What an unforgettable and amazing day today! It started last night when we went out to dinner downtown (something we have never done with the kids before!) When we parked the car we saw the road blocks and a bunch of lights. I thought maybe there was something taking place later that night (it was about 5:20 when we got to the restaurant). I saw a couple walking out with Obama stickers and I asked them if there was a rally across the street and they said it was on Sunday (today!). Then the hostess told us that tickets were still available.
When we got home, I started looking around online and found the website. Sure enough, not only was President Obama going to be speaking in my city, but former President Bill Clinton would be with him! I wasn't sure how it would be possible to go with the boys and it being so last minute. Doors were going to open at 7am and your ticket didn't necessarily guarantee your entrance. The thought of all that waiting around with 3 younglings and then maybe not even get to see anything wasn't all that appealing to us.
I was posting online and I happened to mention it on my message board, the one I have been a part of now for almost 7 years at the end of this month. So imagine my surprise when I got a message from my friend saying that she was going to see if her husband (who has many politically connections through his work!) could do anything for us. So he sent some emails and at 11:50pm last night I got the phone call that 5 VIP tickets would be waiting for us. WHAT?! I was so excited - told her that if she ever needed an ultrasound of her heart that I would fly Charlie down to do it! She sent me the confirmation email and we set our alarms bright and early! It's not every day that you get the opportunity to see a former President and current President side by side like that!
When the boys woke up (ironically at 5:30 thanks to DST) we got them dressed packed them into the car, bundled them up, grabbed all smart phones and tablet and headed over to the event parking to wait for the bus to shuttle us over. There was already a line when we got there, but they had a ton of buses and we didn't have to wait long.
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| Waiting for the bus! |
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| Evan on the bus, ready to see the President! |
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| David, Shaun and Daddy ready to ride the bus! |
We got dropped off a ways from where we needed to be so we started walking, asking around for any other place we could go to find our tickets. We ended up at the wrong table but she took my email and gave us the super special BLUE tickets, which was nice because it saved us from having to walk a couple more blocks. We headed over to the security line and got right through! It was so cool not having to wait in the long lines! We headed to the VIP section. My jaw dropped when I saw just how close we would be to the podium. Insane! Now for the hard part. It was 7:30 and the first speaker wasn't going to start until 9:45. Let the waiting begin. Everyone around us was so nice and friendly we chatted, the boys played their games. We ran into some friends, who were 2 rows of people in front of us (small world!). The sun was shining and so it didn't feel too cold.
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| Charlie and me at the Rally! |
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| David holding up his sign and cheering with the crowds....Fired Up! Ready to Go! |
I'm not quite sure I remember exactly the timing of everything but the Dartmouth Aires came out and sang a couple songs then there was a speech given by a college student and then the Pledge of Allegiance Benediction, National Anthem (also sung by the Dartmouth Aires) and then Senator Jeanne Shaheen
came out!
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| Senator Jeanne Shaheen |
After Jeanne Shaheen spoke, we heard from Governor John Lynch. My favorite line for him was asking us which was more exciting seeing Kid Rock or getting to see the Comeback Kid!
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| Governor John Lynch and his wife Dr. Susan Lynch |
And now for the big moment, which was good timing since both smart phones had been drained of all battery life and all that was left between 3 boys was the tablet. Also at this point, Evan was getting so tired. He wanted to be held and by ME only, so that was fun. My back is still feeling the pain right now! So most of my pictures during President Clinton's speech were taken one handed while Evan dozed on my shoulder. His speech was awesome. The crowd was fired up! It was just awesome!
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| President Bill Clinton |
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| Introducing President Barack Obama |
It can't say enough how amazing these speeches were! And to be as close as we were made even that much more amazing!
