It's my birthday...I can cry if I want to

So I have received some of the most amazing birthday gifts this year for my "House of Representatives"/score + 5/quarter of a century birthday and I thought I would share them with you: Well wishes from many (Thank you/danke!), the flowers (pictured above) from James, four pounds of Yummy Earth candy (...that's right folks, I did say four pounds!), Rustler's Rhapsody, a new president that I am very excited about (Ok, so this is not really a birthday present, but I'm counting it as one...), and WWI propaganda posters (Thanks Mom and Dad). While it was a rather eclectic assortment, all were wonderful and really made my day. Some even made me cry...but in a good way which I truly needed the last couple of days. So again, many thanks!

Election Day!

So I must say that I am extremely excited about this year's election. I've held off blogging about it, but I figure the last 24 hours is fair game. James and I have certainly had some interesting conversations during the last 20+ months, we've enjoyed the debates, interviews, and yes...SNL sketches. It was interesting to find out that we have similar views on politics, since we never really discussed the topic while dating through all eight Bush years. Though we agree on many issues this election, I certainly think I'm a bit more rational in my arguments either for or against a candidate, but don't we all? We've also learned a couple of lessons this political season. For instance, we've found that politics is not such a great conversation starter with family and friends as our views do not necessarily coincide with theirs (for shame!), politics do not make for great "pillow talk," and watching debates together may not be the best strategy as at least one of us tends to act like my father during sporting events. (While every rational person knows that sports teams can't hear you through the TV, I'm convinced candidates can).

If you're waiting for an official endorsement of one candidate over the other you won't find one here. I'll be practicing my progressive era election reform of the secret ballot. However, I certainly hope that you've made up your minds and have done your civic duty and right of voting (either absentee or in person tomorrow!). I'm certainly looking forward to tomorrow and sitting back to enjoy the coverage tomorrow evening. Enjoy the last 24 hours!

Happy Halloween!

October has been an extremely busy month, but one that was well worth the effort to keep up with the fast pace. Here's the highlight reel. First of all, grades for the first cycle of school were due. And no, my students did not suddenly wake up from their apathetic comas the last couple of weeks to pass in large numbers as I had hoped. We also had a blessed fall break, which was just what I needed. James and I spent some of it lounging around, attending doctors' appointments, watching a couple of recorded SNLs that we had missed, visiting with family, and attending a good friend's bachelorette party (sans James of course!). Later in the month, we spent some time making sourdough bread that is never tangy enough, freezing pomegranate seeds, and carving our pumpkin. Hopefully you all had a wonderful October and were able to sit back and enjoy the highlights as well!