Yes We Can!

On this November 5th, 2008 I am prouder to be an American than I have been in the last 26 years of my life. Last night I was witness to history being made. America has spoken and has demanded change and I couldn't be happier.

As I watched McCain's concession speech I couldn't help feel a little sorry for him. I watched as the old McCain made a brief appearance. He was classy and eloquent. He spoke from his heart and his admiration and respect for Obama seemed genuine. It was the first time in many many months McCain seemed Presidential. If he had resisted the urge to pander to the extreme right of the Republican party and had shown this level of integrity during his campaign he may have actually had a chance of winning. Instead he stooped to the level of many of his supporters with mean spirited ads that played fast and loose with the truth and created only a more divided America. Those supporters were the ones booing when McCain mentioned his respect for Barack Obama. They booed and even in the shadow of defeat McCain couldn't bring himself to stand his ground and ask the crowd to be quite and show the President Elect the respect he very much deserves. And that, is a big reason McCain lost (big time) last night. But that's where my sympathies for that old coot end. He made a big mistake in Sarah Palin and I am glad this country dodged that bullet.

We are a better country today than we were yesterday and I firmly believe we've begun the healing process both Nationally and Globally. I didn't vote for Barack Obama just because of his tax plans or his ideas about universal healthcare, but also because he has plugged into what this country needs: hope and inspiration. It's time for a President that can bring tears to the eyes of jaded 20 somethings. It's time for a President that says things like "I will listen to you ESPECIALLY when we disagree". It's time for a President who can form coherent sentences and doesn't stumble clumsily through every day of his weasely little life....sorry...I digress.

Today is a bittersweet sweet day though. As happy as I am about being able to call Barack Obama our new President I am disappointed with the current results for Proposition 8. I wanted to keep this post positive and hopeful, but I can't help but feel deeply wounded that so many Californians voted for a constitutional change to EXCLUDE a minority. This is not what I would have wished, but we cannot lose hope that the remaining votes still to be tabulated will change the ultimate outcome or that the Supreme Court will one more time overturn what clearly is a discriminatory ban on gay marriage. One day we will all truly see each other as equals....one day...I don't think it will be within my lifetime, but I will do everything within my power to make sure my children will see that day. If this election proves anything it is that we are making progress....yes we can. 

Barack and Roll!

I realized last night as I was brushing my teeth (I do some of my best thinking while brushing...) that I had a knot in my stomach. A nervous, excited knot. I felt the same way I did when I was a kid on Christmas Eve. All the anticipation and potential. I believed when I was little that I would wake up in the morning and there would be a horse with a red bow on its head standing in our living room. I really firmly believed it was possible. I'd begged and pleaded for a horse and that night before Christmas my little body could barely contain the excitement at the mere possibility that my parents may have decided that it would be a good idea to bring a large farm animal into our small house in the middle of the suburbs. I felt the same way last night in anticipation of today's election. All the possibility. The possibility that something amazing could happen today. Except this time it's much more of a reality than a horse in my living room. Seriously, what would I have done with the horse? Ride him and love him and name him Artex, that's what. 

I waiting for almost two hours this morning to vote and while it was slightly irritating (mostly just due to the poor organization of the polling place)  I was excited to see so many people coming out to make their voice heard. Young, old, black, white, Prada and Kmart all coming together to make their mark on American history. I've never waited in line to vote. Not even for a few minutes...and like many other Americans I've seen on the news, I couldn't have been happier to do it. This election marks a change in American history....we will either elect our first African American President (fingers crossed) or the first female Vice President (lord save us). I am excited at the idea that the American people are about to stand up to the last 8 years and give Bush the collective middle finger. Let's get us out of Iraq, let's get our economy back on track and let's regain the respect of the world at large. The time has come.

Obama 08.

Oooh spppoooooky....

Indy was Halloween's star at my office Friday when he showed up (I had no idea!) in his Indiana Jones costume!

"It belongs in a museum mommy!!!"

Chillin....chewing his bone...completely content in his ridiculous little outfit.

