Tiny Prints Winner and Election Day

Congratulations Kara!!!

Tiny Prints will send you the code directly via email (the one you entered the give away with). Thanks to all who entered!

Want to enter another give away? Stick around, this next one is good.... especially if you like the tv show Friends!



Election Day

I am not going to write who I voted for or anything like that. It is a personal thing and not something I need to write about on this blog. I was excited because this is the first time I was able to go to a polling place and actually vote in person rather than sending in an absentee ballot! My polling place was literally down the street. I knew the morning would be rough so I waited until around 11am, thinking I'd miss the pre-work voters and be there before the lunch rush. I was pretty wrong...

This was the line outside. North Carolina was a balmy 45 degrees but fortunately the line outside only took fifteen minutes or so. People were campaigning towards the back of the line and I just took whatever fliers anyone handed to me. Some people in line were pretty rude about it but I just let it go. I threw it away when I got inside and I had looked it over. I think by the time you are in line at the polls you know who you want to vote for!

So I get inside and there are three lines, all divided by last name. A-H had about four people in it, S-Z was empty and I-R (my last name) was wrapped around the darn building. Seriously??? Ugh. Both my maiden and married names fall in those letters so I was stuck in the long line regardless. When you have a lot of people waiting in a closed space for awhile personalities come out, but I just browsed my phone and ignored most of it. I finally get to the computer and the guy can't find my name in the system. I had my voters registration card with me so I KNOW I am registered to vote! He told me he was entering my maiden name, my married name and my birthday and nothing was coming up. After a few minutes he tells me I have to do a provisional ballot that will be submitted to the Board of Elections separately.... no!!! It is my first time voting in person, you can't!

I looked at him and asked, "Well, did you enter my maiden name and married name together? Legally that is my full last name." He types and sure enough it comes up. Ugh. Seriously dude? It never occured to you to enter my last name as written but to just break it up for ways and try that? I don't have a hyphenated last name, legally it is two words. Maiden Name Married Name... like that. But whatever. I got to vote! Eastern NC where I was did paper ballots so I filled in my scantron and submitted it. An hour and a half after I arrived I got my sticker and I was damn proud of it!

I made hamburgers for dinner, ran to ballet, and then snuggled on the couch with Ryan to watch the election results roll in. We pretty much had a basic idea of who the winner would be (and we were right) but we still stayed up until 11:30 when it basically was announced officially.

After that we two old farts stumbled to bed and passed out. Not the most exciting of evenings but a certain Marine did have to be up early for work the next day so we take what we can get! It was a very different experience than I had four years ago. I was a senior in college living in DC... it was crazy! We went to every event and even got up at three am to go to the inauguration and freeze our behinds off. It was a blast. I am older now and maybe a little wiser, but both days, even though they were quite different, were great in their own ways.