we drove to their house so Faith could see them from a distance. It had been 8 months since we last saw them in person! 

After visiting them, we drove out to her grandparent's place. My great niece said she wanted a van likes Faith's for her 5th birthday! Faith has a few more upcoming appointments this month, and it so nice for me to take her to these appointments by myself. 

This van is such a huge blessing, and makes life so much easier. A few of my favorite features are the heated steering wheel and seats, as well as the remote starter. These features will help us get through out brutal winters! One of Faith's favorite features of the van is that the doors open and shut all by themselves. Of course we both love the ramp that comes out and goes back in with just a push of a button. One feature I have yet to show her is the DVD player! 

 




I will never take our van for granted and will always be thankful to those of you who donated to our NewWheelsForFaith fundraiser. There were also many people who shared the fundraiser on social media and prayed that this van would become a reality for us. It floors me that people we have never met also gave to or shared this fundraiser. I will also always be eternally grateful to my brother Todd, and his wife for everything they did to make this happen. We appreciate you all so much!

One more thing: for those who are wondering, the van is a 2015 Chrysler Town & Country with about 49,000 miles. The conversion is new enough that it is still under warranty. We got the van from Cummings Mobility in Albertville, MN. If anyone needs a new conversion van, I highly recommend them, as they were very accommodating and gave us a great deal!

Sunday, November 1, 2020

October: A Memorable Month and Birthday

Oh. My. Goodness. What a month! It's certainly been challenging, but thankfully there were a few bright spots to help us through. At the very end of September, both Faith and I came down with colds. They would not go away! Faith was really stuffed up and seemed pretty miserable. I thought she might have a sinus infection so I took her to the walk-in clinic. Although I didn't think we had COVID, I asked to be tested just to help give me a peace of mind. 

They only had the nose swab available. I was nervous about it being traumatizing for Faith. As we waited for the nurse to come back in the examination room with the test, I prayed for Faith that she wouldn't have a tough time. I should have remembered to pray for myself! 

I told Faith I would go first so she would know what to expect. When they stuck the swab way up my nose, I nearly started crying. It gave me flashbacks to when the breathing tubes got pulled out of my nose following open heart surgery. It was sort of the same icky, awful feeling.

Next, it was Faith's turn. The nurse was fully expecting Faith to fight the swab going up her nose. She held Faith's hands while I held her head in place. The lab technician put the swab up Faith's first nostril and I counted to 10. The lab technician did the other nostril, and I counted to 10 again. She didn't try to fight it or anything. She was so brave and didn't even cry! I was very proud of her! I told everyone afterward that she had done better than me. 

My brave girl!

It took four days for the test results to come back, both of which were negative. Faith did have a sinus infection so she began a round of antibiotics. It took her about six days of being on the meds before she finally started feeling better. 

A couple of weeks after she was finally better, I had to take her in to get the Mic-key button for her feeding tube replaced. When we had tried to put in a new button at home, we found out it was defective. Thankfully we had a second one, but that one was defective as well! We ended up having to put her old one back in. Because of this, the skin around her stoma became very red and sore. When I took her to the surgeon, she told me it wasn't infected, but there was granulation tissue that was beginning to form. She replaced it without any problem and prescribed an ointment for her skin.

During all of this, I was busy trying to finish raising funds for our new van. I really wanted to raise enough so we could get it for Faith's birthday. Amazingly, we ended up raising about $25,000!!! I am also applying for funds to help cover the conversion cost of the van. I will do a separate post about the van, but long story short, my brother Todd found one for us at Cummings Mobility and had it delivered to our front door 2 days before Faith's birthday!

Thanks to all the donations, New Wheels for Faith became a reality!

While preparing for the van delivery and Faith's birthday, I found out Bismarck was supposed to get our first major snow storm. I was concerned the snow was going to deter our birthday plans. Thank goodness we only ended up getting about an inch of snow but it did dip down to about 14 degrees F.

Even though the weather cooperated, the elevator in our building did not. Two days after I had taken Faith to get her button replaced, the elevator went out. Needless to say, I was pretty devastated. Without a working elevator we would not be able to get Faith downstairs to see her new van when it arrived. We also wouldn't be driving around to see her family and friends on her birthday. (A pandemic-friendly birthday plan I had come up with).

The van was still delivered, but instead of being able to get inside, Faith could only watch out the window when it arrived in the parking lot. We tried to make the best of things and had a tiny party in our apartment with cake and ice cream. For her birthday weekend, she did video chats and phone calls with some of her best friends and other family members. 

Happy 17th Birthday!

Faith with Grandma and Grandpa 



Faith's cousin and favorite dog even came to the party!


Faith's beautiful birthday flowers!

We went through the rest of the week with no elevator, and it is not supposed to be fixed until Monday or Tuesday. I have been in contact with our building manager and even the regional property manager. I think they are finally beginning to realize that we are in need of a new elevator! 

Despite some of the challenges and disappointments, my heart is filled with gratitude. I am so thankful for our van. I promise to do another blog post as soon as Faith is able to get downstairs and we go for a spin! I'm also thankful to the friends and family who have supported us during this challenging month and also for the many prayers. 

If nothing else, Faith's 17th birthday was definitely a very memorable one!

