is going to the climbing gym with my girlfriends!

Yesterday we had parent teacher conferences for both boys.

The first one was with Ms. Paula Strobl, Zevan’s teacher. Clearly she really enjoys having Zevan in her class.

Earlier this year she went out of her way to tell me how wonderful he was with helping introduce the classroom to the new students in his class this year, particularly the 3 year olds.

She said Zevan was very observant, and that is how he learns. He will watch her show another student a particular “work” and then he is able to do it himself, and even instruct others.

He is meticulous in his cutting work, excels in math work (teens board and golden bead work) and can read short vowel words and some sight words. He is much less aggressive than he was at the beginning of the school year All in all, she just raved about him, and thanked us for being good parents. What a wonderful thing to hear from your child’s teacher.

Then we went over to Zander’s class to speak with Ms. Catherine. She just gushed about him. His detailed drawings, his reading level, his math skills, his behavior this year. How he assisted one of the teachers’ aides in logging in the other children to the computer.

When we asked what we need to work on with him, she laughed and asked us what we did to get him at his level. He does need to work on his writing conventions – he uses all capital and one lower case letter when writing his name (ZANdER) and still writes some letters backwards. This was a big change from last year when he was unable to stay focused on task and repeatedly told us school was boring.

And he got his first report card.

Needless to say, we were really happy with the progress reports. I hope that we can continue on this path, and that they both continue to enjoy learning.

So, yay! I feel like a pretty good mom about now. I’ll try not to gloat.

This morning I awoke and the day was somehow brighter. I could breathe again. My phone stopped ringing off the hook with recorded campaign messages. The radio didn’t play yet another “Boulder Liberal Mark Udall” hate ad.

I voted for Obama/Biden and watched my election coverage on Comedy Central, and you think that’s all you need to figure out who I am and how I think. You couldn’t be more wrong.

I’m not a bleeding heart liberal. I am a pragmatist.

The facts are these:

I voted for a Republican for our local District 3 Commissioner. Because Sallie Clark has always had the west side’s best interest at heart.

My presidential vote was not exactly FOR Barack Obama. It was more like, “Dear God, NOT Palin.”

I haven’t been a huge supporter of Barack Obama. His speeches are too preachy and too scripted. He doesn’t have the sincerity that Bill Clinton radiated in his speeches. And, oh yes, I would so vote for Bill Clinton again. Remember those days of low unemployment and even lower national debt?

I don’t know that Obama can do all that he has promised. But I do think that he will give it a try. And if the American people can get off their asses and get him elected, then, maybe, just maybe, they can channel that energy towards fixing this country. That’s a big maybe.

I have long been a fan of the pre-2008 candidate John McCain. To be honest, he was, by far, my FAVORITE Republican. He was a frequent guest on The Daily Show and always seemed personable, genuine and reasonable. He truly crossed party lines, when it was still okay to do so, and a few times when it wasn’t. I could have easily voted for THAT John McCain.

Then he started contradicting his former self in so many ways, in order to get the support of his party. But, even as he sold his soul to the GOP, pandering to his party, I had one secret hope. That, if elected, his acceptance speech would be something along the lines of, “Now that I have been elected, I am done pandering to you and your ridiculous tenets. The maverick is back, and I’m running the country!”

And then along came Palin, and it was all over. An inexperienced politician with an agenda to single-handedly destroy all the progress American women have made in the last 221 years. Whose qualification for foreign policy came from her ability to see Russia from her desk. A thief whose *least* crime was a $125,000 clothes shopping spree for her entire family at Neiman-Marcus and Saks 5th Avenue on the GOP bill. A woman who would add insult to traumatic injury by making rape victims pay for their own rape kits. A liar who would announce that she was cleared of criminal charges when she clearly was not. A mom who would go back to work just days after her special needs child was born. And then force an unwilling teenage couple to marry because they had unprotected premarital sex that resulted in pregnancy. Who tried to play “cute” during VP debates – by winking. WTF? She doesn’t need to be in the White House. She can be the next Ann Coulter instead. That’s PERFECT for her skill set and her fans.

John McCain’s concession speech gave us a glimpse of the pre-2008 candidate John McCain – like seeing an old friend again. I hope he can find his way back.

I’m nervous because people are so excited about these election results that they don’t see the further damage that Bush is trying to inflict on our country in his last 2 months in office.

…other regulations would help clear obstacles to some commercial ocean-fishing activities, ease controls on emissions of pollutants that contribute to global warming, relax drinking-water standards and lift a key restriction on mountaintop coal mining.

I live in Colorado Springs, which is in El Paso County, where the results were 59% McCain, 40% Obama. Thank you all other counties for helping Colorado go blue!

And in my town, people put 10 ft high posters of aborted babies on trucks in front of Planned Parenthood and I have to drive quickly or take an alternate route so my kids don’t have to see it.

And in my town, I am still very often the only person of color in a room. In a restaurant. In a retail store.

And in my town, the most hateful, intolerant, righteous and spiteful poor excuses for human beings call themselves Christians. WWJD? indeed.

And in my town, people seriously believe and vocalize that Obama will be assassinated.

Oh yes, they do. And they are not afraid to say so.

I was not overcome with any other emotion than relief that the election was over and that Palin wasn’t on the winning ticket. Obama doesn’t stir up feelings of hope and joy in me. But he is a symbol for change. And I’m hoping that he can stay true to his promises.

Regardless, yes, I’m giddy with relief that Palin is not our VP elect. GIDDY. And my faith in the political process has been restored. For the time being.

Although I am still smarting from the John Edwards betrayal.

But deep in my core, I am a pragmatist.

prag·ma·tism, n., a practical approach to problems and affairs

And I believe that Barack Obama was the more practical choice.

swam today for the 1st time in a long time. 12 laps of free style & 12 laps with the kickboard (the other 3 strokes’ kicks). I’m tired.

is thankful the election is OVER! We have a long road ahead of us, but at least it’s the right path.

has no words. Thank you, God, for giving me hope again in the American people. You have no idea how much I needed this.

just voted. And now, we wait.

For the ultimate in modern convenience, they have set up a drive-up mail-in ballot drop-off downtown in front of Centennial Hall. You don’t even have to park!

I parked and walked over because I didn’t know we could just drive up

My paranoid mind did briefly think, “Is this a legitimate drop-off?” But there were news crews all around, so I was hoping it was the real deal.

So that’s done.

I’ve had an interesting morning. First of all, thanks to daylight savings time, the boys are up before the alarm, so that’s nice.

But my waking thought this morning was, “Holy Crap! I forgot my best friend’s birthday. And I was WITH HER THAT DAY! Running the race!”

Guilt, guilt, guilt. What a terrible friend I am. In all the October hoopla, I totally spaced it. She didn’t even say anything! I followed up my guilt with a slew of emails to May and our friends about what a bad friend I am.

Then after breakfast, Zander came bounding up the stairs, doing a funny dance and doot-doot-doot-ing a little song, then “Bonk!” he hit his head hard on the door frame.

I watched the whole thing, and ran over to comfort him. I hugged him close because I couldn’t stop smiling. After a few minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore. I sang, “doot doot doot doot doot – BONK!” and started laughing. He smiled through his tears and crying. So I kept singing that little song, and by the end we were both cracking up.

Then I took them to school and dropped off my ballot.

And now I’m going to jump in the shower and pull the boys out of school early so we can watch Uncle Mike’s first public dive at the restaurant at the Denver Downtown Aquarium. Fun!