Par-tay at the Polls!

Today was a wonderful day to teach our children a bit about our country. Avery and Mary Hannah went with me to vote. They were very interested in the whole process, and they even got their own "My vote counted!" sticker! All day long Avery was making his predictions about who would be our next President. We'll see if he was correct! It wasn't until late tonight that he asked us who we were voting for. I'd hadn't told him previously, because I didn't want to teach him to like one candidate over the next. What would a 3 year old know about platforms and agendas? Instead, we took the opportunity to teach him about the process, and the great privilege of voting to choose our country's leader.

Surprisingly, the polling place was very accommodating to us. I went expecting to have a very long wait, but was pleasantly surprised. I had even packed a lunch box, books, and some toys to keep us entertained. However, we hadn't even made it into the line (which was definitely long) before a poll worker invited us to go to the front of the line! "Its too long for the kids to wait." he said. WOW! I was shocked (and relieved).

There was one glitch, however. When I gave my I.D. and signed my name, the worker gave me a voting slip with someone else's name on it. Glad I caught that error! It was easily fixed, but left me wondering how many other times something like that had happened.

We were fortunate to have our polling place located at a community park. After voting, we had a picnic with that lunch I packed. We all loved that!

The best part of the night was our ELECTION PARTY! We ate a delicious dinner in front of the TV and followed the news reports. (The new recipe I tried was delicious, by the way. It was simple and oh so good!) The party was complete with cake and balloons. Obama and McCain even made an appearance! Avery colored his own electoral map as the announcements came one after another. Of course, he went to bed before the final announcement of our new president-elect. So he'll be surprised in the morning.

Here are some pictures from our Election Day together.

Towns: Big vs. Small

I have been reading ThePioneerWoman.com. She lives in small town OK. VERY small town! On her family's working cattle ranch. Very isolated, but then again not so alone. These images are from the town's cowboy and cattlemen's annual get together. BBQ and dancing. Its so quaint, people are so kind, familiar with one another. In her words "everyone knows everyone...and everyone is somehow connected."

There are many many things I love about South Florida. I love my family. They are mostly here. (Dan and Steph, we miss you!) I love the warm winters, that a light jacket is the most I'll ever need, and how I go on vacation to see snow. That means my flip flops are good all year! I love how I can go to the beach anytime. And how I can swim in my parent's pool. I love PUBLIX. Its the best grocery store. I love the huge hotels on South Beach and the chance that I just might see someone famous out and about.

I really love its diversity. I love that my brother is married to a girl with such a strong, close, and loving Cuban family. I appreciate the stories of Abuelo, Uncle Ronnie, and tight family love. In my church alone, there are people from over 70 countries. I love that those people feel the freedom to be who they are, to wear their traditional clothing, and to enrich our area with their traditions, celebrations, and cuisine! Just last week I had the privilege of having breakfast with a new friend from Nigeria. She has been here for less than 3 years and had lots to say about home. I love learning about other cultures... what "home" means to them.
This kind of diversity is unique. I choose to embrace it. And I hope that those who live in "monochromatic lands" (where everyone is the same color) would also decide to appreciate cultures that are different than their own.

Although there are so many wonderful things about this area, there is room for improvement. There are so many people in South Florida. SOOOOO many! Even though our houses are close together, our lives are far apart. It would be nice to combine the two: the warmth of a small town and the enormity of where I live. How about a community BBQ and dance... for the few million in my town? And lets enjoy the strangers, counting them as friends. (But please, leave the crime at home... errrr... just leave out the crime).

I recently visited a small town. (They don't even have a WalMart!) I was surprised that the Walgreens was spotlessly clean, and closed at 10. I was even more impressed that the local gas station had an enormous display of Pepsi 12 packs sitting outside the front door. And there was no one stealing them! Then I passed the local hardware store. Likewise, there were piles of mulch, gardening stones, and lumber all outside. The store was closed, the parking lot was mostly dark, and there was not a hired security detail guarding the items. What!?! I actually exclaimed, "Chris, LOOK! I can't believe these are still here!" Needless to say, our yard got a sweet makeover... thanks to those suckers!
Ha ha. Just kidding.

SOUTH FLORIDIAN (UPDATE)

South Florida is a great place. Its diversity makes it beautifully unique. I love the languages that I hear as I am out and about. The new and different foods that come from other countries. And the way the definition of "family" changes depending on the culture. Its a blessing to live among such a diverse people.