I still find myself thinking "I just experienced that! I was at the Inauguration of President Obama." Wow.
As I look at the adventures we had and the things we experienced, I feel so blessed to have had this opportunity. From my time on the campaign and this recent trip to Washington DC I cannot help but think of all the amazing people I met on my journey. You've heard me say it before, but I refer to these people as my "Obama Family." To each and every person I came across on the campaign, I cannot thank you enough for the hard work you put into re-electing President Obama. We all came together for a common cause, poured our hearts and souls into this, and came out victorious on the other side. This last week, for me, was our celebration and validation that our hard work paid off.
This trip was the trip of a lifetime! Never again will Washington DC mean as much to me as it did this week. To all my family and friends who have supported me this past year, thank you. Thank you to my mom and stepdad who joined me in DC this past week. I enjoyed celebrating this moment in history with you. We lived history. We were at Obamas Inauguration.
Now if only Biden would have had a duet with Lady Gaga at the Staff Ball, my life would be complete!
-M
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
PICTURES!
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| I found this picture on the USA Todays website. The green arrow shows you where we were standing on Inauguration day. Right next to that tree. Not too bad given the nearly one million or so people behind us! |
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| Ty and I were volunteers at the Staff Ball. We wanted our role to be Champagne Girls, but the PIC wouldn't take us up on that. |
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| This is where the President stopped to turn around and take one last look out at the Mall on Inauguration day. |
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| We toured the Capital Building and it had such beautiful architecture. I took a ton of pictures like this.... |
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| VP Biden & Dr. Biden speaking at the Staff Ball. They are the white spots to the left. |
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| View of the President & Michelle at the Staff Ball, thanks to the big screens. |
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| View of the President & Michelle from where I was standing! |
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| Lady Gaga. |
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| My volunteer team at the Staff Ball!! Such a great group of people. More fantastic members of the "Obama Family!" |
Day 7: Last Day in DC
All good things must come to an end, and so did my trip to DC.
I spent my last day enjoying the sights of the city. I had one more day on my Trolley tour pass, so I hopped on the orange line to take a tour of the monuments and Arlington. Most tourists have left the city by now so I had the tour all to my self for the first 15 minutes. Then a young lady got on who was traveling alone as well. We both were getting off at Lincoln memorial to catch the red line to Arlington, and began to chat. She is on a month long solo vacation from Australia to the United States, staying in NYC and taking day trips to wherever she could easily get to by train. I think I finally found someone more excited than me to be in DC!
It was nice to take in the city at a slower pace and enjoy the sites with less people. Earlier in the day I had returned to the Hotel Harrington where we had stayed for our trip, and asked if they would keep my luggage for me so I could tour with less baggage. The fantastic staff there was happy to hold my luggage, even though I'd checked out the day before. I highly recommend the Hotel Harrington if any of you ever visit DC.
By 3pm I wrapped up my tours and caught the metro back to the airport. Slightly sad to leave DC, but already starting my list of what I want to do next time! It is nice to be home, and sleep in my own bed. It is especially nice to snuggle up with my kitty, Sullivan. He is quite happy to have me home!
I spent my last day enjoying the sights of the city. I had one more day on my Trolley tour pass, so I hopped on the orange line to take a tour of the monuments and Arlington. Most tourists have left the city by now so I had the tour all to my self for the first 15 minutes. Then a young lady got on who was traveling alone as well. We both were getting off at Lincoln memorial to catch the red line to Arlington, and began to chat. She is on a month long solo vacation from Australia to the United States, staying in NYC and taking day trips to wherever she could easily get to by train. I think I finally found someone more excited than me to be in DC!
It was nice to take in the city at a slower pace and enjoy the sites with less people. Earlier in the day I had returned to the Hotel Harrington where we had stayed for our trip, and asked if they would keep my luggage for me so I could tour with less baggage. The fantastic staff there was happy to hold my luggage, even though I'd checked out the day before. I highly recommend the Hotel Harrington if any of you ever visit DC.
By 3pm I wrapped up my tours and caught the metro back to the airport. Slightly sad to leave DC, but already starting my list of what I want to do next time! It is nice to be home, and sleep in my own bed. It is especially nice to snuggle up with my kitty, Sullivan. He is quite happy to have me home!
