He he he he he

What a week!

Last weekend we discovered a new treat – the Grand Country Inn in Branson, MO. Now, we already knew about the joys of Lambert’s – the home of the throwed rolls, which is a necessary pit stop for dinner on the way to Branson, but we would never have known of the joys of the Grand Country Inn without the recommendation of our friend Julie.

Where else can you get a HUGE bucket of water dumped on your head every 3 ½ minutes? Or float down a lazy river? Or play in a play area specially designed for toddlers? All indoors???

Maggie showed her approval by emitting her new sound, a low, “Woody the Woodpecker” laugh that she’s discovered. He he he he he.

And Mia, Mia was just ecstatic. She had Mommy and Daddy all to herself – we turned off our cell phones and switched to the baby schedule. Naps, bedtimes, food breaks… it was wonderful.

But the best part for them came at Branson Landing, where they were able to ride their very own ATV’s:

Overall it was a wonderful journey and a needed break before we headed into the craziness of this past week.

Truthfully, I went to bed Tuesday night after watching the election coverage with a very heavy heart and spent most of the evening sleeping fitfully, waking in the morning feeling depressed. I realized that I’ve had an emotional reaction to the election results that is both natural and something that needs to be modified.

It would be so much easier to say nothing to those of you that I have sent political leanings on to – my candidate(s) lost… it’s time to slink quietly away with my tail between my legs, set to lick the wounds to my pride. The last few weeks have been an emotional maelstrom of political edginess. There have definitely been scare tactics being used that I have been affected by – I am still relatively scared when I consider the future.

I remember standing in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, thinking that those protestors for democracy probably thought they would be arrested. I suspect they didn’t believe they would be mowed down by government operatives, blood melting into the urbane blocks of concrete, just for defending an idea that Americans have begun to take for granted.

Do I think this could happen in America? I don’t know. I do know that I am gravely concerned for the future of the country, concerned about an emphasis on situational ethics that I believe has been reinforced by our election results and wonder what the economic future looks like.

However, there is an incredibly BRIGHT side to the recent election results.

• People Voted. That’s awesome! It’s the greatest privilege we have in this country and people exercised it! I’m so thrilled!

• Social Justice. I’m filled with pride that this country has been able to see past color barriers. Our past has not been pretty at times. Barack Obama’s ascension to the Presidency is a reinforcement to me that this country’s promise- “The American Dream” is alive and well. It has never been easy, but it is possible. That’s pretty neat and bodes well for the future, in my opinion.

So, several days after the fact I am settling into the realization that I’m not right all the time (wait! Isaiah’s not reading this, right???) and that my role now is to start being supportive and work my hardest to make this country fulfill the promise that our founding fathers intended.

After all, there are some pretty special beings who need to know and love this American Dream.

And that’s all I have to say about that.