The Senator's Wife

I promised you a post about the Speaker’s Ball a few weeks back. Total fail. Both me and the actual event. What a weird experience. My, oh my goodness.

Let me back up a bit.

Ten years ago when the Senator and I attended our first Speaker’s Ball, it was a really fun experience. My Senator had just been elected and we promised each other we would attend as many events as possible…

The Speaker’s Ball was one of the first and resembled a high school reunion of sorts where everyone seemed to be excited to see each other for the first time in a long while. We were new to the game so we just watched, had a drink and tried to figure out who the real players were in the room.

People really dressed up, there was a reception, dinner and entertainment. No program really, other than the Speaker of the House took to the microphone and thanked everyone for coming as they ushered in a new legislative session. Looking back, it was really nice being the fly on that wall.

Fast forward a few years and the leadership in the House of Representatives changed….which meant the Speaker’s Ball fell into the hands of another party planner. Literally.

I’m not sure what they have been trying to do with this event, but every year since has been a different experience. One year, the party was dry, like prohibition.  Some years there has been a long program with speakers. More recently, the Speaker’s Ball resembled a high school prom or even a wedding reception.

Then, there was this year….

And this…

This lady greeted you as you entered the room and if you look closely, you can see the water that was spraying from her fingers like a fountain as she moved them to music. It was a pretty neat effect, really… if you were roaming around Ceasar’s Palace in Las Vegas.

I am still at a loss for words when it comes to the rest of this event so I think I’ll just leave it there.

And, besides… I am cooking and cleaning tonight because some of the Senator’s colleagues are coming over for dinner this week.  This is one of my favorite things that he does and I have written about it here.

More later – on all the above.  We are a good two weeks into session and things are just starting to get interesting! SW

It has been a busy month around here.

I just returned from Las Vegas and a board meeting for this organization.  It was a very productive meeting and lots of fun hanging out with some of my all-time favorite people.  I get to see these ladies roughly three times a year, but consider them some of my very dearest friends even though we all live hundreds of miles apart. They are such accomplished women in their respective fields and amazing moms who inspire me on a daily basis.

The Senator came along too and bought us a few great dinners.

He’s a keeper.

And, before my meetings even started, the Senator planned a nice, romantic evening at a fantastic steak house followed by a front row table to watch the fountains at the Bellagio…a popular attraction in the city of lights.

I think I took a million photos that evening and sent them to everyone in my contact list.  Sorry about that people!

Vegas is definitely Disney World for adults.

And, just for the record, it is also the Year of the Dragon. This is a H-U-G-E celebratory event in Las Vegas. Every hotel, restaurant, casino lobby etc. was tricked out in Chinese red combined with dragon paraphernalia.

These are just a sampling….

Oh wait…now I have moved into window shopping and the gorgeous dresses….

Which were truly amazing…

And, rather timely for me seeing that the Speaker’s Ball is tonight and if you have read any of my previous posts on that, you know I struggle with the outfit.

Hmmm…

However, this year it specifies cocktail attire on the invitation which means short NOT long so I am done here. Thank you people for making this easy on me!

I promise to share some photos of the attire, it is always a treat.

Check back with me for more on the actual event, who was there, what the buzz is on the upcoming session and, of course what people were wearing. SW

Today is my birthday.  I have never been one to want to celebrate getting older, although lately I have found myself celebrating life.  But, today…..

Today, I am going to celebrate this lady. My momma.

….because I entered the world weighing 10lbs and 2 ounces and she’s still nice to me!

Love you mom.  You are a a remarkable example of all things good in this world!

SW

So, the Senator and I had a mini-date night last night watching the New Hampshire primary returns and the victory speeches of the Republican Presidential candidates.

I know, we are weird like that.

Anyway, I quickly snatched the paper napkin out from under his cup and wrote down my thoughts at the time.

Here they are:

Ann Romney.  Wow. I like you.  You have MS.  You have five children.  After hearing your speech last night I’m convinced they need to get you out more often.

Ron Paul.  People support you because it is a cause.  People support Romney because they want to win.

Newt.  Brilliantly articulate. Visionary. I would have paid good money for a front row seat to watch you debate the president.  Had you stayed above the fray, you might have had that opportunity.

Huntsman.  I really wanted to like you.  You are balanced. Smart. Can work well with others… super gorgeous family. America likes that.  Maybe in 2016 you will have learned you can’t do this all by yourself. It takes an army of talent and volunteers to win a political campaign of this magnitude. Go find them….fast!

Santorum.  No disrespect, but I am at a loss for words.  I think my Senator likes you.  We were in a heated discussion about your politics during your speech so I have no notes. Not a big fan of the sweater vest, but I sincerely admire your wife for homeschooling seven children. The thought of that ages me.

And….that’s all she wrote…. until South Carolina, of course!  When is that one anyway?

SW

Hi there.  I’d like to reintroduce myself to the blogosphere.  I am a Senator’s Wife.  I have two children and they keep my busy. I volunteer during my free time for this non-profit organization.  I used to enjoy blogging about politics and life and some of what I see being married to a public servant.  But life is hectic and busy and sometimes I just don’t like telling the world what it’s actually like in the fish bowl.  Politics is about perception and things aren’t always what they seem.

