OUR CALL.... ANSWERED: Washington DC Day 5

The day started early, 5:45 AM. There was an anticipation and sense of hope all around the room while we hurried around getting ready so that we could catch our 7:00 bus. We made it out with time to spare and rode the bus to the West Falls Church Metro Station. We poked our heads around the door and our eyes widened as we saw how many people were trying to push their way through the gates at one time...... it was almost comical. We took a deep breath, linked arms with our buddies, and went head first into the sea of people. We made it through, amazingly, got onto our train, and within the ext 45 minutes, an impossible amount of people crammed their way onto that train......it would have been funny if it hadn't been so hot and crowded. We made three friends, a man from Rhode Island who worked for the IRS and a couple from LA who were just as shocked by the cold as we were. To lighten up the mood, and in the spirit of the Inauguration of Barack Obama, we got the entire train car to join in while we sang Lean on Me, America the Beautiful and the National Anthem. It was a beautiful way to start the day and it really generated the feeling of unity and hope. We waved goodbye to our new found friends as we pushed our way through the crowds at Federal Triangle. 

I looked up and my eyes were met with the first sunny day of the week. I thought that it couldn't have been any more perfect, considering that Obama really is the light that our country needs. The sun was literally rising out from behind a single cloud, it could not have worked out better. We walked to the Washington Monument where we met up with John, Richard and Erin to find out where we were all going to view the Inauguration. I was told that I would be watching from the rooftop of the Jones Day law firm joined by Christian, Harrison, Austin, Erin and Richard. We headed off only to be met by hundreds of thousands of people coming the opposite direction. As we gazed up the hill, it almost looked like there was water rushing down the streets there were so many people. We wove our way through them, and although it took a while, we finally made it to Jones Day. The roof was not what I expected. There was a catering company there, tents, heaters, and lots of other people. Inside, there was a TV screen where we could watch what was happening down below because although the building is close to the Capitol, it wasn't close enough to see what was going on. CBS was doing its coverage of the Inauguration right above us, so CBS was on on the screen. We all gathered round to watch as the oaths were taken and the second that Barack finished his and was Mr. President, everyone in the room jumped up and shouted, hugged each other, cried and laughed. That moment I felt something so strong, it was unlike anything I had every felt before. There were tears streaming down my face, I was laughing I honestly didn't know what to do. I was so happy that I was able to witness that point in history, not to mention have it happen in my lifetime. I think that for that one moment, the whole country (or most of it) was joined in hope and that, is priceless. 

After the Inaugural ceremonies, Austin and I got into the elevator to try and find Christian and Harrison who had disappeared. As the doors were closing we heard someone say, " That was Jesse Jackson." We looked at each other and as soon as we got back up to Erin and Richard we told them. Then, looking to the screen we saw him sitting with Katie Couric talking about the Inauguration. We decided that we would ambush him on his way down....... in a gentle, loving way. We did, and he gave us a fabulous interview. He was just the right person for us to interview and I am sooo glad we did. 

When the camera was packed up, we decided to go back to the Mandarin where everyone else was celebrating. We got there, with frozen noses and frozen toses, and all shared our stories of the day. Then exhausted, we piled into Richard's car to go back to Falls Church. We should be in the circus, seriously. We were able to fit 13 people into 7 seats. When we finally did get back to the church we were exhausted and lay down to watch the Lords of Dogtown with BCP. 

This was a day that I will never, ever forget. It is burned into my brain and I am so so very grateful that I was able to take part in such a historical and incredible event. America, we have come a long way. 

MLK:Washington DC Day 4

This morning, after reluctantly getting up from the floor of Richard's hotel room, Sophie, Christian and I made our way to the Marvin Gaye Park for an hour of community service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.. Along with Brian, we raked up leaves and trash from the once nicknamed " Needle Park." Everyone was helping out and it was great. Obama had requested that people all around the nation give back to the community as an offering to the works of Martin Luther King Jr., as well as a kick off to his "let's get to work!" philosophy. The rest of the afternoon was spent resting, blogging, and hanging out with John Mellencamp's two sons, Speck and Hud. 

