First Time Voting

I voted for the very first time yesterday. I hesitated too long to do an absentee so I drove the 40 minute trip back home. My voting location was an elementary school just down the road, pretty convenient really despite having to drive all the way from campus.

Before I stepped foot in the school's gymnasium Kathy, a retired school teacher and friend of my family, encouraged me to vote for Diane Nevit for treasurer. According to my Dad, who voted that morining, she had been out there since 6 in the morning and I didn't vote till 6 in the afternoon. That's some hard-core campaigning. I took the opportunity to chat with her and express my excitement of voting for the first time. She had to stay out in the parking lot due to campaigning laws, and would interrupt our conversation by yelling at incoming voters. She was a frightening force.

A man named J.K. ushered me in and checked my photo id, a new requirement in Indiana. He stated his joy in my decision to vote, when I told him that I was a student he went into a long narrative about how his company had paid for him to spend a year at IUPUI. I played musical chairs up and down until I came to the last seat and it was my turn to vote. I stepped up and made it happen. I disappointed to see that a lot of the candidates did not have opponents and the judges simply asked whether or not they should be reinstated. I voted a split ticket for the most part, leaning democrat as I voted for Katherine Carr for Congress and Kennedy for State prosecutor. I was happy to see that I personally knew two of the candidates on the ballot, Nevit who I mentioned before, and Kathy's husband J.R., who was running unopposed. On the way out I spotted an acquaintance from church, Adam, and made light conversation. I'm really impressed with my sudden ability to make these kinds of social interactions like I did with Kathy and Adam, I think that's a sign that I'm growing up.

Pulling into my drive-way I noticed both my Grandmas. There's nothing better than being around your two grandmas let me tell you. After two noteworthy hugs, the grandmas and my mom and my sister went out to eat at Penn Station. Taking advantage of eating off-campus food, I ate a lot. Laura, my sister, and I kidded around and it felt great to be able to converse with her as a friend and not an annoying sibling. She told me about her friends and whats new in her Academy of Finance. After talking to her I realized that I had lost some of my sparkle since graduating from high school. I used to be full of hope and ambition, but now its seems as if reality has caught up to me. I already feel like an old man.

Coming home for just that one day was refreshing. Its good knowing I've got my family behind me no matter what happens.