Militaria

I love this page - it looks so much better in real life - come see it in the store! Colours are way better in real.
These magazine overlays from Creative IMAGINATIONS came in to JSI about three weeks ago. I had to grab the military one - just because I knew somewhere in my archive of military photos of Mark, there would be one that would work. And there was. However the overlay was decidedly American so after lightening the left side of the 8x10 cropped photo, so the words would show up, I added Canadian DART and the DART logo. Getting the logo was a bit time consuming but time flies when I work in Photoshop. hehe I got the logo off another photo of Mark. First searched the Canadian Forces site for a nice clean one that would not need any fixing up - but do you think they have their DART logo on any of their sites?? No - so I cut this off Marks shoulder from another photo - love that magic wand tool - fixed it up - finicky - and put it and the words directly on the photos where they would line up with the overlay words. Printed the photo and viola! It now has a Canadian presence.
The background paper is new BG - my favorite 'boxer' skinny jeans. To add some military green and a little red I cut two strips from the new Fancy Pants transparencies that came in yesterday afternoon- these colourful strips are perfect for adding that one more colour to a page. Then I rummaged through my stuff and found this military guy from "Memories in Uniform" We still have these in the store...are Laura and I the only ones using military stuff???? And my friend Jo-Ann in Alberta whose husband is serving in Afghanistan right now. Pray for Jo-Ann and her husband. They will be separated for six months. Thinking about you Jo-Ann! Let me know how things are going.


Stay tuned! I have two more overlays I am working on.

Blessings to you all,

Julie

Operation Plateau - Experience and Confidence

Marks journalling... Before I came to Pakistan I thought that I would leave here having an extremely rewarding experience. As time wore on I began to think more and more that the rewarding experience would escape me. I would do my shift, eat then sleep. As the weeks went on, days would blur, every day being the same as the last except the noticeable difference in sunlight and temperature. I felt disconnected from the people and our work, only escaping camp a few times to go for a brief walk through the small town. My big opportunity finally came for that experience that I wanted so much. I was asked if I would like to join one of the mobile medical teams going up into the mountains. Of course my heart leapt for the idea and I said, “Yah sure, that would be great.” trying not to act too excited. This was my big opportunity! The night before I made sure all my kit was ready to go; preparing as if for a grand adventure. And it was!

The next morning brought some small delays, but none of that dulled my enthusiasm, which I did not hide as well as I would have liked. We made it to the airfield by 10 am and were flying high over Garhi Dupatta 15 minutes later. We were dropped at a village called Toki Shekhan. After the initial welcoming crowd had dispersed, there was a peaceful quiet, one without generators, horns and traffic. Within an hour we had selected a set up spot for our mobile clinic and began seeing people from the local area. I began that morning doing triage of sorts, getting the names, ages, and complaints of the people coming, and moving the serious cases to the beginning of the line. The local mayor was of tremendous help in this regard. He knew every person there by name.

In the afternoon I began to embark on the truly rewarding part of my experiences here. I was helping draw up the vaccinations. Later when I had built up the courage, I was actually vaccinating people. I personally did somewhere from 20-30 in part or whole. I felt bad and discouraged at first when due to my inexperience probably I caused more pain than was necessary to do the job. As the day progressed I grew more confident and competent to do the job. That evening as we enjoyed our humble meal of rations, I felt that I had really accomplished something.

The beautiful terrain that was before us only exemplified the feeling of accomplishment; huge mountains falling down to deep crevices illuminated with the remnants of dieing sun’s last rays. As night fell, we received a surprise; the locals had shown up with a huge meal of brotta (a flat bread fried in grease), rice and chicken with broth. I was a little hesitant to join in at first. We were told right from the start of this mission what kinds of illnesses we could receive from eating local food. However after seeing some of the medics join in on the meal, and with some urging, I dove in. It was by far the best meal I had in weeks, and was complemented by a nice brew of Chi tea. After this feast, we enjoyed the rest of the evening sitting around the campfire talking with the locals. It doesn’t get any better than that ~ sitting around campfire in the Himalayan Mountains, enjoying local cuisine, and talking with people who don’t even speak the same language as you.

The next morning we continued with our work, finishing up around noon. The village we were placed in was not checked out before we arrived so many of the sick and injured had left for treatment already. It was impractical to move our location for another day at this point in time so the decision was made to go back to camp early. While we waited for the helicopter to pick us up we were thanked many times over by the locals. They were very appreciative of the work we did there. I must have received dozens of handshakes and words of appreciation.

The helicopter arrived in a windstorm of dirt and leaves, we piled in, leaving as quickly as we came. I do not remember the names of the people we left behind there, and I will probably never see them again, but I will never forget their faces and how thankful they were for what we brought them.

This is why we scrapbook! Keeping memories alive for our children and grandchildren. Showing them who we are/were and what we valued - what really was important in our lives. It has nothing to do with material possessions.



For more military pages please click here.



