the week, colds, fevers & Obama

Got the dreaded daycare call on Tuesday saying Grace was running a fever...yes, our little Tugboat of the Week missed a day and a half of her 5-day reign...what was that I was saying about a Tugboat of the Week runner up?

It hit me on Wednesday evening, although I powered through it long enough to catch Bill Clinton's speech that night. After putting in almost a half-day at work on Thursday morning, I decided I really needed to go home to sleep...and I did...for 3-1/2 glorious hours...and I still felt like crap when I got up. Sam also was not feeling well that evening and Grace still seemed a little rundown. We got everyone to bed pretty early that night, and considering I had slept the afternoon away, I decided I wasn't going let the fact that I wasn't feeling well make me miss history in the making.

And after listening to Mr. Obama speak for 50 minutes, I went to bed hopeful for the next four (hopefully eight) years and what they might mean for my children who endured a 7-month stint with unqualified early childhood educators who never had the time or support to address each child's needs and personalities on an individual basis. I was left hopeful that maybe, in the near future, my sister and her family, if they decided they wanted to, would be able to sell their house for a decent price, move and not be left with a leftover mortgage because the value of their home has plummeted in the last year. I was left hopeful that, in weeks like this one, Kris and I won't have to choose between our jobs and our sick kids...that we won't feel like we are being pulled in two different directions, since our kids should always come first. And hopeful that some of my close friends will be allotted the same rights with the loves of their lives that I am with mine. And those are just the really personal points for me. Beyond that, the list is too numerous to mention.

And I know there are some opposed to this man leading this country. And I know there are some that say that the last eight years are just part of the natural economical cycle. In the end, I hope that what's important is realized, because I need to give my kids the best future possible. And I think sending Barack Obama to the White House will play a role in that.