we had a fab time in Mexico, the water was the most beautiful blue and the air was clear and hot but it was a beautiful time had by all. the boat was fab and we had lots to do on the ship, every day was an adventure. we are already planning to go again next year. here is a small video of me getting off the boat and going accross the border. the view is great!

 

Ok so i haven't been blogging for a while, so sue me! ha ha ha. I have been enjoying life, real life and scrapbooking. I have been busy with my scrapbook store and creating new things. But i am getting ready to go on vacation now. We are going to Mexico on a royal carribbean cruise for 5 nights! That should be fun. I got a new camera so i hope to take lots of pictures. And that's it. Talk soon, hugs and smooches.

This is my first time entering my work in a blog train challenge and i am very excited to give away my part of the train freebie.

It is a wonderful spring kit with 16 awesome papers hand crafted by me!
.

And don’t forget to check out the other wonderful drivers on this train!

The train drivers are all listed below,

Precious Convoy ~ TRAIN STATION
Armazém Scraps
Bel Vidotti Scraps
Bits N Bobs
BlackWings Scraps
BlueVelvet DeZigns
CandysTreasures
Chilli Designz
Chingjp designs
Cynthia
Dazzling Scraps
Desejos & Sonhos Scraps
Designs By Kelly
Diva’s Creation by Grazy
Foxylady Creations
Heartfelt Perfections
HutchsBaby
jbs2designs
©Juicy Bits
Kita Dezignz
Kolor’Scapez!
lacarolita’s Desingz
Lazy Daisy Designs
Lyn Designz Scraps
Morgaine Creations©
Rachelz_Expressionz
Samantha
Scrapdiva-Welcome! You are in my world!
Scraps Dimensions
Seachell´s Scrapz
Seven’s Scraps
Shrkmoms Creations
Tagging Angels n Scraps
The Okie Toothfairy
tinkerbell

8:33am

Obama at door of White House and history

President-elect marks inauguration eve by recalling Martin Luther King Jr.

Charles Dharapak / AP President-elect Barack Obama paints a wall during a visit Monday to Sasha Bruce House, a shelter for teens in Washington.  View related photos

I will be live blogging right up to the swearing in of our new president. I will be blogging from my blackness and my back ground as a black person seeing a black president sworn in to office of the united states of america.

I fully realize that racism is not over and i know first hand that there are still some ignorant people in the usa but over all The American people are ready to change, they are ready for change and they spoke loud and clear that change was possible.

My parents are dead, my slaved grandparents are dead, my slaved great grandparents who were  born the bastard children of slave masters are dead, but this day I view and use my eyes for them, i will see it all for them I will hear it all for them i will cry for them, my tears will flow, tears of joy for them.

 I think the dream of Martin L. King has began to be realized, however this is just the beginning of change. There is still work to be done, but today marks the beginning of The greatness of America rising above itself to  a greater place in my eyes.

I don't usually eat breakfast but right now i am going to eat breakfast and watch the news on MSNBC- waiting for the Obama Family to leave for the St. John Church..

I will probably write a poem because words are swelling up in me as I type, my heart is so full of happiness, my heart is so thankful right now. My heart is feeling so blessed right now. Thank you America, thank you!

Right now the crowd is rising on Washington DC.

Barack Obama steps into history by becoming the first black U.S. president Tuesday, bringing a message of hope to a nation hit by recession, weary of war and hungry for change after George W. Bush's presidency. Full story

 

 9:23am

Watching the news cover this is exciting and at times disappointing also. Today is a day of celebration and today i don't want to hear about all the problems Obama is  getting, we all know all the problems, i don't want a long drawn out  report of how difficult it will be for him.  I just want to enjoy the day. So when they have some guest on the news talking about the negs, the gloom and doom speakers i mute the TV. (turn to C-span for more coverage and less spin)We will face all that tomorrow but today, i WANT THE JUST DO CELEBRATION.

Today is not only historic, but for me as a black person today is truly spiritual. It is a feeling inside that only other black people are feeling today. Yes  I know the world is feeling somethings too, but as a black person it is  some sort of rebirth. I feel like christmas, new years and my birthday all rolled into one. I see those crowds today and it is amazing. There is happiness in the air. There is pride in the air, there is togetherness in the air. We are one. Today we are one.

And i don't understand how anyone, i mean anyone can not be proud in America today! If you don't feel any pride in the USA today there is something wrong with you!