However, 2012 is an election year and I am glued to the tube when it comes to following this stuff.   Maybe it’s because football season is over? Maybe it is because I have started running in the wee hours of the morning and find myself following the political news cycle a little more closely.  Running on a treadmill is a dangerous thing unless you are completely sidetracked and entertained by exciting television.  Trust me on this one.  I am not a runner, nor have I EVER been…until now. After 40, those calories don’t go away like they used to….

Anyway… maybe because I have taken up running, or maybe because I really do have a passion for politics, or more likely because my Senator is term limited and I won’t worry so much about what I say being used against him in the political arena.  I am getting ready to take the protective shield down and tell you what its like from the inside because this is my story.

Thanks for letting me share that with you today – the Senator’s Wife

Can’t believe a month or more has passed since I last posted here.  Life is busy.  My children our busy.  The Senator is busier…especially since we are heading into the Legislative season soon.

We took a breather from the busy last month and hightailed it to New Mexico for Thanksgiving.  Such a beautiful place. Peaceful. Serene.

Wishing I could find the peace of that place right about now….

I really think there is truth to the saying ‘when it rains it pours,’ and this week has been no exception! Everyone in our household has had stuff going on and mostly at the same time.  Even the house looked like it had been busy and the weather here in Oklahoma was nuts with several earthquakes, tornadoes, flooding rains, and wind. I’m beginning to wonder when we will see the locusts.

It was also an election day yesterday in many parts of the country which makes for an interesting news cycle and a feeding frenzy for journalists.  The Senator and I have found ourselves glued to the tube late at night watching the debates and news conferences.  A bad habit, I know, but none the less we are political junkies and this is like a mini date night on a busy day after the kids are asleep.  Not really.  Anyway, we have been squabbling recently over the coverage of such aforementioned news events and are now in a full-blown battle for control of the late night remote.

Just curious, but do you all have a favorite news outlet? If so, please let me know.  I need to find some neutral turf or another venue in the instance that I lose out to my man and his media!

Although, HBO hasn’t been so bad.

A few weeks ago we went down to Dallas to watch the OU-Texas football game. The kids went with us as has been our family tradition for the past few years, and this year was no exception.

We stayed at a really fun hotel right next to several fantastic restaurants and shops.  This is the shop where I bought my wedding dress several (16) years ago.

But, what made this hotel even more fun was the fact that Blake Griffin was staying there.  For those of you who have no idea who Blake Griffin is, he played basketball at OU and now plays for the LA Clippers. Very popular and famous young man in my great state.  Not only was he staying at our hotel, but he was staying on our floor….right next door.  And, we actually ran into him a couple of times back at the hotel.  Once in the lobby and once getting off the elevator to be exact.

I think it’s safe to say we are still a little star struck around here….and, hoping the NBA lockout ends soon.

So, I took a visual tour of my own, dormant blog the other day and loved re-reading some of my older posts.  Not because they were some brilliant masterpiece or anything, but because it was a brief record of the past few years and some events that I had forgotten about.

I have been busy lately.  Really busy.  Last May, I was elected to serve as the board president for this organization. It is a national non-profit that has honored outstanding moms across the country for roughly 77 years.  I have written about it here. This was going to be a huge responsibility and in an effort to budget my free time, I had wiped my plate clean.  Well, rather I had dropped off some non-profit boards that I was currently serving on and had scaled back on some other activities like blogging, exercising, socializing, basically anything that filled in the blanks between mom responsibilities and Senator’s wife responsibilities.   You get the picture.

This blog has been neglected and that made me sad.  Until I read a post from a terrific young mom (pictured center above) that I met last April in Salt Lake City.  She writes a blog and had been named the Arizona Young Mother and subsequently, the 2011 National Young Mother of the Year by none other, than American Mothers.  She is just a fantastic spirit of energy and I was thrilled to be working with her in this organization throughout the next year.  So, I started reading her blog and immediately decided that is one smart momma.

Recently she talked about being so busy and how blogging was consuming more time than she had to give- and so she was going to limit her posts to fifteen minutes.  Basically, allowing herself only fifteen minutes to write them and post. I knew I liked her.

Hence begins my new strategy.  I know I have not suffered from a lack of potential content lately, just a lack of time management skills and the ability to prioritize what is really important to me in the big scheme of things. This seems like a simple solution in my attempt to continue to manage it all!

I’m thinking I should apply that to exercising too.  A forced fifteen minutes a day could go a long way…

But, these fifteen minutes are almost up!

SW

How is it that my life long BFF has a cooking show and all I can think of is how we used to starve ourselves growing up because you were a ballerina and I just wanted to be one.  Food was not high on our list of priorities and now you own it! In fact, I have gained 5 lbs cooking your delicious food and loved every minute of it. Now, that is just plain sad.

My heart warms and my smile is wide just thinking about the magnitude of this for you, my friend till the end, from womb to tomb. It seems like only yesterday we were watching Animal House, and playing pranks on our brothers. And, now…now, you are a rock star and I am so proud of all you have done living out in the middle of nowhere!  I hope you can take a moment to look at all the wonderful you have created and the many lives you have touched just by being willing to share your talented, clever, creative and hilarious self!

I am so very proud of you and would be remiss if I did not mention that I love, love, LOVE it that your t.v. show is airing on your adopted god-daughter’s birthday.  That would only be fitting of our friendship.  I can’t imagine such a special event any other way because our lives have always been in sync like that. Birnkrant 608 baby!

I’ll be tuning in with tears of joy and a heart full of happiness for you, my forever friend!  So very proud.

xoxoxoxoxo