Saturday, September 12, 2020

New Wheels For Faith


Faith in her "new" van in 2011
It was back in August of 2011 that we got our first accessible van. Before that, we had a purple special needs car seat called the "Special Tomato." Eventually she got too big for her special tomato and we needed to graduate to an accessible van. We were thankful to have found one in Bismarck for a decent price. While it suited our needs, there were still some concerns. For one, the electrical system was really wonky, which affected the ramp. 

 Even with the weird electrical system, it got us to where we needed to go. We even had some fun family adventures like driving all the way to Toronto and back, and also to Winnipeg. The van also got us to some of Faith's medical appointments in Minneapolis and Fargo.

Despite its quirks, the 2006 Dodge Caravan was a good van. Except for when it rained. It seemed the electrical system went super berserk when it rained. One day we were on our way home from a physical therapy appointment in the pouring rain. We were driving down Century Avenue (one of the busiest streets in town) when the van stalled at the light. The van refused to start. Thankfully, a guy in a pick up truck who pushed heavy equipment around for a living, was right behind us. He managed to push our vehicle with his to our apartment. 

Faith on a trip to Fargo a couple of summers ago.

We put thousands of dollars into getting the electrical system fixed, but the only thing that seemed to help was to disconnect the ramp. This made transporting Faith very inconvenient, to say the least. While Faith's dad could still push her chair up into the van, I could not. We muddled through, however. It just meant that I could not really take Faith anywhere by myself. 

Eventually our air conditioning also went out. I thought it might simply need to be recharged but this was not the case. It was going to cost several hundred dollars to fix, so we just went without. When we had a choice, we chose not to take Faith anywhere on really hot days. Then there is the issue with the battery and not starting well in the winter. There are other issues, but I think you get the gist of it. 

I don't know if Faith's van will make it through another winter!
 

"Thanks everyone!"

As you can see, we have needed a new van for a while now. When I discussed our van issues with my brother Todd a while back, he suggested doing an online fundraiser. I honestly didn't know how I felt about asking other people for help to fund a new van for us, especially with the whole COVID mess going on and it being a hard time financially for many. After thinking about it for a long time, and praying about it, too, I felt we didn't have any other choice. Todd told me to write something up for a GoFundMe and he would take care of the funds, etc.

When we set our goal of $29,000, Todd was very optimistic about reaching it. I knew my brother was an optimist. I tend to be the opposite (sometimes). I thought it would be nice to reach $10,000. Needless to say, our efforts thus far have far surpassed my hopes and expectations!



I know there are many people in need of things right now, which is just one reason I'm so blown away by everyone's generosity! All I can say is THANK YOU!!! 

 

For those who have given, shared, or said a prayer, may this proverb ring true in your life: Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25 (ESV) 

By the way, at the time of this writing, we are at $16,001 between on and offline donations, as well as 500 shares! We are well on our way to meeting our goal. Also, it would be a dream come true for Faith to have a new van for her 17th birthday, which is at the end of October!

Click here to donate to #NewWheelsForFaith or to share this fundraiser.

 


Monday, October 20, 2014

Photos From our Trip to Canada

We just returned home a couple of days ago from our trip to Canada. In just 12 days, we drove about 3,100 miles traveling to Ontario and back. It was a wonderful trip and we are thankful our van ran great, we didn't get into any fender benders, we didn't hit any wild animals and we got to enjoy traveling during the most beautiful time of the year.

We feel especially blessed we saw so many of our friends and family. October 13 not only marked Canada's Thanksgiving, but Rob's parent's 50th Anniversary. As if that was not enough, David baptized his only grandchild during our visit. Instead of describing our trip in words, here are some photos that portray our long but wonderful journey.

It wasn't easy to get Faith out of her comfy home to drive 1,500 miles to Toronto but she did it!
Our second hotel of the trip in Crandon, Wisconsin
Driving along Lake Michigan
Faith having fun on her very long field trip going over the Mackinaw Bridge
The bridge connects the Upper Penninsula to the rest of Michigan and is over four miles long
We finally make it to Gaylord, MI - home of the first Tim Horton's on our route
Oh Canada!
Thanksgiving dinner at Rob's cousin's home (Ken and Angela)
Faith with cousin Alexandra 


Socializing before dinner with cousin Brock
Nearly 60 members of the family sit down together for Thanksgiving dinner
A surprise cake and toast to David and Jean to celebrate their 50th
St. James Cathedral in downtown Toronto where David works as a minister
Queen Elizabeth II visited the cathedral during her trip to Canada in 2010
Faith was baptized by her grandfather during a small ceremony
Just outside of the peaceful church - lots of noise, buildings, people and traffic
The CN Tower appears through the fog while leaving downtown Toronto
Jean and Cari Jean shopping at the mall in Mississauga
Me with my beautiful and amazing sister-in-law Johanna
Meet Rosie the Greyhound - the newest addition to the Bousfield family
Breakfast at the Perkins Restaurant attached to our hotel
Saying goodbye to Grandmother
An Amish family's horse and buggy parked at a store in Ingersoll, Ontario
At the border going over the bridge to the good 'ol USA
Getting ready for bed in Lapeer, Michigan
What in the world are Pasties? They sure are popular in the U.P.!
Rob finding out what a pastie is - potatoes, rutabaga, onions and meat inside a pie crust
Our ladybug infested stay at the Barron Motel in Wisconsin
Crossing over from Wisconsin into Taylor Falls, Minnesota
Stopping for more coffee in Waite Park, Minnesota
The most beautiful sight of the whole trip - North Dakota sky near Bismarck!