Happy Birthday, Todd Palin

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com

Happy Birthday, Todd Palin. You're a loyal husband, a dedicated father, a good friend, a snowmachine champion, and an all-around hard-working man. Your selfless support of your family is an inspiration. Clearly, you are secure in who you are and what you do, as evidenced by your ability to cheer on your wife the way you do. Perhaps your greatest attribute is your ability to exercise self-restraint when dealing with people who mean your family harm.

May you walk fearless as you trust and depend on God, and may He continue to strengthen you for the journey ahead.

God bless your special day, Todd Palin.

Picture courtesy of Karen Allen

Picture is my personal property

Picture courtesy of Tracey Porreca

Happy Anniversaries Today to Gov. Sarah and Todd Palin

Today Governor Palin and husband Todd celebrate 22 years of marriage. During this time, they have acted as excellent role models for their children and for their communities and now for the nation at large.

In early 2009, Sarah and Todd sat down with Christian Living magazine for an interview, which you can find here. During that interview, Gov. Palin said, "You know, life is about being willing to walk the walk, not just talk it."

In concluding her article, Ms. Hutto remarked, "And that statement really sums up the Palins: A couple willing to do what's right-to walk the walk-no matter how difficult." That principle has been observed by the Palins in both their personal and professional lives.

The Palins celebrate another anniversary today, one that has impacted all of America. For August 29, 2008 was the day that Governor Palin burst onto the national stage as the Republican vice presidential candidate.

The following two years have been a whirlwind of achievements and appearances and of service to Alaska and our nation. We are grateful to Senator John McCain for introducing Governor Palin to us on his birthday two years ago. Here is a video of that event:

We at the Sarah Palin Web Brigade would like to wish Gov. Palin and Todd a happy wedding anniversary and a happy "Sarah Palin Day" anniversary - as the day she was introduced to America has become known to her supporters. May you have many more happy years together, and may you achieve great success in your quest to restore America to her conservative roots.

Palin's other First Dude

In Alaska, Sarah Palin can often be seen cheering on her champion snowmobile racer husband, Todd Palin, but on Saturday, the former Governor was cheering on a different First Dude.

Sarah Palin made a surprise appearance at the Belmont Stakes, the third leg of the Triple Crown to place her bet on a horse named First Dude.

"Of course, we love the name of the horse," Palin exclaimed. "And we're excited First Dude's gonna get a chance to race."

First Dude, out of the mare Run Sarah Run, is named for Palin's husband Todd, who was nicknamed First Dude while Sarah Palin was Governor.

Palin was the guest of Marylou Whitney and her husband John Hendrickson, who also used to be in politics in Alaska.

"We're excited to be here," said Sarah Palin, who was decked out in navy capri pants, a white T-shirt and black cap. The New York Daily News reported that the Palins swept into the raceway about 4 p.m., hours later than planned.The couple's limo driver got lost during the ride from Kennedy Airport, leaving them with no time to stop off at their hotel to change.

“We were a couple hours late (coming from Texas)," said Palin, "but everyone has been so hospitable and accepting of the garb.”

So what did the Palins wager on First Dude?

“A big bet for us would not be much,” she said with a laugh.

More than 45,000 people filled Belmont Park along with the Palins, who watched Drosselmeyer pull off a stunning victory, surging past First Dude and runner-up Fly Down in the home stretch.

Learn more about First Dude at Horse Racing Nation.

Read more articles by the National Sarah Palin Examiner at Examiner.com

Todd Palin & Scott Davis: Steely Iron Doggers (Update: ADN Retraction)

By Adrienne Ross - www.motivationtruth.com




An injury to Scott Davis has caused him and partner, Todd Palin, to withdraw from the Iron Dog.

The Anchorage Daily News reports:

An injury to Scott Davis of Soldotna, the most experienced driver in the 27th Iron Dog snowmachine race, has forced him and partner Todd Palin to scratch at Puntilla Lake in the Alaska Range.

Iron Dog development director Heidi Griffin said the injury happened about 30 miles past the checkpoint Sunday night, and the racers were returning to the checkpoint.

She did not know the nature of Davis' injury and expected further updates later Monday.

Davis, 50, is tied with John Faeo as the winningest driver in race history with seven victories. Partner Palin, 45, has four titles.

