Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I heard someone call it the least pressure filled of the holidays. Christmas is so tied up into commercialism and New Year's is all about who you are with and what party to go to. Thanksgiving is simple - family comes together to eat a great meal and appreciate each other and what they have. Plus, any holiday where pumpkin pie is a major part is good in my book, even if I am the one that makes it every year!

So, here's a list of what I'm thankful for, in no particular order:

• I'm thankful for my relative good health, my good job, a roof over my head, and food on my plate.
• I'm thankful for a loving family that, even though it has problems, manages to make it work out in the end.
• I'm thankful for my puppies who have provided so much love and happiness in our home this year.
• I'm thankful that my sister and Darren are FINALLY getting married this year.
• I'm thankful I have a job which I feel makes a difference every day and that I enjoy.
• I'm thankful that I live in a country that, while I don't agree with the government's position on a lot of issues, I am still proud of and excited about the direction it is about to take.
• I'm thankful for the little things that make life enjoyable: reading a good book, enjoying a glass of wine, taking the dogs for a walk, lazing in bed on a Saturday morning when it's raining outside.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Election Day is here at last

This has been the longest election season ever. I'm not exaggerating either - this whole thing started about 21 months ago, only a few short months after the last major federal election. It's been rough - the up and down Republican primaries, the fight to the finish Democratic primaries, the debates, the endless political ads. One would think that by the time Election Day arrived, no one would go vote because they'd all be so sick of it.

Fortunately, that isn't the case at all.

Reading this morning's headlines, the news is full of stories about huge lines, machine failures, ballots getting too damp because the voter had to stand in the rain. Christine Amanpour from CNN likened the lines to some of the elections she's seen around the world - Iraq, South Africa, Afganistan. And what floors me is how, instead of getting upset or frustrating, people are happy to be there. They taking this election so seriously that a 2 and a half hour wait, while mildly annoying, is something they are willing to undertake. It boggles my mind. After so many years of fighting to get people to the polls, they seem to have woken up this morning understand that this is their duty, their one big job in this democracy.

So, I have a renewed sense of hope in America this morning. And while I have my personal preferences as to who should win, I'm happy to know that no matter how this election turns out, the American people took their job seriously and came out to vote.

Welcome Toby!

Last week, we had a new puppy join our family. Meet Toby! He's Riley's half-brother (same dad, different mom). Riley and Toby get a long really well. They love to play with each other, which calms them both down. Toby is much mellower overall than Riley is. Here are some more pictures of my new boy and some with Riley too!