Going to the Inauguration and Lessons Learned About the Cold

Going to the Inauguration and Lessons Learned About the Cold

January was one word, intense!  The only day I really got off was New Year’s Day and then I was off to work for 4-H, school, and the trip of a life time. 

Farm Show, the one place that always amazes me.  As a State Officer I was responsible to attend.  I went to the Today’s Ag Unveiling which was one of the coolest things I've seen.  I also got to go to the PA Preferred Banquet which was a lot of fun mingling with people from all over the state.  Then it was opening ceremonies and volunteer work which I always love doing.  If you haven’t tried the National Science Experiment you are missing out which was conveniently located at the 4-H activities booth.  I also went to the Public Official's Day brunch which was a really cool event as well.

The trip of a life time though was going to the 2013 Presidential Inauguration.  Yeah that’s right the Inauguration.  The downside of this trip: I wasn’t able to attend SLC.  The choice to not attend SLC as an officer was a hard one but in the end I knew I made the right choice.  I got to see several really cool places on Saturday and Sunday including the MLK Memorial, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, the Korean Memorial, the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, the Marine Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, the Kennedy Graves, and the eternal flame.  When we went to Arlington national Cemetery the President and Vice President were leaving from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and we saw them drive by which was really cool.

Then came Monday, the day we were all waiting for.  The amount of clothing that we all had on was extensive.  We got to the Mall to see the view of the picture below.  The event was a truly inspiring one.  Getting to see Kelly Clarkson, James Taylor, and Beyoncé perform live at the inauguration was amazing. 

 

Then the moment came, the swearing into office and the inaugural address.  The inaugural address was truly something to hear.  President Obama’s microphone was so loud that the mall echoed with every word he said.  I was truly stunned at the power of his words.

The cold is something that I won't miss though.  Even with four layers of clothing, six hand warmers, thick wool socks, and a scarf the cold still got to me.  But it was worth it!

Going to see the inauguration would not have been complete without going to one of the many inaugural balls occurring in the city that night.  No, we were not allowed to go to the one held in the Capitol Building where the president was, though if he would have showed up to ours I think I would have been so awestruck that I wouldn’t have been  able to say anything to him. 

The next day we decided to go to the Supreme Court, the Capitol Building, and the National Library.  The Supreme Court was a truly cool building to see with all of its architectural designs.  The Capitol Building was really fun to see but it took us forever to find the two Pennsylvania Statues of Robert Fulton and John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg.  But the National Library was HUGE!  Our Principal told us not to wander off but if we found a secret passage, to find him and we will go National Treasurer 2 in here.  Unfortunately we didn’t find any secret passages but I was convinced that half of the group was lost. 

Going to the Inauguration was truly a life experience.  I did miss going to SLC this year but if I had to pick again I know I would pick the Inauguration again.  Some events are worth going to especially if they come by once every four years.