Please sign the petition to bring the children home.

PLEASE TAKE THE TWO MINUTES AND SIGN THIS PETITION! There are adopted children waiting to come home and can't because of the ban on exit letters from the Congolese government. Both the Congo and the US have said these adoptions are LEGAL. That they have families. THEY JUST AREN'T ALLOWED TO LEAVE to go home with their families. They've been waiting OVER FIVE HUNDRED DAYS! Enough is enough, bring them home!

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/end-drc-exit-letter-suspension-children-legally-adopted-american-families/GF9Qrb5L

Iditarod ReStart - Official Press Release

This week has been insane so I can't blog about this like I want to. So I'll just leave you with the actual press release the Iditarod Trail Committee released this morning.

Press Release: For further information contact:
Stan Hooley, CEO, 907‐352‐2204 or shooley@iditarod.com
Mark Nordman, Race Director, 907‐360‐1814 or mark.nordman@iditarod.com
 
Iditarod XLIII To Restart in Fairbanks
Anchorage, Alaska – February 10, 2015 – The Board of Directors of the Iditarod Trail Committee held a special meeting earlier this evening to hear a final report from a four person trail committee which spent the day with race staff flying over various portions of the trail via helicopter. The Board was unanimous in making the decision to move the Race Restart to Fairbanks as it was determined that the conditions were worse in critical areas than in 2014 and therefore not safe enough for the upcoming Race.

The traditional Anchorage Start will take place as scheduled on Saturday, March 7, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The Restart will now take place in Fairbanks on Monday, March 9, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

This marks the second time in the history of the Race that the Restart has been moved to Fairbanks because of poor conditions in the Alaska Range. The first was in 2003, when Robert Sorlie of Norway, won his first Iditarod.

“While some snow did fall east of the Alaska Range over the past couple of weeks, other parts of the trail, in very critical areas, did not get much or any of it,” said Stan Hooley, CEO.

“It’s unfortunate that we have to make this very important decision this far out, but the task of getting tons of supplies and equipment in the right places, on time, begins this week,” said Mark Nordman, Race Director.

Additional details regarding the Fairbanks Restart will be available on www.iditarod.com as additional planning decisions are made.

Seventy-nine (79) teams, the sixth largest field in the history of the Race, are busy training and preparing for the 43rd running of the Iditarod.

500 Days Waiting and more...

Three-and-a-half/almost four years ago longtime family friends of ours announced they were adopting two babies from the DRC. They shared their story with the online world and we followed along and rejoiced as each milestone happened. The referrals, the call to come over, the meeting of the babies, and the bringing them home. We've gotten to watch them grow up through their blog as well as through social media. I grew up with Casey's family - her dad was the pastor of the church I grew up in, and Casey babysat me a few times. This adoption seemed to go smoother than smooth and Ezra and Evie are happy and healthy kiddos...

Fast forward to today and we learn that it seems the Chappell kids got "lucky". Soon after they came home, the DRC didn't close adoptions, but they closed down the required exit letter program that allowed the legally adopted children to go home with their legal parents. All paperwork is approved and signed by both the DRC and American (or other country) governments, and yet the last signature needed - the one that allows the children to leave the country - cannot and will not be given.

One of Casey's childhood friends and her family are waiting to be reunited with their sons in the Congo. She and her husband were over in the DRC when it was announced that there would be no more exit letters given. After a few weeks with the boys they had to give them a tearful farewell. More than 500 days later they ARE STILL WAITING TO COME HOME. They have weekly skype dates, but as the unrest rises communication can become increasingly difficult.

The financial burden is great, but manageable... it's the emotional toll that needs our help and support.

Some facts (from BothEndsBurning.org):

• Over 350 orphans who have already been legally adopted by American families from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are still stuck in orphanages and temporary foster care waiting for their American families to bring them home. 
• There are at least 400 families that have been matched with children that are in the process of completing their adoptions. As the processing of their adoptions is completed, their children will be added to the list of children who cannot come home, despite having been legally adopted by their adoptive parents in the DRC and having received clearance for a US Orphan Visa from the US Government.
• The immigration and emigration office (DGM) of the Congolese government announced that they would no longer issue “exit permits” for adoptions approved on or after September 25, 2013.
• On May 26, DRC released 15 children to their adoptive families, with no apparent rationale for the cases that were chosen. Since then, 6 children that were in extremely poor health have also been released, after efforts by Ambassador Swan on their behalf. The remainder of the families to whom DGM originally promised exit permits, will not be considered until after September 25, 2014.
• At least 11 legally adopted children have DIED waiting for their exit letter without their forever family there to comfort and love them.

Please join the campaign this weekend and encourage your senators, congressmen, and the White House to end this and bring the children home. Hashtags are: #BEBcampaign #500dayswaiting #uniteourfamilies #DRCstuck

Let's show these families we care.


If you are a family currently waiting to be united and whole and wish to keep in touch please comment on this post so I can pray for and follow your journey!

