A Trip To Seattle Day 1

Yes, I am traveling again. This time my travels have taken me clear across the country to Seattle, WA; the rainy city or the snowy city as it has snowed 3 days since I have been here. In fact I woke up to a lovely dusting of snow this morning, which quickly melted and turned to a rainy drizzle.

So my purpose for coming to Seattle was to attend the WA State PA Winter Conferance and Recertification Course, as I will soon retake my boards. I came to this conferance 3 years ago and felt I could have retaken my boards again after attending the first time. This time, I have learned that I know a lot more than I thought I knew. It has been a good refresher course.

I came to Seattle a few days early before the conferance started so that I could spend some time with friends and family. Tenielle and my parents met me here last Thursday. We found a mall shortly after we arrived. My dad, bless his heart, was very patient with us as we strolled through the very large Bellevue Square. That night we met our friends Tim, Marlene, and Lee for dinner at the fabulous Blu Water Grill. The view was absolutely beautiful, the food was amazingly delicious, and the company was fabulous. We spent the evening at Tim and Marlene's and felt right at home. Marlene's house even smelled like Grandma Betty's (Marlene is Grandma Betty's daughter). The next morning we had a delcious breakfast and said our goodbye's, before heading off to Leavenworth.

History Today

"Today isn't about me, it is about the American people." President Barack Obama. Now that sounds weird, but I am sure in 4 years, it will sound normal. My feelings are mixed today. I think mostly because I live in the south, where I am surrounded by African Americans. I have thought so many times since President Obama won the election, how life in North Carolina was so different less than 50 years ago. It is hard for me to imagine segregation. The news and people here have made such a huge issue of the fact that we now have a Black president. I understand that this is history, because of the history of blacks, but I also keep going back to the fact that God doesn't look at our color. We are all the same color in His eyes.

The morning after the election, I went to the gym. This loud, obnoxious black guy came in saying how excited he was that we were going to have a black president. Annoyed by his behavior and comment, I simply said to him, "He is half White." It shut him right up! He didn't say another word about it the entire class.

So I have thought about all that has gone on in the past few months. It seems like this was all about race to many people. As I am sitting here watching reviews of today's events, (as I was working as all of this was taking place today) I am seeing very few White's, no Hispanics, no Asians, mostly all blacks giving their feelings on having a Black president. So what are the opinions of White people on having a half White, half Black president?

My feeling is this, he is God's child. I am going to support him as if he was White, and hoping and praying that he makes this country a better place to live and raise families. And I believe what he said today, "Today isn't about me, it's about the American people." I look forward to seeing what he does for the American People in the coming 4 years. Will he really turn this country around? And how is he going to do it? Will he ruin this country? Will he be true to his word? Also, remember the fact that he doesn't make all of the decisions, yes, he may have the final word, but the senate makes many of the decisions and since Democrats rule the senate, I am sure he will agree with most of their decisions.

Now for a word on the out going President Bush. I believe he did his very best. He had a lot to deal with in his presidency. The problems we are having now aren't the effects of his presidency, but from the decisions that were made in the previous presidency. Unfortunatly, President Bush is blamed for the economic down turn we are experiencing at this time. I believe that President Bush loves our country and worked hard for America and the American People.

P.S. Bob Woodruf just came on TV reporting on wounded soldiers attending a ball honoring those who serve our country. It is good to see him reporting and the miracle which took place in his life.

Cooking Club

Tonight after working 10 hours, I hosted our work's cooking club. Basically it is just a group of people from work who get together the third Monday of each month. This month's theme was Mexican. It was very fun. I made my friend Pamela's Taco Salad with Creamy French dressing. It was a hit. There were some wonderful dishes, including homemade chips, Mexican chicken soup, Mexican rice that was absolutely delicious, and of course homemade salsa. One of the nurses told the story that she sent her daughter to the store to get 3 large tomatoes for her salsa. Her daughter came back with 3 large red peppers. She sent her daughter to the super market three times to get ingredients for salsa. She also informed us that fresh coriander is also called cilantro. Did you know that; I didn't.

We had such a nice, relaxing evening of eating and chatting. It is always fun to get together outside of work and of course it is even better to be able to with other people!

4 year anniversary

Four years ago today I moved to Charlotte. I remember it was 70 degrees. I was sad to leave Kentucky, but was ready to start a new chapter in my book. Wow, I never imagined I would stay here this long and no one else did either. I had no doubt that this is where I was suppose to be and know I now it was the right move. Don't get me wrong, I had my doubts for at least 2 years, but I am happy that things have worked out so well for me here. I have learned so much in the past 4 years, especially that I can do it by myself, although it isn't fun to do everything alone. I have bought a house, have a great job, love my ward, and especially love the weather most of the time. It will be interesting to see what the coming years have in store. I always say that I will return to the west, but not until the right time comes along, which at this point, isn't anytime soon. Sorry western folks! I am very grateful that I am able to go home often. Last year I saw my family 8 out of 12 months. That is a lot of money in plane tickets, but it is worth it. So I guess we will see what happens in the next 4 years!