Giving Thanks
November 25, 2010
FROM CHARLIE
It’s 5:30 in the morning in Charlotte and I’ve been writing and re-writing words on this page for the last two hours. My body is back home with my family, but my brain seems to be stuck in a time zone that is half-a-world away.
In my life there have only been a few times that I have been at a loss for words. When I proposed to Cate the two of us sat silently on a park bench as I moved a ring from my pocket to her finger. She smiled. I cried. It was quiet. A few years later the two of us became three, and as that tiny little hand wrapped around my finger for the first time I cried, she smiled, and it was quiet.
Today there is so much to be thankful for, that I’ve found that words won’t provide much help. Just as those days when Cate and I started our life together and James joined us, I could spend the rest of my life writing about how I feel and I wouldn’t begin to scratch the surface.
Upstairs, a little boy is fast asleep. He is warm and dry and healthy and strong. He is safe. As he sleeps, he dreams. And when he wakes up, he’ll have every opportunity to live the life that his imagination has conceived. His dreams will become opportunities because of the twin miracles that he was born in this place, and in this time. He is blessed. As his parents, we are blessed.
This Thanksgiving I am thankful to live in this place and in this time - a place and time where anything is possible - and a place and time where we can be together.
As a family we are thankful for the opportunities of the last year and pray that we remain ever mindful of the needs of those who we have met along the way.
FROM CATE
The last several weeks have been a push for Charlie along The World Tri route. He suffered pulmonary and cerebral edema in Tibet but made it safely to Kathmandu. Then he flew over land and sea arriving just in time to spend this Thanksgiving with James and me. Today, we are thankful to be together as a family. As we begin the baking, cooking, and (yes!) grilling, we would like to thank all of those who have made The World Tri possible and touched our lives through this experience.
The team that has supported this expedition is incredible. Some have been with us from the beginning and others appeared along the way in an answer to our prayers.
Dr. John Quinn was the first member of our team and has been invaluable to us ever since. When Charlie stopped working to train fulltime, Dr. Quinn offered “to pay for the diapers.” He stuck with us through the early stages of planning and kept an eye on Charlie from the escort boat as he swam to France.
Dave Vellinga and Joe LeValley at Mercy Health have also been with us from the very beginning and were part of the team that encouraged us to leap off into the unknown. Dave and Joe and the entire Mercy team have been a constant source of inspiration for us and we could not continue without their ongoing support.
The entire group at Davis Brown Law Firm have been amazing to us and have encouraged and supported us at every step of the way. We are so privileged to be part of such a high caliber team.
Toyota provided the power for The World Tri machine. All the Toyota dealerships have been fantastic to work with and we are especially grateful for the support and encouragement of Steve Luebke and Pete Dalamaggas at Toyota of Des Moines, Danny Wilson at Wilson Toyota in Ames, Matt Johnson at Fort Dodge Toyota, and Lou Walsh from Walsh Toyota in Carroll. We are particularly thankful for Steve, who kept Charlie going through a series of tough phone calls in Prague when things got tough. Charlie always says that if he accomplishes anything it is because he stands on the shoulders of giants, and you are those giants.
Douglas Grimes and MIR Corporation answered a prayer after the expedition began and made sure that Charlie was cared for in Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. The team that was assembled worked continuously to overcome the many challenges that arose along the way including Katerina and Vladmir in Russia, Vadim and Igor in Kazakhstan, and Anton, Meerbek and Bolot in Kyrgyzstan.
Brian and Vanessa Block with AAO and Missy and Jason with Active Endeavors kept Charlie and the team supplied with the clothes and equipment needed to stay safe and warm, along with our partners at Marmot, Osprey, Khunu, 2XU, Petzl, Black Diamond, Scarpa, Oakley and SPOT. It has been so fun for us to work with each of you and to be participants in such a great industry.
Zac and Sarah Voss and their team at Voss Distributing provided for our communication needs and allowed our family to stay connected as the time zones between us continued to grow.
The human performance team at Des Moines University has been the answer to many prayers. Dr. Weir and Dr. Vardaxis and the entire team at the DMU Human Performance Lab spent days working on Charlie and making sure that he could make a safe attempt on this expedition. Dave Mable and Mary VanHeukelom then worked with DMU to make Charlie as strong as possible for the trip.
The team that supported us on the road and in the water did an amazing job in extremely difficult and changing circumstances. I’m eternally grateful for the work of Andy Stoll and Brian Triplett who joined us from Iowa, for David Phillips, Alex Brown and the entire team at the London Port Authority, and for Andy King and his team in the English Channel.
Don Jay came to our rescue and did a great job of getting us out of the many customs troubles that we seemed to continually find ourselves in as we attempted to move our team, equipment and vehicles around the world.
We could not have survived without the people that joined our team along the way, including Nigel Knighton and his family, Indira Sakhaulova, Kazimirez, Dawa Steven, Pasang Tamang, Lhakpa Sherpa, Pasang Dawa, and so many others.
Thank you to everyone on our educational team at The Adventure Institute and at Topics Education, including Phelps Sprinkle, Josh Thomas and Elizabeth Andre. I am so excited about what is to come!
Our Global Health team has been working equally hard behind the scenes, including Dr. Yogesh Shah, Dr. Deb Stoner and everyone at the White Ribbon Alliance.
Thank you also to Strategic America who provided so much support to our team, including Mike Schreurs, John Schreurs, Lore Solo, Cyndi Fisher, Lara Plathe, and Jack Wilkie.
