Faith's Mom's Blog

As I'm writing this blog post, it is currently 25 degrees outside. With the windchill, it feels more like 12 degrees. That's cold for October. Even in North Dakota! Winter definitely seems like it's here. Earlier this month we had a historic blizzard that dumped 13 inches of snow on Bismarck and over 2 feet of the white stuff in other parts of the state. As a result, the public schools had their first official snow day. I was ready to give Faith the day off from her lessons at home, but she still wanted to do them! First major snowfall of the year - in October! (Thanks mom for the pic!) It could have been a snow day for Faith but she still wanted to do school! It did warm up soon after and all the snow melted but the October blizzard created quite a mess for farmers and ranchers who still had crops in the field and cows in the pasture. I was very grateful that we didn't have to go anywhere - for school or for work. I am still freelance writing from home. Rec

Summer. It sure doesn't last long in North Dakota. And since Faith started school earlier this week, I figured it was a great day to reminisce about the summer we had. In June we took a trip to Fargo and somehow ended up at Tim Horton's in Grand Forks. Faith and I figured it was a great way to celebrate Father's Day a little bit early! While my brother and his wife were away for a couple of weeks, we went out to their place to check on their dogs for them. Faith loved her new role as dog sitter. She especially enjoyed reading Clifford the Big Red Dog books to them. Besides dog sitting, Faith also enjoyed house sitting her grandparents' house while they were on vacation. Unfortunately, Faith wasn't feeling the best over the 4th of July so we didn't make it to the parade this year, or any other fun festivities, although she did get to see the fireworks from our parking lot in our building. Later in the week, we made it up to Grandma and Grandpa'

On Facebook this month, I did a #30DaysOfThankfulness and posted each day what I am thankful for. I wanted to compile my complete list in one spot - so here it is! Day 1 : I really am thankful that God took me, someone with a past of swearing, alcohol abuse, rebellion, and other types of sinful behavior, and made me into a new creation, which can only truly be done through JESUS! Day 2 : Thankful that even on more challenging days, there is always something to be thankful for, and today I'm thankful for chocolate! Day 3 : The first snowfall of the year always reminds me of this Bible verse. Thankful that all the promises in His word will come to pass. Day 4 : I watched a movie yesterday called The Last Face (it's a tough movie about the civil war that took place in Liberia). I found myself feeling more thankful than ever that we live where we do and that all of our basic needs get met each and every day. Not only does my family have a cozy apartment th