election day

I have voted every November since I became of age in 2000. That means that, this year included, I have cast my vote in three presidential elections. But my most memorable Election Day was two years ago in Muncie, Indiana, and the reason it has stuck with me so vividly has nothing to do with the various municipal officers I voted for at the polls.

On Election Day two years ago, I learned that, after several months of trying, I was actually pregnant.

I was thrilled! Well, we were thrilled, but I'm pretty sure that Blake didn't exactly appreciate me pouncing on him in the wee hours of the morning after the home pregnancy test I took came out positive. I went around the block to my designated polling place that morning positively glowing. I couldn't have been happier.

Which made it difficult to get through work that day without spilling the beans to anyone and everyone who would listen to me. We had decided that, aside from telling our immediate families, we wanted to wait until I was safely through the first trimester before sharing the news with others (which, given the turmoil that occurred in the weeks that followed, turned out to be for the best). But I was positively itching to call my mom later that afternoon with the news that we were turning her into a grandmother.

As soon as I got home from work, I went straight to the phone and called home. My brother answered and told me that Mom wasn't home, that she was out running a few errands, but would be home in a few minutes to pick him up before heading over to the elementary school to vote. I asked him to have her call me before they left to do their civic duty.

Riley must have sensed a bit of urgency in my voice because about five minutes later, when Mom called back, she sounded worried.

"Are you all right?" she asked me.

"Yeah, yeah...I'm fine," I said, trying really, really hard to suppress the ball of excitement trying to scream its way out of my throat.

"Well, what's going on?" she asked.

I thought it would be fun to let the math I'd done earlier in the day come to my aid as I shared our happy announcement. Using one of those online calculators, I'd been able to determine that I'd be due in the middle of July -- the same time that our big family reunion was scheduled to be held. A short time prior to this, I'd told my mom that Blake and I weren't sure if we'd be able to make it to the reunion that year. Finances would be tight, and Blake's impending graduation and potential new job would only make a big summer trip all the more difficult to swing. She had told me not to give up all hope yet, and I told her we wouldn't. But suddenly a whole new element had been added into the equation.

"I just wanted to call and let you know that it doesn't look like we'll be able to make it to the reunion after all," I said.

Mom sounded crushed. "Why?"

"Well," I said, a smile spreading across my face, "because we're going to have a baby then instead."

Mom choked on her breath and started to cry. Riley, who was standing there next to her, anxious to know what we were talking about and wondering why the heck Mom was upset all of a sudden, started repeating, "What? What? Is this good news or bad news?"

Mom gave him a hearty thumbs up and grinned, I imagine, through her tears. She was going to be a grandma, Riley was going to be an uncle. And I was going to be a mother.

We called Blake's family shortly after my mom and I had finished our conversation, and while it was fun to inform them of our news by asking how they'd like to be grandparents/uncles/aunts, nothing will ever beat the rollercoaster of emotions I'd witnessed that day in my mother. It couldn't have played out better.

But speaking of playing out, it's time I go glue myself to the news to watch election coverage. I've done my civic duty by casting my vote and am eager to see the results. Have you voted?