My Obama Crush

This is going to be a rambler...try to keep up...I hope it's entertaining.

Ok, so now I think I can relate to my mom...in a way that may be weird to you. While she has her undying love for Bill and Hillary Clinton, I, too, have a love for Barack and Michelle Obama.

It all began a few years ago. It wasn't an instant kind of crush-more of a creeping one that hits you all of a sudden. The kind of crush where you feel blindsided, but in all honesty, you kind of saw it coming.

I first heard and saw President Obama on the Oprah Winfrey show a few years ago. She introduced him as the next President (boy, was she some kind of psychic or what?). I wasn't so sure, though. Yes, I thought it would be a pleasant change from W, but I didn't see him as the next president and in all honesty, I hate celebrity endorsements. I especially had problems with Oprah endorsing him. Here were my reasons: After working at Bath and Body Works when the famed Pumpkin Face mask came out and was on her "favorite things" episode...when it was completely sold out for months on end because Oprah said it was AMAZING. She's right, by the way, it IS amazing....It just frustrated me because I'm sure if it had NOT been on her favorite things episode that it probably wouldn't have been sold out all those months and BBW would still be rolling in the dough, even though Queen Oprah hadn't mentioned it. I just hate how once she says something is GREAT and "you've got to have it", that everyone jumps on the bandwagon and follows her like minions. Though, who am I to kid, if I had been on her show where she gave everyone in the audience a car, I would have peed my pants and she would be my new best friend.

I guess, I'm just one of those people who likes to make up their mind for themselves. When I saw him, I watched him speak with Oprah and I was impressed by his demeanor, his eloquence, and his appeal. The way he was so relaxed and seemed at ease. The way he didn't seem to be like most politicians you hear about and didn't seem like he had 80 bazillion skeletons in his closet. He just seemed down to earth.

But I wasn't crushing on him. I honestly didn't really think about him much after that.

Then came the elections. OMG, was I all for Hillary Clinton. A woman in the White House as President?? No way! And a woman I have the utmost respect for?? Can't happen! And on top of that another Democrat in the running who is African American???? Holy crap, this cannot be happening in my life time! Wait. What? Who is that? Is that Barack Obama?? Is that the guy who was on Oprah? Oh geez...How do you choose??? Who cares about all those other guys running! Give me Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, any day! But seriously. How do I choose?

I did, though. I loved Hillary. I thought she'd be a hard as nails commander in chief. I loved her ideas and I loved her sense of humor. And in all honesty, I loved that she was a woman who fought for what she wanted. She put up a fight and she held her head high. But then she lost in the primaries. I was really sad for her...I was just so sure her time had come. BUT, let me say this, that if I had the option of choosing who would beat her, I would have picked Obama in a heart beat. So after my broken heart healed for Hillary, I immediately backed the Democratic Nom. Senator Barack Obama.

As the elections became nastier and nastier, I crossed my fingers that Barack would hold true to the calm demeanor he had shown thus far. What amazed me, was that he did. He was youthful, hip, fist bumps his wife, and while the negative ad campaigns ran rampant, his were actually quite tame in comparison to many of McCain's. While he was being called a terrorist by many McCain supporters, while Palin continued her crazy speeches about how Obama would be bringing terrorists into the White House, Obama stayed cool. So calm under pressure. The debates between Obama and McCain were absolutely amazing. It was almost comical to watch McCain get worked up, call Obama "that guy", and yet there sits Obama with this look on his face like, "Can we really move on from this?". I think that's when I began to have a crush on Obama. The fact that despite the low blows coming from the Republicans, he put on a smile on his face and took the high road.

I think he was the type of politician I've been waiting for. All of this name calling, digging around into the past, getting into the personal lives of our political elite, was getting quite old. I've thought countless times, why can't we just talk about things without it turning into this name calling, pointing fingers, low balling that has become our political system?

Then I finally happened upon his book, The Audacity of Hope. The title alone, says it all. I bought the book this weekend. I'm only one chapter in and just starting on my next, but what I can tell so far is that this man is smart. He's so level headed, it's almost scary. He has written this book and I can hear his voice as I read and I so wish I could spend just 5 minutes in his company and hear more of his views on how to make America what it used to be. It's like you want to throw away the title "Democrat" or "Republican". Can't we just sit down and talk about these matters in civil tones without losing our cool? Can't we sit down and somehow work out a way to see eye to eye or work out a compromise without the right wing or the left wing getting in the way?