Yesterday, the Iron Dog began with a flurry of excitement, as it does every year-- and contrary to ADN misreporting, Governor Palin and family were present to see Todd Palin off. At 2,000 miles, the Iron Dog is the toughest, longest snowmachine race in the world. It takes some steely men--and women, I recently learned--to even prepare for it.

While the nature of the injuries is not yet known, surely it must be bad for this particular pair not to continue. In 2008, for example, Todd suffered a broken arm when he was thrown 70 feet from his snowmachine. He somehow continued the race and managed to finish in fourth place.

Juneau Empire reported then:

Not only is he the First Dude, but Todd Palin is one tough dude.

The husband of Gov. Sarah Palin, or First Dude, as Alaskans have come to call him, survived a high-speed crash on Friday in which he broke his arm and had to be towed across the Chena River finish line in Fairbanks on Saturday after his snowmachine died, but he still finished the world's longest, toughest snowmachine race in fourth place.

Not bad considering that just the day before he was lying in the snow, curled up in the fetal position after crashing into a hidden barrel outside the village of Galena.

Obviously, this team came to the race with incredible fortitude and years of experience. Davis began racing in 1984, the year the Iron Dog was born, and placed second at the young age of 24. Palin has competed in the Iron Dog every year since 1993. The two have been racing together for seven years.

Because they're such fierce competitors, I'm sure there's some disappointment today. However, their veteran decision not to defy the elements further or risk added injury is to be commended. Experience brings wisdom, and they used that wisdom to make the right decision. We applaud them for the training and preparation they endured and for starting a race most would never even dare undertake.

Read more about the Palin-Davis team here and here.

We wish Scott Davis a speedy recovery.

(Photos 1 & 2 courtesy of Tracey)
(Photo 3 courtesy of Ron)

Update: The Anchorage Daily News has now corrected their mistake, which I referred to earlier in this post as "ADN misreporting."

Correction: This story originally reported, incorrectly, that former Gov. Sarah Palin did not make an appearance at the Iron Dog start on Sunday. She was there, seeing off husband Todd and his partner, Scott Davis.

Way to hold 'em accountable, folks.

(Retraction H/T C4P))

Time for the Iron Dog!

Alaska is a unique place. We have a lot of things here that are not common in the lower 48. We all know that winter is on it's way out when we start having events like the Iron Dog. There is a great deal of interest in the race because of one of it's participants, Todd Palin, husband to Sarah Palin. Here is a little history on the event from the Iron Dog Website:

The first Iron Dog event started in 1984, in Big Lake following the Northern Route of the Historic Iditarod Trail to Nome. The event began as the “Iron Dog Iditarod”, but the name was quickly changed the next year to the “Gold Rush Classic”, in 1990 the race was recognized as the “Iron Dog Gold Rush Classic” for a decade until Tesoro Corporation became a title sponsor, thus recognizing today’s event as the Tesoro Iron Dog.

Today’s Iron Dog course length 1971 miles, starting in Big Lake to Nome and finishing in Fairbanks, making it the World’s longest snowmobile race. Participants must traverse in some of Alaska’s the most remote and rugged terrain while confronting some the harshest winter conditions. Survival skills are essential, making it the World’s toughest snowmobile race. All teams in race classes are a team of two persons and two snowmobiles for safety...
(To see the whole story, follow this link.

The Iron Dog is Alaska's Nascar. The race starts on Big Lake which is very appropriately named because of it's size. This lake covers roughly 13 square miles. Go to Mapquest or GoogleEarth and check out Big Lake, Alaska and you'll see what I mean. The actual race starting line is on the lake near an island that is home to the Islander Lodge. In the summer, you can only get to this lodge by boat but in the winter you can drive to it. Ever seen Ice Road Truckers? What they have is a plowed road system out on Big lake, and that is how you get to the start of the Iron Dog.

Driving on one of the ice roads out to the starting point



The Islander Lodge



There is something of an Alaskan "fair" feeling to this event. People are walking around, running it to others they know and catching up. There are a few vendors and many, many people ride out on their own snowmachines.







Planes with skis also use the lake and were taking off



The Army National Guard is a huge supporter and a strong presence. Here is one of the vehicles they bring out every year





They line up along the chute, which is plowed and has fencing on each side.



