I make it no secret how I feel politically. I am proud to be a Democrat. I have a memory of my parents supporting Bill Clinton but they never pushed politics on me. I was not old enough to vote in the 2000 Presidential election. At that time I was a senior in high school. I cared about the environment and women's rights. It felt natural to be a Democrat though I never expressed my emotions regarding my political views. When my dad was deployed to Iraq in 2003 my entire perspective changed. I was angry and I let everyone know it! I would pick fights with strangers because I thought they looked Republican. It was an awful time. My dad came home safe & sound (Yay!) and I learned a lot about myself and how to express my beliefs. I became involved in the 2004 Presidential campaign in Columbia while at college at Mizzou. I primarily made phone calls but also volunteered at one event at the Missouri Capital in Jeff City. John Kerry was not the best candidate and did not win. I remember sitting at the Democratic headquarters in Columbia on Election Night knowing Kerry wasn't going to win. It was an awful feeling.
I volunteered for Claire McCaskill's 2006 Senate campaign in St. Joseph. My sorority sister, Karla, was in charge of our area. She needed volunteers and I wanted to get involved, it was a perfect opportunity! Justin & I canvassed and made phone calls. We quickly learned that Northwest Missouri is heavily Republican. Despite the conservative nature of the area, Claire won! The feeling of victory was amazing! Not only did I get out and about in my new hometown; I also learned how to talk to people and express my beliefs in a "polite" manner. If someone didn't want to talk, I walked away. I learned that the power of conversation is critical to campaigns. 99% of the time, voters are misinformed about the issues that impact them the most. I loved canvassing. Because of Karla's involvement in Claire's campaign in St. Joseph, she gave me a ticket to a McCaskill rally at the Uptown Theater in Kansas City. The featured speaker was Barack Obama. Obama's speech was unbelievable. I had never felt so inspired! I was hooked once he spoke about science in our schools and his belief that while Evolution is a theory, it belonged in our schools and Creationism belonged in the church. After he finished I rushed to the front and was able to get his autograph! In less than 4 hours I went from barely knowing this guy to becoming his biggest fan!
It was an easy choice to support Obama in 2008. Once he won the nomination I started seeking out the local campaign. Justin & I called, canvassed, registered voters and volunteered our hearts out! I got the opportunity to meet Joe & Jill Biden. I saw Michelle speak in KC. I made some amazing, life long friends. It was truly a grassroots campaign. Justin & I wanted to travel in DC to watch the historical inauguration in 2009 but we could not afford it. I took the day off work to watch the ceremony live. It was an amazing moment for our nation.
2012 was a different story in Missouri. I sought out the Buchanan County Democrats but did not feel the same energy as I did in 2008. I understood but I was bummed that Obama for America did not have any presence in Missouri. I wanted Claire to win but never had the time. I became the person I had hated in 2008. He/She would sign up to volunteer and then never show up again. I am not proud of that. Luckily, Claire's team did not need me. They kicked butt and she won!! Oh yeah, so did Barack!!! Though I knew he would. I just knew...
We are now back to present day! I am sorry that took so long but now you see why it was important to explain. I really really really wanted to go to the 2013 Inauguration. When Justin & I originally spoke about the trip, he was hesitate. We already had plans to travel to Florida in February for my half marathon and Nashville in April for Record Store Day. One of the reasons I love him so much is because he balances me. He is reasonable when I am not. He also thinks in terms of money (the banker in him). But I gave him an Oscar worthy speech: we wanted to go in 2008, we can afford it now, who knows what our situation will be in 4/8/12 years, it is his LAST time ever! Another reason I love him, he knows when I feel passionately about something and that it is better to concede. Of course I won him over and we booked our tickets. This once in a lifetime trip also inspired my bucket list. Now on to the events of the weekend......2. Go to the Presidential Inauguration / visit DC.
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2. Go to the Presidential Inauguration / visit DC
3. Run a destination 1/2 Marathon
4. Compete in Mrs. Missouri pageant [in progress]
4. Eating a raw oyster
6. Ride a mechanical bull
7. Cook a traditional Thanksgiving dinner by myself
8. Shoot a gun/target shooting
9. Go Mushroom hunting
10. Learn to sew / make something I can wear
11. Visit a state I have never been to
12. Ride in a hot air balloon
13. Learn to play craps
14. Eat at Oklahoma Joe's BBQ
17. Learn to make a pie from scratch
18. Make Grandma's kolache cookies correctly
19. Take a shot of Jack Daniels
20. Take a cake decorating class and then decorate my own cake
21. Do at least one pull-up
22. Visit Graceland
23. Take a train ride/ weekend trip to Herman, Mo.
25. Run a 8 min/mile 5K
26. Take ballet class from the KC Ballet
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29.
30.
