Joyeux anniversaire, Dan!!!

Hey there....Alicia again!

Well, birthdays in another country can be very interesting.  I tried to make Dan's birthday as fun as possible.  I think everyone started to catch the vibe...including Benie.  She was so hyper!  You see, every year on Dan's birthday I get him a cherry pie.  Key word...."get".  Since there are no Grand Traverse Pie Companies around the corner here in Gabon...my first mission was to make him a cherry pie (which would be my first pie that I have ever made).  

Luckily!  We had the Mertzes here for a short-term mission trip.  

John Mertz is an orthopedic surgeon, and his wife, Andrea, used to be a nurse.  I was able to steal Andrea away from the hospital on Monday afternoon for "Operation:  Dan's Birthday".  Let's just say, it took us 4 ovens to finally get the pie, apple crisp, and oatmeal cookies done for Dan's birthday.  (We were feeling a bit ambitious!)

Here's the final outcome....(A huge "thanks" to Andrea)

Dan's day started with breakfast in bed.  And yes, that is an oatmeal cookie with a side of hot chocolate.  Who says you have to be healthy on your birthday?

Dan's primary gift was a Puppy!  She has been so much fun.  Isn't she getting huge?

Dan received a Lego set from Aaron Dorn.  If you look closely, you can actually see a twinkle in Dan's eye!

This was the card/book that I made for Dan.  The picture on the cover is the first picture you saw on this blog post.  

SHOES!  Dan got new shoes from his mom and dad.  He's had them for about a month now, but I re-wrapped them for his birthday.  

The card on the Left is from my parents and the one on the Right is from his parents.  We thought the difference was really funny.  Dan got a new belt and a dress shirt from my parents that are back in the States waiting for Dan's future job interviews.  

An unexpected gift from another Missionary couple: The Hofmans.  It's funny that a pop from Michigan should end up in Africa :D  This picture is supposed to be a flash-back from when it was cool to rock your boom-box on your shoulder.

We made Bacon Cheeseburgers and Fries for Dinner.  It was really good!

Finally!  I close-up on the cherry pie.  Dan has been rationing it ever since his birthday.  

Yes, you read right.  It does say, "Birthday Girl".  Birthday candles aren't too common out here.  

So surprised.  He thought he was getting an apple pie.  (Which is why we had to make an apple crisp to throw him off.)  Hehe.  

Overall....I think the birthday went well :)

One last thought...we were trying to figure out what we were doing for Dan's birthday last year.  It turns out we had a wedding shower his birthday weekend a year ago.   Isn't it crazy to think back where you were a year ago.  Now, Dan is 24, has a wife, is living in Africa, with a puppy.  Crazy!

Love from the Jungle,

Alicia & Dan