When Life Hands You Lemons, Make Turkey
Frozen turkeys are on sale at supermarkets across the US, family recipes for sweet potatoes and pecan pie are being prepared while swarms of people make cross country journeys home to take their place around the table for Thanksgiving Dinner.
Yes, it is Thanksgiving Eve! Notoriously the biggest party night of the year, since it is the prelude to the only 4 day weekend on the calendar, a full blown vacation by American standards.
Unfortunately, on my Thanksgiving agenda this year, is a business function that does not involve turkey or pumpkin pie. A Turkey Dinner with friends is planned later in the weekend, but I don’t want to postpone the most important aspect of Thanksgiving, (besides food, family, and football); which is of course gratitude.
I’ve had gratitude on my mind all week, since surviving a treacherous drive back to the Netherlands from Strasbourg, France on Sunday evening in a snow storm. The road conditions were extremely hazardous through Luxembourg, and the Ardene in Belgium with nowhere to wait out the storm and our two bundles of precious cargo strapped in the back seat. There were several fatal accidents and the lucky to be alive feeling that my husband and I shared that night has not faded. Continue reading »
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The Ballot Box & Election Predictions
Signed, Sealed and Delivered?
Today is the day we have all been waiting for…nearly 150 million Americans will cast their ballots to elect their next President while the world watches and waits. If you were to ask more than 50 Americans living here in the Netherlands how the voting process works, you could easily get more than 50 different answers; depending on the state in which they are registered to vote and how confused they are about the process. Each state holds its own election and makes its own rules; which can lead to absurdities (Florida) that you would never expect in a developed country.
It is estimated that 2 million Americans living abroad have already voted in this election. My vote counts! As a former resident of Missouri, I am registered there and it is one of the critical swing states. As you can see from the photo, I have cast my absentee ballot with the assistance of my 4 year old son. He asked if he could write Barack Obama’s name on the ballot, but was less interested in the various propositions on the ballot covering everything from gambling, alternative energy and sales tax. There were also candidates for MO state officials and the re-election of 18 judges. It is a challenge to get voters to the polls, so they are bombarded once in the voting booth with issues they often are not prepared to decide. Imagine the famously undecided voters we hear about every day; if they are still undecided at this point about their vote for president after a historic two and a half year campaign, they couldn’t possibly make twenty or thirty additional choices on the same day! This is one of the factors leading to extremely long lines. Luckily, early voting has been legalized in 35 states, with an estimated 24 million voters participating.
Many people are simply anxious for the election to be done and over with. My French husband may fall into this category. He is extremely interested in the election and very supportive, but he will undoubtedly be relieved when I stop dressing the entire family in Obama gear, take the campaign signs out of the windows (we live on a high visibility street) and stop pulling all-nighters to catch the convention and debate coverage. He used to refer to me as a Europeanized American, but has been a little surprised how publicly I have “come out” during this campaign. I know that I am not alone among Americans Abroad in my excitement about the prospect of being represented by a leader we can be proud of instead of ashamed of. My husband may also be concerned that I am overly optimistic, but I hope he has not made an appointment on my behalf at the French Consulate for a passport just yet, because I believe that Barack Obama has connected with Americans in a way that will not only deliver the votes, but inspire the nation beyond the election.
P.S. Every day the pollsters call Missouri a different shade of pink or lavender, but I even believe that Missouri will go Blue!! I am extremely proud of my Mom who has been volunteering and working hard going door to door for Obama in St. Louis- Shirley Faust is a true Obama Mama!!