And here comes my favorite, as of right now, quote from his book:
Here he is talking about average, every day Americans and their problems and what they are waiting for....
Page 51:
"I imagine they are waiting for a politics with a maturity to balance idealism and realism, to distinguish between what can and cannot be compromised, to admit the possibility that the other side might sometimes have a point. They don't always understand the arguments between right and left, conservative and liberal, but they recognize the difference between dogma and common sense, responsibility and irresponsibility, between those things that last and those that are fleeting.

They are out there waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them".

And with that last paragraph of his first chapter, I almost yelled out a, "Yes!! That is exactly what I'm waiting for! Oh my gosh, if it were that easy!" It was with that single paragraph where I fell in love. It was my "Ah ha!" moment and the very moment where I truly wanted to run to Obama and give him a big hug and say, "Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for running for President! Thank you for being so level headed and thank you for your book. You are, for lack of better terms, a genius".

I know I still have a lot left to go in the book...but I will say this, I can hardly wait to have time to read it this evening. I know this is a silly blog and it may anger some people out there and some of you may think I'm an idiot and not know what I'm talking about...and you know, maybe I don't and maybe I don't fully understand politics...but I have a crush and sometimes you gotta send out your love. :)

So, Mr. President, I want to thank you for your contribution to the world thus far and like I've said before, I look forward to seeing what you can do for our country. I know it will probably be an uphill battle for you, but I believe in you, as do so many Americans. I'll be praying for you, your family, and this country.

Hail to the Chief!

So today Barack Obama was sworn in as President. Unfortunately, I couldn't view the inauguration because for some reason the streaming video kept going out on me (very frustrating). I was near tears out of frustration because it's so unfair that now I have to go home and watch this after the fact. I realize it's not that big of a deal...but there is something about watching a historical moment LIVE. I'll get over it.

I just have to say that I'm so proud. I am so excited about seeing what he can do for our country and the change he'll bring. I wish him and his family luck and will be praying for them.

Premio Dardos Award

So, I feel really honored that TexasRed at would even think of my blog to give this award to....


This award acknowledges the values that ever blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.

I have never viewed my blog as anything other than just a fun thing to do. So it was really nice that someone enjoys my blog. I figured people just think I'm a scatterbrained girl. LOL So thank you :) Like I said, I feel really honored that anyone would even think of my blog.

Anyway, so now I get to pass this baby on to some other blogs I think carry these same values...

Here are the rules for this award. I must:
1) Accept the award, post it on my blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his/her blog link; and
2) Pass the award to another 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I don't have 15 blogs...but I can think of a few...

My first one goes to Carie from Love, Life, and Everything in Between.
My second goes to Mandy at Music and Baseball.
Ok...so that's only 2, I know...but everyone else already has the award :(

Wow.

5 days until Obama takes office. I can't say I'm not excited. I almost wish the stock market would close for this. I feel like it's such a historical moment, I don't want to miss it. Like I've said before, I don't expect him to be a miracle worker and I don't expect the road for him to be easy-but I truly believe he's going to give it everything he's got. I trust him and I believe in what he stands for. People may disagree or think he's not qualified enough-but really? Who exactly IS qualified enough to be President? I assume it's like any other new job you go into. And it's not like he makes every decision on his own anyway-he's got advisors for every little issue who give him advice.

I sincerely wish Barack Obama luck and I'm so excited to be able to witness such a historical moment that I can tell my children about. I'm eager to see what he can accomplish and I hope that people who don't support him will give him a chance to prove himself-after all, didn't we give Bush a second term so he could prove himself as well?

(By the way, I stole the picture from Pinkisthenewblog.com. It was too good to pass up) :)

General Update

So, I realized I haven't updated in a while...