The transfer of power- the moment The Obamas arrive at the white house for coffee with the Bushes.

 

10:32am

My sister just sent me these in an email.

I love them! awesome pics!

Subject: The Epitome of Cool... <img src=http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l173/sharonb7/obama201.jpg?t=1232547301 width="400">   Chance Encounter In 1980, when Obama was a freshman at Occidental College in

 Los Angeles , he was approached by an aspiring photographer named

Lisa Jack, who asked him if he would be willing to pose for some black

and white photographs that she could use in her portfolio 
 
<img src="http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l173/sharonb7/obama202.jpg?t=1232547412 ">
Handsome
Of her first meeting (in a campus eatery) with Obama,

Jack remembers only that "He was really cute.

But what else does a 20-year-old girl remember 
 
<img src="http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l173/sharonb7/obama203.jpg?t=1232547474">
Styled
In the photos, Jack says, "You can see he is just posing,

initially, but as the shoot goes on, he starts to come out.

He was very charismatic even then 
 

Prop
Jack never realized her dream of becoming a photographer

 and is now a psychologist
 

Pose
Jack and Obama would see each other only a few more times

 while students. But in 2005, while on a tour, she spotted

 Obama on Capitol Hill and yelled hello. "He knew exactly

 who I was after all this time," Jack says. "I was amazed Doubt
On a dare from a skeptical friend, Jack decided to track down her negatives from the shoot.
 
Searcher
Initially, before she dug the film out from her basement, Jack never thought her pictures would have much life beyond her own darkroom  

Smile
When she found them, the images of Obama "blew me

 away," she says. "I had no idea I'd taken a whole roll of film 
 

Charm
For a while, Jack put the negatives in a safety-deposit

 box, so that they could not be used until after the election,

when there would be no chance they could be used for a political purpose. 
 

Thoughtful
Today, Jack says, she hopes the photos reveal a

"spirit of fun and thoughtfulness
 
The Man Who Would Be President
"I'm not political," Jack says, "(But) these are historic

 photos and they should be shared 
 

  10:50am

 Here we go!!!!

 

 

11:15am 

Well THE presidents of past are now coming in and we are getting closer. I am almost holding my breath now and  feeling light headed. The pictures of the crowds  are amazing. THe ENERGY in washinton today is surely powerful and amazing. The air is clear and crisp from my TV view. I think i have the best seat in the house, i see everything! i feel the excitement. I feel the anticipation of the day. Its awesome!

There are people everywhere, the place is packed.

 

and while we are all happy and in the festivities, the moving van is at the white house moving in the Obama's stuff! yea!

 

The first family comes in

 

OMG!! the crowd is booing Bush!! singing nananana hey hey hey goodbye!!!

The first Lady elect comes in

 

The Vice president elect comes in

 

The president elect comes in

 

 

 

The people cheer

 

Areatha Sings

 

 

Taking the Oath

 

and Gentlemen The President of the

United States Barack Obama

 

 

The People cheer

 

God bless The President, God bless America!

 

The New

 

 

 

 

Hail to the Chief.

President Barack Obama.

The inaugural address, as prepared for delivery:

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.  I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath.  The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace.  Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.  At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been.  So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood.  Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred.  Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.  Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered.  Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics.  Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.  

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real.  They are serious and they are many.  They will not be met easily or in a short span of time.  But know this, America -  they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.  The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation:  the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given.  It must be earned.  Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less.  It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame.  Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life.  They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today.  We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth.  Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began.  Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year.  Our capacity remains undiminished.  But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed.  Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.  The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth.  We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.  We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost.  We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories.  And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.  All this we can do.  And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans.  Their memories are short.  For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply.  The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.  Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward.  Where the answer is no, programs will end.  And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill.  Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.  The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.  Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations.  Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.  And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born:  know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.  They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please.  Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy.  Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations.  We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan.  With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet.  We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.  We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers.  We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.  To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.  To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds.  And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect.  For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains.  They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages.  We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves.  And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.  It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours.  It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new.  The instruments with which we meet them may be new.  But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old.  These things are true.  They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history.  What is demanded then is a return to these truths.  What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled.  In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river.  The capital was abandoned.  The enemy was advancing.  The snow was stained with blood.  At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world...that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America.  In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words.  With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.  Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

 **********************************************************************************

 

First lady Michelle Obama wore a sparkling yellow-gold sheath dress with matching coat by Cuban-born American designer Isabel Toledo for the inauguration of her husband, a choice many applauded as a cheerful message of hope and a vote for the American fashion industry.

