Ellie celebrated a milestone birthday that I think every parent agrees arrives in a blink. One minute your child is 13 and the next, she is talking about leaving the nest!
We were thankful to have the presence of WGM friends, who chose to extend their stay in Albania for one week to wait upon the arrival of their luggage, stuck on a luggage cart for over a week at O'Hare Airport. They're luggage eventually caught up with them, just a few days before they left us to continue their journey to PNG! In the meantime, they got a glimpse of our life in the village, got to site see in Tirana, and celebrate some big events like Ellie's birthday (below) and later, Luli and Hannah's village wedding celebration!
Ellie's favorite activity at Latitude is to tackle the climbing walls. It's something she can do at her own pace, and she loves the sense of personal accomplishment when she reaches the top! In addition to confidence, it builds problem solving skills and works upper and lower body muscles!
Her special request was no surprise -- a visit to her favorite dessert shop in Tirana for bananas and Nutella on a waffle!
Later that night we enjoyed s'mores over the firepit and a special homemade birthday cake made and decorated by Erica -- what a special gift! Ellie was thrilled!
Earlier that day she had been surprised by waking up to a home specially decorated by Melissa and Chloe, complete with balloons, streamers, and these life-size "Ellie heads!"
After seeing the numerous Facebook posts of her American friends posting prom photos this spring, Ellie asked for a special dress she could wear to the Luli and Hannah's wedding event and her summer piano recital. She found a dress she liked online and we took the image to the local dressmaker, Roza, in Marikaj. Roza is incredibly talented, and we think the dress turned out prettier than the photo we supplied!
At her fitting, Ellie was able to indicate exactly the sleeve size, belt design, and back she wanted for her dress. The entire experience (including shooting a video for Roza's Instagram account) brought so many smiles to our girl.
The day after Ellie's birthday, we all dressed up and drove into Tirana for her Thursday evening recital!
Ellie's performance took place at the Liceu music school in Tirana, across the street from the US Embassy. We were proud of her and her performance!
We were also pleased to bring a supportive audience. The photo below was taken at a local Greek fast-food restaurant where we picked up something to eat beforehand!
Ellie's birthday celebration was capped off with a special surprise after church on Friday, when everyone sang to her and Laura (whose birthday falls the day after Ellie's)!
Ellie -- we are so proud of the beautiful young woman you are growing up to be. Your creativity sparkles, and you love people so generously. You are kind, eager to help and a loyal friend. These are just some of the qualities that I see in you. We don't know what the future holds, but we trust God to reveal your next steps as we trust his plan for you! Your life is a gift that blesses us each and every day. Keep loving God and others, and remember :
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
Love,“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8).
Mom
Ellie's 18th year re-cap
https://youtube.com/shorts/OHu0-0VnHJM?feature=share
https://youtube.com/shorts/OHu0-0VnHJM?feature=share
No comments:
Post a Comment