So far so good in the H-home. We actually moved into a two bedroom apartment around Christmas. And when I say "around Christmas" I mean, we started moving stuff on December 23rd. We got a really good deal on a flat in the same complex we were living and decided to break our lease early and move into it. It's got about 400 (at least) more sq. feet than our townhome did and my kitchen is about 3 times the size it used to be. We love it. The only problem is that we're on the 3rd floor and we can hear the people above us. They are NOT light footed, let me tell you. And they love to blast their music at 6:45 in the morning-which is kind of Ok considering we're already up (but it's still annoying). I'm enjoying this time in our life because it's nice not to have to worry about the upkeep of a house...but I still can't wait to have a house and not have to worry about hearing our neighbors stomping around.

Steve's enjoying his job, which is good. He's been working there since the week after Christmas. We have almost the same schedule, except he gets to be at work at 9and leave at 6:00 and I have to be at work at 8:00 but I leave at 5:30. Steve's really been a sweetie lately...He's such a great husband. He never ceases to amaze me. He's been amazing at moving the stuff into our new apartment and putting up pictures and curtains.

We got a new couch and we just bought a new flat screen TV to go in our living room. Our old one pretty much bit the dust on Sunday. I can't say I was sad to see it go. The only thing I was sad to see go was money that we'll be saying goodbye to each month as we pay the new TV off. But it won't take us long and hopefully, we won't have to buy a new TV for at least 5-6 years or longer.

I'm back on the weight loss/work out wagon! I've actually been doing really well and kept with the program since the weekend after NY's. I don't know how much weight I've lost, but I'm pretty sure it's a fair amount and I know I've lost inches because my clothes are finally either A)starting to fit like they should or B)starting to get slightly big. I work out in the evenings at our apartment's fitness room. It's not the greatest-but it will do for now. I've been going pretty much every day to at least do 30 minutes of cardio or up to 45 minutes of cardio plus weights. I've been trying to talk myself into going in the mornings-but the bed is just so warm and I like it...But my evenings pretty much suck because I come home from work, work out, cook, eat, and then I need to shower, and go to bed. If I worked out in the morning I'd have more time to enjoy myself in the evenings. Maybe when it gets a little warmer...

Anna is doing really well. I think she likes the extra space but we've been doing a lousy job of taking her on walks and runs during the week. We're fixing that tonight by going on a run when we get home. A nice long one-hopefully 5k. She'll love every second of it. She's such a cutie...

I guess that's the update. Just waiting until March and April when the job fairs start up for the school districts. We'll see what happens. I can't wait to teach.

Wine? Yes, please!

You Are Chardonnay

Fresh, spirited, and classic - you have many facets to your personality. You can be sweet and light. Or deep and complex. You have a little bit of something to offer everyone... no wonder you're so popular. Approachable and never smug, you are easy to get to know (and love!). Deep down you are: Dependable and modest Your partying style: Understated and polite Your company is enjoyed best with: Cold or wild meat

What Kind of Wine Are You?

I got this lovely quiz from TexasRed. Thank you!!
Yumm! I LOVE me some Chardonnay. I also love all kinds of Red Wine. I'm not picky. As far as I'm considered, it's all good! :)

Though, I'm not gonna lie...I can be smug sometimes...Just ask my husband.
(don't know why the thing isn't working right...)

Second Chance by Jane Green

I love girly novels. I love happy endings. I love England and I especially love when I read British novels and get to read some of the common language they use. It just cracks me up. At night time, when I would read it, I'd have a cup of tea and think of myself as so "British".... I'm a loser.

I really enjoyed Second Chance. It's a great book about self discovery. There are quite a few characters and I'll go into detail each one.

First, I'll introduce you to Tom. You never fully "meet" Tom because of a disaster at the beginning. But he brings all of our characters back together because of this disaster. He is friends with all of the characters I'll introduce you to. He is best friends with Holly....

Who is our main character. Holly is a mother of two children, in a marriage that is devoid of love, passion, and communication. She is married to Marcus, who is described MULTIPLE times as a "pompous arse"-which he is. She is unhappy, can't sleep, and does not know how to correct the loveless marriage she's in. She tries to get back in touch with Tom, but finds out about the disaster...Basically for the rest of the book, she really starts questioning her marriage and realizes how unhappy and unfullfilled she is.