The racers are in pairs for safety because this is an extremely dangerous sport. Flying across frozen lakes, rivers, and tundra at speeds of 50, 60, 70+ is dangerous in itself, not to mention the temperatures in the interior can reach -40 degree below zero or more. Going 70 mph in -40 degree weather is punishing on the skin and the body. Racers put duct tape on the exposed skin on their faces to protect it.



They wear very warm gear, have to have a knowledge of arctic survival and have to be able to make repairs to their machines out on the trail. And it can really hurt if you're going 70 mph and hit something and get thrown from your sled. This happened last year to one team only 2 minutes into the race. One team member hit something that was buried in the snow, it stopped his snowmachine cold, and he went flying. The race was done for that team. Even Todd Palin has fallen victim to this. One year he was thrown from his snowmachine and finished the race with a broken arm. Rest is a luxury but there are a few times during the race that mandatory layovers take place. Todd and his partner Scott Davis are pros, though. Todd first won the Iron Dog in 1995. Here is footage of the finish of that race with the interviewer talking to Sarah about how she feels about his racing:



Todd last won this race in 2008, when he was injured. Here is video of that finish:



(Click here to read an article written last year in Men's Journal Magazine about the snowmaching, famous "First Dude")

If you'd like to follow the race, each team has a GPS unit on their snowmachine and you can track their progress by following this link.

I'd like to share some personal photos from last year's Iron Dog. I had the opportunity to speak briefly to Sarah before the race and had my picture taken with her. You can read more about that experience here and look at some of the photos that go along with the story

Sarah arrived to see Todd off and took a few photos with some of the spectators



I even had a chance to speak to Sarah and have my picture taken with Sarah and Trig



Todd Palin and his race partner Scott Davis greeting fans



Last year Todd had all the kid's names painted on his snowmachine, as well as Sarah "The Gov"



And, let the ceremony begin! The Army National Guard presents the colors, the National Anthem is played, and we say the Pledge of Allegience.



Sarah gives Todd and hug and kiss and says goodbye



Sarah wishes all the racers luck and then she and Piper get ready to drop the flag to start the race



Piper got to drop the flag for the start of the race. Sarah's dad Chuck Heath is just to the right of the security guard



After a few other racers, Scott Davis (left) and Todd Palin pulled up to the starting line



And then they got the signal to head down the chute



They are on the trail now. Please keep them in your prayers for a safe return!

UPDATE: To view photos of the Iron Dog start today, check out this link to KMBQ 99.7 Valley Radio

- To see more posts from this author, please check out Finding Myself In Alaska

Sarah Palin Expresses Condolences to the Murtha Family

Complete transcript of Governor Palin's Facebook Note:

Condolences to the Murtha Family

Today at 4:07pm

Todd and I would like to express our condolences to the Murtha family on the passing of Rep. John Murtha. Rep. Murtha served his country honorably as a Marine in Vietnam and later became the first Vietnam veteran elected to the House of
Representatives. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. Semper Fidelis.

- Sarah Palin

MSNBC’s Hit Piece On Sarah Palin Wins "Coveted" Captain Louis Renault Award

So I wake up Friday morning to read multiple silly hit pieces on Sarah Palin. I’m wondering why this is coming on a Friday before the Super Bowl. A day normally held with almost religious reverence by those that follow the sport, and most certainly a day that news outlets run a nauseating level of stories about the game and everything surrounding it.

For the record, I’m OK with that, because it’s also Speed Weeks in Daytona and I fully expect to be bombarded by that near religious experience for the entire next week, leading up to the Daytona 500. And of course, the boys and girls will be going over 320 MPH in Pomona next weekend, as well, at the 50th Annual NHRA Winternationals.

We’re dealing with a lot of stuff here! Serious stuff!!.

So I’m wondering just why in the world the lamestream media is set at DefCon 2. Why are they throwing every silly non-story they can about Sarah Palin hoping something will stick?

Then I remembered, Sarah is giving the keynote address at the Tea Party Convention in Nashville on Saturday night. You remember the Tea Party Convention, the one operatives on both the left and the right tried to scuttle? The one"they" said would never work, or "was in trouble" ?

Yeah, that one, the one that is completely sold out and filled with happy, excited patriots!!