Thank you to our family and friends who have nurtured our dreams and supported us in innumerable ways as we have traveled along the path of The World Tri. Thank you especially to Bikal, Ambika, Apeksha, and Anusha Adhikari for sharing your family and culture with us.
Finally, thank you to all of the kind folks Charlie and I have encountered from London, England to Kathmandu, Nepal who have given us a meal to eat, a bed to sleep in, and provided safe passage along our way. As a family, we have been recipients of the kindness of Good Samaritans the world over and for that we are eternally grateful.
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Pulse Check. Yep, Still Beating Strong.
November 10, 2010
This morning I was chatting with Dr. Debra Stoner and she mentioned to me that she had checked my journal and noticed that I hadn’t posted anything since August. “People want to hear from you. People want to know what it feels like and how you deal with being the one left behind.” She said encouragingly. Charlie’s aunt Jennifer shared the same sentiment a few weeks ago and while I was flattered, at that moment I wasn’t sure what in my life was worth sharing.
It’s true, I am the one left behind but I don’t spend everyday thinking about that. In fact, most recently I’ve been feeling incredibly blessed for the opportunity to experience Charlie’s travels vicariously through him. I love sitting with James and scrolling through Charlie’s pictures on the website and talking about wild horses in Kyrgyzstan and fortresses along the Silk Road. The other day James explained to one of our friends that his daddy, “Left Kashgar and is riding his bike in China now.” He likes to study a big map we’ve hung on the wall and now knows how to identify Russia and China… I’m working on helping him with the United States, I promise!
What has this journey given to us and what has it taken? Well, as you all have probably gathered from Charlie’s posts, the path of The World Tri has not been without bumps. We’ve had physical troubles, financial troubles, mechanical troubles and weather troubles but the blessings have been surprising.
When James and I returned to the U.S. I decided to move our little family to Charlotte, N.C. where my parents and three sisters live for the duration of the expedition. With my responsibilities to James, The World Tri, The Adventure Institute, and the global health effort mounting I knew I needed help and lots of it. I am sure when the call of duty came my parents, Joan and Carl, winced a little at the idea of a raucous two year old boy moving into their house but if they did, they never showed it! They wrapped us in a cocoon of love and sent Charlie words of encouragement ensuring him that he should continue. The home front is secure.
The first couple of months back were a whirlwind of activity as I’ve kept my nose down taking care of business. Only recently have I felt like I can come up for a breath of fresh air and it is sweet. One of the surprising blessings has been the opportunity to live in a multigenerational home.
When I was growing up, my family moved around a lot and I never lived in the same town as any of my relatives. So, as a child, I saw my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins for only a handful of days in the year. It has been a special experience to see James blossom in an environment where he gets the benefit of not only grandparents but also the love and attention of three aunts who teach him new and interesting things all the time.
I am also learning a lot. Having stepped out of my career in human resources after James arrived it’s been a journey carrying the torch of The Adventure Institute. I’m learning a lot about education, grant writing and global health. While there are many days that I look at the clock, see that it’s midnight and think, “Oh no, I didn’t get enough done today.” I am learning to balance and switch hats throughout my days.
Charlie and I have not chosen a traditional path. Our journey as a couple and a family is not charted. At times I worry about our choices. Whenever the shadow of doubt darkens my thoughts, I have found a sign appears telling me we’re on the right path.
Today I received a call from Charlie. He is near the border of Tibet way up in the Himalaya mountains. He has spent the last couple of days above 16,000 ft and said it’s freezing up there. He and his team were traveling down an incredibly isolated and remote road at dusk when they came across a boy standing in the middle of it. His cheeks were black and his hands were very swollen. The Tibetan guides spoke to the boy and found out that the boy’s truck had broken down. He had been wandering through the mountains for three days trying to find help. He had no food or water and was very weak from exposure to the elements. They picked up the boy, gave him food and hot drinks and delivered him safely to the next town.
Later, Charlie said it dawned on him that the boy very likely would have died if he and his team hadn’t happened along. When he mentioned that thought to the Tibetan guides they replied, “Yes, he would have.” Life is hard in that part of the world. It is remote and the elements are harsh.
The World Tri is about learning. It is about forging ahead even when you’re tired, worried or lonely. It is about working toward a goal and overcoming challenges. It is about helping those in need when you have the chance.
Though Charlie is not with James and me today, he was in the right place at the right time for someone who needed him. For that, I am thankful!
[Cate's Journal] A Toddler Tour of London
August 12, 2010
For a little boy, the biggest thrill in London is a mode of transportation rarely available anywhere else, the red double-decker bus. James frequently plays with a small model of a red double-decker bus at his grandmother’s house in Iowa and to see one with his own eyes was very exciting.
Continue reading[Cate's Journal] Swan Upping – An English Tradition
August 4, 2010
[Cate's Journal] Reunited
August 3, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010 – Pebble Beach House, Whitstable, Kent, UK
I woke this morning in the quietest hour of the day, probably about four, when all the animals and people who stay up late have gone to bed but the early birds have not yet woken. The air here is cool, moist and smells like the sea. I fell back asleep and didn’t wake again until the doves started cooing to each other, a sound like softly rolled r’s.
Continue readingCate’s Journal: Prologue
July 14, 2010
When Charlie and I were going to be married, the priest who we’d asked to perform the service sat us down and broached the topic of differences. As part of our pre-marital counseling we’d taken a compatibility test and the results were interesting. He explained that differences between married people were not a bad thing, in fact, his mother was Catholic and his father was Jewish and they had enjoyed a long and happy life together. He said the important thing was respect for each other and learning how to compromise.
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