Faith's Monumental Visit to South Dakota

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When I received my niece, Sydnee's graduation announcement in the mail, I thought it might be the perfect opportunity to visit my brother and his family for the first time at their home in Spearfish. I also thought it would be the perfect opportunity to see Mount Rushmore, which I had never seen before!  My nephew in Nebraska was graduating that same weekend, and my sister Dawn and I tried to put together a plan where we could go to both of their graduation receptions. I knew though, that Faith would feel left out and would want to go, too. I also knew it was going to be difficult to find someone to look after Faith over Memorial Day weekend.  Our finalized plan involved Dawn traveling to South Dakota with me and Faith and then her flying to Nebraska by herself. Faith and I would then drive back to Bismarck by ourselves.  3 adventurous travelers  I must admit, as the trip got closer, I started to get a little anxious about how Faith was going to do with so much drivi...
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Faith Is No Longer a Teenager

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Last week on the 25th, Faith celebrated her 20th birthday, which means she is no longer a teenager! That morning as we drove to her day program, she asked, "Mom how did I get to be 20 so fast?" In some ways, the time has crawled by, but in other ways, it has gone so incredibly fast. 

Faith turns 20! 
When it came to planning something for her birthday, she told me she didn't want a party. I knew though, that as soon as I didn't plan one, she would change her mind. And that's exactly what happened! A few days before her birthday she was asking me who is coming to her party. I was like, "What party?" 

I had decided to just have a small gathering at our apartment. I'm glad I didn't opt for a bigger one at a larger venue, mainly because of the weather. Up until last Wednesday, we had been having the most beautiful fall ever. The colorful leaves were still on the trees and the grass was still green. We had gone to the pumpkin patch on October 19th and it was 70 degrees!

Having fun at the pumpkin patch the week before! 

Faith makes a new friend.

Her dad came to visit her on the 21st and he had remarked what a beautiful drive it had been. But on Wednesday, fall had come to a sudden halt. The temperature dropped into the 40s and it began to rain. The next day, that rain turned to snow. We had squeaked in her birthday party just in time! 

Along with the party, she celebrated by taking her birthday balloons with her to her day program. Due to some of the dietary restrictions of some of her peers, she couldn't take cupcakes. Instead, she handed out glo-stick bracelets to some of her friends. She saved the cupcakes for her friends at therapy the next day. Some of her friends sent birthday greetings in the form of video messages and voicemails, which she loved! She also had a lovely visit over the phone with her grandparents in Canada.

Ready to party! 
Birthday cake! 

Thankful for the helpers! 

Fun with family! 

I'm so glad she had such a great day! 

She had a great time at her party, eating cake, singing songs, and having lots of laughs. One of my favorite parts was just sitting back and relaxing while one guest read her birthday cards, another helped her open presents, and another folded all the tissue paper and neatly put her presents in a pile. Faith had also designated a cake cutter, so I didn't have to do that either! 

I continue to be so grateful for those who blessed her with wonderful gifts like clothes, money, wall hangings, flowers, games, a squishmallow, and other fun things. I'm so glad her 20th birthday was such a success, not to mention safe from the winter weather! 

Getting ready for bed after a fun but exhausting day! 
We ended up with 8.5 inches of snow! 

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 30, 2023 at 10:37 AM

    Beautiful pictures - a lovely view of the special day and no longer a teenager!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ivy PJuly 15, 2024 at 10:16 AM

    Lovely post

    ReplyDelete

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