The Inauguration of Barack Obama

I am just now recovered enough from today's events to even get on the computer! My body feels like it's been through 5 Bikram Yoga workouts... So here it goes...

Brittney, Shawn and I woke up at 5am thinking we were ahead of the game showing up 5-6 hours early for the Presidential Inauguration! We got out of the hotel by 6am.. it was still dark outside. We were able to get a taxi to 6th street (as a reference, our hotel is on 22nd street and the Capitol is at 1st street). It was even weird driving in the cab.. as we saw lots and lots of people quietly walking in the freezing cold down streets that were mostly deserted from traffic.

We had planned via the official websites and went to the entry point for general admission that was closest to the Capitol. Alas.. the Army man on guard tells us "no entrance on 6th street anymore. Try 3rd street." Okey dokey then.. we walk down to 3rd street. Two Presidential Volunteers tell us to go to 3rd street as well. There are lots of people gathering at 3rd street to get across the parade route and enter the National Mall. The police tell us "they will open this point at 7am". Well since it was 6:45am already.. made sense to just wait....

By 7:15am when we hadn't moved (now stuck in the middle of an every growing crowd at 3rd street) we start getting a bit annoyed. Amazingly, the spirits of the crowds were very calm and cool and happy.. even though it was about 10 degrees out, dark and windy! So at 7:15am when we start making a ruckus, they tell us all "they will open the gates at 7:30am just stay here! By the time you try to get to another entry point, it will be too crowded". Ok.. may as well wait another 15 minutes.. right? a woman in the crowd starts to sing "the Star Spangled Banner" in a megaphone.. ok cool.

We move about 20 feet.. as this game of bait and switch continued until 8:15am... all the while anxieties are mounting as we're all thinking "other people are getting into the National Mall and we're stuck here!" At 8:15am the police tell us "Sorry, this line no longer allows access to the Mall.. only the parade!" WHAT!!?? We've been here for 90 minutes! Now what? The sun has come up.. everyone is coming now.. and we're still not at the Mall!

We go to the Metro and ask some of Presidential Inauguration Committee Volunteers how to get into the mall! (mind you we're only like 3 blocks away but everything is blocked off!). They say we should take the Metro and they tell us which stop to get off. We venture underground. At least it's warm!

I've never seen a subway like this.. literally every ounce of space was taken up by a body. Again though, peaceful, chanting, singing and joyfully tolerating the quite unusual loss of any personal space. We change trains and as we're approaching our stop the conductor announces "due to crowding, we will not be stopping at the Smithsonian stop". SHIT! so the guy next to us says "you'll be ok with the stop after Smithsonian, don't' worry". As we approach that stop.. again we hear "due to overcrowding we will not be stopping at this station." Aw JEZ!

So we get off the next stop and emerge back out into the cold.. where are we? Well luckily we are on the other side of the Mall now, passed the blocked off parade route.. but we are all the way at 1st Street now! Start walking... zig- zagging, back tracking.. climbing barriers, moving through bushes, working our way to where we can enter the mall! 3rd Street again? nope.. closed now on this side too. try 7th street. Get to 7th street... no way.. closed - try 12th Street.. get to 12th street.. no.. keep going .. so finally so many people are frustrated that we all start jumping the fences and barriers to get into the Mall! It's 11am! The Inauguration is beginning!

Big mistake jumping that fence.. no wonder if was closed.. there was not enough space for the any more bodies in that section.. literally. So as we all couldn't move (i couldn't even lift my arm to scratch my nose).. we decide "let's get out of here and go back more!". Easier said than done. Now we can't get out. Hundreds want to get out.. and can't! Amazing that there were no fights, but we certainly got very intimate with many many strangers all trying to get out! We are chanting "Let us out! Let us out!". They are blocking our exit because all of the buses with the Marines and Schools performing are passing us to get to the Inauguration stage... oh my what an adventure!

We bust free.. and move down to the Washington Memorial.. around 15th street.. freedom! space! and we can kinda see some of the Jumbo Trauns just in time to see Diane Feinstine take the stage. Way cool. Here we are. Me, Brittney and Shawn with millions of people, in the freezing bitter cold, in the National Mall of Washington DC on January 20, 2009 at high noon.. watching our 44th President take his oath of office.. Incredible. So clearly historic and inspiring. We made it.. we (me, brittney and shawn) and we (our country and soon to follow I think our world). Change is here. The shift we are seeking. Hope not Fear. Open hands not fists. What a wonderful time to be alive.

When the moment so quickly actually passed, we work our way out and head back to the hotel. Again tons of roads closed and such crowds on the streets that were open that we could only take little baby steps to walk. More shrubs, barriers and fences to climb. we're getting good at this. We haven't sat down or eaten, gone to the bathroom or had anything to drink for 7 hours! We make it to our hotel by 2pm.. and cannot even move a muscle!

After some food and long naps.. I wake up at 7pm and think "damn, we have tickets to this Legends Inauguration Ball tonight and the last thing I want to do is shower again, and dress up in my gown and go back out in this cold!" The kids are still napping. I go online to see what the cancellation/refund policy on the tickets are (since they were stupid expensive) and BAM! there it is! "American Music Dionne Warwick Legends Ball cancelled! Refunds will arrive in 30 days". Yippee!! I love how the Universe works!

So the kids and I just stayed in tonight, watched a couple of movies.. the tv coverage oft he parade and official balls... and resting up from our wonderful experience. To be such a part of this collective, so much bigger than us or anything I've ever seen.. so important.. was worth every second.

We are heading back home tomorrow morning.. via a little visit with Kristi and my grandbabies in between. More then! As Jack would say "good night and god bless"..