Jay's Birthday 2014

Plans for celebrating Jay’s birthday began last January when our children asked what we wanted for our birthdays in August.  We received a package with birthday gifts the beginning of July.  One never knows how long a package takes to arrive. I am still waiting for one package that was mailed around the same time.  

A few months ago I found manicotti shells in our store.  I thought I should purchase them to have as that is one of Jay’s favorite meals. I have never seen them sold there before. I also made use of a medevac trip to Australia in July where I bought a couple gifts for Jay.

Saturday I walked to a friend’s house in order to find a container to hold the cake in. I made spaghetti sauce from scratch with tomatoes from market and some caned tomato paste. I boiled my manicotti noodles but they all fell apart in pieces.  So I searched the internet on how to make manicotti noodles.  I ended up using 2 store noodles and eight homemade ones.  I grated the last of my mozzarella cheese. (The store is out and I do not know when they will get more) I made powdered milk and then cottage cheese out of it. I cut up some vegetables I had bought at the market Friday morning and bleached.

The birthday package contained a Betty Crocker German chocolate cake mix. So I made it in 2 round cake pans.  I was able to find ingredients for coconut pecan frosting which I made and frosted the cake with.

So Sunday we came home from church and prepared for Jay’s birthday dinner.  We invited our friends to join us and she brought delicious rolls to add our meal.  So we enjoyed manicotti, meatballs, rolls, lettuce and raw vegetables.  The kids enjoyed my strawberry lemonade from fresh strawberries and lemons. After dinner Jaime and her daughter Morgan helped me with dishes. While the boys’ ground coffee beans to press coffee. Jason actually roasted the beans himself.

Jay opened his gifts with the help of the two girls.  However they were a little dismayed when he opened cards first and actually read them.  Thank you Mack’s for the card and Smith’s for the note.  After gifts we prepared the cake.  The package contained birthday napkins, plates and lots of candles.  So the girls helped me put 50 candles on the cake while the adults helped me light them.  We sang quickly and Jay managed to blow them all out.  So we enjoyed cake, coffee and ice cream. I had made the ice cream last week.  Thank you Kitchen’s for lending me the ice cream maker. So that concluded our birthday celebration for Jay's 50th birthday.

 

putting candles on the cake

Yes he blew them all out

removing the candles

Thank you for the gifts

Spring activities 2014

Since it has been a while since my last post I will not bore you with details but just show some pictures of what we have been participating in during Elijah's fourth term of his junior year of high school.

Softball for boys. Jay coached.  Elijah pitched and played third base.

Sport's Day Annual school event and community activity

Elijah ran in the 1500 meter

Group competition

Blue against the Red

Elijah second to last

Victory round Blue won

Elijah was cheering

Our visitors Judy and Michael

Spending Sort's day with us

One of our meals together

Banquet (Similar to prom) An evening for the junior and seniors to enjoy. We started with a bare meeting place/gymnasium. The parents of juniors and seniors worked to transform it into TREASURE ISLAND. People in the community also volunteered their time, supplies and skills.

I was on the committee to make invitations

What we started with

The parents presented a play honoring the seniors.  They practiced all week.

Jay's project was making a shipwreck frame. Others volunteered their painting skills

Friends helped

Upstairs had game and activity booths

Bowling

Juice/Smoothie bar

Even the bathrooms were decorated

Outside entrance

I was on the foods committee

Caribbean salad with sweet orange vinaigrette, Jim's jerk chicken with coconut sauce, Ben Gunn's treasure of rice pearls, Smollet's garlic greens, Crisp sweet potatoes guineas,  Spanish coast lime cheesecake with strawberry glaze

One of the games was shooting balloons

Junior class

Boys in Elijah's class

The night after the parents presented the play for the community and we got to walk through and see the sights.

South 2 North 2 East 2 West in 5 Days

I want to share my crazy week with you including pictures. Not many weeks contain the excitement of this particular week in February. I am grateful for that, but also to God who enabled me to experience this week and his beautiful creation.

It started out as a usual Monday morning.   Around 10:30 I was called to help in the treatment room on the ex-pat side.  The treatment room has a stretcher in it and some supplies and equipment we have available to take care of “ER” patients.  When I arrived in the treatment room I found the other two nurses taking care of a very sick patient.  Together, along with the doctor, we cared for the patient throughout the day and night. This included taking shifts during the night.  In the morning the patient remained sick.  The tests we were able to do showed an infection but we could not diagnosis a specific cause. So with the help of many people, the way was cleared to send the patient to Australia. It was my turn to go. Tuesday around 10am we flew out of Ukarumpa in a Kodiak airplane. 

We arrived in Cairns, Australia, around 2pm.  An ambulance met us at the airport and took us to a hospital.  The ER was busy but when they saw the sick patient they took her back almost immediately.  I stayed a couple hours observing the good care she received.  I left the patient and her friend and headed out.

Due to the activities of the day I had not eaten very much.  So I had a taxi take me to the esplanade where all the restaurants were.  Being there before, I was more familiar with places. I enjoyed a nice meal and some ice cream by the water front.

I shopped at a grocery store and headed back to the place I would spend the night, Tree Tops, where we also stayed in January. I went on Facebook and enjoyed the fact I was not paying for every megabyte of use. Wednesday the taxi picked me up at 4am so I could catch the 6 am commercial flight back to Port Moresby, PNG.  I spent my time reading a book while waiting for the flight. The flight from Port Moresby to Ukarumpa did not leave until after 3pm.  I made it to my home eventually by 5pm, in time to fix supper. All in all I was off the Center for 30 hours.

Thursday I went into work and had the privilege to go to a village clinic on the other side of the airport and up the mountain.  The road was rough and muddy with deep rut in places.  At the end of the time we decided we saw around 53 children. I had the privilege of giving many shots that day.
  

top of the mountain

gardens...main food source for the people

Mothers bring their children

Talking to each mother

Village homes

View of our airport from the mountain

Friday I had off of work to go to a basketball tournament to watch Elijah play.  It was in Goroka, a two hour drive away.  We left around 6 am and arrived back around 6pm.  It was fun to cheer on the high school teams on the indoor court and the outdoor court at New Tribe’s Mission. However, sitting in the sun outside is not anything like the high school basketball games I watched in Wisconsin. 

So I traveled from Ukarumpa to Australia to a local village and then two hours the opposite way to a town. It was an eventful week. I am thankful for the prayers which helped me through the week.