Of nieces and nephews.......

My sister Jill and her husband Russell have 6 beautiful children....

Amy will be 12 this week, Joshua, Jonathan, Erin, Michael and Zebedelia........ and........ Oh yes!!! One more to come.

It is quite something to be in the midst of this busy family that is crazy and chaotic at the same time as being organized and cooperative.  There is always a friend to play with.   The noise level can be deafening but right now the big five are outside sledding and only Miss Zebby (22 months) is in here asking "Where guys?"

Its fun getting to know them all........ Here are a few pics.

Amy

Joshua

Jonathan

Erin

Michael (aka Wii kid)

Zebby

Zebby

 

You get to have 2 photos when you are kid number 6 and this one is a riot who knows how to make her presence felt!!!




So there you have it - the Gates Clan March 2011 version.

Who Knew......

Who knew:
1. That yesterday was not the real start of the Iditarod - it was the ceremonial start.
2. That they don't even use the their best dogs at the ceremonial start
3. That for $20 you can catch a beat up old yellow school bus to Willow Lake
4. This trip will take about 2 hours once the bus is able to start.
5. The bus drive will think you need to know about every blade of grass from here to there.
6. That we would meet such interesting people on the ride home via the icy  back roads to avoid the "traffic jam" in Wasila (these people have never seen a traffic jam).
7. That more people would boo than cheer when Sarah Palin's driveway was pointed out
8. That it would be sunny and warm (ok relatively warm for March in Alaska) at Willow Lake. I have a sunburn to prove it. (Ha Ha to Hawaii)
9. That you actually stand on the frozen lake.
10.  That you can see Mt. McKinley (Denali) like few have seen it. Like you could reach out and touch it.
11. That you will find a spot mere feet from the starting line and will be able to watch all the Mushers come down the chute and stage in front of you.
12. That the Mushers, who are about to be deep in the wilderness for 11 days, would wave and smile and pose for pictures.
13. That today would be even more incredible and amazing than yesterday....
14.  That we would feel like 2 of the luckiest women on earth to be here........

The real start

Willow Lake Alaska

These dogs are READY to GO

Mushing is a family deal....everyone plays their part

This 3rd generation Musher with his wife and baby

Lucky the dogs like to eat snow......

There is a Jamaican Musher.....

Dreams can come true

Denali....

WHAT A DAY

My Mom has held it as a dream for many years to see the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.  She has met some of the participants, read books on the subject, follows it every year on the web..... so when our trip to Anchorage to visit my sister coincided with the start of race she was DELIGHTED!!  I thought it would be neat to see but it wasn't on my Bucket List.

My sister got a pass to the Exxon Mobil Hospitality Suite overlooking the start so I left my moral obligations about BIG OIL at home (to speak of it here is heresy and a likely death wish) and we loaded up the kids and headed in...... It turned out to be a perfect solution - the kids were warm and well fed and Mom and I got to wander in and out.

What an AMAZING event!  To see all these teams of dogs and their Mushers and the crowds all out in the freezing cold 7 degrees Farenheit!!!!  The atmosphere was amazing....and I was enthralled.  I am too tired now to process it all but it was an experience I will never forget. 

The Gang setting out

The first sled is ceremonial

Followed by 63 competitors who will be on their sleds for 10-15 days

Mushers in good spirits waving to the crowds

The very focused stars of the show

A festive downtown Anchorage

This is "my" team #38 - Scottish of course

Mr Watty McDonald!! GO GO GO!!

SO many dogs - love the booties :)

And then we drove out of town a ways - and saw the frozen ocean and the mountians - you are out of town in a few short miles around here.

This is the ocean

It's like to waves  just suddenly froze in place....

Mountains forever.....

This evening Jill found out that for $20 we can catch a bus to Willow where the "real" race begins and get right on to the trail so we took the opportunity and we are off at 11am tomorrow.  On our way to get the tickets we were driving and off in the pink sunset I saw Mount McKinley on the horizon....... a rare sight as it is only visible about 40 days a year due to its height and the low clouds..... a wonderful gift to end a wonderful day.

There is so much to say about my delightful nieces and nephews too.... but another time!

Alaska - The final frontier.....

A mere 3 hours flight from Seattle and the landscape is unrecognisable ...... A few shots from the plane

Not only is the physical environment  totally different..... so is the family environment.....

My sister has 6 lovely children and it is quite delightful to meet the two little ones for the first time and re-connect with the older 4.  Its a busy busy house ..... right now my Mom is in her element playing "Crazy Mates" with 3 grandkids.....

And of course as we were finishing a moose strolled by the house as the sun was setting........ I can go home now...... all the Alaskan highlights in 3 hours of arrival.

