election results, not yet in....except:

while the election results are not yet in...the polls in california have only been open for three hours -- 6 hours on the east coast -- there are some things i'd like to share, for which i don't mind expressing how i've voted.

if i were to be part of the 'exit polls', i would vote in favor of:

+ sending a birthday cookie gram to your daughter (or loved one or whomever you wish) on their special day...get well, congratulations, happy happy, thinking of you ... whatever!  kristen turned 24 on halloween, and i was able to spend saturday with she and her significant over lunch.  but on the actual day of her birthday, both of us were working -- imagine that!  so i sent her a 'cookie bouquet'.  she was delighted, and she could share it with the office!  so, 'making some body's day' gets my vote!

+ walking and/or driving under the trees on an autumn day while they drop their leaves.  this will probably be as close as i get to being in a victory parade.  so, why not make it an annual event every day during the fall.  if you are driving in merced, i recommend a slow drive down bear creek.  if you imagine yourself out strolling in the woods in the north east, this is our 'north east'.  or take a walk down a tree-lined street; almost every street in merced has trees.  so get out and vote for your favorite tree-lined/leaf-falling street.  after all, it is your right, and it can be so very healthy; bring a friend or family member to share the experience.  so, 'sharing in the fall' gets my vote!

+ i love witty-ness!  so, as i passed by the social security office, i noticed the sculpture of the (older) woman walking, holding the hands of the two children.  honestly, i hadn't given that piece of artwork too much thought, although i've always appreciated it.  but someone has draped a pink scarf around the woman's neck; bright pink!  you can't help but notice it!  is it a statement on curing breast cancer?  did the person think she might have gotten chilly at night?  did someone lose their scarf and said scarf was placed there to be easily found?  no matter the reason, it made me chuckle and think.  so, it gets my 'witty in pink' vote!

--- votes i don't count:  mud slinging; negative ads; political mailings; recorded messages in which you only get 1/2 the message because the other machine 'didn't wait for the beep'; calls from a live person that won't take 'no' for an answer the first time i say it.  these get my 'you're wasting my patience' vote, and somehow i even lose my christian attitude around such experiences.

one last vote, in favor:  yosemite.  a friend of mine has decided to spend a few days of his vacation visiting merced, and we're off to see yosemite on saturday!  am i not the most fortunate person in the world?!  it will be his first experience of yosemite and that park, anytime, is a treasure -- and it's in our own back yard!  it has been a long while since i've been there in the fall, and i'm so excited to share the experience with a friend.  you-all are invited to come along too...so that you can experience why 'yosemite gets my vote'.  no matter what, it will be an experience, an adventure, and additional steps on my pedometer!  and that's a vote worth counting!!!

what gets your vote?

and now, after reading all the way to this point, i want to share a final thought: this election result just in --  you get my vote too!  thanks for sharing this time with me.  i hope all is well with you . . . . blessings to your day.