Musings at Altitude

I’m finishing a week in Alaska…quite a bit of excitement today with the announcement of the Governor here being the selection for the VP slot on the McCain ticket.  There’s quite a bit of anticipation with the excitement, with folks wondering what happens if the unthinkable actually becomes thinkable and she does actually become the VP…wouldn’t that be cool for Alaska…wouldn’t that be cool for the country…but then again, folks were saying the exact same thing after Obama nailed it during his prime time speech to 75,000 people at Mile HIgh Stadium in Denver.  It was a good week of anticipation and excitement on both sides of the political fence this week!

As all the democrats who converged on Denver this week for the convention now leave, I’m catching the redeye back into Denver and heading home to converge back on Colorado Springs with my family!  One of the great things about traveling is the reuniting when that traveling is complete.  And this weekend will be no different…ok, maybe just a little bit different…this time there’s a grandbaby in the mix! 

At this age, it’s awesome to watch the growth and to see the changes that come so fast with each passing week.  When you’re away for any period of time, those changes are so much more noticeable than when you see a baby every day.  I’m anxious to see how much my granddaughter has grown in the last week and I’m eager to replace the picture I have from last week:

As I thought about being a grandfather during the build up phase prior to Audrey’s birth, I was convinced that this wouldn’t affect me at all.  Instead, something very different has happened…it’s almost like I’m reliving some of those early experiences with our own babies mixed with some of that child like enthusiasm that comes from having someone new to want to be around.  It’s also a new set of smiles all the time now with the pictures being almost instantly available and the ability to almost be there through pictures in every special moment.

I’m definitely looking forward with great anticipation to being home in the morning…maybe just a little bit moreso because of the newest member of our family!