The media, progressives (yeah, I know, one in the same) and the old guard Republicans are losing their ever loving minds because Sarah Palin will be speaking live to the nation tonight from the Tea Party Convention. Millions upon millions will tune in to see America’s real leader give her version of the State of the Union.

So....the media is going all out! Nothing is too dumb, too petty, or too just downright silly to try to smear America’s Governor with.

This one wins the prize hands down though!

You see, the media is shocked, shocked to find that Sarah Palin’s husband, Todd, actually gave her some advice! Actually offered his opinion on a thing or two. MSNBC, and others seem genuinely bewildered that someone would give their spouse advice! That a married couple would actually talk!







So what is the catalyst for this smear? Well it seems some 3000 personal e-mails from Sarah’s time as Governor have been released to the media. As expected, most of it is rather boring stuff. Of course, sprinkled in the mix is the "First Dude’s" opinion on things.

Of course, this is where MSNBC thinks they got ‘em. It’s the strawberries, the strawberries, I tell you, they got ‘em with the strawberries!

Let me also proudly bestow the Captain Phillip Francis Queeg Award on these idiots while we are at it!





The idea that leaders in business and government don’t talk to their spouses about important, and even minor things at work is ludicrous. Of course they talk! Ever heard the saying "behind ever great man there is a great woman" ? Well it also seems that behind this great woman is a great man!






It seems to me that not that long ago we were celebrating a certain President and his wife as a "buy one, get one free" sort of deal. You know: "Elect me, and get Hillary for free!"




At least Todd never led an effort to "reform health care." Never botched one either!

Oh, and I don’t think Alaska has a "travel office."

Of course, Barack Obama was going to send Michelle out to help shill for his health care "reform" but was afraid too many people would find out about the patient dumping scheme Michelle, Valerie Jarrett, and David Axelrod cooked up for the Chicago hospital she worked at.

Ooops!

Read more here.

We could go down the list of First Ladies, from Laura Bush to Martha Washington, and you’ll find every one had some sort of input on things, and every President, at least in modern times, openly acknowledged their participation and support. In fact, the President’s praise is almost expected.

You think this sort of thing doesn’t also go on with the Chief Executives of every state as well?

What really, really, really makes this story a double award winner though is the fact that MSNBC quotes noted "cleavage inspector" Andree McLeod, the "falafel lady."

Anyone who even has a passing knowledge of Alaskan politics and Sarah Palin knows who Andree is. She was filing crazy ethics complaints against Governor Palin before Obama’s Alaska Mafia made it cool!

Much of Andree’s lunacy comes from the fact that she has been repeatedly denied a job working for the state. Nothing say "hire me" like being a serial stalker, ya know!

As you can read here, the woman is a couple of bubbles off plumb!

It sort of figures MSNBC would use such an impeachable source, doesn’t it.

Really sad.

The hate bloggers over at the Huffington Post chimed in on this deal as well, but they are just so boorish, they don’t deserve an award.

For his part. Sarah’s attorney, Thomas Van Flein, who had to be fighting the urge to just burst out laughing at the mass stupidity exhibited by the media, released a statement:

A recent article discusses what purports to be a new "revelation" that Todd Palin was a "powerful first dude." To most Alaskans, and to the millions of people who read "Going Rogue" this is neither new nor a revelation. Like many married couples, including political 'power couples,' it is common for a spouse to play the role of key advisor to the other spouse. The Palins were no different. Todd Palin had official and unofficial duties, but one thing was clear: he was a key advisor to Governor Palin and involved in her efforts to improve the State of Alaska. Officially, in addition to the duties traditionally expected of the spouse of the Governor, Todd Palin was put in charge of a Workforce Development commission with the goal of increasing vocational education opportunities and awareness. But unlike some spouses of elected officials, Todd Palin did not travel with an entourage, had no designated office, had no title other than "First Dude", received no pay, and had no staff. He donated his time to the people of Alaska by assisting the Governor. Each spouse of the chief executive is free to define his or her own role. From the policy oriented Hillary Clinton, to the more traditional and charitable work of Laura Bush, to the combined policy/traditionalist role of Michelle Obama, the first spouse takes on the duties within their interests and within the context of their marriage to the chief executive. Todd was no different.

