i did it!

this is going to sound like a silly post to most of you. but it was a big thing for me.

i voted today.

by myself.
those stupid electronic machines weren't going to hold me back!

i took teege with me, strapped him in his stroller, looked horrifyingly at the VERY LONG LINE of ppl streaming out of the public library and cowered there in the parking lot, on the phone with my mother, wondering if i had it in me to wait THAT LONG! it's early voting folks! hadn't you already done this? shouldn't you be at work at 9 30 in the morning? where did they all come from!
jeeze!
it was growing steadily closer to nap time, and even closer to the moment where i knew that "new baby" was going to demand that i EAT SOMETHING!
but i loaded us all up and off we went, hurrying across the parking lot trying to get in line before anyone else showed up!!

good grief.

as i took my place in line a nice lady came out to make sure that everyone had what they needed to vote. then she rambled on about the "other 2 voting locations that have very minimal waiting. the ymca and the ACC college campus......." both were across town from where i stood. and i was deathly afraid to put teege back in his car seat and unload him again. i could feel the melt down coming on. i knew he'd be happier if left alone. ".........please be aware that once you hit the sidewalk the wait is 25 to 30 minutes" i'm looking up ahead, way ahead, at the sidewalk, wondering how long it will take me to get up there. also the "clerks" kept marching down the side walk yelling at folks to "turn off their cell phones once they entered the building b/c the computers were crashing!" i turned mine off before i ever got close to the front doors.

i see several women in line up ahead with more than one kid and finally i figure to myself that since i had thought to bring all the staples needed to stave off any serious events of craziness i could stand there amongst the other crazies trying to beat out standing in line for hours on election day. i knew if i didn't do it now i never would. so i quit trying to think up reasons to get out of line and come home.
besides i just felt quilty when i thought of NOT voring.and it had been bugging me ever since TJ started going on and on about how if he didn't do it today he either wouldn't get to or he'd have to vote absintee -since he's leaving this weekend for OK-which neither of us know anything about and i just felt guilty every time i though to myself "it's really not that big of a deal."

well, yeah, i mean, it could be my "non vote" that tipped the election in the direction that i didn't want it to go!(not that i can say much about how i want the election to go b/c i do not follow politics. i never have. this is only the 2nd time i have voted in my life! i just don't pay attention to it. i never have. until i met TJ. he's all over the politics, and the stocks and bonds. he knows about all that stuff. i feel so dumb sometimes when he's rambling on about these types of things b/c i have no idea how it's supposed to be, or how we should "Want it" to be, or even what he's talking about)

anyway, all in all i was there from start to finish for 30 minutes. give or take. not nearly as bad as i though.
there were 2 life saving little girls there with their mother. they were tori-5, and marlee-3 and they were the BEST DISTRACTION for me and little tj. they played peek a boo and patted his head and talked to him and IT WAS GREAT!

once i came in to view of the room we were to vote in i started to shake. literally.
those machines were HUGE! and so intimidationg looking. enough that i actually felt sorry for the old man standing behind me. i felt like there was no way he'd figure it out!
and no one told me when i went to vote for my very first time that you could vote straight party so i sat there, in my little box, filling in each bubble, like an idiot.
so i was totally grateful for the sweet old ladies that were patrolling the room giving instructions and helping everyone at least get up to the point where they could cast their vote.
it really wasn't a big deal.
but i felt so big for going and doing it all by myself.
especially since it's not something i have ever cared about before, nor am i familiar with the process -which was more the problem than anything
and no. i made sure not to check each box this time.
nope. i knew all about voting straight party this time.

oh, and when i relayed all this to TJ when he was on his way back from ft hood and told him he might want to try one of the other voting places b/c the library just seemed to be way popular!(the library moved over 1500 voters yesterday and the other 2 places moved less than 1000 combined.) he went to the YMCA and waited for - yup- about a minute. there were like 3 ppl in line when he got there.
i should have been brave enough to load us up and try it out.
oh well.
i guess all the folks down here only know where the library is.