Thanks for looking. Leave a comment. Your thoughts on Canada's military presence in Afghanistan?

Signals Operator and R.O.W.P.U.

Taking a short break from Hawaii pictures to post some pages - having requests for military pages...so a few more..

Journalling reads...I started my military career at 737 Communication Squadron in Saskatoon, but I have been posted to CFJSR in Kingston since March. I am a signal operator, and on missions such as Operation Plateau my job is not very glamorous or fun. I answer the phones on camp here in Garhi Dupatta. Some of my secondary duties include running welfare phones for the team, and handing out satellite phones to personal that leave camp.

Most people out side of the camp do not even know that we, the signalers, exist. Any reporter or VIP will always walk by the little corner of the camp we call home. Our job may not be in the spotlight but is nonetheless still important.

Spirits are high here as we slowly pass the time thinking of the Christmas season coming up, a time when we will be able to enjoy the company of our loved ones once again. Those who are without a significant other, like myself, like to think about Mom’s home cooked meals. Despite the fact that sometimes we think about what we do not have, all we need is a quick look around at the destruction before us to be reminded that we still have much more than the people we are helping.

Yes, Mark got the works for Christmas dinner - I made all his favorites when he got home.

Reverse Osmosis Water Purification System. What this means is that Canada has the capability to set up a water purification system using the dirtiest of water (like dead cows floating down the river) and within 24 hrs of arriving at a site they can set up and start offering water that is cleaner than any Canadian city's water. Very impressive. The people in the remote areas of Pakistan had their water contaminated by so much death and debris being dumped into their water systems after the earthquake, that disease was inevitable if clean water was not made available. That and offering medical assistance, was what Canada did for the people of northern Pakistan.

For more military pages click here.

Blessings!

Julie

Military pages - Canadian Field Hospital

I have had several requests for military pages and I noticed late last night as I checked out the origin of the hits to my site, that there are a fair amount of people who came to my site by using "military layout" as their search terms. There is also a lot of "Hawaii layout" searches too, but I haven't posted a whole lot of Mark's album from his tour of duty to Pakistan with the Canadian D.A.R.T. team during the earthquake of Nov 2005. So I have scanned more of those pages and will post them over the next little while. They are no great scrapbooking feat - no fab techniques, but what I really enjoy about this album, besides the really beautiful and meaningful pictures that Mark took, is his journalling. The pictures too, tell a real story of service, caring and sacrifice on the behalf of our military personal.

Do click on the pages to get the detailed words. The pictures on this page above I downloaded from the Canadian Military site - Mark, as a communications guy, was not able to get into the hospital for pictures.

You know our finest really did some amazing work for these poor people who were truly suffering. Say a pray for our military guys today off on the other side of the world risking their lives, trying to do their small part to instill peace and normality into peoples lives.

For more military pages previously posted please click here.

.....and I hope to post some pictures of our vacation soon.

Pakistan Military Layout.

Journal reads:

The local water purification facility in Ghari Dupatta was destroyed in the earthquake and the ROWPU could produce the water fast enough, but distributing it was the problem. So often the people resorted to filling up on probably contaminated water run off from the mountain. I saw this girl in green sitting there with her water jug while I was on a hike up the mountain. She was looking at us intently until I tried to take a picture of her. I noticed that females are very shy in this regard unless they are quite young. At age 10 they start taking on grown up responsibilities and learning how to do things the women do. The pot in front of her is a common way of transporting water. Typically the women of the house will go down to the river to fill these up and using a cloth doughnut on their head will place the pot on their head to carry the water. The kids on the other hand loved getting their picture taken. As soon as you pull out the camera they form these little groups.

The overloaded car is a pretty common sight in Pakistan, and this is a mild version. I saw large buses and once the seats were filled the roof would fill up and then the sides; anywhere they could hang on. Few people had vehicles, and what vehicles they did have were pretty dilapidated. Here is also a good example of a jingle truck. It is called that because of the chains that dangle from the truck make the jingle noise when the truck moves. They paint their vehicle the weird bright colors and I have heard it is because of they have a lot of pride in their vehicles. They get even more outrageous than this, with neon flashing lights. They have annoying air horns that you have to hear to believe. They are kind of like the horn on The General on Dukes of Hazard but not as musical. Jingle trucks are everywhere in Pakistan because they do not have semi’s and this is how they move all their commercial goods.

I was so glad that Mark kept a journal in Pakistan. I think there were some pretty long and boring days, so this helped pass the time. I know his children and grandchildren will one day appreciate his thoughts and experiences. This is why we scrapbook. :)

Blessings!

Julie

next military layout

Journalling reads....
Canadian Press
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Islamabad — Just getting to their camp in mountainous Kashmir may be the greatest challenged faced by Canadian soldiers on a humanitarian relief mission to this earthquake devastated country.
The main part of the Disaster Assistance Response Team – DART – was heading out at dawn Thursday through a series of rugged mountain passes to a camp in Garidupata, near the epicenter of the Oct. …for the whole story look behind this page.
Mark writes...
The next day in Islamabad we were waiting for instructions and relaxing. We passed the time by playing some cards. The signals guys on the team liked to play cards whenever they got the chance.

