ceremonial iditarod start in anchorage....

everyone is out to greet the mushers...below...the dogs coats are often advertisements for financial gain no doubt...they did look cute in their shiney coats. very flashy. i was over the tunnel as they ran through.

thought the all white dog team was cool.

doubt these will load tonight. will proably sleep on it. will load more tomorrow night, hopefully. the iditarod is starting. today was the ceremonial start. it's like a 12 mile block party through anchorage as the teams work thier way from downtown to bicentennial park. people line the trails through town, set up bbq's, the kids make snowmen and sled. everyone wishes the mushers well. a good time is had by all. i think some mushers find it a bother to have the fake start in anchorage, others find it a good way to get the bugs out and make final checks on the team. it's just a fun day. most of the mushers totally look to be having fun. i worked last night so got up as early as i could and headed to the area around university lake. the dogs run through the dog park. so it's nice to go there get some pics and then when the mushers have passed through i get the pups and take them for thier walk.

i had high aspirations for today. after the walk i was thinking of heading to the dimond mall for the native craft sale and then maybe to fred meyers for groceries and cash...i was so tired after the walk though that i bagged all that and headed home for a nap. i thought i could nap a few hours and then go do laps as planned...well, the plan fell through as i got a whopper migraine and that lasted until just a bit ago. now i'm trying to get a few things done so i'm ready for sandra and tiffany to pick me up for the restart in willow tomorrow. it's been snowing so traffic could be hell...of course, it could be that prevents folks from going...we'll see. i puked more than i've puked in a bit and now am feeling hungry, but who wants to eat after that. so, so far, i've just had a few crackers and some sprite. i'm waiting for my cowboy coffee cake to cool a bit so i can cover it and prevent the dogs from having a snack tonight. wanted to bake something to add to festivities in willow tomorrow. we're going to meet up with joy. she'll have the bbq out there and all that. should be fun. i've never made it out for the restart..i also want to get downtown for the ceremonial start and it would be super fun to volunteer as a dog handler.

work was a bit emotionally stressful. sometimes you are there for the worst moments of peoples lives and it's just too hard to seperate yourself from the trauma they find themselves in. it's so hard to comfort people who have suffered the greatest of losses. it's all you can do to keep from crying yourself. i hope i made the worst and most impossible day a little less intolerable for the family. the little girl i cared for was adorable....though children process things so different, which can be heartbreaking and hysterical at the same time. the other nights, i was just greatful that god gave me the patience to get through the nights. alcohol withdrawl and high tolerance to narcotics are a just a few of the issues i dealt with.

chatted with several siblings this week which is always fun. all seem to be happy in their lives. our family is really blessed with good health and happiness overall. no lives are perfect, but when i see what other families have dealt with i see how easy our family had it growing up.

felt badly this evening as several calls came through from friends and i just let the machine pick up. the nausea was just too bad to attempt moving or talking. off to cover the cakes and try and get some sleep finally.