sweet sixteen.

It was a super busy weeekend!

Friday night was the football game.

Then Saturday a bunch of girls from church who I'm privileged to call my friends from a completely different generation, got together to celebrate Chelsea's Sweet 16.

She had actually turned 16 the Tuesday before that but a proper Sweet 16 celebration could not be had on a weeknight! ;) So, we celebrated by having breakfast at IHOP, going to see Despicable Me, spent some time shopping, grabbed a snack, then rode the carousel. Followed by a much-deserved Saturday afternoon nap (at least that last part was me.) :) Here are some pictures from our day.

This man was just sitting out on his swing waving at every single car that passed by. Made me wonder if he does that all the time. Am I'm not talking about one of those little 'Hey, how ya doin' waves' that we're partial to in the south. This was a full-out 'Hey, I hope you're having a great day and I want you to see me and wave back' waves.

Birthday girl!
She reminds me a lot of myself at 16.
She talks.
A. LOT.
She never meets a stranger.

But on the flip-side, she has a passion for bringing people to Christ that I did not have at that age. A while ago, I was talking to her about Ricky, a homeless guy who I helped out last winter. I hadn't seem him in months and he just popped in my head one night. I was sad because I had never outright asked him if he was saved or knew about God, church, anything. Chelsea said, "Well Bekah, that's why you should ask people about God the first time you meet them. You may not get a second chance."

That really stuck with me. I'm all for building relationships and actually getting to know a person and witnessing to them by showing them love, but sometimes, you just have to come right out and ask. She reminded me of that.

Mostly everybody got chocolate chip pancakes. YUM!

We went and saw Despicable Me and it was ADORABLE!
If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
SO. CUTE.
It has so many cute one-liners that I can't even remember them all, but a little girl, Agnes, really steals the show. :)

We took a mirror picture in the bathroom.
Mainly because I had never done it before and this was a day all about having fun and feeling free and...so...we did. :)
The quality isn't that great. But...oh well. :)

This is our silly faces mirror bathroom pic.

I just love this pic because of the stripes.

They are such teenagers. Love it.

Since we were already at the mall, we did some afternoon shopping.
Cori is such a model and was trying to decide on this hat.
She didn't buy it that day, but eventually winded up going back the next day and getting it.
Ha!

I love this pic. Minus the price tag.
Charlotte Russe had some beautiful jewelry.
I got a bracelet that I love.
And I'm not entirely sure this is legal.
Taking pictures in a store, that is. :-/

$2.99? For some cute clothes?
Yes.
Please.
And thank you. :)

Our breakfast had kind of worn off so we snacked on some pretzel from the pretzel shop.
I got a cinnamon sugar one.
Oh my goodness, it was sooooooooooo good.

The carousel at the mall.
This may be one of my favorite pictures that I've ever taken.
And I've taken a LOT of pictures.
The girls rode while Molly, Kristin and I stood and watched.
But all the pictures of them actually riding are really blurry.

Second favorite picture I've ever taken. I think. I don't know. I just love it.

All in all, it was one of the best Saturdays I've had in a really long time.
Who knew that hanging out with 6 girls that are 10 years younger than you could be so much fun? We're going to have to do it again really soon.
Birthday celebrations or not.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.
For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.
Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; But how can one be warm alone? Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

-Ecclesiastes 4:9-12