Alex's 6th Birthday

We spent Alex's 6th birthday in Oklahoma at Nana and Papa's house. It was also Thanksgiving. He got to have the party with his cousins Marli and Marcus. We had pizza and had a moon rock scavenger hunt to go with his Buzz Lightyear party. Then he opened some presents and had cake and ice cream. Later that evening we had Thanksgiving dinner.

Becky's Jewelry

Becky was introduced to making jewelry several months ago by her mom. She loves putting together earrings, bracelets, and necklaces and her pieces are looking great. She's even been taking some classes at a local college. Here's a few of her recent ones.

Paella

I tried a new recipe for paella last night that was very tasty. I modified it slightly from a recipe in Parade magazine by Paul Angelucci. It is a modification of a traditional Spanish dish. It even came out a little sweet. This recipe serves 8 - the next time I'm going to cut it in half. Prepare as much ahead of time as you can.

For the rice:
2 Tbs olive oil, 2 cups converted rice, 1 large onion - chopped, 2 Tbs chopped garlic, 1 c. salsa, 4 c. hot chicken broth

For the rest:
2 Tbs olive oil, 1 large onion - chopped, 1 lb. smoked sausage - sliced 1/2 in. thick, 2 tsp paprika, 1 lb. chicken breast cut into 1 1/2 in. pieces, 2 carrots - cut into 1/2 inch dice, 1 red bell pepper - seeded and cut into 1/2 in. dice, 2 Tbs. chopped garlic, salt and pepper to taste, 1 lb large peeled shrimp, 2 c. frozen peas - thawed

For the Rice: Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the rice and onion: cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice begins to brown lightly - about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the salsa and stir until liquid is absorbed. Stir in the hot chicken broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let it rest, covered, for 20 minutes.

For the rest: Heat the oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and smoked sausage and cook, stirring, until the onion softens. Sprinkle in the paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken, carrots, bell pepper, garlic and salt/pepper to taste. Cook, stirring frequently until the chicken is cooked through. Add the shrimp and peas and cook until the shrimp turns pink. Mix it with the rice and serve.

Hairspray the Musical

On Sunday we saw the matinee showing of Hairspray the Musical. Neither of us had seen it before, nor the John Waters movie on which it was based. This was a great show - one of the best we have ever seen. The music was very catchy and varied. We really loved the message in the show - you can't always judge a book by its cover. Please try to see this whenever you can. You'll love it.

Alex's Kid Party

Alex's birthday is in less than 2 weeks, but since it is so close to Thanksgiving every year (actually on it this year), it is hard to have a "kid" party without everyone being out of town. So, we had it today at Chuck E. Cheese's. Alex had about 17 of his friends there. They played games, rode rides, ate pizza, danced with Chucky and ate a little cake. Alex had a blast and it seemed like everyone else did too.

Sesame Street Live 2005

Last night we went to the 2005 production of Sesame Street Live when it came to the Seagate Convention Center. The theme was "Super Grover: Ready For Action!" and it was great. The kids got to see their favorite Sesame Street characters dance and sing about getting your superness by getting plenty of sleep, eating good food, keeping clean with good hygiene, and exercising your muscles. Both of them loved it.

Our Sweet Boys

Becky wanted a picture of the boys together for a special project she has planned. We couldn't have asked for sweeter smiles, and a nice hand hold from Aaron.

Alex's Kindergarten Picture

This is Alex's 2005-06 Kindergarten picture. What a great smile!

Surgery in the mobile clinic

On our first day in New Orleans, we set up a clinic from 9 to 5 in an empty hospital parking lot in a part of town that had been flooded. The first day started a little slow, but we got busier as word of our presence spread. Some New Orleans police officers came by and got immunizations that they hadn't had a chance to get yet. A few hours later one of the cops we helped brought in a fellow officer who had been injured in his own home. He had been using a carpet knife to cut out rotted carpet from his own home and had sliced right across his index finger. It missed major vessels and tendons, but needed to be sewn up. The nurses on our team cleaned it out and we quickly assembled a suture kit, sterile gloves, and suture. I was able to close the wound right there in the mobile VA truck that had come down from NY for us to use. He would have to follow up at an area hospital that had re-opened - the closest was 30-45 minutes away - to get the stitches out in a few days. I did 2 other laceration repairs in that location.

