Thursday, August 11, 2011

Gifts and Salt Marshes: Birthday Recap Part 1

Before I get started on today’s Party Post, let me introduce you to the girls who celebrated Sarah’s Sweet Sixteenth birthday with her.

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Victoria met Sarah in Mooresville, NC when both girls were about four years old; she was a most faithful friend to Sarah during her years of cancer treatment.  Victoria is home schooled and is involved in drama and music activities through her very active home school group in Charlotte.  She  plays piano, is an equestrian, and runs a roving video camera on the tech crew at her church.  Victoria wants to go to college and then become a missionary to Israel.

Hope and Sarah met in Smithfield, NC (our last pastorate), when they both attended the church’s Christian Academy.  Like Victoria, Hope is also home schooled and in the next couple of years, wants to intern at International House of Prayer.  She is a deep thinker, has a great imagination, enjoys books of all kinds, writes poetry, loves the artist, Owl City, and wants to be a missionary/dietician in a Latin American country. 

Taylor met Sarah in their Computer Tech class when they were in 8th grade.  Her interests include biochemical weapons, engineering, and language; her options include taking those interests to a Federal Agency, the military, or (as a civilian) becoming an interpreter at the United Nations.  (Note:  Taylor’s mom teaches French and Spanish at the High School that both girls attend so Taylor comes by her love of language naturally.)

And the fourth girl in the picture?  Well, I think you may already know her.

And now that the introductions are over, lets get started . . .

As the girls arrived and the gathering started getting into full swing, Snowy kept running around saying, “Hey! Four teenage girls in this house?  Did anyone think to ask MY permission before allowing such an estrogen-based gathering to take place in my own personal abode?”

However, despite his initial masculine reservations, he did end up playing an important role in the following party incident.

The four girls had headed up to Sarah’s room and plopped on the floor where they started talking and getting acquainted.  (None of Sarah’s friends had met each other before this party.)  When I went up a few minutes later with my camera and doggie in tow, I started laughing because it looked exactly like the girls were seated around a campfire.   When I told them that, they started laughing too and immediately started to pretend like they were roasting marshmallows. (I may have even heard a verse of Kumbaya in there somewhere.)

Snowy immediately ran over to do a full and thorough investigation.

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After pondering the proceedings momentarily, he made an unusually fizzling fast deduction in his usually unfizzling brain and decided that, alas!  The campfire was missing!  The girls were roasting marshmallows over a non existent campfire.   Alas!  Again!

He quickly made his pronouncement,  “Wait one moment, ladies.  You have been woefully deceived.  You seem to think that there is a campfire in your midst when there is not.  However, I am willing to lend a little assistance here, in the interest of providing good public relations for the Smith Household.”

He then made his way to the center of the circle and threw himself unselfishly and wholeheartedly into the creation the girls’ own personal campfire. (Or maybe he was just there to sniff the marshmallows—we may never know.)

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After the marshmallow-ing and kumbaya-ing was finished, it was time for the serious business of getting ready. Taylor was the hair and make up artist for the evening and did a wonderful job.

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She did a fish tail braid on Sarah which looked especially elegant.  And may I just add that at this point in her life, Sarah has come to the sad little conclusion that her mom is not the one to turn to for hairstyles (braids, updos and the like) or fancy make up advice.  Since those are not areas where I have great, shareable skills, I’m glad she has beauty-savvy friends to instruct her in the way in which she should go.

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Not only is Taylor a good makeup and hair gal, she is also gifted in the tallness area.  In this picture, she put on her heels and Sarah didn’t, just as a fun way to emphasize the difference between them.

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Victoria is wearing flats in this picture but she is about as tall as Taylor. I think it’s funny that my diminutive daughter has chosen such statuesque friends.  (Hope is somewhere in between the three.)

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After the campfiring, make-upping, dress-upping and prerequisite posing . . .

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  . . . the girls went downstairs for the gift exchange.

Now I realize that at most birthday parties, the guest of honor is supposed to get the gifts.  (And Sarah did receive some lovely things.)  However, about a week before everyone was to arrive, she told me that she wanted to go out and buy things for her friends. With her collected allowances, she went shopping and carefully selected a couple things for each girl.   It was a joyful gift giving extravaganza at its finest.  Victoria got a necklace (you can see Sarah presenting it in the picture), Hope got a bracelet, and Taylor got a ring. Plus, Sarah got each girl a fancy piece of chocolate in the shape of a flip flop.  (We ARE at the beach, after all.)

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From Taylor, Sarah got a gorgeous, glass inkwell pen with accompanying ink and a pen rest. How is that for a perfect and unique writer’s gift?

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One of Sarah’s favorite artists is Reliant K and she had asked for a certain one of their CD’s.  Well,  Hope bought her that CD, plus two more, all in a set.  Sarah was thrilled.

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And the girls were thrilled with her being thrilled.

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Victoria gave a gift that represented a lot of time and love—a scrapbook of pictures and descriptions going back over their twelve years of their friendship.  It was a sweet and meaningful gift.

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After the gifts were exchanged, it was time to leave the house for the great beyond.

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“The great beyond what?" you may ask.

Well, would you believe that Steve and I were actually crazy enough on a blisteringly hot, humid, Southern day to take four beautifully dressed girls to the salt marshes of Roanoke Island?

Yup. We sure did.

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To be continued. . .

(Also, in the next post, answers to the questions/comments that have been left.)

 

 

4 Had Something To Say (Just click here!):

Anonymous said...

Oh Becky, I cannot believe that you missed the obvious. Snowy was BEING the marshmallow... of course! And I love how the girls took care of each other; what a lovely thing. I don't think my friends and I ever did hair and makeup together; that would have been a fun memory! I love all of the presents given and received, but I love the scrapbook the most...

Anonymous said...

looks like Snowy got a new "do", too.

Victoria, Hope and Taylor have such wonderful plans for their futures, as does the Birthday Girl, of course.
No wonder Sarah shares a beautiful friendship with each of them.

mrs pam

Sue G said...

Enough time has elapsed between Sweet 16 posts. I'm ready for the next entry.

Commence!!

Katrina said...

I agree with Sue here! Been checking the whole evening. ^^