This one's for Jim...

After a morning buried in jury nullification - how it works for the justice system, and why judges should not counsel juries against it - I emerged just long enough to shuffle some children to and from school and do a little bit of grocery shopping. Once that was done, I was forced to dive head first into OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), its origins and its purpose. So you'll forgive me if I indulge in a little family time rather than the customary brilliant political analysis...

I spent the weekend steeped in politics. No, I didn't get a last minute ticket to TeaCon 2011. (I wish.) I spent the day Saturday holed up with the Martin Baker Campaign team. We talked strategy, kicked around slogans, and began to shape the roles that each of us were going to play in the upcoming campaign.

You would think that 12 hours of straight political strategy and such would be enough to make one a little crazy. And I guess, depending on what type of "one" you happen to be, that may be the case. Not me. I love it. I thrive on it. And I'm pretty sure that I drive my extremely tolerant husband insane with it on occasion.

Let me tell you a little bit about this man: He is a baker, so most days when he leaves the house I am just rolling over to find a more comfortable position in which to sleep for the next four hours. By the time I get up, he has already been working at a physically demanding job for three to four hours, and he'll be at it for awhile longer. Most days he leaves the bakery to go straight to the gym. Sometimes he sees the trainer, sometimes he kills himself on the machines. (of his own free will - insane, I know) Most days he still stays up until after dinner, helping me with school pick-ups without the benefit of a nap. Add in the days that he has to go back to the bakery for an hour or two, and you realize that he moves through life exhausted. And through the fog of that exhaustion, he sees fit to take on the responsibility of a wife, a son, and four other children who are only his by marriage.

So today I take a break from politics, from homework, from housework (I'm especially enjoying this part) to recognize the man who puts up with all of the insanity for a few minutes everyday with me. Sometimes he spends those few minutes snoring, but every one of those minutes is well worth it.