Chapter 2!

We'll record Chapter 1 at a later date!

There is so much going on, so many phone calls, so many e-mails and more importantly, so much shopping to do! Friends have suggested we do a blog about our adventures, so I thought I'd start now and tell anyone who's interested how all of this came to pass.

We had a good idea that we'd get some sort of invitation to the inauguration. We befriended a man named Emmet when he was at our house all day on August 25th. At that time, he was Obama's Director of Advance. We kept up with him through a couple of e-mails throughout the campaign. He has since been appointed Director of the Presidential Inaugural Committee. He told us before Thanksgiving that he would have some tickets for us. We made airline reservations to Baltimore and felt very lucky to have found a room there. Plans were in the making for our trip to D.C.

Then on New Year's Eve we received a call from the Presidential Inaugural Committee inviting us to fly to Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 16th for one night's stay before boarding a train to D.C. where they would host us for four nights prior to the inauguration. He said there would be events scheduled for us, etc. We were ecstatic but a little confused. We had already made plans, but this of course was a better offer. We had no idea at that point that it was the "Whistle Stop" tour and the Obamas and Bidens would be on that train!

Things have slowly unfolded over the past week, including the fact that we will indeed be on the train with President Obama, Vice President Biden and their families along with 15 other families from across the country.

More later. I have to go do regular things like work and find a ball gown- ha!