Normally around this time of year, North Dakotans are nearly dying for spring to come. This was the case early last week when the temperature dipped to six degrees below zero. But then a small miracle took place - temperatures soared to over 70 degrees!
My only complaint was that our apartment, which is warm anyway, became a heat box. There was even one day I came home, and Rob had turned on the air conditioner - in March!
The nice weather was the answer to many prayers though, as many ladies involved in JOY International had been praying for weeks that the weather would cooperate for their annual event, the JOY Breakfast.
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| Jennifer Beckham |
This year's speaker,
Jennifer Beckham had come to Bismarck from her home in Jacksonville, Florida. She said she had been amazed to find when flying into Bismarck there was absolutely no snow on the ground.
She wondered if the two states had swapped climates because when she left Florida it was only 30 degrees. Seriously, this is the first JOY Breakfast I can recall where the weather wasn't cold, windy or snowy.
I had so much fun spending the morning with my mom, niece, sister-in-law, one of my aunts, and a couple of friends who sat at the table I hosted. I also loved seeing and being able to hug all the amazing and beautiful women I have met by being involved in JOY International through the years.
I really loved everything about the JOY Breakfast this year, from laughing during the skit, to crying during a local mom's testimony, to feeling encouraged and empowered by the keynote speaker. The wonderful weather was icing on the cake!
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Me with my aunt Gail, Mom, niece Justine and sister-in-law Barbara
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This morning after church, I asked Faith if she wanted to go curling again today which she did last week. I was a little relieved when she said she would rather do something else. If she had wanted to go, I would have taken her but honestly, I didn't really want to be inside a building where it was 32 degrees when we could be outside in 70-degree weather!
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Faith on the ice last weekend
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She opted to go to the park, and I joyfully drove her to the park with the accessible swing. I was so disappointed to see it was no longer there. I had to try to hold back the tears. All I could think was that my daughter simply wanted to go to the park on a beautiful sunny day and swing like all the other kids but she couldn't.
We decided to take a walk by the river instead. As we walked down the cemented path, she called out, "Hi!" to everyone we passed. It seemed the weather had made everyone in a good mood because people cheerily called out back to her, "HI!" Some even gave a little wave and one couple stopped to talk to us. Needless to say, my disappointment didn't last long because she was obviously having a great time!
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It's hard to believe we're hanging out by river in March in North Dakota!
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We did find some ice still lurking around!
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While the weather the rest of the week is going to be a little cooler, it is still going to remain above average with temperatures in the 40s and 50s. But I, like many North Dakotans, know better than to hope that Spring is here to stay. It's not uncommon to have a blizzard in April or snow in May. This weekend, though, we are all rejoicing and thanking God for the beautiful weather He gave us!
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