2008 Visits

2008 Visits, originally uploaded by JewellsinSEA.

Another year has passed and my site visit map from ClustrMaps has been archived, the map above is for the past year. I was really hoping to see an dramatic increase over the number in 2007. It did go up but only by 219 visits, which is only 5%. Kinda sad.

2008 in cities

I borrowed this idea from Don, who has done this for several years. Below are all of the cities where I have spent at least 24 consecutive hours in 2008.

Seattle, WA (home)
Cannon Beach, OR
Anaheim, CA
Pasadena, CA
Salt Lake City, UT: May, July, November
SeaTac, WA
Reno, NV
Port Orchard, WA
Lake Wenatchee, WA (Telma, nearest city)
Corvallis, OR
San Francisco, CA

Here is hoping that 2009 brings some more exotic ports of call.

UPDATE: Forgot to add SeaTac, WA to the list. Also you can check out Kat's list here.

2008 - The Top 10 Highlights

It’s hard to believe but another year is coming to an end. As a child I remember my folks complaining about how quickly the years went by; I was unable to relate because they seemed to just drag on for me. But at the ripe old age of 35, I get it. The years pass by in an instant and with each one that passes the speed increases.

When I began thinking about 2008 my initial response was negative, thankful that it was almost over. After all, my faced another fight against cancer, my brother Jimmy had one of those “one bad thing after another years,” my job was more frustrating and challenging than previous years, my birthday sucked and Thanksgiving was a family drama nightmare. But then I decided to list the “highlights” from 2008 and my list numbered 15 after only a few minutes of brainstorming. Feeling better about my outlook on 2008, I decided to create a Top 10 list of my favorite 2008 memories, and here it is:

10. Replacing my 13 year old mattress with the most wonderful mattress in the world, even if it’s so tall that I can barely get up on it.

9. Being able to see clearly following my eye surgery in June. I had no idea what I was missing and I love being able to drive at night again.

8. Having my mentor, Pauli Marr and my mom in town at the same time, we laughed until we cried, we laughed until it hurt.

7. Creating a wonderful birthday celebration for Jimmy’s 30^th in May.

6. Sharing Seattle with my Cuz (Karri) and her Huz (Dale). We soaked up the sun, ate too much, drank too much and had a wonderful time.

5. Getting to know Barney, the cutest Beagle in the entire world.

4. Rejoicing on Election Night with the rest of the country as history was made and the wave of change swept across the country.

3. Paying off my debt to Oregon State University and finally receiving my degree.

2. Celebrating my 5 Year Cancer Free Anniversary with laughter and tears and a trip to my favorite beach in the whole world.

And my top memory of 2008….

1. Surprising Don with tickets to Vienna Teng in San Francisco on his birthday. I’ll remember the look on his face for the rest of my life. And the trip rocked too.

Here is hoping 2009 is filled with as many wonderful moments! Happy New Year!

VOTE!

I love to vote! I have always voted at my assigned polling location, never by absentee ballot. There is something I love about voting in person. I love signing my name, getting my ballot and closing the curtain behind me as I punch holes or fill in dots on my ballot. The whole process makes me feel very American, very proud. Plus I love getting my "I VOTED" sticker and wearing it for the rest of the day to remind others to vote.

I know many who hate voting in-person whether it be the long lines or the craziness of the whole experience and opt for an absentee ballot. My parents have already voted as Utah offers the option to "vote early" in numerous locations. I don't so much care how people cast their votes, just that they vote.

Voting has never been an "optional" thing in my world. My parents instilled the importance of voting when I was young. I remember them engaging my brothers and me in conversations about the candidates and issues when we were children seated around the dinner table. I remember watching as they sifted through the Voter Guide and made their decisions of ballot measures and candidates. And, I remember being envious of the process and wishing I were 18 and could participate for myself.

It is hard for me to understand why people don't exercise their right to vote and take the responsibility seriously. According to the United States Census Bureau in the last presidential election (November 2004) only 64% percent of voting-age citizens cast a ballot, and that was the highest turnout since 1992. In the previous presidential election (November 2000) only 60% of voting-age citizens turned out. Those that don't vote often have their excuses and reasons but if I were to get a few minutes with someone that I knew wasn't going to vote tomorrow I would share the following.

Not only are we electing a President tomorrow but we are electing 11 Governors, 35 Senators, and Representatives for every seat (435) in the House. States will be voting on ballot measures that include issues like abortion, anti-affirmative action, immigration, same-sex marriage, renewable energy, transportation, drug policy, elections and campaign finance, to name a few. The men and women who will represent us and shape the future of our country will be elected (or not) tomorrow. When you think that one vote can't make a difference, consider the following:

• In 1845, one vote brought Texas into the Union.
• In 1846, one vote started the Mexican-American War, which resulted in the U.S. gaining control of the territories of the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and California.
• In 1867, one vote ratified the purchase of Alaska.
• In 1868, one vote saved President Andrew Johnson from impeachment.
• In 1875, one vote changed France from a monarchy to a republic.
• In 1876, one vote gave Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency of the United States.
• In 1920, one vote gave women the right to vote when Harry Burn cast the deciding vote in the Tennessee State Legislature, making Tennessee the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment and finally ending the 72 year struggle for woman’s suffrage.
• In 1923, one vote gave Adolph Hitler leadership of the Nazi party and eventual control of Germany.
• In 1916, Woodrow Wilson defeated his opponent by less than one vote per precinct in a single state.
• In 1941, one vote defeated the bill to kill the draft law, three months before Pearl Harbor.
• In 1948, Lyndon B. Johnson became a U.S. senator by a one vote margin.
• In 1960, the presidential election, one additional vote per precinct in Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey and Texas would have put Richard M. Nixon in office eight years earlier.
• In 1978, one vote decided an Alaska state senate election.
• In 1982, In Illinois, Governor Jim Thompson defeated Adlai Stevenson by less than 1/2 a vote per precinct.
• In 1986, one vote raised Iowa’s drinking age from 19 to 21.
• In 1994, one vote would have decided a Wyoming state representative election. Instead, the tie-vote election and recount for the seat from the Jackson Hole area was decided when a ping pong ball, bearing the winner's name was pulled from the Governor's cowboy hat in a drawing before the State Canvassing Board.
• In 2005, one vote killed legislation banning discrimination against gays and lesbians in the state of Washington.

One vote can and has made a difference! Please take the time out of your day and exercise your right to vote tomorrow.