Greetings from the “swing” state of Ohio! Olen and I may have passed through Dayton at some time in the past, but we have never stopped in this location for any length of time, However, Dayton, Ohio will be our “home” for the next four nights, and we are excited about being here.
It has been an interesting day, and a long one, but first we need to give you some information to get our readers caught up on developments since our last post. We have been very busy!
At almost the last minute, we found out that there were two seats available on the Romney Victory Bus to Ohio. After giving the matter due consideration, we immediately began to work a “new” plan. We decided to see if our oldest grandsons would like to go with us. We figured that by the time the next Presidential election rolls around four years from now, both of the boys will be twenty years old, and will either be in college, working, married, or a combination of these. Life and responsibilities will be much more serious for them at that time. This is the Presidential election they are most likely to be free to take advantage of an opportunity like this. We saw it as an opportunity to take a crash course in civics by living in a political environment for five days.
To make a long story short, we have Jacob and Bailey with us on this adventure. They will work just like the rest of us and learn about elections and campaigning while on this mini-excursion. Schoolwork will have to be made up later. There is too much to be learned from this opportunity. They have promised to work hard on the schoolwork they are missing once they get home.
The day was warm and sunny when we went to meet the bus that was to take us to Ohio. We checked in, loaded our suitcases on the bus, chose our seats, and signed in so the leaders would know we were present. The boys especially enjoyed the goodie bags they gave us, and the orange juice and donuts that were in abundance. While we waited for everyone to arrive, we held campaign signs beside I-565 and waved to passing cars who honked in support.
A reporter from channel 48 asked Jacob for an interview, and he answered questions about what he hoped to accomplish on the trip, and why he was interested in the political scene at his age.
Our dear friend, Nancy, arrived to take photos of us before we left and wish us well. Congressman Mo Brooks spoke a few words of encouragement and expressed gratitude for the efforts of our group. We were led in a prayer and boarded the buses.
We rolled out of the parking lot about 9:40, just slightly behind schedule.
While on the road we received instruction from Congressman Brooks on the schedule for the days ahead of us and how we should handle questions we may encounter. We traveled north on I-65 past Nashville and stopped for lunch (55 minutes of time allowed!) at Bowling Green. The farther north we traveled, fewer beautiful leaves remained on the trees. Fall is definitely in the final stages in the areas north of Alabama.
Mid-afternoon we had to make an unscheduled stop so our embedded reporter could file his report for the 5:00 news on WHNT. That held us up a bit, but it is, of course, great publicity. We were patient.
Late afternoon our leaders announced that we had a change in our plans for later in the week. We will get to go to a pie and ice cream party Friday night with Paul Ryan! We were very excited as this is something we had not expected. Ice cream with the next Vice President of the United States! How exciting! Also, we are to participate in a political rally on Saturday evening…another exciting event.
We are learning some interesting things about the people we are traveling with. Several people have approached us about the boys. Most of those are parents or grandparents wished they had taken advantage of this educational opportunity for their children. Bailey pointed out another interesting tidbit about our group. There are no smokers in the group. That is rather interesting, with a group of 111 people. He noticed that when the bus stopped, no one took out a cigarette. How refreshing!
It was a long day and it was well past dark when we arrived at our destination. The boys spent so much time texting and using their phones and I-pods while we traveled today, that by the last hour of our trip they had worn down all their batteries and had to travel without any working electronic devices. Just like the “good old days”. I reminded them that this was an educational trip!
We have lovely side-by-side hotel rooms, and the four of us decided to order pizza and watch TV before getting a good night’s rest. They tell us that tomorrow we will work hard. But, that is what we all came to do.
So, from the “swing” state of Ohio, we will sign off for tonight. The real fun begins tomorrow, so stay tuned.
It has been an interesting day, and a long one, but first we need to give you some information to get our readers caught up on developments since our last post. We have been very busy!
At almost the last minute, we found out that there were two seats available on the Romney Victory Bus to Ohio. After giving the matter due consideration, we immediately began to work a “new” plan. We decided to see if our oldest grandsons would like to go with us. We figured that by the time the next Presidential election rolls around four years from now, both of the boys will be twenty years old, and will either be in college, working, married, or a combination of these. Life and responsibilities will be much more serious for them at that time. This is the Presidential election they are most likely to be free to take advantage of an opportunity like this. We saw it as an opportunity to take a crash course in civics by living in a political environment for five days.
To make a long story short, we have Jacob and Bailey with us on this adventure. They will work just like the rest of us and learn about elections and campaigning while on this mini-excursion. Schoolwork will have to be made up later. There is too much to be learned from this opportunity. They have promised to work hard on the schoolwork they are missing once they get home.
The day was warm and sunny when we went to meet the bus that was to take us to Ohio. We checked in, loaded our suitcases on the bus, chose our seats, and signed in so the leaders would know we were present. The boys especially enjoyed the goodie bags they gave us, and the orange juice and donuts that were in abundance. While we waited for everyone to arrive, we held campaign signs beside I-565 and waved to passing cars who honked in support.
A reporter from channel 48 asked Jacob for an interview, and he answered questions about what he hoped to accomplish on the trip, and why he was interested in the political scene at his age.
We rolled out of the parking lot about 9:40, just slightly behind schedule.
Mid-afternoon we had to make an unscheduled stop so our embedded reporter could file his report for the 5:00 news on WHNT. That held us up a bit, but it is, of course, great publicity. We were patient.
Late afternoon our leaders announced that we had a change in our plans for later in the week. We will get to go to a pie and ice cream party Friday night with Paul Ryan! We were very excited as this is something we had not expected. Ice cream with the next Vice President of the United States! How exciting! Also, we are to participate in a political rally on Saturday evening…another exciting event.
We are learning some interesting things about the people we are traveling with. Several people have approached us about the boys. Most of those are parents or grandparents wished they had taken advantage of this educational opportunity for their children. Bailey pointed out another interesting tidbit about our group. There are no smokers in the group. That is rather interesting, with a group of 111 people. He noticed that when the bus stopped, no one took out a cigarette. How refreshing!
It was a long day and it was well past dark when we arrived at our destination. The boys spent so much time texting and using their phones and I-pods while we traveled today, that by the last hour of our trip they had worn down all their batteries and had to travel without any working electronic devices. Just like the “good old days”. I reminded them that this was an educational trip!
Our group is taking up 70% of the hotel, and they had a welcome sign posted for us in the lobby.
We have lovely side-by-side hotel rooms, and the four of us decided to order pizza and watch TV before getting a good night’s rest. They tell us that tomorrow we will work hard. But, that is what we all came to do.
So, from the “swing” state of Ohio, we will sign off for tonight. The real fun begins tomorrow, so stay tuned.
hey guys, glad to know you are out there working while i am watching fox news. i watch them because they say what i want to hear. i hope you can make a difference. i keep hearing that no republican has ever won the white house without winning ohio, and he is behind there. i keep praying that our God won't make us have obama again. but He may have other plans. i have a friend who worships in sherman tx where jim smelser is who is fluent in spanish--that was her major and she taught high school spanish for many yrs. she wants to use her spanish on a trip like y'all took. i know you are busy now, but when you get home send me a message and tell me how to direct her. she said i could give out her info, but i won't yet. ann p.s. hello to jacob and bailey.
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