Kitchen Creativity

While we were recently making shrimp scampi, Austin decided to slice and shape the cucumbers into his own shrimp design. 
Well done!

Frangipani Braids

Marietta, the receptionist at our Alotau center, sports this exquisite hair style named after the lovely, tropical Frangipani flower.

Another Hair pic--chains

 

Sweet Kylah loves having long hair and I love the chance to play with it.

How we celebrate the ending of rainy season!

Rainy season is almost over and after seeing a few lovely sunny days we decided to take a little day trip out to our favorite island getaway,the Killertons, to celebrate sunshine.  We joined our friends, the Harri's for a day of sand playing, swimming, boating, shelter building, grilling finnish pancakes, and exploring the ruins of an old church taken over by the tropical rainforest. ( I always imagine it as the perfect setting for a Celtic wedding.) There ended up being less sunshine than we hoped for but the day was beautiful nonetheless.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Weston

Our little man Weston turned 6! 
His Indiana Jones themed party turned more into a snake theme and was enjoyed by all his sweet friends in Alotau.   We played Cockroach dance, bobbed for apples, and had a treasure hunt. 
So fun to celebrate our sweet boy's life!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pavlova

Not only do real men bake--but they make the most beautiful desserts ever.
Austin and Lucas work together to create our favorite Aussie/Kiwi dessert known as Pavlova--the Australians and New Zealanders have long fought over who created it first. 

 

 

Now if I could just remember to take a picture of the finished product before it disappears!

Independence Day

We always enjoy the Independence Day celebrations in Alotau.  The day starts with parades, dancing, speeches; as well as flip-flop tosses and the annual greasy pole climb.

 

 

We had to laugh as the only child without shoes was ours!

 

This was a sentimental surprise to see someone wearing a shirt from our home church in Florida!

 

Happy 37th Independence Day PNG!

Flat!

We had the joy of traveling out to a local village to share in the dedication of the completed New Testament book of Mark in the Bhutu language, as translated by Russ and Mary Cooper and their language helpers.
Unfortunately, on our way out to this beautiful celebration, the car we were riding in got a flat tire.
And, oh, the spare too was flat.
 

Fortunately, a local PMV (Public Motor Vehicle) stopped to offer assistance and a ride to the village.  We actually enjoyed the opportunity to travel via this local vehicle.

Unfortunately, the tires weren't the only thing to go flat.  So did our camera battery!  Just before we arrived to the dedication.
It was, however, a big celebration, filled with singing, dancing, drama and hours of speeches (4 to be exact!) topped off with a celebratory meal with delectable crabs, pig, and heaps of local vegetables.
Along with BTA, our sister organization translators, we were gifted a large live pig and a small mountain of veggies.
Thankfully, our return trip home was uneventful except for the thrill of riding home in the Governor's vehicle with the Governor himself!