Election Day!

Today is an exciting day for America- It has been a LONG campaign season and it is almost over. Although I am looking forward to finally having a new president elect, I will miss the election. I have turned into a news junkie and now know the CNN analysts by name. I am a big fan of John King and the magic electoral map. I have been following SNL for the first time since high school. What am I going to watch after the election is over? I imagine I will go back to my usual ESPN viewing. College basketball is around the corner and the Zags are expected to have a good season. That can be my new obsession.

This week at dinner, we have been talking to Corbin about the election- not in an effort to indoctrinate him with our politics, but to teach him the importance of voting and being part of the political process. We have also talked to him about the historic nature of the election for both women and minorities. I know he doesn't fully understand, but it is the beginning of his political education.

I am looking forward to watching the election results come in tonight. I feel fortunate to live on the West Coast, where they expect to have a good idea of who wins by 7 or 8pm PST. I hope to be able to celebrate an Obama Presidency and Gregoire re-election as Washington State Governor.

On a side note- I have been a fan of Obama since spring of 2007 when his presidential campaign was just getting started. My good friend Noel (we have been friends since 2nd grade when she declared she was going to be the first woman president) has always been my political go to person. She asked me to read Obama's books with her. We started with Dreams from My Father and then read The Audacity to Hope. I loved Dreams from My Father and would highly recommend it to everyone, regardless of your political views, especially if Obama is our next president. After reading it, I felt like I got a rare glimpse into the life of a politician and felt like I got to know Obama on a personal level. The Audacity to Hope is a harder read and less engaging. I am glad I read it because it outlines Obama's political philosophy. His books inspired me and earned my vote.