I voted!

This week is a pretty big deal, we're electing our next president and chances are pretty good I'm going to have a baby, one of these you may care more about than the other, dont worry, i'm not going to ask which one:) I promise this is not an entry about which candidate I think is the best or my personal politics. I believe each person's vote is as valuable as the next, but it is a private matter. Growing up, my family talked politics, but when it came time to vote, my parents never told us or each other who they voted for. Perhaps this seems strange, but I think the point was that no one should feel pressure to pick one candidate over the other based upon what someone else says...and there should be no backlash over your individual choice. Mr. F and I have agreed that we will always talk issues and have political discussions with our children, but we are not going to reveal our final votes. We even voted absentee in separate rooms this year.

My point in all of this rambling is not just how happy I will be when this election is over, but the main reason I am excited is because I'm so sick and tired of feeling bombarded not only by both candidate's negativity, but by the sheer level of offensive in-your-face attitude of campaign volunteers. I am so happy people are taking our privilege to vote so seriously. We are truly a blessed nation to not have to be afraid of violence on our way to the polls and we know each vote does count (hello florida!) Yet, election time is my least favorite time of year. Over the last 6 months I have been bombarded by one volunteer following me down the sidewalk asking if I am registered to vote, to which I answered yes. That wasnt good enough because i was told I should register in PA because its a swing state. What that volunteer didnt know was I'm a registered VA voter, also an important player this year. I'm not sure what part of my continued walking and lack of eye contact was interpreted as "please follow me and harass me" on the part of the volunteer. Later in the summer a volunteer actually got in front of me to block my path when I tried to walk past her because she wasnt getting a response from me. Keep in mind, it was during the worst heat wave this summer, I was 5 mos visibly pregnant, and carrying my cat on the way home from the vet.

This year I beg each of you to vote, be active in politics if you are so inclined, but PLEASE go forward with an attitude of respect of fellow voters and for a variety of opinions. Just because we may not agree on politics doesnt mean one opinion is more valuable than another...and political opinion certainly is not an indicator of intelligence.

Now I'll step off my soap box and ask if anyone has an extra "I voted" sticker and would like to share it with me I'd be very grateful. The stickers arent included in absentee ballots and I'd really like a free krispy kreme donut tomorrow :)



and for the record, i'm a registered independent. just in case you were wondering.