Hot dang it's a woman!

My initial reaction was disappointment that McCain did not choose Mitt Romney who I really respect and admire and is a leader this country needs.
However, I must say I was caught off guard but deeply intrigued by his choice of Sarah Palin, the 44 year old republican Governor of Alaska.
What I am hearing from the pundits:
She's conservative. she's a gun owner and advocate. She hunts, she fishes. She is the mother of 5 children, the youngest having down syndrome. She's a businesswoman, she's pro-life and super smart.
I've never heard her speak but if she's the republican vice presidential candidate as chosen by Senator John McCain, she must really have something to bring to the table. She's certainly not politics as usual like Joe Biden is.
I know Biden must be highly disappointed that he won't get to be the aggressive jerkish attack dog that is so true to his character when he is debating HER.
more to come. hang on to your hats, it's going to be an interesting fall.

p.s. she's beautiful!!!
p.s. couldn't have picked her out of a crowd of two before today....

radio silent

After not having any vacation this summer, I'm finally taking a long weekend and heading to the mountains. I am in much need of some R & R and I can't wait.
I really hope to pretty much disconnect from technology and just chill.....here's hoping!
but first, I'm super anxious about tomorrow and who McCain will choose as his running mate....
I'm really hopeful he picks Romney and feel like he will. Mitt Romney brings the best most diverse experience to the table that serves as a great compliment to McCain's background.
We'll know soon! Go Mitt Go!

Comparison of McCain v. Obama

Thanks to my favorite personal source of insider news, I am attaching a link to a side by side comparison of Obama and McCain's answers to the questions asked by Rick Warren at his forum from this past weekend. If you didn't get a chance to watch, it might be worthwhile to take time to review their answers and make your own decision about who is ready to lead.
http://www.thirty-thousand.org/pages/Saddleback_16AUG2008.htm

Random thoughts and observations

Ok, I haven't blogged in a while and I don't have a particular topic so I'm just going to dish on some various subject matters.

• Straight talking John McCain made Barack Obama look like an inexperienced politician who's running for school board on the saddleback showdown. Kudos to Rick Warren for asking some compelling questions and getting to the heart of the issues that make our country unique. If you haven't watched it and can find a rebroadcast, it's worth every minute.
• I was reading an article in the New Yorker about Emily Dickinson and it actually referred to her as "a spinster of thirty-one." How unfortunate......that's my age......
• I have had more conference calls in the last month, than I've had in my whole life in total up to this point. I guess that happens when your boss moves to another state.
• I got a new zoom lens for my camera, it's a pentax 50mm-300mm. It's awesome.
• I've been thinking a lot lately about how important it is that women allow the men in their lives the freedom to be imperfect. Sometimes we can set guys up on a pedastal and be so easily disappointed when they mess up. They aren't perfect and we shouldn't expect them to be.
• God thinks I'm beautiful. "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." My small group is doing an amazing book called "Do You Think I'm Beautiful?" by Angela Thomas. I am learning so much.
• I am so thankful for Faith, Hope and Love.

you need to watch this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mopkn0lPzM8

Vacation

I sure could use one! Seriously, like desperately. The kind where you turn off the blackberry and cell and don't worry that anyone is trying to reach you. The kind where you're with someone that you utterly and absolutely enjoy either doing something totally fun and adventurous or absolutely nothing at all. I need a vacation that gives me the freedom to leave behind the cares of every day life and be completely swept into rest and relaxation. I want one free from worry of spending too much or the worry that the weather won't be good. Really, I just want a VACATION.
I sure hope this ideal comes soon.

a perspective worth pondering

To: Richmond Times-Dispatch, Monday, July 7, 2008 ~
Dear Editor, Times-Dispatch:
'Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30 I celebrate my Independence Day, and on July 4 I celebrate America 's. This year is special, because it marks the 40Th anniversary of my independence.
'On June 30, 1968, I escaped Communist Cuba, and a few months later, I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress.
'I've thought a lot about the anniversary this year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.
'When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said, 'Praise the Lord.' And when the young leader said, 'I will be for change and I'll bring you change,' everyone yelled, 'Viva Fidel!'
'But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner's guns went silent, the people's guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education, it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented, Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over, more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I'm back to the beginning of my story.
'Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America ?
'Would we?'
Manuel Alvarez, Jr.