Hooray!

I was in a van which we had rented, driving down the highway towards Kempsey, a smallish town where Darcy is from, to visit Darcy's parents, when Obama was declared the next President of the United States. It overwhelmed me, and I surprised myself by bursting into tears.

I did not want him to win in the Primary, as a few of you know and were probably not happy about. But when he became the nominee I supported him. Though I think John McCain is a good Senator and believe that most of the time he works for issues with the best intentions, he threw all self respect and integrity out the window when he made the rash decision to invite that ignorant mean-spirited woman to join the ticket. And then he said things that I don't think he even believed about Obama. And he also didn't have any ideas about what he would do if elected. And he was representing the Republican Party, which I don't think has been his friend much in the past. But his VP pick said a lot to me about how he may make decisions in the future, deciding to have her on board. I shiver to imagine her working in my office, or being on a PTA board, never mind make decisions that affect the whole world. I am a boring voter anyway - there was no way IN HELL I would have considered voting Republican. No need to waste your campaign dollars calling me up.

Anyway, Darcy was happy along with me about the election, and bought a bottle of champagne for us to toast when we got to his parents house. (I love Darcy!) His family toasted with me, which I thought was very thoughtful and hospitable. They weren't necessarily happy though. His father watches Fox News, for some reason, and as a result is rather obsessed with US politics. And, because he is conservative himself, being an old farmer who had a tough life, the river of poison that flows from the maniacal mouths of Fox commentators is very persuasive to him. He thinks McCain should have won, and likes Sarah Palin. I didn't ask why. I was too tired to listen, and to be honest, I didn't care. Eight years of selfish, oppressive, violent leadership with the Bible supposedly being the guiding hand is enough for me. I'd like a few moments in the sun. I think most Australians are happy about Obama anyway. I feel positive, and I hope he gets some good people around him and the safety and finances of people everywhere improves.

I wanted more than anything to be home after hearing the good news, but a plane ticket is just toooooo expensive right now, and I have no job on the horizon. I will just have to be happy here, and eat hamburgers.

This morning, I cut a cantaloupe (rockmelon) in half and was eating one half by scooping the pulp out with a spoon. Darcy came into the kitchen and saw me eating it this way and said, "aw, another peculiar 'Alicia' way of eating something." They don't eat cantaloupe in Australia that way. Weird, huh? They just cut it in slices. That's fine too, but live a little, eh?

The trip to visit the husband's parents was good. We saw all but one of his siblings, and we hung out with his two nieces and nephew - cute little tykes. We also went to the beach quite a bit, and I attempted to surf, after not being on the board for at least a year.

It was really weird because I suddenly became fearful of the waves, which I thought I had conquered some time ago. I was paddling out, constantly getting smacked back by the waves, and a few times a big one would promise to dump on top of me and my heart would just stop. Needless to say, I wiped out more than anything else. I did get up once and ride a bit but then I fell in shallow water and scraped my knee. Ouch. I have to work through that wave fear thing again. Hopefully we will get in the water enough this summer for that to happen.

But I also went swimming a lot, and when I don't have a 9 foot fibreglass board to deal with, the waves seem less daunting.

We drove around quite a bit, and since the van was a manual, I was the passenger. It gave me lots of time to think, which in my case is not a good thing, most of the time. I freak myself out pretty easy. Hearing the election on the radio in the van, driving through cattle country in New South Wales, gave me a moment of feeling alien, then I started thinking, "how did I get myself here? what am I doing in this place? I am a shy person, how did I even manage to meet this outgoing man, never mind marry him. How did I move myself to the other side of the planet?" Then we were at Darcy's parents, toasting Obama, then having a barbie with all of his family, and for a moment I looked around and thought, how did I get myself connected to all of these people? We are now part of the same family?" I don't mean it in a bad way. I just mean, of all the people in the world, now I am connected to an Australian farming family. I could never have predicted it.

It is strange sometimes. All the people in your life, how you meet them, why they stick, what those relationships lead you to do.

I think that is something I admire about Obama. You learn about the people in his life, his experience, and how it has brought him to be who and where he is. It is inspiring.

I hope the only thing we may know of Sarah Palin in a year's time is that she has a terrible show on Fox, consequently provides lots of material for The Daily Show, and decided not to force her daughter to marry her *%@*#! redneck boyfriend.

President OBAMA. Isn't that amazing?