Yesterday, we elected Barack Obama the 44th president of the United States. I couldn't be more excited or thrilled with the outcome of this election! I hurried home from work and errands yesterday, eager to get home and begin the long process after watching individual state results roll in. I arrived to a wonderful dinner that Justin had made for us, by the way: barbecque pork chops, green beans, and cheesy rice. It was delicious, and I scarfed down waaaaaaaaay too much food as well as a couple sodas and cookies because I was starting to get a little nervous about the election!
Well, I didn't have much time to worry. Obama was up early, 81 to 39, according to CBS News projections. The big win in Pennsylvania came not long after their polls closed at 7 our time. Then came Ohio and the repeated comment that no Republican had ever won the White House without winning Ohio. After many more state projections were announced, we were excited to see Obama up 206 to 135. We realized that with the 54 electoral votes virtually guaranteed from California not yet included in that total, Obama only needed TEN MORE VOTES.
So of course that was the perfect time for Justin and me to fall asleep on the loveseat and couch, respectively. (Give us a break--we got up extra early to go vote!) We couldn't have been asleep more than 15-20 minutes, but it was right in the window when all the Western polls were beginning to close.
The next thing we knew when we both woke up, John McCain was beginning to speak, and I thought it was so strange for McCain to give a formal address before anything was finalized. And then it hit me: something was finalized. McCain was conceding. I thought he made a very gracious concession speech, and I feel like the nation saw a glimpse of the John McCain from 2000, the John McCain I'd hoped would beat W. in the republican primaries that year. I hope he was genuine in his desire to help soon-to-be President Obama begin to get the country back on track in the next four years.
So then it was just waiting for Obama's address. I can't imagine what it would have been like to have been in Grant Park last night (the same park where Justin proposed to me), standing there shoulder-to-shoulder with a quarter of million people, all just as ecstatic as you that Barack Obama had won the presidency.
And then Obama, Michelle, and the two girls came out on stage, and America was looking at its next First Family. It was such an awesome moment, and I'm very excited for Sasha and Malea that their dad promised them a puppy in front of the whole country.
No matter what the Obama critics continue to say (some more respectfully than others, like my best friend Sarah), I am so hopeful and optimistic for these next four years to begin. I can't wait to see what direction President Obama and Vice President Biden lead our country in. I'm so proud to have been a part of this historic election.
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