Fresh Perspective

Always so good to see our parents.  We enjoyed our brief few days with my parents.  And will look forward to our week at the beach with them. Papa introduces us to 3D movies, right in their home. Mother faithfully made us a delightful Christmas cake (English tradition).  Such a sweet treat! Walkie-Talkies for Birthday celebrations. Making their own pizza’s. What a lovely couple!!! : ) Feeling loved and nurtured in Traveller’s Rest.  Thanks Mom and Dad for a lovely stay.  

I don’t envy my in-laws for having to help us “adjust” our first week back.  We are so upside down in our schedules……from wanting to sleep when we should be awake.  Yet they are gracious and in time we do adjust.  Here are just a few snap shots of our first week back.   At Taco Bell with Cousin Christopher We went straight to Taco Bell upon landing in Nashville.  So good to see my SIL, Malinda. Rachel, loves Aubrey. We are amazed to hear Brian and David on the banjo and guitar.  Yeehaw! On Grandma and Grandpa’s farm….watching the hay be cut. OK….the food has been SMASHING! Jacob turns 10.  3 kids/double digits. Aunt Malinda offering comfort to Nathaniel for his elbow scrap. My sweet mother-in-law who went above and beyond to make us comfortable. Darla (who did all kinds of fun things with the cousins this week) and parents chatting. Uncle Steve. Ahhhh…..I didn’t get pictures with Uncle Mike and the cousins kayaking. ; 0  M...

Despite clearing my schedule of anything but getting ready for departure date……there were many pressing needs, mainly at the clinic.  One of our x-pat missionaries was critically ill.  You know you have reached that status, when 5 nurses are working on you!  Also when a Medical Evacuation flight is called.  This was my first time to be involved in a medical evacuation.  Honestly, I didn’t even know who the chief pilot was, who I should have called first……but the ball got rolling.  This was all on Wednesday when I went in to do my usually clinic hours.  Usually Michelle and I handle this together.  However, Ben stayed by.  We knew a man was coming to us with Dengue Fever, and continuous vomiting and muscles cramping.  I am just so grateful to both Ben and Michelle.  We worked continuously together on this patient until 9 p.m. that evening, whether it was direct patient care or making all the phone calls to insurance companies,  ...

Just in the past 3 months I have stopped going to the market alone.  My friend Nancy, has no motorcycle or car.  My friend Lalah, has a motor cycle, but is feeding many people a week in her home…..so it is difficult to carry all the food back on a motor cycle.  Besides, it is so much fun going to the market with these girls.  We giggle and laugh on the way, usually sharing little snippets of our week or our different ways of life, or English words.  Once we get to the market we disperse, all getting the veggies and fruits needed for our families. Occasionally we bump into each other and help each other find different things.  The size of the market is probably as vast as a Walmart.  Stand after little stand, filled with some sort of vegetable, fruit, dry good, clothing, shoes, meat, fish that one could ever want.  You know the more I think about it…..the market is Indonesian’s version of Walmart.  Everything you need in one place at one stop....