What is interesting is that the same media outlet that today breathlessly reports how close the Palins were while Sarah Palin was Governor--too close for at least one reporter--earlier reported that the Palins were not close enough and headed for divorce. Consistency is not necessarily a hallmark for investigative journalists, but certainly truth should be. Let's look at the most serious accusation made. The article posits that Todd Palin "passed financial information marked 'confidential' from his oil company employer to a state attorney." The author clearly implies that Todd Palin, who was not a member of the British Petroleum management team, obtained secret "financial" information and surreptitiously gave it to a State assistant attorney general. The true facts are as follows: Todd Palin received an email from a third party (an email that was apparently making the rounds in Alaska) and he forwarded that to a state attorney on August 29, 2007. But the information in the email itself was dated February 19, 2004--three and half years earlier--and the information addressed safety performance for 2003 and overall productivity. Of course, as a highly regulated producer in Alaska, this is largely the same information provided to state regulatory agencies, taxing authorities, and even publicly disclosed to its shareholders. See BP Annual Report and Accounts 2003. The latter part of the email referred to performance data for 2005 again analyzing production, costs and safety. So there are two distinct errors in the article: (1) the email itself was circulating in Alaska and was simply forwarded to Todd by a third party, it was not an email that was sent by BP to Todd Palin wherein he was told it was "confidential" and (2) the type of information within the email was years old and all, if not most, was a matter of public record under the tight regulatory strictures BP operates under and its release of data to shareholders, securities regulators, the department of Revenue, and the state oil and gas commission, among others.

The bottom line is that this story reveals nothing new. Todd Palin was, and remains, a close advisor to the Governor. Those in the administration knew this, and the public knew this. There is nothing unusual, untoward or inappropriate for a spouse of a chief executive to provide guidance, input and hands on assistance.

- Thomas Van Flein, Personal Attorney for Sarah Palin

Tommy Report over at Conservatives For Palin has more on this, here.

In closing, congratulations to MSNBC, you have once again proved how irrelevant you, and the rest of the corrupt, Obamacentric have become. While you and yours are in full panic mode, we are getting ready to kick back and enjoy Sarah Palin’s State Of The Union speech tonight that will be carried live on Fox News, CNN, and many other outlets.

I’m sure your viewers will be enthralled by Lockup: Pendleton and Lockup: Raw, which you have scheduled to run during that time period.

Is there a gender issue regarding political spouses?

The traditional role of first spouse has evolved from the days of Eleanor Roosevelt to Hillary Clinton to Michelle Obama. Long gone are the days of carrying out some ceremonial duties and hosting tea parties.

The American public shouldn't be surprised to learn a politician has sought consultation and advisement and bounced ideas off his spouse. So why do some seem surprised that Todd Palin was "doing more than racing snowmachines" while wife Sarah Palin served as Alaska governor?

MSNBC.com and NBC news has obtained more than 3,000 pages of e-mails that show Todd Palin had a frequent presence in the governor's office, from monitoring union contract negotiations, being involved in a judicial appointment and having a say in state board appointments.The communications were released by the state of Alaska under its public records law. Officials offered 1,200 separate e-mails and withheld 243, claiming Todd Palin is protected as an unpaid government advisor.

I’m pretty sure that all husbands or wives exert at least some influence on the administration of their elected spouse and we’ve seen evidence of that in the past...

Read more of this article at Examiner.com

Must-See Photos of Sarah and Me!!! A Post by Conservative Girl with a Voice

As many of my readers know, I had the honor of meeting Todd and Sarah Palin in Reno, Nevada, as it was one of Sarah's many Going Rogue Book Tour stops. (Click here, here, and here to read my three-part whirlwind account of meeting Sarah). The photos have been released for viewing, so I am posting the photos of Sarah, Todd and myself below. I am planning on purchasing each of the photos and making a photo montage as a way to remember the event. For all of those who were lucky enough to attend a book signing and meet Sarah, click here to visit awesome Photographer Shealah Craighead's site to see your photos. Shealah did a great job taking thousands of photographs of Sarah and her happy supporters throughout the entire tour.





















(Click here to visit Conservative Girl with a Voice and become a follower. Click here to follow me on Twitter.)

The Christmas Friendship Dinner was a huge success!

