17!!!

Wow! I'm seventeen. A kid told me that she couldn't wait until she was a big kid. Okay whats new about that? I think every one has an age that they are waiting for. You might be forty but in your mind you think of yourself as twenty-eight. Well I might be seventeen but I think of myself as sixteen...not really I'v thought of myself as eighteen since I was ten...just kidding.
 I had a wonderful Birthday! Yes the day is over. As I write this my clock says it is 12:00 pm for you guys States side.Well, what did I do? Friday night we had the Rains girls (Ashlyn, Winnie, and Suzy) over for a sleep over. We went to bed with no electricity and woke up with no electricity. I had Suzy and Winnie sleeping with me and once Suzy and I positioned Winnie so she wouldn't snore we had a good night. I was awaken by a certain "little person"/Suzy who decided that 6:30 am was late enough to sleep in. I tried to get this "little person" to give me a birthday back rub but unfortunately the only kind of back rub she knows how to give is the kind where you "crack" the persons back. So we gave up on that idea. Since Suzy and I were the only ones awake we decided to play with the doll house until everyone woke up. (yes even at seventeen I can play with doll houses.) Dad made me birthday pancakes which we all enjoyed heartily. (I had to put that in just in case he reads this.) We entertained ourselves until around 1:00 pm when the electricity came back on. At 2:30 pm we went out on visitation.(What a great way to spend your birthday.) We had several good witnessing opportunities. We came back to church and went to a restaurant across from church to wait for Pastor Rains. While we were going into the restaurant, an older man, who sometimes comes to our church stopped to talk with us. When he found out that we were going into the restaurant just to wait for Pastor Rains he told us to go in and get a soda and put it on his bill. I was so touched. Here was a man who barely knew us and was doing something kind without expecting anything in return. It really was a nice touch to my day. When we got home Mom and Dad had a nice Steak dinner waiting. Last year my father took us to "Nyama Choma Ranch" for my birthday. It was there that I had my first taste of Crocodile, Ostrich, and Camel. All of which was good, but when dad marinates steak there is nothing better. So ends a very Happy Birthday.
By Emily Swain (a very Happy Birthday Girl)

New Born

Me 9 months

Me and My Daddy