Election Reflections Wednesday, November 05, 2008

It's been extremely difficult for me to concentrate on school work these past few days. I've been on the edge of my seat, mesmerized by the most important election in our lifetime. For example, this morning, I got up at 8am (despite not going to bed until 2am) and had high aspirations for getting some good studying done. In actuality, I have watched a few morning shows and scoured the internet in pursuit of the different reactions of Americans across the country as we woke up this morning to a new President-elect. Barack Obama! I must confess, I had tears in my eyes as I watched his speech last night.

A few interesting facts I learned this morning; despite the majority of the country going "blue" in this election, the state of Tennessee actually voted even more "red" than it did in 2004. Here's a local newstory about the phenomenon - wbir.com. I think Erik and I have definitely felt that we were in the minority here, especially in East Tennessee, but when you look at that electoral map, county by county, it's pretty astonishing to see how little blue there is. I guess I didn't realize it, because there were pockets of Obama supporters, especially in the urban areas. So, what caused our state to become even more polarized from the rest of the country? Perhaps many people felt that voting was a lost cause, as Tennessee had been considered a lock for McCain from the beginning. The voter turnout, state-wide, was down by about 125,000 this year. Who knows. The important thing is that our country as a whole is moving on toward better days.

Regardless of how you voted, I think we can all be proud of the fact that we have elected an African American into the highest office in our country. I spent some time in prayer this morning for Mr. Obama as he takes on the challenge of a lifetime. I am going to commit to continue praying for our leaders (something I never have really done). I will continue praying that God will become more real to those who don't know Him, and that our country will come together for a more peaceful and united United States of America. Even more specifically, here is a GREAT pledge of prayer and accountability from Sojourners.

Be a tourist in your own town Monday, November 03, 2008

Saturday, we decided to explore downtown Knoxville by bicycle. We love downtown, but we rarely do "touristy" things. There is this thing called the Sunsphere. It's leftover from when Knoxville hosted the World's Fair in 1982. Too awesome. There's an observation deck, so we went up for a look-see. It was a beautiful fall day, and we needed a break from our ridiculous week, so Erik slapped some new tires on his bike, and we were off. We had never been to the UT gardens (off of Neyland Dr.), it was great. Here's a photo log of our day...

University of Tennessee gardens.

View from a swing in the gardens.

ha ha, I caught the yawn!

Walking towards the Sunsphere.

Observation Deck

Local printing press, Yee Haw Industries shows support for Obama.

I love to pick up the weekly Metro Pulse.

Biking on the campus of UT. Lots of HILLS. I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden, the trees exploded with color this weekend. We thought it was going to be a brown fall. Not so!

Our church is actually in Oak Ridge, but I love the sign! We have loved being a part of this church since January. It's a warm place filled with people who love Jesus and who are constantly seeking out ways to serve others. It's great.

A quick trip to New York Monday, October 27, 2008

Hi friends and fam,
Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their calls, thoughts, and prayers as Erik's Grandpa has been in the hospital after his hemorrhagic stroke. We were so thankful that we got to go up to Long Island to be with him for a few days. He's doing better! Still has his jaw wired shut and has some rehab to go, but compared to where he was even just last week he's made a remarkable recovery. We just heard last night that he is home now after a long 3 weeks (or more?) in the hospital. We had a great trip and got some quality time with Bob, Nancy, Mark and Jess.

Just thought I would leave you with this classic shot of Mark, Erik, and their Dad (Bob) walking down to Jones Beach (notice the hand...).

Love it... Monday, October 06, 2008

Side note: Hope everyone is registered to vote! It's the last day to register in Tennessee...go do it NOW!

Nursing Buddies 2008 Sunday, October 05, 2008

Last week, I went to Washington,D.C. for my annual "Nursing Buddies Reunion". These ladies are how I kept my sanity during nursing school, and we share a unique bond. It really made me think about this Masters program that I'm in now, and how I miss the camaraderie of fellow students. My virtual peers are great, and I'm learning a lot, but there is something to be said for the face to face interaction of classroom learning. Maybe it's just a reflection of what a social being I am. I love interacting with others. I crave it, in fact. Don't get me wrong, this program so far is absolutely great. I'm learning so much, and it's actually a lot more rigorous than I expected. BUT, there have been a few days where I thought I was going mad. Sitting here at my table, (sitting on a pillow so my butt doesn't go numb on this wooden chair), reading and typing ALL day. It's a TOTAL change of pace for me. The verdict: so far, so good. Here are some pics of my crazy weekend in D.C....

Capitol Hill

Jessicca and I on the train into the city.

Alisha's little girl, Aria, and I were tight. We hung out together at the Newseum. Which, btw, is the one of the most interesting museums I've been to in the United States. We spent a whole day here, looking at galleries dedicated to some of the greatest news stories in the world, and the reporters and journalists who broke the stories.

The Pulitzer prize photograph gallery was my fav.

A trip to the Newseum is not complete without the 4-D movie. I look way too excited about this.

Maurine and her sweet little boy, Monroe.

Jessicca feeding her baby :)

Wendi, Alisha, & Aria.

Suz and I at dinner one night.