How to Make a Sydney Sushi Roll

This weekend, we went to Berrien Springs, MI, to visit with the family.  Alvin, Tiffany and Sydney came from Milwaukee, WI.  One of Sydney's new favorite games to play was the "burrito" game.  But I like to call it the "sushi roll."  Here's how it's done:

1. Take an appropriate sized blanket or yoga mat as seen here.

2. Arrange Sydney carefully on one end with arms tucked in and head poking out.

3. Start rolling slowly and evenly

4. The finished product

Warning:  Do not keep Sydney rolled up for longer than a few seconds (it gets uncomfortable being stuck in a roll for a long period of time).  And never leave your sushi roll unattended. 

Enjoy!  Feel free to modify this recipe to your liking.  

Close Encounters in Paradise (Part 2)

Day 5: Monday, May 18, 2009

We awoke again to blue skies, white cumulus clouds, and the sound of gentle waves against the beach. It sure beats the sound of my alarm clock, and it got me out of bed quicker too! We were eager to see what the day would bring. It was another perfect day for the beach, but we had an important meeting with the dolphins today, so the beach would have to wait. It was a once in a lifetime experience--a taste of heaven possibly--interacting and swimming with dophins! There are many very affluent and wealthy Adventists on Grand Cayman, so rolling with "Pastor Jeff and Team" definitely had its perks.

Of note, as you walk around the island, you can't help but notice chickens and roosters roaming around freely. Nobody really knows who they belong to, but if you were homeless and were able to get your hands on some jerk rub, you'd probably live pretty well. That being said, the one nice thing about the Cayman Islands is that there are no panhandlers or homeless folk. Even though the cost of living is higher than the United States, the Camanians are all hard-working and friendly. 

Our new friend Neptune

Pastor Dixon and his beautiful family

Israel (aka Alpha dolphin) showing Neptune who's in charge

Dophin kiss

Chicken paradise

Close Encounters in Paradise (Part 1)

Day 4: Sunday, May 17, 2009

After a blessed Sabbath, we were exhausted. We fell asleep almost as soon as our heads hit our pillows. The weather at night is so perfect here in the Caymans... it gets cool, but still warm enough that you don't need covers; the humidity is just enough to keep your skin moist but not uncomfortable; and there are no bugs (except the occasional mosquito), only lizards.

In the morning, we went to visit some of the local wildlife. We went snorkeling at Cemetery Beach (named for the cemetery you walk through to get to the beach). Israel saw a large stingray. We then went to the Turtle Farm and actually got to hold some green sea turtles! Aileen loved the turtles and kept trying to fish them out of their tanks to hold them!

In the evening, we all got dressed up for the highly anticipated concert by Scott Michael Bennett. It lived up to all the hype and all in attendance were thoroughly blessed. 

Manu with Master Diver Daddy

Poor Micah is always hungry

Manu excited to see the turtles

Just one of many turtles that Aileen held

Manu was loving the turtles almost as much as Israel

Sea turtles love being stroked on the neck

Scott relaxing before the concert

A Divine Appointment in the Cayman Islands

After 7 months of work for Aileen as a pediatric hospitalist, 6 months of a brutal Michigan winter, and 14 weeks of pregnancy, we decided that a vacation was long overdue. We had originally planned a trip to the French Riveria and Tuscany since Aileen is so passionate about cooking Italian food, but with the pleasant surprise of the "little one" on the way, we decided to stay more local.

I thought maybe an East Coast road trip to visit our friends out that way was long overdue, but Aileen (and the baby) wanted to go someplace warm with lots of sun. So at the last minute, we found a very cheap ticket to Grand Cayman. Joe and Shannon Lee went there for their honeymoon, my brother and sister-in-law, Alvin and Tiffany, stopped by on a cruise, and Judy and Israel were planning a trip there too. I tried getting in touch with Judy and Israel to find out what to do on the island, but they did not return my calls or reply to my e-mails before we left.

Our plans were so last minute that I forgot to bother checking the weather before I purchased the tickets. Aileen looked it up and to our dismay, it said that it was supposed to rain every single day! What bum luck... But after some more researching, we found out that the rain in Grand Cayman usually lasts for a few minutes in the morning or the evening and then the rest of the day is clear and sunny. So two days after we bought the plane tickets, we were packed and on the plane enjoying those Delta airplane cookies.

