Exploring Beyond the Horizon

It's been about a year since I first publicly posted about my decision to leave The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I think this will likely be my last public post on this topic. I've debated whether to even do this post and have started and stopped writing a few times over the last couple months. I would rather define my life by who I am than who I am not and as such, dwelling on why I left is not where I want the primary focus of my life to be.  I don't want to define myself as an ex- Mormon or an ex- anything else. I also recognize that I have to allow myself the patience and kindness that comes from accepting that any major transition in life does not come easily or without mistakes.  Mormonism, or really any way of life that has so significantly defined who you are, is not something that can just be turned off, "like a light switch." I know I personally have made my share of mistakes throughout this process as I have let emotions get the best of...

With the upcoming election on my mind, I decided to take a little bit of time to learn more about the history of U.S. Presidential Elections - mostly focusing on margins of victory in the popular vote and electoral college since 1860 (1860 was the election of Abraham Lincoln, which was essentially the start of the modern two party Democrat/Republican system). Here's a link to the Excel analysis. Before getting to the electoral college and popular vote discussion, here are some interesting statistics: - Gerald Ford is the only person in US history to have served both as Vice President and President without being elected to either position.  He became Vice President when Spiro Agnew resigned as VP after pleading no contest to tax evasion and money laundering. Ford then became President when Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 after the Watergate scandal. - There have been twelve Presidents since 1860 to serve more than one term. Franklin Delano Roosevelt is the only president to serve mo...