Y’s Birthday

This weekend was Y’s birthday.  It was actually Saturday, but I had a wedding shower thanks to Kate and Jennifer :)  So on Saturday Y got to have cake and celebrate with the ladies at her salon and then come to a wedding shower.  But Sunday we took off in the afternoon to spend time at the beach with friends and Lesther’s family, whom she loves.  We took the four-wheeler and she got to try to drive for the first time.  We almost crashed into a parked car and I lost some of the skin on my hands, but it was mostly successful and she was having a blast!  We swam and played and lounged on towel and in hammocks.  Some people were monkeys climbing on the bungalows.  And then we had a campfire in the sand.  It had been Jennifer’s dream to have a campfire on the beach so we decided this was the perfect time.  We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows and had fruit salad and chips and soda and cake and all kinds of goodness that makes up a birthday.  I definitely think that Y felt loved and cared for on her 17th birthday.  This has been a hard year for her.  We celebrated her 16th birthday at the same time that we celebrated the opening of Puerta de Esperanza so it is almost exactly a year that she has been with us.  It has been a year of struggles and tears and successes and fights and battles and wins and learning and so many lessons.  She has learned about Jesus, responsibility, moving forward, and is slowly learning to accept the love of God and then our love for her.  It feels like baby steps sometimes.  But it was sweet to look back and see how God has changed her this year.  I am so thankful for her and the woman that she is becoming!

I also feel the need the explain that poor Ritmo did not ask to be buried in the sand.  And even though I’m not a dog lover, I did not do this to him!  Also our little William had a double ear infection that we didn’t know about yet and helped himself to Lyssa’s towel to put himself down for a nap :)