Nathanael’s 15th

This past weekend was Nathanael’s 15th birthday party. No, no fancy clothes and massive parties for the boys, as there are for the girls. However, we did want to do something special.

So – the detective theme was born. As the invitation said, “A criminal genius and an absent master detective . . . Can you solve the mystery and celebrate a birthday at the same time?”

And so, after some hot dogs and burgers, Nathanael and his friends went into the “mystery room” – a kind of home-made escape room (though no one was actually locked in), where the group had to figure out the name of the criminal, where he had hid the bomb, and how to diffuse it. In 60 minutes.

They did quite well, unlocking and unscrewing, reading invisible ink, solving puzzles and even working something called a “cassette player”, to discover the truth. Hannah even got to help with a clue via telephone! Here you can see the first few minutes (in a few seconds!) of their search for clues…

And here they are, with the photo of the criminal genius after solving the mystery:

Of course, after all that hard work, a cake was needed. And thanks to Shari, it did not disappoint…

We also enjoyed the company (and help!) of the group that was visiting from Still Water Community Church, along with Rod (and his BBQ – thanks, Rod!). I admit we were a bit distracted, but it seems like they enjoyed their visit, and we did have a bit of conversation in the midst of the chaos!

As we did with Hannah, we also made Nathanael a “Heritage Book”, with stories and pictures from the men in the family back many generations, and personal letters from many of the men in the family who he has known growing up. Thanks to all those who helped!

And now, the house is more or less back in order, and all the 15th birthday parties are over. The mystery is – where in the world did all those years go?!