Weather cooperating for the Yukon Quest

With talk all last month that the Yukon River was open water all along the trail leading out of Whitehorse, concern was growing that major changes to the course were needed to be made. Race officials held off with announcing any such changes, stating they were watching the river and were actively working on alternate routes... but they trusted mother nature to work with them.

And work with them she has. The last few weeks temperatures dropped and snow hit the area; Much as it has elsewhere in Alaska. The trail reports are all positive - the river is frozen, and the more remote parts of the trail are in the process of being groomed. The weathermen predict a -45* start to race day (that's factoring in the windchill).

Yup, it's going to be a good race.

The starting order is as follows:

01. Allen Moore
02. Brent Sass
03. Normand Casavant
04. Cody Strathe
05. Nicolas Vanier
06. Tamra Reynolds
07. Damon Tedford
08. Lance Mackey
09. Jeff King
10. Tony Angelo
11. Dave Dalton
12. Kristin Knight Pace
13. Rolland Trowbridge
14. Torsten Kohnert
15. Scott Smith
16. Ryne Olson
17. Brian Wilmshurst
18. Joar Ulsom
19. Ray Redington Jr.
20. Ed Hopkins
21. Rob Cooke
22. Mike Ellis
23. Magnus Kaltenborn
24. Jason Campeau
25. Matt Hall
26. Hugh Neff

Kenai, Alaska in January... a photo filled blog post

30 Days of Fangirl-ism - Day 17: Favorite piece of art from your favorite fandom

After leaving the college scene a few years ago, I spent a couple of years working as a receptionist for a very large office in Anchorage. It was a lot of fun, and my coworkers came from all spectrum of life. One such coworker was a pretty popular Alaskan artist who did a series of Iditarod prints a few decades ago. ;) He's incredibly talented, and I love all of his work... so trying to pick a favorite is nearly impossible...

But "Visions" I've seen up close and it definitely ranks as one of my top favorites. If I had a cool grand I'd buy it.

30 Days of Fangirl-ism - Day 16: A quote from one of your fandoms that you love

"You know, there's not a ton about my father that I remember that doesn't suck. But he used to tell me that there are no coincidences. Everything that happens, happens by design, and there's nothing we can do about it; forces greater than us conspire to make it happen. Fate, destiny, whatever you wanna called it, the point is... maybe we met for a reason. Maybe something good came from us being together." - Neal Cassidy 

I'm just gonna leave this here... and go in a corner and cry. I'll never be over the loss of this character. Never, ever, ever....

Sons Of Liberty Night 3 - and so it concludes...

Three nights is not enough to encompass everything that the Sons of Liberty and the men of the Revolution were about, but the History did a bang up job hitting on the key parts. The men cast to play these iconic historical figures were spot on - they brought them to life in ways no history teacher ever could. Sure, the creative liberties taken were sometimes in drastic contrast to the men's true character, but overall it wasn't a bad series. It definitely did what it set out to do which was make the time period more interesting and therefore got people looking up the different events and people highlighted in each episode.

Those who had a better than high school grasp of history fell into two categories - those ticked that History dared mess with the history, and those that could pick out the [many] inaccuracies and still cheer on the characters. There's no way Paul Revere was at every American battle on the front-lines leading the charge, and yet I was still sitting on the edge of my seat cheering him on (and not just because I love the actor). The cast and crew did their very best to make history come alive and be more exciting than fussy men in wigs standing in straight lines conducting civilized war. This was a new kind of politics, and a new kind of warfare. And it all started with a few angry men wanting more for their future.

The conclusion really centered around the battle of Bunker Hill. This was a significant early battle in the Revolution, and one that solidified the rebels in their cause. The same can be said of History's fictional Sons of Liberty. The key moment, of course, is when Dr. Joseph Warren refuses to fall back with Revere and the others and instead charges ahead. Revere's last view of his friend alive is that of him shaking his head no before jumping over the barricade. If you knew US History you knew what was coming next - you just didn't know how.

If there was one huge flaw in the entire series, it was Warren's death in battle. The unbelievable happens. Thomas Gage spots him through all of the chaos and charges towards him (uphill on his horse, basically a perfect target for any number of bullets). Warren sees him coming and just basically allows the inevitable to happen. A British soldier shoots Warren in the leg, and Gage comes up to him and shoots him in the back of the head to make it look like Warren was running away. He dips his hand in Warren's blood and leaves the battle field. As he walks away he tells his men to mutilate the body.

This is in direct contrast to what actually happened to Warren on the hill, and I don't know why they did it this way other than to bring the Gage-Warren affair full circle and show how Thomas Gage was a ruthless villain. Okay, fine, but at the same time I think it took some of Warren's glory in death away from him. If they wanted people to feel heartache for his death they could've easily gone with the real story that Warren was a young widower with daughters whom he had to send away while he fought in the resistance. He essentially left them as orphans. There's angst aplenty in that story.

