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 like Faith's for her 5th birthday! Faith has a few more upcoming appointments this month, and it so nice 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 our brutal winters! 

Faith really likes 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 "New Wheels for Faith" 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 absolutely 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!