Another character is Paul. Paul is married to Anna, who own's a website called "Fashionista". He is a down to earth man, as well as his wife, much to everyone's amazement. Paul and Anna are trying to have children, but are unsuccessful, even with dozens of IVF treatments.

Then there is Olivia. She is a pet rescue shop owner. She was in a relationship for 7 years with a man, unwilling to commit. He eventually moves to America-and, naturally, calls her up one day to tell her he's getting married. Fantastic. She doesn't fix herself up much, until her friend Tom hooks her up with a business acquantience named Fred. After emailing back and forth for months, they meet and eventually Olivia finds out she's pregnant.

Saffron. She's an actress, trying to make it big. She's come close to being the next big thing, but at approaching 40, her light is starting to fade. She's in AA and has been sober for quite some time. She is having an affair with a big time movie star, who's in a marriage only because of business. Once their affair is outed, she starts drinking again.

All four (or 5 if you count Tom) are childhood friends who have lost contact, except for with Tom. They all stay connected through him. After the disaster, the four of them get together before the memorial service and realize that time has taken no toll on their friendship. The foursome comes together again when their friend in need, Saffron, needs rescuing.

This is a great book. I highly recommend it. I feel like it defintely makes you think about decisions you've made or friendships you've lost contact with.

My only problem with the book was how often it changed narrative view points. It got a little dizzying (if that's even a word). Sometimes I'd have to go back a few sentences and go "Oh, wait, Holly's not narrating anymore-it's Maggie" or "Shoot, is this Olivia's viewpoint or Anna's?"

Past all that, it makes me hope I have friendships like that when I get a little older. People who still know the real me and don't judge me for it. It's a great book.

On a Happy Note!

I just got my books this afternoon from Barnes and Noble. The beautiful and lovely Smash informed me of B&N's holiday sale and I decided to hit it up!

I got 9 books for $40! How cool is that?

I can't wait to start reading them. I have about 80 pages left in Second Chance, so I'll be reading them soon!

Teaser Tuesdays!

Teaser Tuesdays: Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!Please avoid spoilers!

"Before Marcus, Holly had loved expressing herself through her clothes. She had spent hours at Portobello looking for the perfect vintage dress, had always known exactly what was in and what was out that season, and even though she couldn't afford it, she could make do between Miss Selfridge, Warehouse, and the markets". Page 99 from Second Chance by Jane Green.

Favorite Literary Couples

Ok, so Operawife and Smash have influenced me to want to do my list of favorite literary couples! It was challenging to come up with a list that was different than some of theirs, but I remembered quite a few characters.

Here are my five:

5) Emma Woodhouse and Mr. George Knightley from Emma by Jane Austen. This book was so good. It's been forever since I read it and I thought the movie was rather cute. I loved how Emma thought she was an amazing matchmaker and tried to make herself fall in love with Frank Churchill, because they make a stunning couple. She doesn't realize she loves Mr. Knightly until her dear friend Harriett confides in Emma that she loves him. Of course in the end, every one lives happily ever after....but it is such a lovely story.



4) Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan from Nicholas Sparks' A Walk to Remember. This is such a good book. Gah, I loved it. Landon is this popular guy at school, gets into trouble and is forced to do a play for his school in order to avoid suspension. He gets to know Jamie, the Preacher's daughter. She tells him in the very beginning that he has to promise not to fall in love with her and he scoffs at the notion. They become really close, practicing the lines for their play and spending time together afterwards.Landon falls in love with her. Eventually, Jamie lets Landon know that she has cancer and he stays by her side. He even proposes to her and she accepts. The title comes from her walk down the aisle when she is still so very sick. Landon becomes a better man for being with Jamie and Jamie gets to live the remainder of her life to the fullest. It's such a beautiful story.


3) Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare. What more can I say? It's the romance that most girls swoon over. It's about a couple who can't be together because of their families hatred toward one another, but who try anyway. What a tragedy... Such a great piece of literature.



2) Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton from The Notebook. Swoon!! I read this book from cover to cover at least 3 times. It's amazing. I still cry everytime I read it. The story is about older Noah reading their love story to Allie, who's memory is slipping and hardly remembers anything anymore. He reads the story every day in hopes that her memory will return and he'll have a few moments with his beloved Allie again. They met during the summer when they were both 17. Her family does not approve of her relationship with Noah (because they come from money and Noah is poor). She doesn't hear from him for years and eventually gets engaged to a wealthy soldier. It is then that she sees a picture in the paper of Noah standing next to a 200 year old plantation home that he had promised her he would rebuild and repair years ago. She goes to him and of course, they fall back in love. She has to choose between her fiance or Noah and we all know who she picks. It's an amazing book. The movie was good-but I much prefer the book.

1) Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Seriously, the best couple. I love how she thinks less of him because he's got money and how he think her family is a little too crazy (especially the mother). The book is about Elizabeth and her sisters and their overbearing mother who is desperately trying to set them up with men. Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy at Mr. Bingley's ball. Basically, the whole book Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have conflicted feelings but finally Mr. Darcy tells her he loves her. She, on the other hand, is mad at Mr. Darcy for ruining her sister's chances with Mr. Bingley. I hate going on and on about it...But of course, finally Mr. Darcy makes things right and Mr. Bingley and Jane are reunited and Elizabeth finally realizes she loves Mr. Darcy and was too proud to see the man he really was. Great movie, too. Both the one with Collin Firth and the one with Kiera Knightly.

So that's it. Those are my couples. Makes me want to go watch Pride and Prejudice.

March by Geraldine Brooks

I finally finished reading March. It took me a while to get through because I really wanted to concentrate and really take in the book.

March is a book from the perspective of Mr. March (the dad from the book Little Women). I LOVED Little Women, so I was excited to see what this book would bring me. It begins on a battlefield during the Civil War. Mr. March is already painted as a caring, giving person as soon as you begin reading. He tries to save a soldier who doesn't know how to swim, but in the end has to let go in order to save his own life. This immediately lets you know the kind of person he is. He feels guilty for having to let go and it haunts him.

In the book, you also get to see how Mr. March and Marmee meet. It's a really nice perspective to see. Throughout the book it cuts to his younger days back when he was a peddler and somewhat of a preacher. You also find out that, after marrying Marmee, they participate in the Underground Railroad.

Mr. March also is in love with a black servant of a plantation owner. The servant makes several apperances in the book and she is really an amazing woman. One of March's recollections about his past, when he first met her (Grace), is staying at the Plantation and secretly teaching one of the slaves daughters to read. This is against the law and Grace is caught and beat in front of Mr. March. Just like the soldier's death he takes so personally, this too he considers to be his fault and never forgives himself.

Mr. March comes back in contact with Grace and is caught in a compromising situation by a fellow soldier. March is immediately reassigned in order to avoid scandal. This time he is sent to another plantation, where he is to teach the slaves. He is so excited, for he lives to teach. He stationed with a man who is a certified attorney, who is broke and making sure the crops get sowed. As with Grace, March becomes attached to many of the slaves and cares for them all. He enjoys teaching them. He also contracts a deadly fever that will probably haunt him for the rest of his life. It is one that comes back multiple times before the book is over. But the Confederate return to the plantation and try to find him (since he is teaching the slaves and therefore, obviously a N-word-I hate the word- "lover") . In order to try and get him to come out, they hurt his friend the attorney and kill a slave. But March hides.

After trying to get the slaves back from the Confederate soldiers, he again, collapses from the fever. He is taken to a boat taking patients to a hospital up North by a mute slave. This is where we see Grace again, for she is working with Surgeon Hale at Blank Hospital. Marmee gets word of his fever and where he is and is called to the hospital by the surgeon. You see a little bit of her perspective on Mr. March in these last chapters.

I won't give away what happens at the hospital, but I will say that seeing as both Marmee and Grace are at the hospital, March's secret past is bound to finally become known to Marmee.

If you know Little Women, you know that March eventually goes home to his wife and 4 daughters.

I thought it was a very good book. I enjoyed learing about Mr. March and what kind of a man he was. It is a bit of a detailed book, but I enjoyed it. If you like the Civil War era, and you liked Little Women, then I think you would enjoy March. It's more of a grown up book than Little Women, but still a good read.