Well, in a few hours the election results will start coming in from all over the country. I have my map printed off and my red and blue colored pencils ready to follow a night of news. Yes, I am THAT person!

Today’s decision wasn’t necessarily an easy one for me. I don’t fall totally in line with either party, so it’s been hard for me to get real jazzed about either candidate. However, I did choose the man that I believe will be the best leader for our country at this time.

I went to lunch with my dad today and we had a good discussion about the candidates and why I was voting for Obama and why he voted for McCain. I have great respect for both men, but I fall in line more with Obama’s views on healthcare, the war in Iraq, and the economy. About the only I agree with McCain on is abortion, but I’m not totally convinced that overturning Roe v. Wade is the answer. Anyway, I was able to talk to my dad about things from the military’s perspective today. I was surprised at two things. First, when I told him who I was planning on voting for, he didn’t hit the ceiling. Instead, it started an excellent discussion and I felt like he really respected my views. Secondly, I was shocked when he agreed with me (partially anyway) about the situation in Iraq. I openly admitted that I didn’t understand why most of our efforts seemed to be focused on Iraq and not on finding Bin Laden and fighting Al Queda in Afghanistan. He looked at me and said, “Honey, most of the military feels the exact same way. I totally understand that.”

No matter who wins this election tonight (or whenever all of the votes are counted), I’m so thankful for the democratic process. This has been a tough and eye opening year for me. For the first time I didn’t vote straight Republican because I’m a Christian. I studied the issues and came to my own decisions about what I thought of them. I don’t care if you voted for Obama, McCain, or Ralph Nader. As long as you know why you did and you stand by it, then you have my total respect.

I gotta go sharpen my color pencils before the results start coming in! Only a couple of hours left!