11.02.2008
We are the ones we've been waiting for ...
The night before the Obama rally, I got a phone call from my friend Amanda, her voice excited and filled with nervous energy.
A: "I've been thinking things over and I really think we should get in line even earlier tomorrow. I really don't want to miss this opportunity!"
Me (slacker that I am): "Uh ... exactly how early is early??"
After tossing around ideas and making a tentative game plan for the next day, we ended the conversation with the agreement that she would get in line at 6:30am and call me if it looked like I should drag my you-know-what out of my warm and cozy bed shortly thereafter. I secretly hoped that no one would show up until 9am so I could get a little more shut-eye out of my weekend morning. As it turns out, Amanda was the first person in line for the VIP section. When I got her excited call, I could hardly believe it. I scrambled to pull all of my stuff together, feed the girls breakfast and bundle up for what promised to be a very long and chilly wait outdoors.
When I got there, the VIP line had accumulated about 20 people and, sure enough, Amanda was at the very front of that line, buzzing with excitement. She had already made friends with the people in line around her and their mood was very much the same ... so happy and delighted to be waiting in line for the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see Senator Obama right here in their own hometown. Our husbands and kids joined us around lunchtime and although, it was pretty cold most of the day, the time went by pretty quickly. It was around 2p when we entered the Oval to secure a spot for his speech. Amanda and I moved to a spot in the front row while Tim and Kyle and the kids stayed in the bleachers so the kids could have a better view.
In short, Obama's speech was everything I anticipated it would be: eloquent, energizing, inspiring, meaningful, thoughtful, intelligent. I cannot describe what a thrill it was to be 15 feet away from him while he delivered such a beautiful speech to an estimated 50,000 people against a spectacular Fall backdrop. I don't really have the words for it. The energy of the crowd was palpable and, as you can hear in the video below, I basically regressed to my 13 year old shrieking teeny-bopper self when he made the rounds to shake our hands. All I can say is, it was definitely worth the wait.
P.S. All of this wouldn't have been possible without my dear friend Amanda's willingness to get up early and reserve a place in line for the sleepy, slacker Sopers. A big, fat thank you from all of us to you ... our sweet little early bird who shared her 'worm'! :-)
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Hey you "Obama Mama"! It looks like you all had a great time and were so close to him!!!! Great job canvassing too! You and your family look lovely as always. Hope all is well.
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Farah