PIRATE PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Picture this - 14 boys pretending to be pirates, making their own flags, walking the plank attacking the enemy pirate (pinata) then finishing off with some pirate cake.  Sam wanted a pirate party to celebrate his 8th birthday on Sunday and we said yes (what were we thinking?).  We had to do it INSIDE because it was so STINKING hot!!! (Mike gently warned me that something might get broken then we reminded each other that as long as Sam felt loved and honored on his birthday, it would all be ok - thankfully there were no casualties of war - the furniture, lamps and children survived!)  I haven't posted in awhile so forgive me for the many pictures - enjoy.......

birthday boy

pirate flag - haven't learned how to flip the picture!!!

again - haven't learned how to flip the picture - here is laura helping the pirates get on their "gear"

daddy helping attack the enemy........simon would NOT wear his pirate patch or hat!

the enemy!!!!

               the pirates!!!                                           dear friend kaysie surviving the heat (i think it was 85 degrees in the playroom)while she capures every scream, pummel and cheer from the pirates.........

                                    more pummeling

some of the booty ( a lego chess set) - this is sam's good friend andreas who has moved to bixby :( so he stayed the night to get some extra friend time in before school starts........

This is my awesome 10 year old.  He just celebrated his birthday - he went with some friends to Laser Quest.  Double digits - it's hard to believe!  Since I am a moron when it comes to computers, I can't seem to upload a picture from his party so this picture will have to do.  He had a wonderful birthday filled with family and friends!  This is such a fun age - we have great conversations!  Stephen loves to read, play basketball, use his imagination AND anything to do with Star Wars.  He loves to hang out with his best friend Caleb and they have big plans this summer to go to a sleep-away camp for the first time!  We went out on our monthly date last week (well we've been so busy with sports, scouts and school that we do bi-monthly now) and this was our conversation:  Me -" Hey, honey - I know it's been awhile since we've had a date so I want to remind you about opening doors, etc. for me because it'll be great practice for when you go on real dates in the future (WAY in the future but it's never too early to teach manners - right?)."
Stephen - "Mom - by the time I go on a real date, all the doors will be automatic!"

OK - here's to a fresh start....So yesterday was the 8 year anniversary of my sister's death.  It was also the 10 year anniversary of the death of my friend Susan's son - Logan.  LAST year as the day was approaching, I told Susan that for as long as I can remember I've tried to make that day one to honor Amira - one where I do things that she liked to do (except spend extravagant amounts of money on things like Dolce and Gabbana wallets).  Through that conversation we found out that we both lost our loved ones on the same day, just two years apart - it was an indescribable  moment in our friendship.  Anyway, we decided that THIS year we would spend the day together and that's just what we did.  It was a day filled with food, laughter, tears, a movie, books, pictures, sharing stories, more tears and lots of love.  It was a bittersweet day........  OK - go get a cup of tea or something because this next part might be a bit long and I'm not too eloquent.......So 8 years ago, Mike and I were at home eating take-out Mexican; Stephen was a toddler and I was pregnant with Sam.  It was an ordinary Friday night until my dad called to say that my sister was dying and I needed to get prepared - he would call me back as soon as he had more information.  He's a doctor so he spoke medical jargon which I didn't understand - I was in shock anyway.  I actually thought it was a joke (although my dad is not one to joke much).  I got off the phone and went crazy - I don't really remember much of what I said to Mike but I do remember sitting on the side of my bed begging and pleading with God to heal her.  I prayed and prayed.  I thought, "Hey God, if You heal her, then my dad can't deny that you're real.  You do this miracle and he'll become a believer , not to mention Amira's husband and all the staff at Northwestern Hospital.  What a great idea God.  Why don't you just go ahead and do that - save her."  He didn't.  My dad called about 45 minutes later to say that the doctors had gone above and beyond to try to save her but there was nothing left to do.  She had died.  I was devastated.  My parents were devastated and there was nothing I could do to make it better.  Since that time, my journey with the Lord has been up and down - I've never doubted His existence but I've wondered why.  I still wonder why but I have come to this conclusion(and remember, these are just my thoughts, not exact Biblical theology):  There is a bigger picture that we don't see - we can't because we're mere humans.  There are some questions that will never be answered this side of heaven and quite frankly once we're in heaven, I don't think we'll care about the answers.  Our time here on earth is really just a blip on the screen - it's an important blip but just a blip nonetheless.  God wants us to love Him and trust Him no matter what.  He has taken me to places in my relationship with Him that have been difficult but the outcome has been beautiful.  He has shown me my misplaced anger, degrees of doubt, selfishness and helped me grow despite them.  He has given me an eternal perspective and helped me to really see what is important in this life.  Although I DO NOT believe that God orchestrated my sister's death, I do believe He knew it was going to happen.  God has taken something that the enemy wanted to use for evil and turned it into something good - there are too many stories to share here. Just know that I have become closer to God through this heartache and have been able to see positive things come out of something horrible - I NEVER thought I could say that but I honestly can now.  God uses time and His sweet spirit to touch places in our heart that we feel will never not ache again and makes the pain less - He really does.  I used to think that if I let go of my inner anger and sadness that the death of my sister would be minimized and that her life would be less important - I desperately wanted people to know that even though I was still living my life and loving God, a piece of me was missing - Amira was too important to be forgotten and I was afraid she would either become insignificant to some or never acknowledged by others.  I don't know if that makes sense to anyone...... God told me He understood and that He would take care of it all.   Anyway, I am partly who I am because Amira was in my life and at the same time, I am partly who I am because of her death.  I will always miss her infectious smile, her ability to walk in a room and capture everyone's attention because of her genuine passion for life, her gift in cussing someone out in Italian but making it sound as if she was ordering an exotic entree, her crush on Rick Springfield, her excitement over my new pregnancy, her steadfast effort in moving towards her goals (the main one was to get to Italy and she lived there for over 2 years), her unconditional love for me, the fact that she knew everyone by name at the post office, the grocery store, the ups shipping office - you get the picture.... I am grateful to God that Amira and I never let any stone unturned - there was nothing left unsaid before she left this world.  We always talked about life and the Lord, we agreed to disagree and we always said "I love you"....... To see a beautiful picture of Amira on her wedding day, just look to yesterday's entry.  I always love to talk about my sister so if you ever want to hear fun stories, just let me know.  Also - my dad is still not a Christian BUT Luke 18:1 says "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them they should ALWAYS PRAY and NOT GIVE UP" so that is what I do in regards to my dad's salvation - maybe you can hold on to that verse for whatever your prayer need is right now.  Thanks for taking time to read this.

Currently Reading Hudson Taylor: Founder, China Inland Mission (Heroes of the Faith) By Vance Christie see related

 Tonight I poured my heart out in a blog and then accidentally .DELETED it!  Molly and Kaysie came over and bought me beautiful flowers in honor of my sister and gave me some good advice - get some sleep and then try again tomorrow.  So good night for now and I hope to wake up refreshed and ready to share some of my journey with you regarding the loss of my beautiful and amazing sister, Amira.