I sit here in amazement at what a wonderful event it was that just took place. The Christmas Friendship Dinner held in Wasilla, Alaska is truly unique. I've never seen an event of this size headed up by a group of caring citizens, and not a major organization. They all know what needs to happen, and they get it done. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with members of this group that have been doing this for years. I want to say this to them, and to anyone reading this so you all will know, that this is what makes our community so wonderfully special. I send blessings to all my local friends, and to all those whom I've met through the internet this year. Below is a copy of an article from The Frontiersman,our local valley newspaper. My only comment would be that the writer is not quite correct - our celebration was not about Sarah as he said, but it's not about Santa either, as the article suggests. The celebration of CHRISTmas is about CHRIST. After all, he is the reason for the season! Please take the opportunity to look over these photos, as well as the attached article. God bless everyone, and Merry Christmas!

Christmas Friendship Dinner dubbed 'best ever'

BY GREG JOHNSON
Frontiersman
Published on Friday, December 25, 2009 3:34 PM AKST
WASILLA — Not even Sarah Palin could upstage Santa Claus.

As the former vice-presidential candidate served up mashed potatoes and turkey to a long line of hungry visitors, Santa was still wide awake after pulling an all-nighter delivering gifts around the world. Both were all smiles as they chatted with and served up food and presents to hundreds at the 18th annual Christmas Friendship Dinner at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center.

“No, no, no, not tired at all,” Santa said. “All that cocoa last night, and with all the cookies and chocolate, I’m wide awake.”

While Palin has been making national headlines since the release of her best-selling memoir, “Going Rogue,” there were no mobs of well-wishers, protesters or media. Many of the attendees were glad to see her and husband Todd participating in a hometown event, but said, at least on Christmas, Santa was the No. 1 celebrity at the sports center on Christmas.

“The food is good, the people are good and it’s good to see people you haven’t seen in while,” said Glen Butts. “And, of course, we have Sarah here. ... (But) I’d have to say Santa is the bigger celebrity. He’s going non-partisan, so I’d have to go with him.”

Lt. Micah Weinstein of the Wasilla Police Department reserves agreed. “Sarah’s a great lady, but Santa’s Santa.”

Behind the scenes, Bob Bowers has helped organize and cook for the Christmas Friendship Dinner since its inception. That first year, the dinner served 64 people at the Wasilla Senior Center. Last year, an estimated 1,500-1,700 was fed at Wasilla High School, and this year Bowers was prepared for 2,000 people at the sports center, as the event had outgrown the high school.

After 18 years of peeling potatoes and cooking in cramped, hot kitchens, is Bowers ready to pass on his apron?

“Heck, are you kidding?” he said. “I look forward to this day. This is the happiest day of my life when I get down here.”

This year, Bowers and a small army of volunteers helped cook and serve 63 turkeys, 60 hams, 600 pounds of potatoes, 50 gallons of gravy, 80 pounds of butter, dozens of large cans of beans and corn, and 600 pounds of carrots.

With more space and the kitchen facilities at the sports center, “This is the best year we’ve ever had,” Bowers said. “At the high school, they had to cook the potatoes out in front of the high school, and then they had to wheel them all the way back to the kitchen, mash them up, then haul them right back to where they cooked them. It took us all day.”

The Cowles family traveled from Indian with 7-year-old daughter Tilly for the dinner and passed the time playing Uno while waiting to help clean up.

“It feels like family,” Roger Cowles said about why his family has attended the past four Christmas events. “My folks live here and they peel potatoes and carrots. Last year, we came a day early and helped. This year we’re on the clean-up crew.”

While Tilly played Uno with her parents — “I lost the last hand,” her father said. “I was, like, hundreds in the hole” — her brothers were outside playing with a new toy they received at the sports center.

“We wouldn’t let them bring a football,” Roger Cowles said. “We said, ‘No, it’s going to be indoors.’ So, the gift they got from the giveaway over there was a football.”

Ashley Mills was one volunteer helping hand out presents to children at the dinner. All the gifts were donated, she said, then wrapped and labeled so each child would get a gift appropriate to his or her age and gender.

“It just makes me so happy to see them so happy about getting a present,” she said.

From youngsters visiting Santa one last time to seniors finding some companionship on Christmas, the friendship dinner was the place to be.