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| Pretty cool, right??? |
Our day started out at the Brunswick, Maryland train station. It was an hour long train ride into Washington D.C. I was so ready to get there. My Aunt Jane told us that we would be amazed at the sights once we exited Union Station. She was right! This was the first trip to Washington D.C for both Justin & me. Like everything else you see in pictures and on T.V.; you picture it in your mind but are always amazed at it's actual presence in "real-life".
The crowds were immediate. Once we departed the train we were engrossed in a mass of people. We decided to potty before we left the station but quickly learned everyone had that idea. We assumed there had to be port-a-potty's outside. It was a good thing our bathroom needs were not immediate. The only potty we found was dead bolted. We made our way to the Blue Gate to start our day of waiting in line.
Our timing through security was spot on. We made it to our seats at 11:15 and the ceremony started at 11:30.
The picture to the left is Vice President Biden being sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Thank goodness for the grey teleprompter. It gave me a central point to look at and know I was looking at the action.
Barack's speech moved me to tears. My favorite of many quotes from his speech:
"We were made for this moment and we will seize it - as long as we seize it together"
It is so a different to hear him speak in person. The power & passion in his words take my breath away. This country cannot accomplish greatness without working together and compromising. I hope the next four years will actually be "Forward".
Now to the adventure. It felt like slight chaos getting through security to get into the ceremony. That was nothing compared to getting out! Imagine, approximately 1 million people exiting a small gate opening all at the same time. Luckily everyone around us stayed calm.
Once we made it out of captivity we decided to take in some museums. First stop the National Archives. It made sense to check out the documents that founded our nation after watching the Presidential Inauguration. We had to pass through airport security to get in the front door. And no cameras allowed! You'll have to trust me that the documents do exist.
Oh, and I checked the Second Amendment...it says nothing about the right to bear assault rifles.
Before we could leave, I had to see the White House. As silly as it sounds, we almost missed it! We weren't exactly right in front of it either. The parade had the entire area messed up. We were two blocks away though not as close as my pictures makes out. After we hit a few major sites, Justin and I decided to call it a day and head back to the train. Our plan was to train it back to D.C the next day to take in a few more sites. The White House is really far from Union Station. The cute illustrated maps make the area seem so small. Don't be fooled!!! It felt like we walked a mile when we ran into the first barricade. We had to walk away from the parade which made sense. We made it to the mall and ran into another barricade. A friendly armed military gentleman informed us that the parade was delayed and had not started yet (It was 3:30 at that time). We could see the marching bands lined up along the mall. It seemed like the parade line stretched the entire perimeter of the mall. We kept walking. Neither one of us had eaten since breakfast and we were starving! We ate couple hot dogs and bought some souvenirs at a random concession stand in the middle of the mall. We walked a little more. After over an hour of searching for an escape it became clear to us that we were trapped. With the parade delayed we were told it would be after 6 before the area would open. Good thing were were surrounded by a couple small museums. We took the opportunity to check out the Smithsonian American History Museum.
There is too much to see in even one of the Smithsonian Museums. Keeping with the theme for our trip we picked the Presidential and First Lady exhibits.
I am amazed at the artifacts that have been preserved. Here is a drum used during the funeral procession of Abraham Lincoln.
The first lady's exhibit was amazing. Of course I had to take a picture of Michelle's 2009 Inauguration dress. 
The Smithsonian closed at 5:30. We ventured back out to the streets and still heard the parade! At that point we were tired and hungry and just wanted to go home! We just started walking. Fingers crossed we would find an opening. As frustrating as the day had become, we had to stop and take in the beautiful view of our nation's capital at night. Democrat or Republican, that is a beautiful sight.
We found an exit and were free! To our luck we ended up right by a metro station. To our luck we also exited at the same time as about 200 other people who all started filing down to the train. We decided to keep walking in hopes of finding food. Of all the unique places to eat in Washington D.C, we found a Quiznos. We must have looked like we hadn't eaten in days. I think we spend $25 on dinner (pricey for Quiznos). After dinner we walked back to the train and the crowds were gone. We found our way back to my Uncle's after 12 hours in D.C. What an exhausting day! But worth every single minute. If I am going to get stuck somewhere, the Smithsonian is the best place. Regardless of that, we witnessed history! We were part of his greatness! I will remember this experience forever!
In addition to watching the POTUS be inaugurated, I got to see and experience American history. Reading the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights was pretty neat. Viewing the dresses of our first lady's was amazing. There were amazing people who sacrificed so much to make our country what is is today. Unfortunately too many take that for granted. I have a new perspective that I hope to pass down to my children. Definitely the experience that I am looking for in my bucket list journey.
Thank you to those of you who made it all of the way to the end. I checked off another to-do while on this trip and it is definitely worth its own post so stay tuned...
XOXO,
Abby