Day 1: Thursday, May 14, 2009

As we were about to land in Grand Cayman, Aileen nudged me awake from my sleep and motioned me to look out the window. I saw a picture straight out Conde Nast or the Travel Channel. I've never seen bluer water or whiter sand in my life. Welcome to paradise. By the time we arrived at our hotel, we were so exhausted from last minute packing that we called it an early night and went to sleep. But not before I took a peek of the view from our window.

Day 2: May 15, 2009

Since I was still working on what exactly we were going to do in the Cayman Islands, we decided to just have a beach day, which was just what the doctor ordered. The weather was beautiful, the sand was soft, the water was calm and blue, and the company was excellent. We slathered on the SPF, slipped on our flip flops, and with a virgin pina colada from the bar, we were ready to take on the beach!

Day 3: Sabbath, May 16, 2009

With the help of the internet, we discovered that the Cayman Islands have over 10 churches! The closest one, however, was a few miles away. We had to take the bus (actually a van) into the main city, Georgetown, and walk a few blocks to the church. However, we faced a few problems: First of all, not all the streets had street signs. And secondly, the map I found online was totally wrong! Needless to say, much to Aileen's angst, I got us lost and we ended up wandering around for an hour! With hope diminishing and an upset wife beside me, I almost decided to just go back to our hotel. But providentially, the next street we came upon was the one that the church was on. And as we turned the corner, what a beautiful sight it was to behold the sign for the Georgetown Seventh-day Adventist church!

As we walked inside the wonderfully air conditioned sanctuary, we sat down in a pew just in time for the children's choir and the sermon. The speaker was introduced as a pastor from Michigan and a part of me thought that it might be Israel. But it was an older minister. I even glanced throughthe window of the baby room with the hope of seeing Manu and Micah there. As the pastor got up to speak, he said he brought tidings from Michigan and that there was another pastor from Michigan visiting--Israel Ramos! I looked around to see where he was, but did not see him, however, in the front row, we saw Judy turn around looking for her husband and her eyes locked in on us a couple rows behind her. Her eyes got huge and her jaw literally dropped. She turned around, grasped her chest, and turned around again to make sure she wasn't hallucinating. We were so happy to see her! Praise the Lord for this wonderful reunion that got me out of the dog house!

But the reunion didn't stop there, at the end of the sermon, Scott Michael Bennett, gave a moving vocal special music which prompted a powerful appeal where many Caymanians approached God's throne of grace. This same Scott Bennett used to be the smallest, skinniest boy in my Pathfinders group! He has now dedicated his life in music ministry. FreshDay Music.

We soon found out that Israel was part of a team with Pastor Jeff Ackenberger holding a youth revival meeting in the Cayman Islands. That morning he went to another church with the boys. He was equally surprised to see us when he came back for potluck. Daniel Jean-Francois was with him too! When Manu and Micah saw us, they were very confused at first... but soon were just as excited as we were. We spent a blessed Sabbath afternoon at the Cove. 

Pastor Jeff...

...and team

Fun with Sydney!

This weekend we got to visit our niece, Sydney, in Milwaukee. Although we were only there for about 24 hours, we had plenty of time to play! One of the most fun parts was seeing how excited Sydney would get when we would go out to eat. On Saturday night, we went to a place called Maxie's Southern Comfort where she kept on yelling "mac and cheese!" Sunday morning, it was to the Original Pancake House where she would exclaim, "pancakes!" And then it was on to the custard place, where she yelled all the way in, "ice cream!" We didn't take too many pictures, but here's a few with Sydney getting tangled up in my knitting and on her horsie.

A little Namm on the way...

Yup, that's right! I'm just about 13 weeks pregnant and due on November 14. Here was our first glimpse of our little one at 9 weeks and 4 days. Jukes and I are so excited! I've been feeling pretty tired and nauseated, but luckily I haven't been vomiting. Unfortunately for Jukes, I've cooked maybe twice in the past month, but he's been a good sport about it. Hopefully the nausea and fatigue will fade in a few weeks like everyone's been promising!