Happy Birthday Lily!

Lily just celebrated her third birthday (that's 21 in dog years) on Feb. 28th. Daddy brought a birthday burger from MacDonald's and we sang "Happy Birthday" to an anxiously waiting pup who couldn't have cared less for the pomp and circumstance. "Yum, that's good birthday burger!"

Her four-legged friends joined her for a crazy Bark-a-rita-ville party on Sunday, followed by a killer after-party hangover on Monday. ughhhhhh. . .

NOW PLAYING!

Okay, so I did my best to piece together a video that captured the aura of the week. Being such a historic occasion, no film footage will do the moment true justice. We felt honored to be apart of the festivities, we felt privileged to share this moment of history 2 million strong. Mom got me a new camcorder for Christmas and it came with new editing software. I am still working out the kinks--like trying to produce a better quality of film! I will try to post a better quality once I get it figured out. I hope you enjoy it.

Only a Few Days Left!

After a good night's sleep and a hot shower, Chadd and I set off to cram as many of D.C.'s "points of interest" in as possible.
We visited George Washington's home and estate, Mount Vernon. It's a lovely place, I recommend anyone visit it when coming to Washington. His mansion has been kept in the exact way he left it when he died. All of the artifacts are his (or exact replacements). In fact, his bedroom is just as it was when he died...right down to Martha Washington's reading glasses resting on the bedside table. Martha made it easy for the preservationists, as she promptly closed the bedroom up and never used it again after his death. You can also tour Washington's office, where all of his original books and files are still kept in their rightful place.

Both George and Martha are buried at the estate. Even though a tomb was created for George under the rotunda of our Capitol building, George always considered himself a farmer before a statesman. Sort of an neat little side note: As we were looking off the porch of Washington's mansion--which has a million dollar view of the Potomac River by the way--a bald eagle went soaring by! I did not get a picture of it, but everyone was in such awe. Quite a majestic moment!
We also took in the best view of the White House we could get. (I guess you can't get too close to it thses days)
We also visited the Lincoln Memorial and took time to take photos with our "cardboard Chief of State."

Post-Inaugural Chaos

While the city of Washington D.C. went to great lengths to secure the city for a smooth and safe inauguration, little preparation was made to move 2 million people through the streets in an organized fashion...euphemistically speaking. In other words, quite chaotic.

Chadd and I--being "blessed" with the internet--familiarized ourselves with all of the "Know Before You Go" websites devoted to street closings and metro schedules. We mapped out the city, plotted open streets and closed streets, we wrote down metro arrival times and departure times, we planned our route. All of this effort in vain.

Washington D.C. quadrupled their security force--city police, county sheriff, national guard, mounted patrol, transit authority--but none seemed to be prepared to handle the massive amount of people. Streets were closing that were supposed to be open, subways were closing that were supposed to stay open; it was like we were in a giant rat maze and they were building it as we moved through it. Chadd and I walked from one metro station to the next, only to find it closed. Police were barricading streets as a few people managed to slip through the cracks before the gates slammed closed on the rest of us. Somewhat frustrating.

Hungry, cold, and desperately wanting to sit down, Chadd and I went into the FEMA headquarters to warm up and wait out the crowd. As Chadd waited in line for over an hour to get us burgers at McDonald's, I resisted being kicked out of the FEMA lobby multiple times by the one poor custodian left in charge. Ironic, isn't it? Out of all the federal institutions, you would think FEMA would be able to handle a surge of "refugees" with no where to go. But no, one custodian is left in charge of trying to deal with 1,500 cold and tired invadeers with no metro to carry them home.
After several hours of waiting and Chadd assisting EMT's with a girl who passed out, we braved the crowd and cold once more in effort to go home. We passed up FOUR metro stations before we made it to one that was actually open. About 5 miles of walking. Once we approached the only open station, here is the line of people we saw:
Looks a lot like the previous picture, huh? You know what they say, "If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes." On the bright side, people were still surprisingly friendly and cordial despite the tight space and overwhelming crowds. Smiles were abundant and neighbors who bumped into each other still offered an "Excuse me" or "Sorry." With the jubilant mood of the people, the experience wasn't as treacherous and it sounds (^_^)

Was it worth it? Now that it's over, YES!

Inauguration Day is Here!

"I was there." "Yes we did." "We're making history." Those sayings plus many more plastered the streets of D.C. in the form of signs, posters, t-shirts, hats, buttons, commercial ads, and metro buses. And everyone wanted to be a part of it.

In order to beat the crowds, Chadd and I woke up at 1am and got in line to wait for the metro station to open at 3am. Already, the parking lot was starting to fill and we were in the group of the first few hundred enthusiastic, cheerful "3 am-ers" By the time the train station opened, there was over 1,500 people waiting to board.

Waves of people began descending on the National Mall well before 2am. We arrived at 4 am only to find a massive barricade of people already up front and waiting. As anticipation rose, everyone seemed to gleam with excitement and enthusiasm. All you could hear was laughter, cheers, chants, and the occasional "woo-hoo!"
Without any security, the police opened the mall promptly at 4:30am (it was supposed to open at 8am) and the people charged forward to find their spot in history. As though the flood gates had opened, steady swarms of people began making their way to the National Mall from 4:30am until 10:30 am. The people just kept coming.
Here was the capital at 6am. . .
And it was still there at 10am. . .
After standing on our feet for over eight hours in the biting cold, time seemed to stand still. We were sore, sleepy, and shivering. People were dancing, jumping around, huddled together, and piled on top of each other in effort to keep warm. But there we all waited--with great anticipation--young and old alike, black and white, rich and poor. From mink coats to trash bags. Over 2 million people from all walks of life came to be apart of a historic moment, anxious to celebrate during a time of enduring crisis and insecurity. Even without witnessing the inauguration, anyone would have been impressed to see complete strangers embracing such camaraderie and compassion. All were united for one purpose.
Through all of the pomp and circumstance, the inauguration was great (comparatively to other inaugurations I guess) but what happened next was described best by MSNBC's Bill Matthews. He called it: "Quite frankly, A DISASTER."

