The time of our lives

Let me say that yesterday was an absolute BLAST! My face hurt from smiling so much. Hannah and I neither one slept much the night before, nervous anticipation. So we especially were exhausted by the end, but it was a full, fulfilled kind of tired. We boarded the bus to the train station at 7:30 and were very much relieved to discover that the Philadelphia event was indoors. It was soooo cold. Pat Stiles, a sweet woman from Colorado who is in our group, introduced the President Elect after both PA senators and Governor Rendel and the mayor spoke. It was a moving speech by the President Elect, inclusive as always. Right before Barack spoke, one of our guides came over to me and said that they wanted our family to board the train with the Obamas. How thrilling!!! Things got a little crazy after he spoke, and one of the guys said it would just be Jim and Alicia boarding the train with them... he took us away under some protest! Long story, but we asked and asked and kept asking, and finally they got the girls back off the train, and they were able to meet us on the train platform. That is why, if you see the video on CNN or Yahoo News, the elevator opens and the girls are waiting downstairs for us. Thank goodness we got them back. The brief interaction the girls had laid the foundation for their later "playdate".

The President Elect and Michelle both thanked us for coming along with them on the train, which is so funny to us! We, of course, thanked them profusely as well. We chatted about things... Malia was working on a school project where she would chronicle a week in her life, so she was snapping pictures. I joked that it would be hard for other kids to match up to that, but Michelle said all the children had different assignments, and the Obamas bantered a bit about that. Barack remembered that Hannah's hair had been different and that Grace was a "rock star". We boarded the beautiful, historic train car built in 1930, lots of beatiful wood trim and antique fixtures, talking all the while with the Obamas. Malia is also reading Twilight, which Grace just finished, and they talked a bit about that. The girls already had friends and at least one cousin on the train, and they invited the girls to come back and play with them later. Wow.

We settled ourselves on the train and soon it was time for our first stop, Wilmington, Delaware. Oh man, it was cold. We were dressed for the glamour of it all and not for the weather- I was starting to worry about frost bite. We all just had stockings and fancy shoes on... we will be much better prepared today! After Wilmington, we were back on the train having a snack, and I left to get the camera when Barack and Michelle and Joe Biden entered the dining car where the rest of the family was still visiting (Oh, I forgot to tell you we did a brief interview for a video that will run between sets tomorrow at the Lincoln Memorial event. We don't know if we'll get on it or not.). I couldn't get back on the car where the kids and Jim were, so I just waited until he came to the next car. Oh my gosh, it was so emotional! Michelle told Lily Ledbetter that she was her hero, and Lily said the same, and Lily's daughter was just so proud and crying. I was crying for and with her, and Barack said "group hug". So he gave us both a big bear hug. Then the darling family of four grown daughters and their dad from Iowa, the Wehrmans, had their time with Barack. Their mother was a tireless volunteer for the campaign, and she died in October from pancreatic cancer. Barack knew their mother well from his time there during the caucuses. All four girls and their dad were in tears, really crying hard. It was so moving for them to get to have that experience in their mother's honor. I'm crying again just remembering it. Everyone's stories and connections are so profound and so heartwarming.
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By now, the girls have made their way back to the family car. Kevin McDonald, our trip coordinator and the nicest guy you'd want to meet, arranged their "playdate". He was getting a kick out of saying that! They stayed back there and finished a puzzle, played Apples to Apples and plotted their next move. When we got to the Baltimore stop, the girls were invited to stay on the train to help decorate the train car to surprise Michelle, who turned 45 yesterday. Hannah got off and went with us to the Baltimore event. Wow. That crowd was HUGE! Thousands of people were gathered in the square. Quincy, from our train trip, got to introduce him this time. How daunting a task, but she did a fabulous job. She is a neat, neat woman. She is a beautiful African American woman, working on her doctorate in Education, has a lovely husband and 3 teenage children. Her sister was a victim of domestic violence, and was killed by her partner. Quincy is now an advocate for victims. We have become attached to our little group on the train, and became quite a cheering section for her in Baltimore. Looking out at that huge crowd, so many people of all backgrounds, so happy for our new president... it was simply breathtaking, an awe inspiring thing. What lucky people we 41 on the train are- to see it all from this vantage point.

We got the girls back, after Michelle cut a cake for us in the dining car, and we all sang Happy Birthday again. Grace helped Jill Biden serve the cake to all, and when Michelle joked how could her birthday next year ever top this, people joked that if she would just invite us all back, we would certainly try! We spoke with Harry Smith from CBS News which was so much fun- what a nice guy. Never did get to see Diane Sawyer, oh well. Apparently People Magazine wants to talk with us today, and we had a nice guy from 41 News in KC come and talk w/us last night. By the time we got back to our room, we were just worn out. I fell asleep sitting up while Jim blogged. All the girls slept in their clothes, where ever they happened to land. Jim and I went to our other room and slept hard. What a day, what a life. I know there is so much hard work to be done, and this administration is going to have its share of headaches and heartaches, but right now, this is the time to celebrate! And what a celebration it has been! Off today to the Lincoln Memorial concerts. You better believe we are wearing socks and boots and as much as we can layer on.

Alicia