Not the First Family

Today was a perfect example of why Steve nor I are president. First off, I'm a woman and genetically predisposed to being denied presidency. In any case, we are good, well-meaning people, but if the President of these United States was set off as easily as either one of us, there would be serious trouble.

To start, poor Carolyn is sick. Not the awful, puke-heavy illness that makes you wonder if life is really all it's cracked up to be, but still a little off. And grumpy. And slightly weird.

Steve, whose one wish was to watch Barack Obama get sworn into office (wiping single tear off my cheek) and give his acceptance speech, had spent the previous three hours repairing our broken bed, because we are too cheap green to let a perfectly good bed be ruined by collapse.

Anyhow, the whole swearing-in ceremony is starting and Carolyn decides to climb the couch and poke Steve in the neck. Poke, poke. He sends her to her room and all hell breaks out. There's a lot of shouting. Tears are shed. In the end, the speech is abandoned and we go about our days with huffy resolve to not feel in the least bit optimistic by one of the most singularly historic moments of our young lives.

WWBD? Hmm. Part of me wants to blame this all on the kids. How are they to know the significance of today? But part of me, the part that I hide in the closet when company comes over, thinks that maybe it's why I'm not First Lady, in any sense of those two words. Maybe, I'm too human for that kind of greatness. Or maybe not human enough.

In any case, Penny acted very presidential throughout this whole mess. For the first time in... ummm... ever. Act badly in everyday life? Sure. Act badly when everyone else is acting badly. Never!