Inaugural Ball

So, forgive me for taking so long to get this posted! I got home the night of the Inaugural Ball after 1am, and then had to hop up the next morning and head out so I could make it to my friend's house and get my car, drive back into the District, and go to the NEA's Martin Luther King service, and then drive home. Then...I came down with pneumonia. Yeah. No fun. But...the plus? I went to the Southern Inaugural Ball!

I attended with my friends and colleagues Nancy, Susan (who I still owe money to) and Dawn. We had a great time, but it was kinda boring. It became fastly apparent that such events are really for the politically connected and those who worked on the campaign. And here I thought it was a big party for those folks in town who could afford the ticket. The dancing wasn't great (you know I'm a dancer) because they alternated between a band and a DJ...neither of which were particularly jamming. (I wish we'd done the Mid-Atlantic Ball instead...because I could have met WAY more celebrities! Oh well.)

We did get to say hi to Speaker of the House (NC) Joe Hackney and his wife. They were very nice. Then we took our official Inaugural Ball portrait, which, to be honest...not worth the money. Then...the big ticket came. The band cleared out, and the Army Band came in...and soon, they were playing the Vice President's song. Then came in Joe Biden and his wife, Jill! YAY! He was eloquent, powerful, and most importantly...succinct. He danced with his wife, and they sashayed offstage. A few moments later, the band broke into Hail to the Chief, and in walked President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. Wow! Michelle looked wonderful, she was so beautiful, and her dress was wonderful. Barack wore a tux. (He gave me pneumonia, so I'm not that thrilled with him in hindsight. ;)) He spoke to the crowd, everyone cheered him, and then he said, "And now, I wanna dance with the one who brung me." He walked over to Michelle, and they danced to their song - which, oddly enough, is MY song! (It's 'At Last,' which is also the first song Ed and I ever danced to.) It was lovely.

The next morning, I got up, took the Metro into Silver Spring, and then walked a couple of miles up to my friend Jennifer's house and drove back into DC to attend the NEA event, which was phenomenal. Then...I drove home. Now that was a drive. It took about two hours to get to Fredericksburg where I spent Saturday night - which normally is a 45 minute drive. Once I got there, it was easy peasy, and I slid on down the road. I got home around 8:30, and man...everybody at my house was happy to see me. LOL The dogs barked, the cats wound around my feet, and everybody slept in the bedroom that night. Even Sprite - who doesn't like people and feels that she's polite by letting me stay in her house!

So...that's my Inaugural adventure...and thank goodness I had it at 31...because I don't know that I'll be having another one!