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| View of the mall from Lincoln, a lot less tourists! |
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| At the Lincoln memorial. There were two soldiers who had their reenlisting ceremony while we were there. Very proud of them and their service to our country. |
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| JFK & Jackies graves with the Eternal Flame at Arlington. |
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| A childhood friend was kind enough to let me stay with her my last night. This was the LONGEST escalator ever that I had to take at the Metro near her house! |
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| Arlington. |
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Day 2: ";Today felt like three days!"
Wow!! What a day. So much to do, so much to see, and so much was done!! We got a good nights rest, much needed after the little sleep we got the night before to catch early flights. Nancy and I waked up to the Senate building to pick up our Inauguration tickets. Great walk and easy to navigate. After collecting our ticket packets we went down to the tunnels to get some breakfast at a deli. We checked out the info in our packets, shared a muffin and sipped coffee. Our packets contained the official Inauguration invitation and program, tickets and maps, and pictures of the Pres. and VP. Its pretty great stuff, I will certainly be saving these extras!
From there we walked to Union Station and had fun in the corny gift shops. We really enjoyed the arrangement of Presidential bobble heads. I'll have to figure out how to post that video later. We then found a mock White House podium and set. The store staff was shocked by the squeals of joy we made as we played at the podium. We continued to browse the store and one of the clerks, Zachary, walked up with two envelopes saying "these look important." EEEEEEK we had left our Inauguration tickets on a shelf!!!! Zach, you saved our day!! At this point we decided it was best to get them back to the hotel where they would be safe until Minday. What a close call, too close!!
Once we regained with Barry we walked up to catch the Trolly tour. Had a fantastic tour guide, Adam, who was a cornucopia of fun facts and trivia. When the Trolly got to the National Cathedral we got off to tour it. Such a beautiful place of universal worship. Loved the architecture and all the little chapels. Unfortunately we didn't make it back to the Trolly stop in time to catch Adams Trolly, but our next tour guide was ok. Embassy row was next and super cool! I really enjoyed that. We also got to see VP Bidens house.
After the Trolly tour we were starvin-Marvin! Nancy wanted to take us to her favorite restaurant, Old Ebbits Grill. Such delicious food! Being the Kansans we are, Nancy and I each got a filet, and substituted mashed potatoes and green beans for the sides. Barry got a salmon sandwich. I'm not sure which was better, the salmon or the filet.... Either way, it was all good!
After dinner Nancy and I went on a walk around the White House. Cool to see all lit up. Can't wait to go back in the daylight. We then went on a mission to find an air up mattress to add to our single bed room. Let's just say we got to know the streets and subways of DC really well on this hunt!
As we neared our hotel at the end of the night I found myself saying "today has felt like three days!" We packed a lot into our day and wish we'd brought a pedometer to track how much we walked each day. Tomorrow will be easier on our feet as we plan to rent bikes to see the monuments and museums.
We are beat and enjoying the History channel in our hotel.
From there we walked to Union Station and had fun in the corny gift shops. We really enjoyed the arrangement of Presidential bobble heads. I'll have to figure out how to post that video later. We then found a mock White House podium and set. The store staff was shocked by the squeals of joy we made as we played at the podium. We continued to browse the store and one of the clerks, Zachary, walked up with two envelopes saying "these look important." EEEEEEK we had left our Inauguration tickets on a shelf!!!! Zach, you saved our day!! At this point we decided it was best to get them back to the hotel where they would be safe until Minday. What a close call, too close!!
Once we regained with Barry we walked up to catch the Trolly tour. Had a fantastic tour guide, Adam, who was a cornucopia of fun facts and trivia. When the Trolly got to the National Cathedral we got off to tour it. Such a beautiful place of universal worship. Loved the architecture and all the little chapels. Unfortunately we didn't make it back to the Trolly stop in time to catch Adams Trolly, but our next tour guide was ok. Embassy row was next and super cool! I really enjoyed that. We also got to see VP Bidens house.
After the Trolly tour we were starvin-Marvin! Nancy wanted to take us to her favorite restaurant, Old Ebbits Grill. Such delicious food! Being the Kansans we are, Nancy and I each got a filet, and substituted mashed potatoes and green beans for the sides. Barry got a salmon sandwich. I'm not sure which was better, the salmon or the filet.... Either way, it was all good!
