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Showing posts with the label dance

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...

Faith's Spring Dance Performances

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 Lately, I've been feeling very fortune to live in a community that provides so many activities for those with special needs and disabilities. Last year on her 21st birthday, Faith began taking adaptive dance classes at Northern Plains Dance (NPD). They offer five sessions throughout the year. We opted out of the session offered in January and February, mainly just to avoid being out in the brutal weather winter more than we have to be.  Faith working on some dance skills with ribbons.  During the February/March sessions, her class began practicing for their "big performance," which would take place during the student showcase. All of the dancers at NPD participated in this showcase. Her class would be performing to "Can't Stop the Feeling" by Justin Timberlake.  Faith was excited not only because of the song, but because both of her dance partners would be on stage dancing with her. During the sessions, her partners take turns with her from week to week, ...

Faith Turns 21!

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Faith's 21st birthday was on Friday the 25th and it ended up being an all-day celebration! She didn't sleep well the night before, so I was a little concerned she would run out of steam, but she just kept going! It ended up being a beautiful fall day, so I didn't even need to put a jacket on her, which is rare for the end of October.  Faith in her new birthday shirt!  This year, she was able to bring cupcakes to HIT. Last year, due to the dietary restrictions of her peers, she didn't bring any treats. This year, however, she is a new room, where they truly love their snacks! After I dropped her off, I raced around like a maniac getting her ballons, presents, and everything else ready for the surprise party we would be having at the end of the day.  Faith with some of her staff making a cupcake delivery.  When I picked her up from her day program, I informed her that some friends of mine that I worked with wanted to give her a special birthday treat. So, we made our w...