Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. 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, March 2, 2014

Catching Up

This is my first post of the new year and it is already March - I guess I have some catching up to do! As you can tell by my new blog header, I am ready for spring. It has been a very cold winter here in North Dakota with several days below zero since December. I know though that much of the country has had a tough winter too so I know we are not alone in being anxious for spring and the warmer weather that comes along with it.

Faith especially seems to be struggling with the colder temps - it most likely affects her already high tone. It hasn't helped that it is more difficult to transport her since we can't use our van's ramp due to our door needing to be replaced. Rob has had to get her into the other side of our van which entails him sort of lifting her chair up into the van. We are looking forward to finally getting it fixed this week. 

Now that I've gotten our weather-related issues out of the way, here is an update on what the rest of this New Year has been like for us: 


We kicked off the year getting together with friends at China Star – a place we haven’t been for a while. We used to go there so much that all of the staff knew us by name and loved visiting with Faith. They seemed glad to see us and couldn’t believe how much Faith has grown. Over Christmas break she had a growth spurt and she is up to 48 inches tall! We haven’t weighed her recently but her last weight was around 55 pounds. 

After eating at China Star, our friend, Bob came over to watch Monsters University with us. His wife Lola was in California with her sister and got to go the Rose Bowl Parade.
Happy New Year!

We snuck in eating at the China Star right before our church fast began. The fast lasted 21 days and as part of my goal this year to eat better and get healthier, I bought a juicer. During our fast, I didn’t eat any processed foods or refined sugars and my supper consisted of a glass of fresh vegetable juice. Part of the reason I wanted to try juicing was to get some of those micronutrients into Faith via her feeding tube.   

We recently got a Vitamix blender and I have made some delicious green smoothies and even broccoli cheese soup! We are also going to try to get Faith started on a blenderized diet so she can start “eating” healthier too. 
Getting green goodness into Faith's tummy

Besides eating better, I have started going to the chiropractor which has helped immensely with my headaches. Faith is down to one visit a week but she’s currently trying something new with a lady who comes to our home twice a month for music integration. Faith absolutely loves it and I will be writing more about it in another post. 

Speaking of music, Faith just had her music program at school last week. In the middle of the program, Faith’s music teacher wheeled her to center stage with a group of kids. I wasn’t quite sure what was going on and before I knew it, her teacher was putting a recorder in her hand and then Faith blew some notes! It happened so fast that I didn’t have time to get in place to get a good picture. We were so proud of her! 
Faith working with Jonnica on the xylophone
Last month Rob and I both celebrated our birthdays. I turned the big 4-0 and although I didn’t have the actual day of my birthday off from work (too many people had already requested it off since it was the day after the Super Bowl) I did take the next day off and got to spend it with my mom. 

We went to the East 40 for lunch, went shopping and then relaxed at the spa getting pedicures. We both agreed we needed to do that together more often – we had so much fun! For Rob’s birthday, we went out to eat together and while we were out and about, Michelle and Faith surprised him with a birthday cake.  
Me and mom and my birthday
Happy Birthday to our favorite guy!
That about sums up 2014 for us so far. We are looking forward to what the rest of the year has for us and are believing for great things this year! By the way, besides updating my blog header and layout, I have updated "Our Faith Story" so click on the tab and be sure to check it out. I have also added a list of resources that have greatly benefited our family. Thanks for reading and have a blessed rest of the year! THINK SPRING!

Friday, November 29, 2013

What Faith is Thankful For

As a child who has a feeding tube, Faith doesn't really have reason to look forward to a big Thanksgiving dinner. Throw in the fact that she has not been feeling well this past week and woke up yesterday morning crying and gagging on mucous, she didn't have much of a Thanksgiving.

So for her Thanksgiving celebration,  I told her that we could make a list of things she is thankful for and she was happy doing just that. She also had me help her write little letters to her friends and family saying things like, "Thank you for coming to church" or "Thank you for letting me come visit you."

It was really sweet and she came up with about 20 people she wanted to write letters for. I think this says a lot - that she is simply thankful for the people in her life.

Thankfully, she feels much better today.

Here is her list for things she is thankful for: 


Faith doesn't miss Wheel even
when we'ere on vacation!
  • Mommy and Daddy
  • Wheel of Fortune
  • Big hugs and kisses
  • Having a sleepover with her grandma (we haven't actually done this yet but she is obviously looking forward to it!) 
  • Baby Allie - her doll she's had since she was a baby
  • Yogurt and chocolate
  • Bedtime with Elmo DVD
  • Going to church
  • Watching her PBS shows
  • Her bed with her pink cupcake sheets

I think making her list is going to be the start of a great Thanksgiving tradition! To see my list of things I have been especially thankful for this year, click HERE.

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!