After dinner Nancy and I went on a walk around the White House. Cool to see all lit up. Can't wait to go back in the daylight. We then went on a mission to find an air up mattress to add to our single bed room. Let's just say we got to know the streets and subways of DC really well on this hunt!
As we neared our hotel at the end of the night I found myself saying "today has felt like three days!" We packed a lot into our day and wish we'd brought a pedometer to track how much we walked each day. Tomorrow will be easier on our feet as we plan to rent bikes to see the monuments and museums.
We are beat and enjoying the History channel in our hotel.
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| The photos, invitation and program that were in our Inauguration packets. |
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| Having fun in the gift shop! This is the point where we temporarily lost our Inauguration tickets.... |
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| National Cathedral. |
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| Found me some sweet shades! |
American Democracy Project
When I was in college one of my favorite professors encouraged his classes to watch the 2010 State of the Union Address. He didn't just say, "Hey, the State of the Union is tonight if anyone is interested in watching." He facilitated class discussions on what was important to us, about how we feel the President preformed in his first year in office, and asked us to join a Twitter debate hosted by the American Democracy Project while we watched it on TV. (ADP is a "multi-campus initiative focused on higher education's role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens for our democracy." Click their logo below to learn more.) This was the first time I really found myself interested in politics, and excited to dive in and learn more. Each year ESU would partake in a Twitter debate with the ADP during SOTU addresses, and in the Presidential Debates during the election this past fall. Prior to each debate Dr. Catlett would contact me to see if I'd be interested in joining his students on the upcoming debate, and I always did my best to join in and encourage students to share.
In August, after meeting the President, word made it back to ADP that I was volunteering on the Presidents campaign here in Colorado. ADP approached me and asked if I would be interested in being featured in a "We the People" blog sharing my experience on the campaign. The article was released Tuesday, and I'm a little slow at sharing it with you all, but click the "We the People" image below to get to the blog! To learn more about the American Democracy Project, click their logo below.
PS: Pictures from the Staff Ball, blog post on Day 7 & pictures still to come! Stay tuned....
In August, after meeting the President, word made it back to ADP that I was volunteering on the Presidents campaign here in Colorado. ADP approached me and asked if I would be interested in being featured in a "We the People" blog sharing my experience on the campaign. The article was released Tuesday, and I'm a little slow at sharing it with you all, but click the "We the People" image below to get to the blog! To learn more about the American Democracy Project, click their logo below.
PS: Pictures from the Staff Ball, blog post on Day 7 & pictures still to come! Stay tuned....
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Day 6: Staff Ball
This is the day I realized our work on the campaign was done. Not Election Day, not Inauguration Day, but at the Staff Ball. I have never felt more appreciated than I did at this moment.
We started out with a late morning tour of the Capital building. Our tour was arranged by Kansas Senator Jerry Moran's office, and led by his two newest interns. As a matter of fact, we were their first tour group ever. This tour was a great step back in time to see many of the historic pieces in the Capital. Part of our tour took us to the entrance onto the terrace where the President's Inauguration took place. The very spot where the President stopped on his way back in the Capital, turned around and said, "I want to take a look, one more time." To me, that moment shows how much he respects us. He didn't just go through the motions of the day- he appreciated every moment of it.
When our tour concluded I had to then rush to the Washington Convention Center to "serve the President at the Staff Ball." My duties were to guard an exit door that would not be used, make sure no guests tried to use that door..... real exciting. Upon check in they had not assigned me a particular post in the convention center, so they verbally told me what kind of access credentials I needed. Things got lost in translation and I ended up with the credentials for the Main Event. After learning the Main Event Access Control team was short handed, I decided not to correct the mistake.
My access point to guard was inside the ballroom across from the "Talent Stage." One guest to the Staff Ball came up and thanked me for volunteering to work the event and we got to chatting. Turns out he still had his +1 ticket, and he told me "Ditch your post and change into a gown, join us! You earned this too." It was tempting, believe me! After most guests were in the ballroom they started removing volunteers font their posts in other areas and rotated them up to relieve us. A fellow volunteer and I decided to take a quick stroll around the ballroom on our break to see what it was like to be the other half. Since my post was officially manned I decided to utilize this ticket I now had! As we got to the exit to go down to our break room (where my luggage and gown were kept) we were advised by the security guards not to exit, that the facility was close to capacity and the Fire Marshall was closing access. Plan B, ditch the volunteer credentials and attend the ball anyway!