Barbara Rice lives at the Wasilla Senior Center and raved about the pecan pie.

“That pie, I’m not kidding you, is just delicious,” she said.

She also had warm thoughts for the local Santa Cop program, which payed her a visit earlier on Christmas.

“I didn’t even know about them,” she said of the Santa Cops. “They came in and said, ‘Are you Barbara Rice?’ And I said, ‘I am.” And he said, ‘We’re the Santa Cops and we’re here to see you.’”

She received a $100 gift certificate and several other wrapped gifts, Rice said.

“I was shocked a just the (amount of the) gift certificate, and I still have the gifts to look at too,” she said.

Kurt Karmer took a break from volunteering in the kitchen to enjoy Christmas dinner with his family. After three days of cooking to prepare, he proclaimed “everything” was the best on the menu.

“I just like bringing a little Christmas cheer to people, that’s all,” he said. “It’s been really good. The volunteers are great and (the facility) is beautiful.”

Sierra Hannan is a Christmas Friendship Dinner veteran. Attending since she was a girl, Hannan now brings her own children.

“I think it’s absolutely wonderful,” she said. “It helps out the community, and it’s not just for poor people, it’s for everybody.”

Bowers said he gets more out of volunteering to make the dinner happen than he puts into it, but what really made him choke up was seeing the community fill the sports center.

“This is the gospel-honest truth,” Bowers said. “I have walked out there three times today, and all three times I had to come back because I had tears in my eyes. I was so happy and so overwhelmed with what I saw, it just makes my Christmas.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Please enjoy my own personal photos below.


My daughter Cassie getting organized before the event


The table full of presents from Santa!


My sons Nick and Josh helping set up the Nativity


This is Kurt, who was mentioned in the Frontiersman article above


Some of our delivery crew. We were meals on wheels for today, and we had meals that were delivered to those who could not come to us.


We had volunteer firefighters helping out with meal delivery


We even had sugar free desserts


Kevin was awesome on the carrot shredder!


Some of our door greeters


Bob, on the right in the green apron, is an extraordinary cook and has been with the dinner all 18 years


One of our elves - isn't she cute?


Chuck Heath (center) with Angelina and LindaJo Klapperich


We had plenty of rolls - thanks to all who donated!


We had a nice selection of hot and cold vegetables


Servers with spoons up - at the ready!



People getting their plates filled


We had lots of great young people volunteering, and whole families


There were also servicemembers, young and old alike


Sally Heath talking to Chris, another great volunteer


My daughter Cassie and son Josh, taking a break to eat


Sonja and Gregory, who were running the first aid table


Our honor table, for those who have fallen or were not able to be there as they had in years past


We had a great turnout


This little girl was very happy with her Santa gifts


This young dad was very happy to receive a toy for his child. They dropped down right there on the floor in front of Santa to open it. They were all smiles!


We had some great families who provided sing-a-long entertainment


An overhead view of some people going through the food line

Many of you who follow my blog regularly found me through Twitter or Facebook or through some of the Sarah Palin websites. We were blessed today when Sarah Palin and her family came and devoted time to volunteering at the Christmas Dinner. Sarah and Todd, her kids, her brother and sisters, their children, and her mom and dad were all in attendance. Sarah came in and of course, there was immediate excitement. Sarah was gracious enough to sign a few items. I was working as the volunteer coordinator, and she told me she really wanted to serve so we set her up with Angie and she put her to work on the serving line. Everyone was very excited to see her, and for some it made this Christmas Day even that much more special. Sarah has a servant's heart and I know this is what makes her day as well. Sarah is her mother's daughter, and it was her mother who originally asked me to get involved. Chuck Jr. was so proud that his boys were able to participate and they all had a great time. Sarah's sisters and their families were also involved. Here are some photos from that part of the event:


Sarah's brother Chuck Heath Jr with his boys Kier and Teko. They were a big help!


Sarah arrived. You can see Piper and Willow in the left side of the picture


Sarah signed a few books and calendars





The head of the serving line, Angie, gave Sarah and Todd gloves and aprons and put them to work!


Todd and Sarah enjoyed serving










This special young man was excited to see Sarah, as were many

If you enjoyed this post, you can follow my blog at Finding Myself In Alaska.