Today was the ceremonial start of the Iditarod in downtown Anchorage. It was the first time in 9 years that I haven't braved the weather and the traffic to go and experience it first hand. We generally like to get down there, enjoy the atmosphere, and wish Ramy Brooks, Greg's cousin, our best wishes in person. Greg is always there at the start line helping as part of Ramy's pit crew -- the group that helps line up the dogs and get them to the start line.

I just couldn't bring myself to brave the weather and wind today. Greg has the flu (again) -- he felt bad enough that he didn't help Ramy today, which is a first. We all have a little bit of illness. Cate's on antibiotics for a sinus infection, and Christopher and I have scratchy throats and runny noses. And the last few days have seen high winds that have been enough to nearly knock my car into the next lane. I just couldn't bring myself to get my stuff together and brave the elements with the kids by myself this year.

Instead, we invited my sister in law Brooke over with her 3 kids. This was the first major test of the house -- does it really make hospitality easier? The answer is an overwhelming yes. It was nice to have adult conversation while the kids played happily in another area of the house. At the old house, there was no place for the kids to go, so they were generally under our noses at all times. They did so well together until about 8:00 p.m. -- by that time they had been playing hard for 7 hours and were exhausted. It's nice that of all the people that Christopher wanted to invite over, his cousins topped the list. I love that he is so close to all of his cousins -- he really feels close family connections. In fact, when asked who he wanted to come for the first sleep over at the new house, his answer was Jessica and Colleen (his cousins in California).

So, please cheer on Ramy while he's on the Iditarod trail. Conditions should be fast this year, with not many spots along the trail with thick snow. After all the snow we got in December of this year -- record-breaking snowfall -- we still managed to have more ice than snow on the trail at this point. Some are thinking this will be a fast race. You can check on ramy at www.ramybrooks.com