A few smiles, the election, and worry, of course

I have really been struggling this week, but I have to admit that picture of Madeline put a smile on my face. Matt (from Matt, Liz and Madeline--his blog) posted her Halloween pictures yesterday. Who couldn't smile at that??? I saved that photo on my desktop. I don't think I have seen anything that cute in a long time.
Even with everything going on, I did make it to vote this week. We have early voting in NC, and this also made me smile:

It's kind of a lousy picture, I only had my phone with me, but I was so heartened to see the large turnout for voting. This is such an important election, and I am glad to see people getting out and making their vote count. I had to wait two hours, but I think the lines will be much longer on election day. I would have waited longer, happily. NC is going to be a battleground state, and I think you all know where I stand on these issues. I am so hopeful about this election and that Obama could make a positive impact. After the last eight years, hopefully, HOPEFULLY voters have learned something.

And on another note, I have some huge worries for work and just my life on Monday. I don't normally ask directly, but please send good vibes my way. Thanks for all of the support.