I apologize but sleep deprivation is setting in. . .to be continued!

Day of Honor and Remembrance

Today--after a quick jaunt through the Smithsonian butterfly garden--Chadd and I took a tour to Arlington National Cemetery. Since the city was beginning its preparations for Inauguration day, the tour was not able to operate as usual. We were stuck in stand still traffic for over an hour, but the wait was worth it.
At Arlington, over 300,000 soldiers, spouses, and political officials are buried on the 650 acre grounds. There is no way one person could possibly take in all of the sights this cemetery has to offer. Some of whom include: JFK, William Howard Taft, all members of the U.S.S. Maine, and tomb of the unknown soldier.
The tomb of the unknown soldier is an absolutely breathtaking memorial, as it sits atop the cemetery looking down upon Washington D.C. By order of the president, a member of the 3rd Brigade guards the tomb 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The soldier paces 21 steps and pauses 21 seconds in honor of the 21 gun salute. Every hour, the soldiers perform a Changing of the Guards ceremony. Chadd and I were able to catch the last public ceremony before dark.
Our bus tour also took us to the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. Although both places were crowded with people, everyone still took time to observe and respect the significance of the memorial. I was surprised at how big the Vietnam wall actually was! Unfortunately, its massive size puts into perspective how many brave soldiers lost their lives in that war.
Since tomorrow was going to be such a big day, we decided to turn in early. However, that idea was quickly spoiled whenever we approached our bus to return home and watched it promptly pull out of sight. That's right, the bus left us! (And we were two minutes early) And to think, that driver missed out on a generous tip. . .

Obama-cation Day 2

If yesterday was the calm before the storm, then today the thunder began to rumble. Hundreds of thousands of people descended upon the Lincoln Memorial today to attend the free concert. Subways were packed, streets were impassable, and all roads were blocked by police brigades. (Notice the gazillion people perched around the Lincoln Memorial Reflection Pool in the background.) Chadd and I decided to forgo the concert for a chance to see other sights.
We also saw the Washington Memorial up close and personal. But it was surrounded by SWAT members looking down on the concert crowd.
We went to the White House visitor's center--hoping to get a glimpse of the White House--but were unable to see anything. Police will not even let you near enough to get a glimpse. We were, however, approached by a member of the Squirrels for Justice Lobby! While we were enjoying a cookie break in front of the White House, a dang squirrel jumped in Chadd's lap and tried to take the cookie away from him! They fought over it long enough for me to get my camera out. The squirrel broke off half of our $3 cookie with its grubby little hands and took off with it!

After our cookie incident, Chadd and I went to the Holocaust Museum and spent 4 hours touring the exhibits. That museum was an unforgettable experience--haunting, somber, and surreal--I recommend it to anyone visiting D.C. The museum's depictions of the WWII atrocities were not subtle, they were meant to shock the soul and they did just that.

Even though Chadd and I left the museum with heavy hearts, our solace was quickly interrupted by the thousands of people swarming the streets and the National Mall. There were so many people, you could not even get into the subway station! So we opted to walk the 3 miles to the nearest above ground station and catch a glimpse at Capitol Hill flooded in lights. Quite beautiful.

Making History: Presidential Inauguration 2009

Greetings from our nation's capital! Chadd and I are spending our vacation celebrating the inauguration of our 44th president with millions of other elated Americans. The entire city of Washington D.C. is preparing for this one event and for the unprecedented amount of people who have showed up to support "the change."
It is obvious here that President-elect Obama has been accelerated into stardom. His picture is everywhere and on everything! Even though it is a brisk 17 degrees on Capitol Hill, vendors are still selling items like Obama flip-flops.
If the flip-flops don't suit you, try Obama tabasco sauce for a little bit of Hail-to-the-Chief heartburn! If you can't read the label, it says "HEAT we believe in." Take one home to your friends!
With all marketing crazes aside, we were able to get up close to the location of the swearing-in ceremony that will take place on the back of the Capitol Building. Ticket holders will have the privilege of being able to stand "near" the ceremony while others must rely on jumbo-tron screens. All in all, nobody will really be able to see anything up close. I think secret service wants it that way.
I will try to keep a daily update as things around here start to materialize. We have only been here one day, but we already managed to get in on MSNBC's live filming of Hardball and cheered on Obama's Amtrak brigade as it rolled into D.C. carrying our future Commander in Chief.

Christmas 2008

Our holiday began with one really cold parade in Highlandville. Even though the weather was expected to be a warm and fuzzy 48 degrees, Old Man Winter decided to join the outdoor festivities with a frosty 18 degrees. Despite the biting wind, we managed to "gussy up" the parade ponies and strut our tinsel. Can I say we actually showed up with bells on?
All in all, I am still not sure who was crazier for fighting the elements: Those of us in the parade, or the spectators who showed up to watch it.

More to come later!