we'll all float on okay

utah lake is a funny place.
when i was, oh- 10? 11? i went boating here with my family and almost capsized thanks to a freak storm and some torrential winds. let's just say my most vivid memories of a near death experience are linked to this mucky reservoir, and needless to say, my views on this lake are a little tainted. i hadn't been back since.
however, yesterday i was feeling a little restless, and finding this place via bike was on my list. sundays do that to me. many thanks to my gps for helping me get out there, the wind for not completely blowing me away, and the ticket girl at the gate for letting me in without paying after i promised i just wanted to ride around. (i think i could have taken her)
it was windy, flooded, and bleak looking, but charming nonetheless. plus i found the provo river trail, which doesn't really hold a candle to the boise greenbelt, but is an acceptable substitute. for now at least.

***
so i've been thinking a lot about this article lately. john huntsman and his comments in time. i am not much of a stars and stripes, red white and blue republican, but found his comments on being mormon a little unsettling, nonetheless. that was, however, until i read this article, and then got a good laugh at the comments. now where shall i cast my stone? ... i mean vote.

Welcome To The White House, Mr. President

The Inauguration yesterday was so prolific. It was so neat to me to see 2 million people all together to witness this historic event, and I was so jealous of them all... it made me really miss Close Up in Washington DC last spring, and just made me want to go back and stand out on the mall once more. I was so excited to see Mr. Bush jump on that helicopter and fly off back to Texas, and to know that there is a new sheriff in town. I enjoyed hearing the words of President Obama, and thought his speech was powerful. I also enjoyed the benediction, and hope the "yellow will be mellow, and the white do what's right" :) This whole situation is just reminding me of FDR's New Deal, and I am really excited to see what New New Deal we've got in store for us, becauseI'm pretty optimistic about the next four years.

History Was Made

And how glad I am to have been a part of it.
How far we have come, how many heights we have reached, how proud we should be to be Americans.
Last night when watching the election coverage, I just didn't know what to think, exactly. I was sitting at my computer facebook-ing (it's like crack!) and working on my election project, when I heard Lindsay in the family room yell to my mom that Obama had won! I rushed in, and sure enough, the results were in. That moment and the ones following are some of the moments I will not soon forget. As the cameras panned the citizens of Chicago cheering, crying, hugging, I couldn't help but feeling a swelling of my heart. As I listened to McCain give the most gracious concession speech I'd ever heard from the man accompanied by the remarks of a Georgian Congressman, I couldn't help but feel so proud to be an American. Democracy works. That is all.
How lucky I feel to live in a country that has undergone such drastic changes in the last 50 years. It is so reassuring to know that in this time of economic turmoil, war torn countries, a national debt of 10 trillion plus, and a plethora of other problems, Americans can come together and elect the man for the job. We are overcoming the racism that so seriously plagued our country such a short time ago, and elected the first African American president of the United States. Does this mean that we are getting closer to sitting at that "table of brotherhood" Dr. King spoke so longingly about years ago? I definitely think so.
This election is bringing together the United States of America. Whether you believe in the "change" Obama so fondly (and frequently) speaks of, there is no doubt that the hope he strikes into the hearts of Americans young and old is contagious.
I have such great expectations for the next 4 years. We are so lucky to live in the United States at this time.
"The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep.... but I promise you, we as a people will get there."- Barack Obama

Watch the speech

Free Time= Time With The Candidates

So, I am a HUGE planning nerd, as many may know. My agenda is my best friend. All my lunch commitments are written, the days I work are highlighted, all my homework is boxed, the ongoing countdown of how many more days of school is religiously scribbled, (137 mind you) and only PENCIL can be used. I guess you could say I thrive on being busy and making plans. However, there is something I enjoy from time to time during the week, and that is those empty spaces in my planner. Today was one of those empty spaces. Ahhhh... how good it felt to just come home after XC, shower, read a few pages, doze off on my favorite sleeping couch (yes that's right.. there is one couch that in my living room that puts me to sleep without fail every time!) and then spend some quality time with my friend Barack. Yes, my space was so empty today I watched the presidential debates. Now, don't let me get you wrong,

I LOVE POLITICS.

The lying, the backbiting, the policy. Maybe there is something wrong with me? However, my very favorite thing to do is make fun of the candidates. I love watching McCain and his creeper grin he gets on his face whenever he is concocting a rebuttal, and I love it when he blinks like 50 times per second. And in all fairness, I also like Obama's mole and watching him use his hands like a madman, wondering what he would do if he had to keep them down for fifteen seconds. :) Ha, but anyways, after I get over the mannerisms, and down to the content, I'd say this debate was good because I felt the candidates were a little less ambiguous tonight, and there were hints of solutions to big issues. I wish I was born 5 months earlier so I could vote, but oh, I am still excited to see what November 4th holds for us...

And just remember folks,
Once you go Barack, you never go back :)