Katrina mission pictures are online

I've put pictures from my trip to Louisiana online at http://jevansfp.photosite.com/Katrina/. If you click on a picture on the bottom of the filmstrip, it will pop up to the center picture spot. If you click on the center picture, it will blow up to a larger one with captions and you can then use the arrow keys to move through one at a time. There is also a slideshow button which takes them fullscreen. On each of the single photo pages there is a "Save to my computer" link. If you need a higher quality copy to print, let me know and I'll email it to you. There were several pictures that didn't come out well on the disposable cameras I had - either too dark or out focus. You can use or share these however you wish. Also, please email me with any questions about any of the pictures. I am getting pictures from other people I was there with and will put some of the more interesting ones up on this blog with some more details.

Jason

Primary Care Strike Team 4

This picture was taken after we visited the Baton Rouge warehouse for the 1st time. The warehouse manager came out and took this with each of our cameras - what a great sport.

Top: Jason (me), Rich, Cliff, Rueben, Pam
Bottom: Cindy, Jen, Tracy, Jim, Mehrdad

Halloween 2005 - Buzz & Rex

Alex dressed up as Buzz Lightyear for Halloween this year - costume that he has been talking about for about 11 months now. He's already planning next year's. The goggle have headlamps on either side that turn on by clicking the goggles down over his eyes. This "Buzz pose" shows up so often in our un-costumed family pictures that it has banned from serious photos - this however was the perfect occasion for it. Aaron was about the cutest dinosaur we have ever seen. He even practiced a cute dinosaur stomp and roar.

Halloween Pumpkins 2005

This year Alex designed his own pumpkin with a scary face, complete with moustache, and Grammy carved it. Becky did a dragon in front of a castle and Jason did a werewolf. Happy Halloween!

Back in Toledo

I'm not sure how many have been following along with this blog, but I arrived in last night to the wonderful arms of my family. I ate, played with the kids and unpacked a little. I slept for 11 hours and I'm glad I've got today to gather myself before plunging back into my life. I am working at the residency tomorrow morning and I'm on call for the weekend which includes Saturday AM office hours. I'll have more stories to tell, but I am going to get some pictures back and illustrate them.

Another Team 4 Blog

I don't know how long this link will last, but to read a little more from one of my teammates, go to this link and look for the entries from Jennifer Holmes. As of now they are right on top. There are some pictures of her and Camp Allen.

Into New Orleans

I am back at Camp phoenix housed in the Louisiana School for the Visually Impaired (where they have a computer lab) after 2 days in New Orleans. Our team met a mobile truck from a VA hospital in New York that has 2 exam rooms, vaccine fridges and some medical equipment attached to the walls. On the 1st day I sewed up a police officer's finger and a 17 yr old Hispanic laborer's head. We gave out a lot of vaccines, especially tetanus shots. The team stationed there today was short 2 doctors and I volunteered to go with them while the rest of my team served shelters in the surrounding area. I am going back with my team to New Orleans tomorrow (Monday). We have felt very safe and all the people are grateful we are there. I only brought disposable cameras, but I will be posting pictures as the weeks go by once I get back. I plan to annotate them and give more detail. I'll likely never do anything like this again. I have been changed in ways that I am only beginning to sense - most of them positive. I am already more flexible - our team motto is "Semper Gumby" - Always Be Flexible. I realized with absolute clarity that I have a good life that won't ever be taken for granted. I can organize myself and other people quickly when the need is there. Give me a cot, a sleeping bag, and ear plugs and I can sleep anywhere (tonight is a school gym). I can eat MRE's and enjoy them. I can be pulled out of my element and make new friends. I can take to patients in Spanish and not totally embarrass myself. I only cried once, in a police station bathroom at Port Fourchon where everything hit me all at once while listening to Pink's "18 Wheeler" on my iPod - the devastation I had seen, the patients who are try to simultaneously survive in shelters and rebuild their lives in a ruined city, missing my family and friends. I'm back in N'Awlins tomorrow with my team. I'll be home soon. Thanks for all your support that you've shown Becky and I during this time.

Port Fourchon/Grand Isle - Part 2

Port Fourchon/Grand Isle - Part 1

Down on the Bayou

Becky's update from Jason

Jason just called and his team of 10 is off to another mission. They have a caravan of a RV, minibus, minivan and a Range Rover. As Jason mentioned in his audio blog, they are going to rural Louisiana that hasn't seen any health professionals since Katrina. That makes my heart hurt. They are heading to Tribido, LA and plan to stay at least one night. He took all of his camp gear except the cot. He said they had a place to stay and will let me know where that is when he calls me tonight. It sounds like they will be doing some incredible and desperately needed work. I am so proud of him. There are times like this when I am convinced this is why Jason was meant to be a physician. What an amazing experience!