I voted

I'm done. I did it. I voted. (A week ago).
We had a beautiful October day that felt like late August. We had the setting of a serene park

for an exhilarating rally.

Owen received many compliments on his sign (that he made for the caucus on Super Tuesday.)

We got to meet the Governor.

Lauryn loved the music and the excitement of the rally.


Afterwards we took a break to play at the park.

Then to the courthouse, to cast our ballots.

I'm done. I did it. I cast my ballot. For the president, the senator, the congressman, the local school bond issue, the D.A. and the Sheriff -- they're all important.

I've gushed about Obama before. I've ranted about the opposition. I'm not going to today. I just feel grateful for the right to vote for the person I believe in; the person who can turn our country around.
And I'm struck at how far we've come. I read an exhilarating blog about the huge rally in KC. I'm sure it was amazing. Now that I think about it, our family was really lucky to get to see Obama in such a small setting - a gym filled with about 3,000 people. We sat about 10 rows from the front. Wow. What an experience. That was back in January -- when Obama was still a long shot for the democratic nomination.

In February, we caucused with the kids in a snowstorm, waiting 90 minutes to vote in a huge line that snaked around several tight hallways. Back then, I watched the results and wondered -- could this really be happening? Could he really be pulling ahead?

And now. Here we are. One day to go. One day until the results come in. One day before we know the direction our country will be going.
One day.

I wrote a blog, back on January 18, 2007, the day Obama announced his candidacy. That was nearly two years ago, and everything, EVERYTHING, I wrote about that man I believe even more vehemently now. I promised then, that I would eat my words if Obama turned out to be another sleazy politician. Yes, he could still turn out to be one. No, I'm not hanging the entire future of the universe on this one man. But I still believe in him and I still believe in what we can accomplish together:

"I write today with the promise of a new hope, a new way, a new beginning for our country. Normally, I am a very realistic, if not cynical, person, when it comes to my perspective on the outside world. I don't trust very easily, I tend to see things with an air of negativity. War, politics, poverty, global warming, injustice, genocide -- they are realities of life ...

But today, I have to put my negativity aside, to just believe, trust and hope that a new beginning has begun... Its not just about the way the man talks (but he can provoke emotion with his words) its not just about the words he says (but damn, its nice to hear the words) its not just the way he handles himself or how he answers questions (Q: "did you inhale? A: "Wasn't that the point?") or the legislation he gets behind. He just has a new way of being, a new way of leading, a new charisma that our country has not seen in years. Maybe all those things are the quintessential politician. Maybe I am just naive. But I see in Barack Obama something new, something genuine, something worth getting excited for.

What Barack has, is a charisma that the country needs to get behind. Not everyone can be a leader. While it takes many, many people to make change in the country, many who are faceless, nameless, and small, it also takes a leader who has what it takes to rally the troops. Imagine the civil rights movement without Martin Luther King Jr. -- while it took many, many others to bring real change, MLK, was a name, a picture, a face that inspired hope, that brought emotion and truth. The country needed him. And once again I think the country needs a new face, a new leader, a new hope. "

I said I wouldn't gush. This was really meant to be a photo-driven blog. I guess its just hard for me to contain myself. If nothing, I know I won't be alone tomorrow night, watching the returns come in. (Actually, I'll be far from alone, I'll be in a crowded newsroom, yelling results across the room and taking frantic phone calls.) In a larger sense, though, I'll be together with a global community of people who want to see change. I'm praying for the outcome. And whether you want to pray, or go door-to-door, or help get someone to the polls tomorrow -- do whatever you gotta do to make this happen. VOTE. We don't get a second chance at this one.