The view from my sisters living room

The neighbourhood moose - HELLO

Lynchpin

I was chatting with a friend recently about being the lynchpin in an organisation.  In my case my Board describes me as the biggest strength and the biggest weakness of the organisation because so much of the
work of the organisation is in my head, driven by me, managed by me etc... that if I was to leave there would be a large gap of knowledge in the organisation. 
 We are working of rectifying this situation by hiring me an Executive Assistant (Hallelujah!).


 The two definitions of lynchpin (which had multiple spellings) are:

lynchpin - a central cohesive source of support and stability

linchpin - pin inserted through an axletree to hold a wheel on

I found this fascinating - one is more abstract or relational and the other is an actual thing but in both cases without "it" things fall apart.

Today I am much more focussed on my role as co-lynchpin in my family.  I leave tomorrow to travel with my Mom to Anchorage Alaska to visit my sister Jill and her family (husband Russell and their 6 kids).  I am, of course, excited to be travelling to a new place (even if its not Disneyland or Hawaii ;0) and to meet a niece and nephew I haven't met yet and to re-connect with my only sibling.  I am looking forward to having some time with my Mom and some down time for me (we are staying at a B&B close to the family to give us all some space).

But all this means I am leaving my family for a week.  A very busy week. OK so every week is busy in our house but this is a big week for Allan with some big decisions to make about the Robotics trip to Orlando and another big Robotics competition next weekend (and report cards etc.) and 50% of his team will be away so he is on driving, cooking, laundry, homework supervision full time.  I know he is fully up to it, it will just be hard work. The kids are great about pitching in and doing their stuff around the house and I have tried to arrange others to do my driving duties so things run as smoothly as possible.

I think its the emotional part that's harder to replace..... both the kids (and Allan if he's honest) are worried about missing me and not having that "go-to" person to confide in, snuggle with, make decisions with, hug on after a hard day....  It's given me pause to reflect on the role I play emotionally in my family.

I will miss my guys alot alot.....

Wordless Wednesday......... SOON.......

Tenacity and Perseverance

I have been pondering these words for the last 2 days because of this:

It snowed on Saturday.  Since then we have had rain and sun and most of the snow is gone.  The places it was piled up to clear parking lots etc are still there, now unceremoniously covered in dirt and not in the slightest bit attractive as when it was newly fallen.  But if you look around there are many tiny little patches of snow that have endured the sun and rain and remain there...... where they fell.....persevering through the sun and rain, tenaciously holding on.........

I love these little patches..... I think it's the rebel in me..... or the stubborn mule....... but I love these little holdouts who refuse to go where all the other snow went.  I got curious about the difference between "tenacity" and "perseverance" and found these delightful definitions.......

1.  doggedness, steadfastness. Perseverance, persistence, tenacity, pertinacity  simply resolute and unyielding holding on in following a course of action. Perseverance commonly suggests activity maintained in spite of difficulties or steadfast and long-continued application: Endurance and perseverance combined to win in the end.  Persistence implies unremitting (and sometimes annoying) perseverance: persistence in a belief; persistence in talking when others wish to study. Tenacity,  with the original meaning of adhesiveness, as of glue, is a dogged and determined holding on. Whether used literally or figuratively it has favorable implications: a bulldog quality of tenacity; the tenacity of one's memory. Pertinacity,  unlike its related word, is used chiefly in an unfavorable sense, that of overinsistent tenacity.

English minor that I am I had never heard of the word "Pertinacity" but admit to have maybe, once of twice, been guilty of it.

I have long believed perseverance is a laudable trait and one I have really tried hard to instill in my children.  I have often cited it as being a goal for my children when asked by their teachers what I was hoping they would achieve in school in a given year.   I find it disturbing when a child tries something new and fails at it and walks away without trying again....... and even worse, when an adult steps in and doesn't allow a child to try and try again.   What is the end goal of that?   A highschool drop out who doesn't know how to work hard and re-learn and re-try something? An athlete/dancer/performer who walks away from something because they aren't picked first or don't make the first team?  A spouse that walks away from a marriage when it fails to live up to its ideal?

I know this is a stretch from a patch of snow....... but I think it's worth thinking about.  Maybe that little patch of snow endures because all the little bits of snow stick together tenaciously.  Maybe our families and communities could learn a little from that?

This little flower is pretty tenacious...... it has decided not to live in the flower bed with the others, it has hopped the fence and is living on my front lawn , the wide open lawn....... it doesn't know that in a few weeks it will be mown down.... (oh relax - I will carefully move it back to the bed albeit reluctantly because I love it's spunk)... sometimes that happens when you stick to something doggedly..... you take a risk.... sometimes it pays off.....