Remember when Victoria Secret first came out with the Miracle Bra? You never needed it, but the moment they launched their Miracle Bra bathing suits you had one in your hands.

We all laughed when you tried it on. I think I commented that you now had a shelf on which to rest your drink…and suntan lotion…and my drink…and my suntan lotion. You brushed me off and proudly announced that your mom declared it the “two-carat” bikini–as in you were going to land a 2 ct. diamond engagement ring by wearing it on the beach.

I always knew that wasn’t what was going to do it. You know why?

Late one night out on the beach very much into our cups, you made some comment about needing to follow the campground rules. As usual, we all started calling you out.

“Once a sorority President, always a sorority president.”

“My mom said ‘Don’t go on the Potomac. It’s dangerous on the Potomac.'”

“You’re such a MUFFIN!”

You turned to me, now a college graduate, and tried to look me straight in the eye and slurred,

“I may be a muffin on the outside, but I’m a jalapeno PEPPER on the inside.”

I’m pretty sure I aspirated a marshmallow at that point.

So yesterday, as I sat here hundreds of miles away from the hospital where doctors were removing your breasts–and with them the cancer that was attacking them–I calmed my nerves and even smiled knowing that 2 ct boobs or not, you will always be a jalapeno pepper on the inside.

And NO doctor will ever be able to remove that.

Still waiting.

But Shakey is so sweet. He started to mow the lawn and then came up to make sure it wasn’t too loud for my call. Not sure if was looking for an excuse not to mow or not.

Okay it’s 4:30 and I think she just walked in. Hard to hear on the phone.

With Elizabeth (she insisted we call her Elizabeth):
Hargrave McElroy–teacher and travels with EE
Ryan Montoya–does some technology for the campaign

Jill Asher welcomes Elizabeth.

How did you find out about the post Rebecca put up? You responded so quickly…
She responded first and then sent the campaign a link and said oh by the way you might want to know.

“I know you need to respond to blogs right away. You can’t wait 36 hours. It’s out of date by then.”

Jill: we had to check and confirm it was you.

EE: I do have a static IP. The guy from Whole Foods should have had a dynamic IP.

Q: How do you see yourself in the role as First Lady.
EE: “I have no idea. I have nothing to reference it to. I talk about the things I do now…I don’t have grand ambitions. After school programs, stuff on breast cancer, fairer elections, trying to register women on ironing boards. Trying to get more women with busy/complicated enough lives who don’t have time. Trying to improve the electoral process with more participation and better practices.”

“I will not be sitting in cabinet meetings.”

Health care: “I know you want a should, but it’s hard. Truth of the matter, for profit insurers have been more innovative than govt providers. Looking for new way to provide services. There is a role for the for-profit companies in the process. The competition creates innovation. Single-payer eliminates. If we really do what we need to do w/respect to preventive med, screening and prev cures we’ll be in better place in 15 years in terms of need for coverage.”

Cancer: “if we find the cures for cancer, think about what that will do to the cost of long-term care. We’ll be looking at a whole different picture.”

“If we continue to let ourselves age without investing in developments and research for chronic illness we’ll have a huge problem on our hands.”

“would like to see a proliferation of public health care facilities. Would like to see them in elementary schools. Right now they’re stigmatized….we need to take that away. We would have an aggressive public health care system but still have private providers. “

“Under universal care we’ll still see the bigger providers but we’ll see the smaller companies to go away. It’s not bad to continue to have private companies to drive innovation.?