New President!!

We have a new president and we've made history. Barack Obama has been named the 44th president of the United States. How things have changed! And how they will change. Regardless of how you voted (and I never reveal my voting preferences), our country is facing so many challenges that anyone willing to take on the job of its fearless leader is to be commended. There will be little girls in the White House for the first time since.......Amy Carter? That's what I remember - when Amy Carter was in the White House and I was so jealous (bet she's got the coolest clothes and toys, bet she makes the Secret Service do whatever she wants, bet she's SO spoiled!). Now little girls everywhere will wonder about the secret lives of Malia and Sasha. But I digress......it's more about the changes we need and the ability to lead our country through war and recession. Everyone wants and needs changes so we will see what the next four years bring. It was pretty cool to see all the public gatherings and all the excitement bringing out record numbers of voters. It was inspiring to see how much the kids got into it and learned about presidents in the past. All four of them were Obama supporters throughout (heavily influenced by the public education system). But I made them tell me the reasons they supported Obama (and not just "because he seems nice"). I want them to know how important it is to choose a president (and other leaders) based on what you believe and hope for, and not just because you're loyal to a certain party. And (I'm almost embarrassed to admit this!) Jeff voted for the first time ever! When I found out he had never voted, we registered him right then and there online and I told him his mission was to read and research both candidates and spend time at least once a day informing himself on the issues. And he did. It was pretty cool to fill out our ballots together (and have a debate over the ones we didn't agree on). So, I'm proud of him for voting (and still appalled that he never did it before!). Here's a photo of him with his sealed ballot, ready to go in the mail! Yay, Jeff! Yay, Obama! Yay, USA!