Yes We Did!

On November 4, 2008,

We voted....On January 19, 2009,

a few good friends and I met up in DC to see history happen

Kirby wore her "special" glassesOur lovely hostess, Jean, welcomed us to Oakland Green B&B

On January 20, 2009,

We woke up VERY EARLY (but still Jean showed us the news reports of people already beginning to fill up the mall), bundled up, drove down the dirt road in the dark, across the one lane bridge, dodged some deer, and made our way to the busstop where we loaded up, took the bus to the Metro Station and
waited in line for Metro tickets ...

and waited in line hoping for a wee bit of space on a train...

Along with lots of other very cold but very happy folks all excited to be part of the big day

Jude made a call to report on our progress...

And just when we thought we'd have to take the train out to the last stop and come back in, we squeezed in. As Leslee says, it was like playing twister standing up. I ducked under someone's arm and stepped over a leg or two. She backed up against the wall of the train and we saw Jude and Kirby getting nudged toward the back of the car. We did become fast friends with the people smooshed up against us. On our little train, we met a woman from Las Vegas, a couple from Texas, three sisters from Jacksonville (!) and one poor guy trying to get to work. I would've taken a picture of inside the train, but I couldn't move my arm to reach my camera. Really. That's what I mean by "smooshed."

Despite the "smooshedness," every single person was bursting with excited anticipation.

The stations inside the perimeter were closed, and various stops close to our destination were opening and closing based on the crowds. Lucky for us, our stop opened just before we arrived. So we exited at what was the closest stop to the office. And started walking the streets ...

We'd heard they were closing all security entrances at 10am. The first line we came to was a block wide and about two blocks long. Plus, someone official looking was shouting that we only had 45 minutes to get in! Again, I would have taken a picture of this line but we were busy trying to stake out another way in.

Luckily for all of us, Jude had the mojo.

With nothing more than her good looks, and a piece of paper printed out from an email on a printer running out of ink, Jude's smooth talking self was able to cajole a police officer into letting us essentially "jump the fence" into the perimeter and avoid the security lines altogether. This was a mere minutes after another meany cop yelled to another group of folks that they just "should've gotten up earlier." (Are you kidding????!!!! He must've been a Republican because he was the only slightly cranky person we met all day)

We then were able to talk our way into the residence entrance of the office building where we waited for our escort up to the office.

We waited along with another girl who was trying to explain to those security people that she was the person everyone else was supposed to call to let them up into the building so the request that she call someone in the office would go unanswered. And no, she couldn't call herself to let herself up."

We made it in!

Other than the people who got up at 2am to set up, we were among the first to arrive. We checked out the place, met Therisa (that's her right up there!), Julie and Tim the bartenders, sampled some Obama-Rama drinks and a bloody mary or two, ate a few chocolate croissants and some fruit, scoped out the best office window to watch the parade, looked out the window to the crowds on the mall, and staked out a good spot in the conference room to watch the Inaugural address on the big screen.



Here's Julie...



Here's the view of Pennsylvania Ave. Check out the police officers lining the parade route...

Here's Jude enjoying an Obama-Rama

See the snipers on the top of the building across the street? They were everywhere...

After scouting out the best spot to watch the parade, we joined everyone in the conference room for the ceremony.

Next up, the parade. This is what the building next door looked like before the parade...

And this is what happened for the parade

What we were all waiting for...


Later, back on the streets

After a train, bus and car ride later (and after we were kicked off of one train because someone refused to stop blocking the door!), we eventually made it back to the cozy comfort of the Magnolia's at the Mill restaurant and then Oakland Green.

p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDE !!!!!!

The next morning, breakfast by Jean Thanks Jean!