Inauguration Day deserves a blog post

Hello Friends... long time no blog. Sometimes life is not blog-worthy, in my opinion, and my last 2 1/2 months have not made the cut. BUT NOW I'M BACK! And with good reason--a new president is in town!
Yes, Gideon and I relished the inaugural festivities, from the "We Are One" concert on Sunday, to the Swearing-In Ceremony yesterday, to our Inaugural Fondue Ball last night. And we did it all without using public transportation--because we are wise.

Here are some highlights from the concert:

• Waiting in the cold, bored silly, but very excited... watching other bored, excited spectators climb trees with a life-sized Obama cut-out.
• Feeling the adrenaline pumping when the crowd surged forward 50-100 feet at the start of the concert; doing a quick mental-review of Gideon and my "how to survive a stampede" conversation on the way to the concert.
  
• Jamie Foxx impersonating Barack Obama. There may not be much to make fun of when in comes to the new president, but there is plenty to emulate and imitate.
• Bono, of U2. He made me cry when he shared how honored he was to sing to Barack Obama. I cried again watching it on HBO that night. I think he captured a common feeling around here... that of being honored to be in this together with someone I feel cares about us.
• Watching Sasha and Malia being normal, goofy kids as they watched the concert with their mom and dad.
• Hearing Barack Obama speak in person for the first time... a true thrill for all 400,000 in the crowd.

Inauguration Day:
The day started bright and early as we bundled up in full ski-gear and headed out at 6:15 for our 2 1/2 mile walk to the National Mall. Gideon, his mom, Suzie, sister, Angela, and I joined the already impressive flow of people on their way to experience history and made it to the Mall at 7:20. We were surprised that there were no security checkpoints to pass through. Gideon was particularly upset because, at my stern urging, he did not bring his Jet-Boil camping stove, a tool that could have provided us with a steady flow of hot chocolate for the 4 hour wait in below-freezing temperatures. Oh well... just think of how many trips to the port-o-johns we would have needed to make if he brought it.
We watched the sunrise over the Capital grounds and settled in for the morning about half way between the Capital building and the Washington Monument. We had arrived in time to spread out a few blankets, so we were able to sit and work crossword puzzles, read aloud books (the teacher in me prevails!), and watch the second hand on our watches plod along for hours. Of course, occasional boughts of calesthenics were required to keep from getting frostbite.
The inaugural program started around 10:30am. The first hour or so was live coverage of VIPs arriving and taking the good seats up close to the excitement. Finally, the actual ceremony began and everyone was on their feet. A prayer was shared; Aretha Franklin sang "America"; Joe Biden was sworn in; and finally the moment had arrived. I wish I could describe adequately the palpable joy and pride pulsing through the crowd of 1.4 million in attendance as Barack Obama was sworn in as our 44th president. It was a huge moment in my history, and in the history of so, so many Americans. President Obama then delivered his 20 minute inaugural address to me (okay, to all of us)... yes, it was a very personal moment shared with millions.
The most challenging part of the day was upon us then. The question of how to move 1.4 million people off of the Mall while half the streets in the area were closed for the inaugural parade seemed to be overlooked by the event planners. We spent a good deal of time wandering about, looking for an exit and getting swept here and there by the crowds. Finally, we made it across Constitution Avenue and trekked all the way home.
Thawing out was the first order of business upon arriving home, followed by eating a late lunch and watching the parade from the comfort of the couch.





The Inaugural Fondue Ball:
Since we weren't able to snatch tickets for the Neighborhood Ball or any other official inaugural ball, we decided to host our own one-of-a-kind celebration: The Inaugural Fondue Ball. The dress code called for fleece and sweats (black tie optional). The guests were a select crowd: me, Gideon, Suzie, Angie, and Josie. A decedant cheese fondue was enjoyed by all, followed by a champne toast and a dark chocolate fondue. Fat, happy, warm, and hopeful, we all agreed it was a day we will remember always. It is good to be an American!

Fierce security at the Fondue Ball.