I got to see VP Biden and Dr. Biden come out and speak, followed by Jim Messina, and then POTUS & FLOTUS. (Or as Nancy and Barry learned this week, President of the United States and First Lady of the United States.) The Presidents speech was the best speech I've ever heard from him. Like I said earlier, I've never felt more appreciated than I did at this moment. Hearing the President speak from the heart, telling us how we carried him across the finish line and we were his daily motivation. He wasn't just speaking to say some words to those of us who worked/volunteered. His message was personal to each of us, he found a way to speak to 13,000 guests individually through one speech. I didn't feel like a number, or a fish in the sea- I felt like I mattered. These words I'm stringing together do not even begin to capture how I felt hearing the President speak last night.
Onto the entertainment...... Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett!!! Some people in the crowd joked Joe Biden would come out and do a duet with Lady Gaga. If that had actually happened I'd be totally content to die right afterwards!
More important than the people I got to see on stage were the people I saw off stage, my fellow campaigners. Saying goodbye to Kate, my field organizer, the one who is responsible for getting me involved int eh campaign, was a beautiful moment. I fought back the tears and lived in the joyous moment, I cannot begin to thank her for all the amazing leadership she offered the Central Denver office and just how much I appreciate her. Thank you, Kate, for everything.
And that, my friends, was my experience at the Staff Ball. This was a night I will forever cherish, and be
We started out with a late morning tour of the Capital building. Our tour was arranged by Kansas Senator Jerry Moran's office, and led by his two newest interns. As a matter of fact, we were their first tour group ever. This tour was a great step back in time to see many of the historic pieces in the Capital. Part of our tour took us to the entrance onto the terrace where the President's Inauguration took place. The very spot where the President stopped on his way back in the Capital, turned around and said, "I want to take a look, one more time." To me, that moment shows how much he respects us. He didn't just go through the motions of the day- he appreciated every moment of it.
When our tour concluded I had to then rush to the Washington Convention Center to "serve the President at the Staff Ball." My duties were to guard an exit door that would not be used, make sure no guests tried to use that door..... real exciting. Upon check in they had not assigned me a particular post in the convention center, so they verbally told me what kind of access credentials I needed. Things got lost in translation and I ended up with the credentials for the Main Event. After learning the Main Event Access Control team was short handed, I decided not to correct the mistake.
My access point to guard was inside the ballroom across from the "Talent Stage." One guest to the Staff Ball came up and thanked me for volunteering to work the event and we got to chatting. Turns out he still had his +1 ticket, and he told me "Ditch your post and change into a gown, join us! You earned this too." It was tempting, believe me! After most guests were in the ballroom they started removing volunteers font their posts in other areas and rotated them up to relieve us. A fellow volunteer and I decided to take a quick stroll around the ballroom on our break to see what it was like to be the other half. Since my post was officially manned I decided to utilize this ticket I now had! As we got to the exit to go down to our break room (where my luggage and gown were kept) we were advised by the security guards not to exit, that the facility was close to capacity and the Fire Marshall was closing access. Plan B, ditch the volunteer credentials and attend the ball anyway!
I got to see VP Biden and Dr. Biden come out and speak, followed by Jim Messina, and then POTUS & FLOTUS. (Or as Nancy and Barry learned this week, President of the United States and First Lady of the United States.) The Presidents speech was the best speech I've ever heard from him. Like I said earlier, I've never felt more appreciated than I did at this moment. Hearing the President speak from the heart, telling us how we carried him across the finish line and we were his daily motivation. He wasn't just speaking to say some words to those of us who worked/volunteered. His message was personal to each of us, he found a way to speak to 13,000 guests individually through one speech. I didn't feel like a number, or a fish in the sea- I felt like I mattered. These words I'm stringing together do not even begin to capture how I felt hearing the President speak last night.
Onto the entertainment...... Lady Gaga & Tony Bennett!!! Some people in the crowd joked Joe Biden would come out and do a duet with Lady Gaga. If that had actually happened I'd be totally content to die right afterwards!
