I told myself I'd try to catch everyone up with our "happenings."
So--
May: Moved (out of state)
June: Brief break from work, had family reunions in 
California and in 
Idaho
July: A Capitol Fourth, Bowling at the White House, 
West Wing & 
EEOB Tour
August: Jill to SLC
September: 2008 Republican National Convention
October: Moved (across town). Birthday!, and ...
...As most of you know I was pretty heavily involved in the 2008 Presidential race, helping raise money, coordinating events, and generally keeping things in order...
I spent the last 2 1/2 weeks of this election cycle out in the Denver, CO Metro area doing Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) work. Our crack team of HQ staff recruited several hundred volunteers to come and help out in Colorado -- some staying as little as a day or two, some staying a week or more. We always had 125-150 people in our group. I'd tell you what we did (aside from making sure they were housed, fed, and had a good time), but I don't want to reveal any GOP-GOTV secrets. ;-) Suffice it to say, we knocked thousands of doors, made tens of thousands of phone calls, held rallies, waved signs, and worked from the wee hours of the morning until all normal restaurants had closed. (Needless to say, we ate a lot of bar food for dinner, if we beat last call).
Three highlights from Colorado:
(1) 
Getting to know my co-workers. It was hard, crazy work, and we pretty much spent every waking moment together -- but we managed to have a lot of fun in the midst of the craziness. Everyone had a specific skill they brought to the table, and great things happened.
(2) 
The Rallies. Definitely a different group than we're used to checking in at our finance receptions, but extremely fulfilling to pack 5- 10,000 excited and boisterous people in a fairground stadium or in an airplane hangar. A big thanks to USSS and local law enforcement that helped make sure it was a safe environment.
One of our last big "moments" as a team happened at our final rally, as the Governor's plane touched down right in front of us and taxied up to greet us with a moving theme song bringing everyone to their feet and many to tears.
(3) 
The Veterans Tour.. I had the opportunity to do something new (Press Advance) on a two-day bus tour around the state, and the honor of spending those two days with true American heroes. Boy did they have stories to tell!
I spent those days with (pictured at right) Ed Mechenbier, Marty Evans, Gene Cernan, Charlie Plumb, Leslie Smith, and Al Zapanta (not pictured). I heard moving stories from those who spent time as POWs and descriptions of what it was like to be (the last man) on the moon.
We worked like crazy right up through Election Day 2008 ...
So, I told myself that I'd write a few blog posts to catch ya'll up on the happenings of the past few months. This isn't that post.
Today, it's easier just to post a video and a quick note to say that we helped out at the American Red Cross' "Holiday Mail for Heroes" this past weekend, and made CNN. Keep a close watch and see if you spot us! =)
12-06-2008 National Headquarters, American Red Cross, Washington, DC
In case you forgot this about me, I love music and am pretty much a nerd when it comes to kewl tech stuff. I found this video while browsing a HD-capable video-sharing site (http://vimeo.com).
Watch this--you can't not be amazed:
HD Carol of the Bells - 2007 from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.
Awesome, huh?
I know there's more displays (and videos) like this out there. Feel free to share more with us in the comments!
[Update] You can't watch in HD from the embedded video player, but you can visit this page on the Vimeo site to get this in HD http://vimeo.com/610626
[Update] From BrianA on Facebook: "There is also a really cool house in murray. If you go to www.christmasutah.com you can see video's for the last couple of years. You should go check it out."
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