Speaking of ridiculous outfits....... we had a little office party on Friday in honor of the holiday.

Why are you wearing that stupid human suit?

The cool kids....clearly....

Well...that was halloween. We didn't do much....stayed home Friday night and went to Dan's halloween party on Saturday...I showed up in a McCain/Palin Tshirt, with a black eye and a backwards B on my face....if you don't get it you need to watch the news more. 

Otherwise not a terrible lot going on here....more to come tomorrow I'm sure....

Happy Halloween and don't forget to vote!

Margaret and Helen

This woman is wise beyond her years...and that's saying a lot...cuz she's 82.

http://margaretandhelen.wordpress.com/2008/10/30/if-you-are-undecided-youre-not-paying-attention/

Please take the time to read. I agree with everything she says. In my short lifetime I have cultivated a healthy distrust of politicians and the U.S. government, but in the last 20 months I, myself, have  been moved to tears at the idea of a new America....one that is centered around intelligence, listening, unity, hope....and change.

5 more days.

Such a good daddy...

On Saturday afternoon Chris and I were getting ready to head out for a nice long walk with Indy. We'd saddled him up with his backpack full of water (to tire that little sucker out) and had arms full of bags of recycling to take downstairs. Since Chris was holding the Indy dog's leash I was carrying the heavier bags full of glass bottles. We got down to the dumpster room and realized the recycle bins were blocked off by trash dumpsters and as Chris stood inside the trash room and I stood in the doorway a single solitary Corona bottle slid off the top of my overly stuffed paper grocery bag and crashed to the ground shattering in thousands of little pieces. We just chucked the recycling in the dumpsters and assessed the damage. There was glass everywhere blocking the exit...There was a tiny little possible path for Indy and Chris to make their way out, but instead of trying to lead Indy through it Chris bent down and picked up our 90lb dog with a backpack full of water and carried him over the broken glass. It was quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen...

My boys...at the AIDS Walk

The Zen of House Hunting

Well....after spending a significant chunk of our Saturday in the car we successfully eliminated 16 of the 24 houses we drove by. We started off in Burbank and realized that really really please can we live in Burbank it's really totally cute!!! The neighborhoods are great...but like we already knew, the houses are smaller. The idea of only having 2 bedrooms doesn't exactly appeal to us, but at the same time we may just be willing to sacrifice for the kind of neighborhood that people conspire to commit murder to get into. We went and saw the castle house that I posted about and yes it is awesome. It's a pre-forclosure and is a screamin deal so the likelihood of us getting into it for below the asking price is slim to none. The neighborhood though is something out a dream. It's even near IKEA!!! for easy access to poorly built still overpriced oddly named home furnishings.

We now have 8 houses to go see with our realtor. I'm waffling between the feeling of competition to get to a house before anyone else and to just go with the flow...when "our" house is ready to be found...we will find it.....I must go to my happy place. Ommmmmmmm.......

Indy was entirely unimpressed by our adventures since every time we slowed down in front of a house he thought it was time to wrestle with dogs and eat grass. He was, however, rewarded for his good behavior with a pit stop at his old dog park. Where he promptly ran around like a chicken on cocaine, drank too much water and threw up his breakfast....awesome.

Shhh...we're hunting wabbits...err...houses.

Over the past few weeks I have been adding systematically to a document I've created entitled "houses". Any time I saw a listing online that I liked I would add it. We now have 16+ houses on this list including one 1930's French Tudor style house in what we think is a cute part of Burbank. It's a pre-forclosure that hasn't been on the market for very long so I'm sure it'll get snatched up before we even get to it...but we'll go check it out. Look cute, right! Needs some TLC but has tons of character.


Back in March when we were going out regularly with our realtor we realized that 3/4 of the houses we liked online were immediately out of the running when we drove by and saw the neighborhood. So this time we'll drive by all of them first and then go with our realtor to only the ones we think are promising. I have just finished using the google maps to plot out our 1 hour and 46 minute course of house hunting for today. We'll throw Indy in the car with us and head out to do some house hunting....wish us luck!!