More important than the people I got to see on stage were the people I saw off stage, my fellow campaigners. Saying goodbye to Kate, my field organizer, the one who is responsible for getting me involved int eh campaign, was a beautiful moment. I fought back the tears and lived in the joyous moment, I cannot begin to thank her for all the amazing leadership she offered the Central Denver office and just how much I appreciate her. Thank you, Kate, for everything.
And that, my friends, was my experience at the Staff Ball. This was a night I will forever cherish, and be
Monday, January 21, 2013
Day 5: Inauguration Day
Well folks, today I lived, breathed and experienced history first hand. I still can't believe it.
Our goal was to get up at 5am and out by 6am. Accomplished. We got coffee and breakfast and hopped on the Metro to make it to the opposite side of the Mall. We spent about an hour waking and waiting in our line. Quick and efficient security process- THANK YOU TO ALL WHO WORKED TODAY!
We first staked out a spot towards the west side of our section. But after some exploring we decided to relocate to the east side. (Turned out to be a blessing! If you saw on the news the man in the tree who was arrested, we would have been by him.) I was so thrilled to run into Eddie from the campaign and catch up with him. Eddie was a Field Organizer at the Central Denver office and helped us win Colorado!
As we waited and waited and waited some more we couldn't help but notice how friendly and happy everyone was. Yes we waited forever, yes it was chilly, yes we were on our feet for hours. But never once was anyone sour or complaining. I call these people my "Obama Family." Mutual respect for one another, kindness and compassion. This is what Obama represents, and each individual on the Mall today reflected that. It is a beautiful thing to experience.
The music was great and helped set the mood for the events to come. I don't need to tell you all about what happened... You watched it on TV! The Presidents speech was beautiful and moving. The crowd responded to every word. At the close of the event we all got to learn what 700,000 people exiting looks like.....
We walked back to our hotel and, yet again, took a nap. We didn't quite make it out to the Parade route in time to see much, but were able to get a "meh" view from a block and a half away.
Today was such a historic day, and I'm still in disbelief that I witnessed this! Someday I will be able to tell my children and grandchildren about this. The work done by Obama will carry on for generations to come. I am so honored and proud to have volunteered on this campaign to make sure he could continue his work. Today I celebrated. Today I lived history. Today is a memory I will forever cherish.
Our goal was to get up at 5am and out by 6am. Accomplished. We got coffee and breakfast and hopped on the Metro to make it to the opposite side of the Mall. We spent about an hour waking and waiting in our line. Quick and efficient security process- THANK YOU TO ALL WHO WORKED TODAY!
We first staked out a spot towards the west side of our section. But after some exploring we decided to relocate to the east side. (Turned out to be a blessing! If you saw on the news the man in the tree who was arrested, we would have been by him.) I was so thrilled to run into Eddie from the campaign and catch up with him. Eddie was a Field Organizer at the Central Denver office and helped us win Colorado!
As we waited and waited and waited some more we couldn't help but notice how friendly and happy everyone was. Yes we waited forever, yes it was chilly, yes we were on our feet for hours. But never once was anyone sour or complaining. I call these people my "Obama Family." Mutual respect for one another, kindness and compassion. This is what Obama represents, and each individual on the Mall today reflected that. It is a beautiful thing to experience.
The music was great and helped set the mood for the events to come. I don't need to tell you all about what happened... You watched it on TV! The Presidents speech was beautiful and moving. The crowd responded to every word. At the close of the event we all got to learn what 700,000 people exiting looks like.....
We walked back to our hotel and, yet again, took a nap. We didn't quite make it out to the Parade route in time to see much, but were able to get a "meh" view from a block and a half away.
Today was such a historic day, and I'm still in disbelief that I witnessed this! Someday I will be able to tell my children and grandchildren about this. The work done by Obama will carry on for generations to come. I am so honored and proud to have volunteered on this campaign to make sure he could continue his work. Today I celebrated. Today I lived history. Today is a memory I will forever cherish.
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| Eddie & I ran into each other on Inauguration day! |
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| The view in front and behind us at the Inauguration. The Washington Monument was about 3/4 mile behind us. |
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| Representing ESU at the Inauguration! |
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| Thanks Kansas Dems for providing this great picture. Our spot did not have this great of a view... |
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