Political Misconduct

Because of my growing belief in misconduct at the polls, I had gone back and forth on whether or not to vote early. I thought, somehow, voting on Election Day would reduce the risk that my vote would be tampered with. But after hearing reports of lengthy lines even during early voting and surveying my friends, I decided voting before the November 4 deadline would be the only option. Matt and I were better than anxious to get to our polling site on Friday and were prepared to go the distance. We'd wait in line until our votes had been cast. Luckily, we were finished in 25 minutes flat. No sweat.

We took Patterson with us and though she obviously didn’t understand what was going on, I thought it would be a great introduction to the political process – something sentimental for her to look back on when she’s old enough to mark her own chad. She felt differently. As soon as we got in line, she turned into the hulk! She pulled on the stanchions, yanked the shirt of the man in front of us, screamed in our faces, threw her pacifier across the room and socked me in the eye (a couple of times). Saying that I was embarrassed would be an enormous understatement.

Here’s to hoping Patty’s was the only misconduct taking place at the polls!

"Minotauro"

On Saturday, Matt and I were invited by our friends Kim and Jaime to attend the opening of a new MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Gym in Uptown called "Octagon." The gym was quite impressive and it was pretty cool being up-close with the octagon. The real treat, however, was getting to meet the UFC's interim heavyweight champion "Minotauro" Nogueira. He's

also one of the coaches on this season's The Ultimate Fighter which Matt and I watch weekly! I already knew he had a great personality from watching him on the show, but in person he was bigger and even more handsome! Here are pics of Matt and I meeting Nogueira - I got a shirt signed too!

Patty's Party

On Sunday, my aunt Gwen called to let me know: "that was the best party I've been to in quite a while!" So, the reviews are in, Patty's first birthday party was a success.

Our celebratory weekend started on Thursday night when my dad came into town from St. Louis, MO. It was his and Patty's first meeting and it didn't start off well. In the beginning, she stared at him, cried when he tried to pick her up and even cried when he spoke in her direction (even after he gave her several toys and a tiny Obama tshirt). By Saturday, she had warmed up and they hung out while Matt and I set up for the party (top photo). My dad spoke to her as if she were an adult (which I really appreciated since I have a special dislike for "baby talk"). They talked about the weather, bachi balls, and so on.

Once her guests began to arrive, Patty strutted around meeting and greeting everyone as if she knew it was her party! (The second photo is of Patterson meeting 3-month old, Morgan and her parents, Shawn and Darrin).

After the party, friends and family came to our house to watch the TX/OU game (which seemed to last forever even though we fast-forwarded through commercials) and to play a few rounds of Rock Band. We couldn't resist!

When the evening ended, Patterson was exhausted but reserved just enough energy to give the final verdict on the party (bottom photo)!