A New Beginning

What can I say that hasn't already been said in the last week? Things have gotten so bad under the current administration that I vowed to move out of the country if we had to endure four more years of Republican rule. It's not even that I am so liberal that I would be upset if a Republican won- what upsets me is what the party has become. They seem to have lost focus of their core values and are more interested in doing whatever is necessary to gain power. I sincerely do hope they take this opportunity as a time of reflection to remind themselves of what is important to them and find the conviction in their beliefs that they seem to have lost along the way.

As far as the history that occurred last Tuesday, well it just tickles me pink. I feel like I just breathed a sigh of relief that I have been holding in for the last eight years. How refreshing and invigorating to have a new president, one that holds the same ideals I do. Maybe it's just me, but I feel like he genuinely has the good of the country in mind. I truly believe in him and I am so happy to be an American. I haven't been able to say that for a while.

My First Online Baby

I have always been a print designer. I took a couple of web design classes in school, but I had horrible teachers that forced me to have a bad impression of it. For the past couple of years, I have tried to pick it up here or there, knowing that it would be essential knowledge to continue in my profession. I would start reading a book, but always found an excuse and put it down. Well, the company I work for has made a huge shift towards web. We've always had multiple websites, but our focus was always primarily on direct mail, magazines, and other stuff print. So now our graphic design team and web team have merged into one and I was FORCED to learn web design. Guess what? I love it! It's so different from print, but the gratification you get from seeing your work in front of you and being able to interact with it is something I really enjoy. I even like the code part of it. So I am taking full advantage of having these knowledgeable web people around me and letting the company foot the bill on a couple of online classes. The way technology is taking over, I HAVE to know this stuff. But now I know, I WANT to learn this stuff. So without further adieu, my first online baby.

We went!

The Obama/Biden rally was a very interesting experience. I was immediately awe-struck by how organized everything was. Everyone at work was telling me I was crazy for going, that it was going to be a zoo, that I probably wasn't even going to get in. I was imaging massive crowds of people pushing their way in, knocking others to the ground in order to get a good seat. Instead, we waited barely 20 minutes before we got in. There were volunteers everywhere that couldn't have been nicer and even the people attending the rally were incredibly nice. We got our seats fairly easily and it started right on time. Joe spoke for only about 20 minutes and then Obama came on.
I know they do these things all of time, but I still have a great apreciation for all of the planning that goes into each and every last one of them. From the design to the crowd control to the media to the lighting. Running for president is a lot like running a business. You have to surround yourself with people you trust to do their job. When you think about it, the same goes to whoever ends up with the position. I'm crossing my fingers that it's Obama.

Might Get to See Some History

A while back Chris recommended we go see Obama "when he comes on tour". (Can you tell we are music people?) Well, we found out that both Obama and Biden will be right around the corner tomorrow. That's the one great thing about living in a mostly republican state- you can always count on the democrats spending alot of time here in the final days leading up to the election. The rally starts at 7:30, but the doors open at 4:30. We won't be able to make it until about 6 so I'm not sure if we will make it there in time. I found out that you can pick up "preferred entry passes" at certain libraries until 6 tonight. I don't know what they are, but I am hoping that it will give us a better opportunity of making it inside. Also, a friend gave me a tip on how to take advantage of having a baby. She suggested I bring the stroller because they always let the stroller people in first. Well, Chris is on his way to find out what these tickets mean... if anything.

Mmmm

I love that my husband bakes. I mean I LOVE it. For his birthday, he got a bunch of gift cards to Sur la Table. One of the things he got with the gift certificates was their new book, "The Art and Soul of Baking". Just this week, he has made Cappuccino Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti and Sweet Potato Biscuits.

The Biscotti are amazing. They were my pick. We started a new tradition where every week one of us picks a recipe. Last week, Chris picked Roasted Red Pepper, Basil, and Feta Muffins and today Nancy was looking over the book to choose her pick. The Sweet Potato Biscuits are good regardless of their striking resemblance to dog poop (Sorry babe, but it's true). The best part about all of this is that Chris is on a sweets strike for the month, so the sweets are mine... All MINE, I TELL YOU... muahahaha....

Kinda scared of her

I know this is totally old news by now. The VP debate was about 2 weeks ago or something, but I still thought this was pretty funny and pretty accurate. It struck me as odd that everyone was so impressed with Palin's debate. It seemed pretty void of any real information. And it really bugged me that she answered every question with whatever she wanted to talk about regardless with what was being asked. I would love to be a fly on the wall of the McCain/Palin camp these days. I wonder if he regrets picking her...

Helmets

I think I love these hats. Obviously, we have no need for them here with the warm weather, but I think kids would be more likely to suit up for the cold if the get to look a giraffe or bug. They are a little quirky, but I'm all for that. You can see them all here.