Faith's Mom's Blog

The month of May is already nearly over! But it makes perfect sense why it went by so fast, because this month was jam-packed. It's hard to believe that June is just around the corner. I can share in our pastor's sentiment when he said the year is half over, but it seems like 2013 has just begun! On the first Thursday of May, JOY Internationa l had its last Java JOY of the season. We had a great get-together as we celebrated moms and discussed the powerful prayers of a mom. We had a wonderful panel of three amazing moms who shared their hearts on praying for their children.  We also shared testimonies of answered prayers for ourselves and our children. As Java JOY coordinator, I am relieved to be taking some time off, but I already have lots of ideas for our next season which starts up again in September!   Me with our mom panel at Java JOY Me and Faith on Mother's Day Me and Faith playing our favorite game - Wheel of Fortune At the beginning of the month, we...

Growing up, I never honestly thought much about what it would be like to be a mom one day. In my preteen years, because of the heart condition I was born with, my cardiologists told me my heart would never be able to handle a pregnancy. I determined that when I grew up, instead of having kids, I would have lots of pets. I loved cats, dogs and horses and envisioned a future with at least one or two of each.      Growing up, being a mom is something I never thought I would be I was fine with the fact I would never be able to have a baby. I really was. Until the day in my early 20s, I visited a friend in the hospital who just had a baby girl. I walked in to see a tiny little bundle wrapped in a pink blanket snuggling in her mother’s arms with daddy beaming with pride alongside the bed.  I was not prepared for the emotion that would stir my heart. I put on a smiling face for my friend but left the room in tears. I would never have that opportunity, I thought. I w...

It was 35 days ago that our calendars told us it was the first day of spring. In North Dakota, we usually can't depend on the calendar to determine when spring actually comes. We know this, but every year, we still wait expectantly for spring to come - for the weather to turn warmer, for all the snow to finally be gone, and for the grass to start turning green again.  We also look forward to putting away all of our winter garb and donning our spring jackets. None of that has happened so far. Thirty-five days later, we are still waiting. Faith isn't thrilled about still having to wear her winter coat and mittens Just last week Bismarck broke their one-day snow fall record when we got over 17 inches of fresh white stuff. Church services were canceled on Sunday and on Monday the whole city shut down. Faith got a snow day from school, and I did as well from work. Thanks to a few days that the temperatures climbed above freezing, most of the snow has melted, but there are still...

Our church service (along with many other services throughout the area) was canceled today because of our spring blizzard. So, while I didn't get to go to church, I was still thinking about it! The photos from this post were actually taken from last week's church service.  Finding “the perfect” church is not an easy thing to do. Especially when you are trying to find one that works well for each member of the family, one of which has special needs. For me the perfect service consists of charismatic praise and worship, an inspiring, truthful message followed by fellowship with other church attendees.  For Rob it is different though. He could give or take the praise and worship and get right down to the sermon – the more intellectual the better. Rob likes to take a message he hears and chew on it for days thinking, pondering and mulling it over. And then there is Faith. She does not like loud and she does not like microphones, sudden clapping or spontaneous "Ame...

The state of North Dakota has been making a lot of headlines lately. In 2012 we became the second top oil-producing state in the nation and this year we were dubbed "the freest state in the nation." At one time, North Dakota was known for its desolation, its frigid winters and low population. Most people probably had a hard time finding North Dakota on a map. I don't think that's quite the case anymore. People are flocking to North Dakota for jobs. Our state has one of the soundest economies in the country. But even before all of our new-found popularity, I was a proud North Dakotan when it wasn't cool to be one. Faith enjoying the sights of the Missouri River in Bismarck, North Dakota And now, in light of recent events in our legislature, I am even more proud to be from this great state! The senate and house passed some of the most pro-life bills ever and Governor Jack Dalrymple signed them into law! You might wonder why I'm talking about this on ...