She paired the embellished ensemble with green gloves from J. Crew and green shoes.

President Barack Obama wore a red tie and white shirt with his suit, topped with an overcoat adorned with an American flag pin.

Their daughters were style icons in their own right, with 10-year-old Malia in a double-breasted periwinkle-blue coat with a blue-ribbon bow at the waist, and Sasha, 7, in a pink coat with orange scarf and satin belt, a coral-colored dress peeking out at the hem. Their coats were from Crewcuts by J. Crew.

The fashion industry has anxiously looked to the election of Obama for months, embracing his wife as an emblem and ambassador of modern American style. She has won praise for her penchant for lesser-known designers and bold fashion choices, mixed with her unabashed love for mass fashion from mainstream American retailers.

"She is single-handedly breathing new life into designers like Narciso Rodriguez and Isabel Toledo, who have had a rocky past," said red-carpet and editorial stylist Mary Alice Stephenson.

"What's so powerful about Michelle Obama is we all see ourselves in her. She's a modern woman who is fashionable and even flamboyant in her style and she is still taken seriously," she said. "She's wearing that dress today for all of us. We're all wearing that dress with her. The dress is elegant, appropriate and has the individual style stamp of Michelle Obama and is timely for a woman in her 40s � and she wears embellishment during the day. Hallelujah!"

 

Michelle Obama  Our First lady elect, was almost torn a new a-hole during the campaign because she admitted that for the first time in a long time she was REALLY proud of her country.

 

Well i am just a peon nobody SO I can say what ever the hell i want. And today I must say that for the first time in a long time i am really proud of my country.

It has long been known that slaves were part of the labor force that built the White House and the US Capitol. And today the US National Archives exhibited government pay records from more than 200 years ago that portray some of that often overlooked history.

The slaves working on the building were bricklayers and carpenters. And though their names (and only their first names) appear in the pay records, the money they earned went to their owners. Even the architect of the White House, James Hoban, owned three slaves who were working on the project, and Hoban was paid for their labor.

The CBS Evening News aired a segment on the slaves who worked on the White House, and Jesse Holland, a writer for the Associated Press who has written extensively about the slaves who helped build the city of Washington, has also written about the new revelations

 

.

   On January 20, 2009 I will have my tissue handy as President elect Barack obama is sworn in as the first african american president, the 44th president of these united states. It will probably be thee most proud day of my life. Because  for the first time a black man, woman and children will reside in the white house built by slaves.

 

 

 I am still trying to wrap my brain around that, but No matter what is going on in the world right now i am very proud of my country

 

Not just because we finally have a black president, but because we are finally getting pass color all together. We still have a ways to go but this is a new beginning for sure!

 

 

 

 

 

.

Happy Birthday Dr. Martin L. King. The Dream is alive and well.

 

 

To all the people who have hurt me in the past.

I am so over you!

To all the people i have hurt in the past.

I am so sorry!

Ps..note to self....self,. I don't care if anyone doesn't like me. I love me! and that's all that matters.

 

 

Every time I look at this video I cry very proudly. I thank America for having the courage and the knowledge to see the future and vote for it.

 There are still some who will not agree and you are welcome to your thoughts, but this post is for celebration and  that it will remain.

 Some thought there might would have been a so called Bradley effect where white people would say they would vote for the black guy and then get in the voting booth and not vote for him after all

. However exit polls show that not only was there not any bradley effect, but instead there was indeed a reverse bradley effect( I call it the Obama effect)  where people who said they would not vote for a black guy indeed went into the poll and voted for him in secret.

 To those I send the highest thank you, because you realized the change we needed even if you could not find  a way to share it publicly.

Now we do not expect any  great perfect things from Obama alone as he is only one man but as a nation we can get this country back on track.

 And i hope the McCain people will truly come forth now and put our differences of the campaign behind us and truly "Put Country first", and help Obama to get this country back on track.

Personally this will be my last blog for a while, (unless I find something that just can't wait).

 I am off to continue writing my manuscript and hoping to have my new book published by the summer of 2009. Blessings and peace to all who read here. Hugs and smooches. sharonb