Election memories

Today, I've enjoyed seeing the variety of voting booth stickers pop up on my instagram feed.

I took our children this past Friday and voted early.

Many years ago, I remember going with my Mom to vote. I remember going into the lobby of our high school's gymnasium and seeing these huge blue metal voting booths. I remember the curtain that you pulled close and watching to see if Mom pulled the lever for a straight ticket or voted individually for each elected position. I remember thinking when I grew up, I would vote individually so that I could push each individual button. :) Kind of like wanting to be a teacher to write on the chalkboard every day.

And I grew up.

2000. I remember the first time I voted. It was by North Carolina absentee ballot when George W. Bush won against Gore. I was a senior at Baylor in Waco, Texas. My roommates and I stayed up so late waiting to see the results...so late that, exhausted, we set alarms and fell asleep on the couch, waking up every few hours to see if a decision had been made.

This time 2004, again in Texas, going with Brent to vote. I'm pretty sure we voted at Lowes (?!?!?) and I thought to myself as I slipped my paper ballot in a huge metal drum "Only in Texas."

And then in 2008, Texas absentee ballot while in Oklahoma. I remember being surprised and happy to find a lady from our old church on the ballot for a local office.

2012. So this year, I took our three to the local courthouse for early voting. I think they were most excited about the tootsie roll and the voting sticker they received. But they asked lots of questions and wanted to see Romney and Obama's names on the ballot. There were no big blue voting booths...no levers. Just a paper ballot...with plastic divided partitions that were more reminiscent of standing 3-ring binders between students for taking a test than that curtain I remember as a child. I slid my ballot into the machine that pulled it from me much like the Redbox receptacles...and I was thankful.

Thankful that Virginia gets my vote this year.

Thankful to live in this country where we are each free to elect our leaders by ballot.

And thankful to know that regardless of the outcome, as Haley from The Tiny Twig noted so well via instagram this morning: "God is bigger." Indeed.

Did you vote today?