Nineteen-Twenties

Saturday Esther called me and asked me if i would like to go to breakfast with her. Of course i said yes! When i got there Esther was already sitting at the table. We sat and laughed, then Rylee and her mom showed up! "Oh hey!" Esther said "Is it cool if we kidnap Rylee and she could have breakfast with us?" Of course Rylee's mom agreed, and so we all sat around eating breakfast and asking random questions like, if you witnessed a murder and had to go into the witness protection program what would you change your name to? Or if you could design your room in any way what would you do? We talked about favorite movies and books, and laughed at funny memories. Esther asked if we'd like to hang out at her house for a couple of hours, we both said sure and we headed off. When we got there Esther said she need something in her room so Rylee and I followed her in. "Surprise!" They both said. There, in her room, was dresses laying all out on the bed, jazz music playing on the computer, i turned around and my dad and his friend Kevin had come and brought my camera! "Happy late birthday!" Esther laughed! We were going to have a 20s photoshoot! Ahhh! We all sat around on the bed getting ideas for what to do with make-up and hair. Emilie, Esther's sister, came and did all of our hair! And let me tell you she was HARDCORE!! She did awesome! Esther did our make-up and the had gone shopping a month earlier (I have THE coolest friends) and gotten 1920s style clothes! We all got ready, which took a mere 2ish hours, and began taking pictures!! This is my first official photoshoot with my camera so i'm still trying to figure it out :P

Rylee is such a fabulous model!

Esther, you are truly gorgeous!!

 

Photo credit to Rylee

Photo credit to Rylee

Photo credit to Rylee

Photo credit to Rylee

Photo credit to Esther

  

Photo credit to Esther

This one is one of my favorites!

Favorite!!

Love this one!

They are so beautiful!!

Here are some pictures that Esther took :)

Funny story behind this pictures, because we were taking like a bucket load of pictures, my memory card filled up, so i was going through and deleting pictures in this photo :P

I had a great time! Thanks so much Esther and Rylee for the wonderful surprise :D

Sweet Sixteen

I have spent the past 3ish months counting down the days till my sweet sixteen. But yesterday morning i got up and said to myself "0 days til my birthday!" I couldn't help but give a little giggle. My mom made fun rainbow-themed signs and hung them all around the house. She had one hanging at the end of my bed saying, "Happy birthday to our favorite 16 year old!" Now i didn't turn 16 until 2am today (American time) but still! As i got up Annie and Garrett ran to hug me and whispered in excited, giddy little voices "Happy birthday, Sissa!" Mom wouldn't let me in the kitchen because she was making a surprise breakfast, but soon the smell of biscuits and cocoa couldn't be hidden. Mmmmm my favorite! Jenna, the girl living with us, came in, wished me a happy birthday, and joined us for breakfast. We all sat around and ate and laughed at fun memories. Then Laura laid three gifts in front of me. "Happy birthday!" she smiles. I quickly rip the paper of one, a moleskine!!! My favorite soda and a candy bar, and finally a yard of beautiful green and brown fabric. I thanked everyone for their wonderful gifts and we got ready to head over to our friends' house. 

We planned to drop the kids off at our friend's house and my mom, my friend Rylee, her mom, and I all head off to go to lunch at our favorite restaurant, then go to a craft store, and go back to our friend's house to have pizza. It was perfect! We laughed as we ate, talked about driving, laughed, and laughed some more! They were so nice and brought fun confetti and balloons. 

Sorry, Sankofa, for leaving the balloons there! But it can be your official party table :) 

Then we went to our friend's house. Everything was quiet...too quiet. Now if you know our two families you know that when we get together it's kinda tough to keep the little kids quiet, so i should've guessed, but of course i didn't. We all go inside and i hear a loud "SURPRISE!!!!" 

Black, pink, and white streamers hang from the ceiling. One of our dear family friends jump out from behind a wall. I couldn't hold back my tears. All of my dear friends are there. They went through all this work for me! I felt so so so loved! I hugged everyone of them, i couldn't stop crying. It was wonderful! After we all finished hugging and laughing at my shocked face, Laura's friend Dylann had planned a dance off on Just Dance for Wii! 

Oh my sides still hurt from laughing so hard! Even the dads got into it :) It was so much fun! Once everyone was tired and sweaty, the kids made me a throne, and told me to sit down. 

Then they handed me my gifts. I got a coffee mug, pens, To Kill a Mockingbird, fabric, tea bags, "Snow White and the Huntsmen", and yummy sweets from Jenna, a PERFECT photography book from the Becks, an awesome tee-shirt from Eddie and Emilie, a cat figurine from Rylee (haha still can't stop laughing!), a funny picture from Dylann, a beautiful quilt, and fun cards! Then came the last gift, everyone is around me was smiling as i tore off the paper. Seriously!? My mom starts to laugh, 

Yup this picture pretty much defines how i felt. A canon 60d!!!! "Really?!" I said looking up at my dad. He nodded and smiled. All mine! I'm not gonna lie, i've hinted for a few years to my parents about how i wanted that camera, but i never actually thought they would fall for it and get me one. Thanks to all my family members who helped get this for me! It's perfect!!

And here it was, in my lap! At last :D And it couldn't have come at a more perfect time! Because we are going to have a lay over in London when we come back on furlough, and we are going to be traveling America seeing family when on furlough! And know i have this beauty to take amazing pictures!! Eeeep! Oh goodness!! I can't stop smiling!!!

Pizza arrived and we all plop down the couch and watching The Avengers. Yes you read that right. Jenna owns The Avengers. That's just one of the few perks of living in Uganda!

Such fun memories were made! I had a blast! It was truly the best birthday ever ;) 

I'm 16! And i pray that God would use me for His plan <3

Thank you so much to all my wonderful friends who planned the party, and to everyone who wished me a happy birthday! It was fabulous!!

Thank you mom for taking these pictures!!