Still when the battle is over and the rebels begin to search the dead and find Warren, Revere's reaction had my heart in my throat. Revere and Warren were not portrayed as being super close in the miniseries, but history suggests the men knew each other well. Revere in the mini series is wounded in the battle, but falls to the ground as he looks upon his friend and brother's mutilated body. The horror evident on his face. A missive is also sent to Sam and John Adams in the Continental Congress meeting in Philidelphia. John announces to Congress of the battle and of Warren's death while Sam stares at the paper in disbelief and profound grief.

Sam leaves Congress feeling responsible for leaving Revere and Warren behind to fight his battle. He's tired of people dying for him and his cause. Half way down the road on his horse he looks up and realizes he can't give up and turns around. Meanwhile Gage returns home to his wife and shows her his bloodied hand telling her Warren's dead. She flies at him screaming "No" he throws her down on a couch and gets on top of her - he doesn't rape her, but the entire audience believed that's what was coming. He leaves her crying there and locks her in her room telling the servants not to let her go anywhere that she was "not feeling well."

After Bunker Hill the ball rolls at a faster pace down the hill, Congress votes to allow Washington to take troops to Massachusetts and off he goes. He meets Revere with some 6,000 men and Revere is all too happy to step aside and let the General take over. Revere is instantly Washington's right hand man - but when they realize that Gage is moving troops from Boston to take New York he dispatches Revere to Congress to warn Adams and Company that they're running out of time. They need to vote to unite and declare independence. This is one of the few times that Revere's story actually follows the actual history.

The rest is a fast paced find the guy to write the declaration, let's all vote, let's all sign... and then the last scene we have is of Washington commanding the rebel troops to charge... and the VERY LAST SHOT is Revere holding the newly sewn American Flag and running ahead with the men.

Overall a successful conclusion to this excellent series. I still say that Night 2 is my favorite episode (it was just the best written/edited of them all), but really from start to finish the action never really let up. I actually had fun seeing where history and fiction intersected. The cast was spot on and brought humor where they needed to, and yet were all totally into their roles. Michael Raymond-James was as badass as ever as Revere, Ryan Eggold as Dr. Joseph Warren was a compassionate man, Jason O'Mara totally transformed himself to become George Washington (voice, nose, composure), Ben Barnes was the perfect [fictitious] Sam Adams, Henry Thomas portrayed John Adams in the standard way, Emily Barrington held her own as Margaret Gage, Marton Csokas was part Thomas Gage part Alan Rickman and it worked, Kevin Ryan was a solid John Pitcairn, and Rafe Spall... what can I say? John Hancock has always been my least favorite Revolutionary hero to read about... and Spall not only made him interesting... he made me fall in love. He was so odd and yet so loveable.

And Dean Norris making a small appearance each night as Ben Franklin. I wasn't sold looking at pictures and all, but wow. I was pleasantly surprised, especially Night 3. It was such a small role, which was surprising how much talk there was about him joining the cast.

Norris plays the elder statesman in the classic way that most actors throughout history have. He's a womanizer, he's intelligent, and he doesn't give a $#*! what others think. He tells it like it is, and he's ready for action. He enjoys the youthful enthusiasm of the Adams boys, and pushes them forward towards action in securing their place in history.

I don't know much of Norris' work, but it was nice to see him in this role. He's definitely one of my favorite Ben Franklins. I wish he'd had a bigger part, but really if we're looking more at the Sons of Liberty and Boston, then it makes sense that he didn't factor into the show much until it was nearly over.

Now I'm in withdrawls. I invested a lot in waiting for this project to premiere, and invested a lot of emotion into the characters and the action as it unfolded. And now it's over. And I don't quite know what to do with myself now. If this doesn't come to DVD I'm going to be horribly disappointed. But! It reairs this Friday (January 30) - and, yes, I have the tv programmed already. And I will be recording it just in case (but you can bet if there's a DVD release I'll be first in line)!

I may gush about individual actors/performances in later blog posts. I really want to gush about MRJ and Ryan Eggold and Rafe Spall... we'll see. Life is starting to get busy.

30 Days of Fangirl-ism - Day 15: Favorite fandom collectible that you most cherish

My grandfather is downsizing, hoping to move into a Senior Residency closer to where we live, and so we've been getting a lot of his old stuff. One of the things that I've recently been given is one of the old cookie jars that sat in the kitchen my entire childhood. I'm not sure how old it is, but it's Donald Duck - my absolute FAVORITE Disney Character.

His paint has seen better days, and he's well loved and used, but I just love him. Not only because of it being Disney and Donald, but because of the memories of my grandparents' house... and the cookies... so many cookies... over the years.

So this is the collectible that I will always cherish. I absolutely love it. I'm never giving it up. Ever.

30 Days of Fangirl-ism - Day 14: A group from one fandom you’d love to hang out with

Who doesn't want to be a part of Once Upon A Time's "Team 7" (or, more commonly known as the 7 Dwarfs). Either the ones on the show or the cast that plays them. I love their version of Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs on Once Upon A Time. And I know I'm not alone, so it's just a given that this is THE GROUP to hang out with.