Our Trip to D.C.

"To the Best of My Ability"

Pt. 1 - Our Arrival and the Reception

It has been a few weeks since our trip to D.C. to attend the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Now I can look back on the trip with all of the fondness it deserves.

We arrived in PA on Saturday, January 17th. Even though we waited on the tarmac for about an hour in Detroit, where we had a bit of a layover, the trip there was pretty uneventful. After getting to Bob and Debbie's, we went out to dinner and had a really nice evening chatting and just hanging out. It set the stage that "home" base was going to be our haven of relaxation.

On Sunday morning we woke up to home made cinnamon rolls (THANKS, Debbie!). We didn't have a chance to relax with breakfast too long, before we had to hit the showers to get spruced up for the reception at Congressman Russ Carnahan's office. After getting the obligatory picture taken, we drove to New Carrollton, MD to catch the metro into D.C. The metro ride was a blur. I remember it was crowded and we took silly pictures of each other, but we were both too excited to make much more of the ride. Once we arrived at surface level in D.C. we were at a loss where to go next. As we searched for the map of the area, a gentleman came up next to us and asked us where we needed to be. After telling him we were going to the Longworth House Building, he offered to take us there. The building was actually only a few blocks over, but our guide was very kind and we chatted a bit. It turns out he was going to the same place.

The Reception was fantastic. It was held in a meeting room whose balcony had an amazing view of the Capitol building. There was wine tasting and a buffet of finger food. We met Nancy Reiter (whose family was from PA, perhaps some distant relative) and others like us, who had "won" tickets to the inauguration and were excited about taking part in this historical day. We also had the opportunity to meet Missouri political figures such as St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, Representative Sam Page and his wife, and, of course, Congressman Russ Carnahan and his wife, the Honorable Judge Debra Carnahan. About 12:30pm Congressman Carnahan gave a welcome speech and then about 1:00 he began leading tours of the Capitol. The tour was amazing and Congressman Carnahan made sure that the Missouri related pieces were highlighted as well as the crypt, the rotunda, Statuary Hall, the Hall of Columns, and he made a special effort to make sure we were able to see the floor of the House. It was very interesting and by the end of the afternoon Charlie and I were grinning ear-to-ear like two kids at an amusement part. It was awesome! Not only was it awesome, but it was everything that I had thought it would be and more. We made our way back to the metro walking on air. The trip back to New Carrollton and then back to York, PA went smoothly thanks to the Garmin my Mom and Mike gave us for Christmas! We finished our day with home made lasagna, blueberry pie (yum!!!), relaxing with the family in front of the T.V. watching the Ravens and Steelers.