Whew

Now that the election is over, I can exhale.

No more old, white, men trying to redefine the legitimacy of rape or the will of their God.

No more Donald Trump, reigning king of the asshats and bankruptcy.

I'm still surprised at the level of hateful rhetoric and the widening partisan divide, though.  I don't hold out much hope for cooperative, centrist governing over the next four years.

Besides President Obama being reelected, there was one other moment for me on election night that I will relive whenever I need a little pick me up.

It's good to know that money can't buy everything. I get tickled every time I watch Mr. Rove trying to make the arithmetic work for him.  I wonder if he plays the ponies...

Anyway, now that the world has been confirmed to still be firmly planted on its axis, I get to enjoy all of the awesome things that are going on lately.

First, it's nearly summer here.  We've been getting some rain but I could care less because the scenery is nothing short of magnificent.

This, came from my garden and she is one of about ten different varieties of roses that are growing around our yard.  We have Peruvian day lilies, geraniums, daisies, white azaleas, impatiens, portwine magnolias, a lime tree, a lemon tree and heaps of Mexican daisies.  Visually, it just knocks my socks off and the hydrangeas, which last year, were the size of rock melons, haven't even begun to bloom yet.

With the summer, the paddling season kicks into full swing.  When I tell people that I paddle, they think this:

(Courtesy odt.co.nz)

These are ROWERS.  They go backwards.  They are not fat.   Their uniforms are very tight and revealing.  Hence, I don't row.

I paddle dragon boats on Monday and Wednesday nights.

(Courtesy waterfrontauckland.co.nz)

We paddle forward, really fast and really hard, for about 250m, which doesn't seem like much but sweet baby Jesus, that last 50 metres will make you vomit your spleen.  It's all kinds of excellent.

My true love, the thing that has caused me to forsake my family on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, Saturday mornings and sometimes Sundays, is this:

(Courtesy saltmagazine.com.au)

This is waka ama (outrigger canoe) paddling.  I am obsessed.  I love it so much that most of my spare time, rain or shine, is spent on the water.  I've roped my husband into the sport and just last weekend, Olivia paddled for the first time.  My son is not interested and I won't push him but I feel like he's missing out on something really great.  What could be better than experiencing New Zealand through her rivers, lakes and the ocean that surrounds her? Nothing, mate. Truly nothing compares.

So, as the holiday season approaches, my schedule will be filled with training, races, regattas, camping, wine, food, friends and family.  I've learned that in order for me to feel complete as a human being, I need to live near the ocean.  My fondest memories are of summers at Brulé Beach, NB, my senior year in Vancouver, BC and the five years I spent in San Diego, CA.  The ocean is the common thread that runs through them all.  I will never again be landlocked. Ever.

Shame that it has taken me 45 years to figure this out.

Election 2012

It is with a certain amount of anxiety that I wait for the election results to unfold themselves this 6th day of November 2012.

Although we do not spend the majority of our time in America anymore, my family is firmly vested in the future of the United States.

I hope Obama wins.  I think he has done as good a job as possible in the time that he has had although  I wish he had been more partisan in the first two years of his presidency.

Mitt Romney and the idea of him as president, frightens me on a level that makes me uncomfortable.

I hope Americans show up in droves to vote.  

And we wait....