These vehicles were part of the convoy we were in on the way up to Garhi Dupatta. In addition to these vehicles we had three tiny buses packed with people and a Pakistani Army escort. I believe one the vehicles pictured broke down on the way up and had to be later retrieved. The trip up was not pleasant. I remember feeling very nauseated. Difficult roads, turns, crazy drivers and cramped quarters made this a miserable part of our adventure.

Remember our troops today.

Military layout

Journalling reads...

Sunday October 15th 2005
At this point we were at CFB Trenton waiting to leave. There was a lot of media there, and with all the hype I think most of us were excited and ready to go. Our first stop was Glasgow, Scotland and then on to Croatia. From there it was a day in UAE at camp Mirage – no photos allowed unfortunately!

Wednesday October 19th
When we arrived in Islamabad they had a huge meal all laid out for us. It was some unknown meat and rice along with a few other things. It was very tasty We were not expecting such a nice meal and thought it was going to be rations as soon as we got into the country. We would get them soon enough.

We slept in the parking garage of the Canadian High Commission during our first stay in Islamabad. It was hot, stuffy and loud which made it difficult to sleep, but no one was complaining because of all the good food we were being fed. We were so tired that we just wanted to get some sleep. After five hours going through customs in the middle of the night the night before and a very busy day of briefing, we were functioning on only a few hours sleep.

Military pages

These layouts are posted for Joanne a mother and wife in Edmonton whose husband will soon be going on tour in Afghanistan. I am looking forward to Joanne getting her blog up and running with pages of her husbands experience overseas with the Canadian Armed Forces. Buy the best digital camera you can for him Joanne and have him send those photos home regularily!

Mark's journalling reads....

Before I came to Pakistan I thought that I would leave here having an extremely rewarding experience. As time wore on I began to think more and more that the rewarding experience would escape me. I would do my shift, eat then sleep. As the weeks went on, days would blur, every day being the same as the last except the noticeable difference in sunlight and temperature, escaping camp a few times to go for a brief walk through the small town.

My big opportunity finally came for that experience that I wanted so much. I was asked if I would like to join one of the mobile medical teams going up into the mountains. Of course my heart leapt for the idea and I said, “Yah sure, that would be great.” trying not to act too excited. This was my big opportunity! The night before I made sure all my kit was ready to go; preparing as if for a grand adventure. And it was!

The next morning brought some small delays, but none of that dulled my enthusiasm, which I did not hide as well as I would have liked. We made it to the airfield by 10 am and within 15 min we were flying high over Garhi Dupatta. We were dropped at a village called Toki Shekhan. After the initial welcoming crowd had dispersed, there was a peaceful quiet, one without generators, horns and traffic. Within an hour we had selected a set up spot for our mobile clinic and began seeing people from the local area. I began that morning doing triage of sorts, getting the names, ages, and complaints of the people coming, and moving the serious cases to the beginning of the line. The local ‘mayor’ was of tremendous help in this regard. He knew every person there by name.

We were also accompanied by our Pakistani soldier for security. Private Sultan had previously fought in the Kashmir region against India. The gun he is carrying is an MP5, 9mm.

I will try to get to Marks album and scan a few more pages as soon as I can. You know, one day Lord willing, Mark's children will read this and look at these pictures.
THIS is why we scrapbook!
Blessings!
Julie

Military layouts

Hmmm todays Bible verse is a toughy. I fail miserably at this...but I will keep trying.
My friend Jaime from Life Out Loud asked me if I had any military layouts of Mark. Well here they are. :) Just wait until he is a fireman!! To see the detail in these layouts, click on them.

Blessings!

Julie

Not Wedding Layouts

And now for something completely different.......

.....................a layout that is NOT from the wedding album.

Here are a few of my favorite layouts.

This is my son Mark - Cpl Cortens - in Gari Dupatta,Pakistan. He was serving as as Signals Operator with the DART (Disaster Assistance Response Team) there in November 2005 after their huge earthquake. This page and the two following it were published in summer 2006 Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. ....my only claim to fame!

My Dad is 82 years old now. This is a photo of him taken in 1938 when he was 14 years old. In the small frame is a photo of him when he was four. This is a simple layout, but I like to look at it and be reminded that my Dad was really 13 once and very handsome - he still is!. :)

And another heritage page - I love doing heritage pages - this one tells the story of my Dad's training and experience in the Canadian Armed Forces. I sent the pictures to him by e-mail a couple of years ago and asked him to tell me about his experiences. I was so blessed with all he wrote and placed it word for word on this page. You never know when your parents or Grandparents will be leaving this world, so find time to sit down with them, go through the family photos and either write down or record all they have to say, getting all the interesting little stories - when they are gone, all those interesting details will be gone as well - forever!

Thanks for looking.