Inauguration

Watching the events of Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20, 2009, caused me to reflect on the awesome experience my husband and I had when we attended our country's Presidential Inauguration on January 20, 2005. That inauguration, I believe was the single most exciting event I have ever witnessed and now, four years later, I decided to share our experience. My husband and I were there not as partisan people, but citizens of the United States of America who wanted to experience the greatness of our country. We do support George W. Bush, but it was so much bigger than any man. We were celebrating our country and all it offers.

We were fortunate to join a group of fellow patriots from Houston on a chartered trip for the big event. We landed at Washington/Baltimore/Thurman Airport after an exciting 2 1/2 hour flight.

We were welcomed by a lovely blanket of snow. To us Texans, that was big! We arrived at our hotel, the Omni Shoreham, about 5:00 pm. We had tickets to attend the "Celebration of Freedom" concert at The Ellipse in front of the White House, but since it was 7:00 pm before we arrived at our hotel we opted to find a place to eat and get settled for the evening. Some guests were invited to the "Black Tie and Boots" ball. I don't think I have ever seen so many fur coats and cowboys hats!

We slipped and slid a couple of blocks to a quiet Chinese restaurant for a nice meal. We had a great view from the upstairs window and enjoyed watching the long stretch limos stream up and down the street.

Though the air was very chilly, the next morning brought sunny, blue skies as we began our adventure on the metro to find our way to the Capitol. Actually, things went very well though we were packed like sardines in the metro !

Everyone was in a hurry, but were polite and in a festive mood. The metro attendants were surprisingly pleasant in spite of all the demands made on them by all of us wandering people.

We left our hotel early, but barely early enough to make the swearing in. We were a part of a mass of people slowly inching our way along the streets toward the Capitol. We were harrassed by a wall of protestors as we approached the security fence. I found it rather disconcerting. We were unfortunate in having one very loudmouthed lady among us. I really wondered why she was there, because she spent her time making rude remarks to those around her and making disparaging remarks about our country. She taunted and scorned us, saying we were rich. She indicated that other countries were better than ours, etc. Everyone was just letting her rant on. She was right behind me and began hassling a man who told her he was a small business owner and was not rich. I finally turned around and said, "I have spent time in Ethiopia, and I believe all of us who are fortunate enough to live in America are rich." I could not believe I spoke up, but you know, the lady did not say another word!

I was particularly impressed with a young father who was with us inching our way toward the security gate. He was a black father with two young boys. He commented that he wanted his boys to witness this expression of freedom of our great country. He was savoring the moment.

We began to get really nervous that we might not get onto the grounds in time for the ceremony, but we finally pushed through the gate, cleared security and excitedly moved with the crowd toward the Capitol. The one kind of sobering thing was to look up and see snipers on the roof tops and hellicopers circling overhead.

We both were overwhelmed when we stepped into Conneticut Avenue and saw the teaming crowd and the Capitol grounds. The blue sky framed the majestic building draped with American flags. Other flags flanked the building and rippled in the breeze as the color guard marched in and took their place to begin the introduction of dignitaries. We had to keep reminding ourselves of the historical moment we were blessed to be viewing. I kept wanting to just stop and look and take it all in.

Quickly we made our way through another gate that took us onto the Capitol grounds and took our place with thousands of others behind the reflection pool. The huge screens on either side enabled us to get a close view of the activities.

To be honest, I really don't know too much of what went on. I was watching people about as much as I was watching the grand stand. I loved seeing the children on their daddy's shoulders and young and old sharing this historic event.

I particularly appreciated watching a couple of black ladies in front of me. They whooped and hollered and did the happy dance at the conclusion. Wonderful to see.

The ceremony was ended and we quickly began making our way from the Capitol area. We wanted to catch a metro and get toward the end of the parade route on Pennsylvania Avenue. After some searching, walking, and seeking directions, we managed to find the area we where we wanted to be. Again we waited in line and talked to those around us. Unfortunately, there were individuals that day whose aim was to disrespect those attending as well as show disrespect for our country. One group was even dragging a flag along the sidewalk as they tossed out their anti-American remarks.

As we approached the street where the fence and security gate was located, suddenly we heard chanting and shouting as a large group of protestors came marching toward us. We separated and let them pass without responding to their interruption. The bad part is that just as my husband and I got to the gate, they slammed it shut and locked it. Everyone began coughing and they told us to leave. The protestors had tried to storm the next gate and the security guards had to use pepper spray. To not see the President pass by, was very disappointing........but that is America and freedom of speech. When one person abuses our freedom others are affected.

After a very exhilarating day, we headed back to our hotel to get ready for the Texas/Wyoming Inaugural Ball. I decided to pull out a dress that I wore several years earlier for a movie premier. Since I no longer felt comfortable with the spaghetti straps, I needed some kind of wrap or shawl for my bare shoulders. I decided on a champagne colored embroidered silk....table covering... that I had bought in a resale shop a few years earlier. Yes, I wore an old table cloth to the Presidential Inaugural Ball! The funniest part was when a lady in the elevator commented on how beautiful it was. I could not resist telling her the story behind my shawl!

We waited with the other guests in the hotel to catch the shuttle bus to the ball. The weather had become bitter cold and windy and the short walks to and from the drop off point were pretty miserable. It was disappointing to find that the President and First Lady had come and gone from the ball right before we arrived. Nevertheless, we went into the hall, got something to drink and eat and listened to the music for a bit. I joined many others by pulling off my shoes. We found a spot on the floor where we could lean against the wall while we took in the event. Sounds really glamorous, right? But hey, we were at an Inaugural Ball!

The next morning, we enjoyed a lovely breakfast. Laura Ingram was the featured speaker, so it was a wonderful way to cap off the fast moving, exciting three days.

We did not get to see President Bush and Laura up close as we had hoped. And yes, we had come to celebrate with them, but even more we came to be a part of our country's history. Now looking back four years later, it is even more significant to me than ever.

We are so privileged to live in the United States of America where an average citizen has the freedom and the opportunity to seek their personal goals and to have a part in making this country great and I say..........