Yesterday was Thanksgiving, so it’s a day late, but better than never, right?  It’s been a good year, and I’m very thankful for a lot of things. In no particular order (except for the first one):

• My wife!  She’s amazing.  I love her more than she’ll know.
• My house.  It’s nice to have a roof over my head.
• My family.  It’s great to have a good family that I love and can spend time with.
• My health, and the health of those around me.  You take it for granted until someone ends up in the Hospital.
• Education so I can have a good job.
• My job.  Even though I’m not a big fan of it every day, it’s a good job.
• My car. It’s nice to have a reliable vehicle.

That’s not an all inclusive list, but it’s a start.  I could go on for a long time, as I’m sure each of us could.

But today is Christmas!  At least for the Hibbs family.  As we can’t all be together for Christmas we’re doing it today.  It should be kind of fun.  Then it’s back to Blaine tomorrow night.

Over all life is good.  I hope you’re all having a great Holiday weekend!

I’m listening to some Christmas music right now, and I find it delightful.  Some would say you can’t listen to it before Thanksgiving, but if that’s the case there is simply not enough time to listen to it.  So I shall have my radio tuned to Christmas music for the next few weeks.  Okay, I’ll listen to other stuff too, but Christmas music will dominate I’m sure.

Work is going great.  I’m looking forward to session starting and working with some new members.  It will be fun I think.  I’m looking forward to this session a little bit more than last session.  It starts in 5 weeks!  It’s coming up quick.  But as I’ve learned in the political life there is always something going on or something to look forward too.

I finished my stuff for the end of the quarter!  That means 5 down, 4 to go.  That’s right a year from now I’ll have my MPA!  I’m excited about that.  It will be fun to be done with that, but then it’s off to the next challenges and adventures. Both of which I’m looking forward to.  But for the next week I will relax, enjoy life, enjoy family and Thanksgiving, because it’s break time!

Just a few random things:

• 24 tomorrow night!  I’m pretty excited about that.
• I should get pictures up sometime.  Maybe while I’m on break!
• I’m 85% done Christmas shopping.  I know what I’m buying for the rest of it, it’s just a matter of going to the store to get it.  That will happen in December I think.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

The election is over.  The people have elected “change”.  I’m still not certain I know what that “change” is, or if anyone else really does.  Besides the change of no longer having President Bush, but now having President Obama, I don’t see much other change.  Election promises were made, and I doubt they will be delivered.  If they are, not to the extent of which the promises implied they would be.

But even though I agree on little, if anything, with our President-Elect I look forward to what’s in store.  As a policy analyst I look forward to looking into his policies.  As a political junkie I look forward to watching him assemble his cabinet and staff.  As a person who loves the Executive Office of the President, the White House, and all of the history that comes with it I look forward to seeing how he, the First Lady, and their children will captivate the people of America.

I have a great and profound respect for the Office of the President and for those who occupy it.  Having grown up being taught to respect it and living it firsthand I respect those who dedicate four years of their life to that office.  While I likely won’t agree with all, or even a majority, of the proposals that come from this administration, Barack Obama will still be my President.

As a country we need to be, and should be, a respectful country to our President.  The President receives the majority of votes of citizens in each state, if not always the majority of votes in the United States.  While I did not vote for Obama, you will not see me with an “End of an Error” bumper sticker with some date in January 2013 written on it.  You will not see me with a “Don’t blame me, I didn’t vote for him” bumper sticker.   My thoughts about the next President and my disagreements with his policy will not diminish my respect for the office.

We still have a great and free nation.  Our Republic is strong and will hopefully continue to be.  I hope our citizens will finally rally together and keep our nation as a leader of the free world, and not let it be sold out for policies that have failed.  our founding fathers had little history to go off of when they wrote our Constitution.  They understood it would not be easy, but the road would be difficult.  In 1863 we were tested “whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.”  As we move forward these next four years, let us continue our resolve to make the United States of America a nation that can, and will, long endure.

Election 2008 anyway.  It ended well here in Blaine.  Tim Sanders won!  He’s the guy I was helping out a lot these past 2 months.  It was great to be on the winning end of that campaign.  It was also great that those results came back before 10 pm.

It will be interesting to see what the next two years bring both on the state and national levels.  With Democrats getting larger margins and winning the Presidency it will be interesting to see what happens.  I’m worried taxes will be raised and the economy could turn worse. It will be interesting to see who President Obama assembles for his cabinet.  There’s talk Congressmen Oberstar and Peterson from MN could be a part of it.  That could make things interesting on the state level, if those spots are open and Governor Pawlenty gets to appoint people.

It’s nice to have my evenings back again.  With the election over I was able to stay home for the evening.  I took a nap!  Yesterday was a 21.5 hour day between campaigning and working in St. Paul.  It was fun though.  I got 5 hours of sleep and went back to work.  It actually was a decent day at work.  Overall we lost 2 more seats, but I don’t think any staffers will be cut.  That’s a plus.

iPhone day, which I was greatly anticipating, has been pushed back by about a month.  Between election stuff, finances, and the furnace getting replaced we decided we’d wait another month until I’m back to full time at the House.  So now I’m looking forward to that!