{11.07.2008} Friday Melange - Halloween Fun

The craziest election season for most of us is over, thankfully. In the midst of all that was Halloween. It's a strange day...some folks go all out with their decorations and parties and we, as parents, have to explain to our daughter that on this ONE day of the year - it's OK to accept candy from strangers. Either way, Isabelle had a blast. Today's post will be a simple photo-journal of our first Halloween back in Wheaton...enjoy.

First, Izzy had a "Fall Party" at her school the week before Halloween, so she had the opportunity to wear her Lion costume...as you can see, she loved being a Lion:
















On Halloween, the weather was unbelievably warm, so Susan decided to switch Isabelle's costume from the Lion to a Ballerina so as to avoid an overheated child:




Finally...there's the loot:

Putting politics aside and understanding history...

After a long, long campaign and after I have been very critical of the Obama campaign and the man himself...I have to say that Barack Obama has run an amazing campaign. The sheer fact he is the first African-American President is amazing enough. What about the fact that he is *only* 47 years old, that he is a lawyer, that he is the most liberal Senator in the US Senate? Despite those facts, he was still able to win the Electoral Vote. What about the fact that as recently as 5 years ago, there were no African Americans in the US Senate? Wow. He has transcended the typical voting demographics and became the 44th President of the United States.

As recent as the 1960s the African-American population was being denied their rights and still being persecuted. There is still racism today prevalent in pockets of the country, people still will have ill feelings towards Barack Obama just because he is black. However, tonight we can say that our country has grown a lot. This election has shown us that this country is moving to become a much more diverse country, where the "majority" vote is not what will steer the direction of the country. Hispanics, Asians, African-Americans, Whites...all of these people groups will have their voices heard more loudly through the next few years...

My personal politics do not agree with what a President Obama will espouse, however, I do hope he is a good President - for the sake of the country. Regardless, history has evolved tonight and we were blessed to be a part of it...regardless of what side of the aisle you were on.

Goodnight...tomorrow we wake to a new world.

Election Night 2008

A recap of Politics 2008 and random thoughts from this historic day:

• I voted. Did you?
• Don't believe the exit polls, that's been proven over and over.
• Why are people so angry? Stop hating and just vote and let the next guy vote.
• Turnout is amazing. People are very excited this year for a historic event.
• We've seen some election day fraud. Black Panthers intimidating voters in Philly, wet ballots in Virginia, ballot machines malfunctioning, military ballots being delivered/sent late, random callers from both parties lying to people and telling them that their polling site has changed, and who knows what else? Share with me any other stories you might have heard or events you actually witnessed.
• Chicago has become the center of the nation - and will become moreso if Barack wins.
• I got free Starbuck's coffee today just because I voted!
• I enjoyed an almost 10 month email conversation with a good friend. We challenged each other, irritated each other and I believe taught each other a lot about the opposing views. I'd be interested to know how much your political views have grown or changed over this election cycle. Did you engage in the political process? Did you have a conversation that might have changed your vote? Did you read something that might have swayed your vote or made your choice more concrete?

Finally and most importantly: I believe our God has a plan that will be made more apparent tonight. I might have opposing views to the potential winner, but I know that God has plans that are far greater and far more amazing that anything these politicians can promise.

Goodnight - enjoy watching the election results and don't get too crazy out there.