Made in...??????

So the other day I'm listening to Lindsay and Makenna have a conversation.

It went like this:

Lindsay: "You are so far behind. You're never gonna catch up."

Makenna: "I know, I know. But it's not my fault. I can't help it, its not a fair game."

I got slightly concerned thinking that I may have to do some intervening on Kenna's behalf. 'What is she so far behind on? and why is Lindsay taunting her about it?'

Me: "What's the contest here?"

They started pointing to things and turning things upside down looking for tags.

Lindsay: "I get a point for everything that's made in China and she gets a point for everything that's made in America."

Uh....okay.

Me: "You guys need to think of a less depressing and fear-inducing contest."

I'm a voter, he's a voter, wouldn't ya like to be a voter too

So I was pretty excited to go vote this year.
I tried to go early in the day before people got off work so I wouldn't have to wait in line.
Well, if you know me, you know that I was there at 5:15...standing in line.
As I stood there in the line watching people vote, I couldn't help but get a smidge emotional.
I know, that's silly.
But I just couldn't help it.
It all started with the little old man leaning on his cane while he voted. His hands were so shaky that he may have inadvertantly voted for the other guy. But he was there...voting.
I got looking around at the people that had taken the time to come and let their voice be heard.
If I were brave (which I am not)
I would have taken out my camera and snapped a shot (which I didn't).
But if I had, it would have looked something like this.
The skinny kid with big glasses who I'm sure was casting his first vote ever stood behind a guy in a suit and really expensive shoes.
Another guy with skin like leather walked past on his way to leave. With every step he took, a small billow of dust or concrete mix or something puffed out of his work boots.
A young mother rummaged through her purse looking for something to shush her bored toddler.
A not so young mother right behind her freely dispensed with unsolicited advice.
A woman in fancy clothes stood next to a lady in sweats as they picked the candidates they thought would do the best job...I wondered if they were the same candidates?
And finally, the man standing in front of me wore a work shirt with his name on it.
He smelled like motor oil.
The woman behind me wore a lovely sweater vest and smelled like butterscotch cookies.
Such different people all doing the same thing.
Different incomes, different jobs, different houses, different beliefs.
But there we were. Standing in line.
How lucky are we to pick our leaders?
Sure, they may not be perfect and sometimes they're just downright stupid...but we get to pick em'.
No socialist dictator or ruling monarchy chooses. We do. It's downright cool actually.
I hear people whine all the time about the state of things and then find out they didn't vote.
Whatever. I mean, come on! A lot of people fought and died so we could.
I was just really proud of my little group of fellow voters. Especially the guy I saw walk in with a cast on his leg.
Anyhoo, I'm glad I got to vote. Thanks mom for making me a sentimental, patriotic sap.
God Bless America. Stars and Stripes forever and Don't Tread on Me. For the People and all those other ones.

p.s. Who was the guy that thought up the donkey and the elephant? It couldn't have been something a little cooler? A Jaguar and a Lion or... something?

oh, and p.s.s. Lady behind me that smelled like butterscotch, if you're blogging about standing in line behind me, will you please say that I smelled like Tahitian coconuts? Thank you.

Lincoln Logs rule!!

So I am a huge fan of America. I love living here. I love being able to travel from state to state without any papers. I love being able to go to church wherever I wish to. I love being able to say anything I want to say without getting into trouble, well, except with my mom I guess. Anyway, I love being an American. I don't even like apple pie but I eat it because I love anything Patriotic. One of my favorite trips was to Washington D.C. I could not believe all the history and excitement there. I love the founding fathers and all of the lesser known Joes and Janes who sacrificed SO much for us to have all that we do. I am amazed that through everything that this country has been through, we're still standing. We're still the luckiest people in the world. She's not perfect, she's not even close but the good old U.S.of A. ain't too shabby. I mean, we came from nothing. They lived in mud huts for Heaven's sake. So to honor one of the men who did his darndest to keep us all "One Nation under God" when we were so close to shredding ourselves in half, I am sharing the Ghettysburg Address. I know we've all heard it a lot but it had been a while for me and I just love the simple eloquence of the words he uses.
And I also thinks he just ROCKS that stove pipe hat. Happy Birthday Mr. President.
It's a great day to be free people. Enjoy it.

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.