In the early evening, six of us made our way back to Falls Church Presbytarian to chill......and found out that we would be hosting some unexpected guests. A man was talking with Sue when I came in, explaining that the local boy scout troupe used the Falls Church Presbitarian as thier meeting space. Expecting a group of elementry kids in uniforms, we happily told the leader that we would love to speak to them about who we were and what we were doing in Washington DC. Waiting  around in our California way, wearing tank tops and sweats, we did some more work on our blogs. Then, two or three high school boys filed into the room only to disappear momentarily. We didn't know who they were so we carried on with our blogging. About five minutes later, they reappeared clad in green shirts covered in badges, scarfs tied around their necks, and army green pants that matched their shirts......not the boy scouts we were expecting. Within the next 15 minutes, about 8 other boys ranging from the age of 10 to 15 appeared in the room with their badges and belts. Lisa and Sue came over to where us girls were sitting, and asked us to please put on another layer, explaining that the boy scouts probably weren' t used to seeing a group of four girls  from Cali wearing spaghetti straps. We laughed and hurried of to get our long  sleeves. We stood with the scouts as they recited the Pledge of Alegiance and raised our arms to what was, unbenounced to us, the boy scout pledge. Lisa again came over to us laughing and told us that we didn't have to take the scout pledge. We talked to them about who we were and learned a lot about Eagle Scouts and rankings. It was an......interesting experience. After turning down their offer to go into space in their intergalactic space shuttle, we stripped back to our tank tops and went to bed. The day was a lot of fun and it was good to finally have a mellow day.  AND IT SNOWED!!!!!!

JUMPING AND "SHOUT"ING FOR JOY

Today was very, very cool. I started the day off at the Falls Church Presbitarian Church. We have been camping out in the basement anyway, but my group was assigned to stay for the services. Everyone there was extremely nice and we found some incredible stories. One woman, Patsy, had actually been an agent in the Secret Service for 20 years. She was the 8th woman to ever be in the Secret Service and the 1st woman to ever be permanently assigned to someone. She was the primary agent for George Bush Senior. We also interviewed a man who was friends with Collin Powell, John McCain, and many other important heads of state. He was very friendly and had great stories. Again, it is amazing the stories that the people you walk by every day have such incredible stories. 

Sophie, Harrison, Erin and I then went to Richards room at the Mandarin Oriental to hang out for a while before heading out to the red carpet of the Declare Yourself Ball. We blogged and explored the hotel and finally decided to trek down to the crowds of the mall for the We Are One concert. We got there and looked up at the screens to see Usher, Shakira and Stevie Wonder performing "Higher Ground". Then looking down, we saw hundreds of thousands of heads all staring in wonder at the Lincoln Memorial. We stayed to watch a performance of "Shout". Everyone was jumping up at the same parts in the song and singing at the top of their lungs. That was the first time that I really felt the unity of the people in Washington DC and the country. I know it may seem like a strange time to notice that, considering that I had already seen so many people come together, but it was the jumping and joy that really hit home for me. My group had started wandering back just as U2 came on. We turned around to see them performing City of Blinding Lights. A song that Obama loved but had never heard live. After the song, when Bono addressed Obama as "America's next President" my eyes flooded with tears. We stayed just long enough to see Barack speak and then rushed through the crowded streets to the hotel to put on our gowns. 

After dressing in a cloud of chaos, Harrison, Sophie, Jacob Sarah and I literally sprinted through the streets in our stockinged feet to make it to the ball in time. It was Cinderella all over again! We made it and got onto the carpet to interview Jamie Foxx, John Legend, Hayden Panettiere, Jessica Alba and Sarah Silverman. 

We got back into the hotel room at 11:30, just before we turned back into pumpkins, and ended up sleeping right on the floor of the room. OOF! Not the most comfortable thing in the world. We had a great night and it was fun to be back on the red carpet...... practice for the film fest. Nighnight!

Day 1 Pics of TP

      kendall and jacob at the capitol
    sophie and christian
charlie, austin, harrison and logan in front of ben's

harrison's epic video

COFFE, COLD AND CAMERAS: Washington DC day 2

We started this morning by rushing out of the cold and into the warm Starbucks. We struggled for a while with the internet, trying, trying and trying again to sign up for the wifi so that we could post our blogs. Finally, when all the parents had had enough caffine, we got them up and were on our way. Charlie and I were assigned to mentor Mary, Kendall, Austin and Sierra. Our first stop, Old Ebbits Grill is sta retuarant that has been around since the early 1900's. We dined on crab cakes and oysters and interviewed the head inrvestigator corrispondent for ABC News. 

Then, we walked around the mall..........FREEEZING!!!!!!!!! We stopped for hot chocolate at  a stand on the side of the street but even that was cold within a few minutes. From there we hustled to the White House for a few photo ops. We quietly walked by the Vietnam Memorial, stunned by how many names were etched into the stone. 

Then, too cold to go any farther, we hailed a cab to Martin's Tavern for tea and chocolate lava cake. Martin's Tavern was established in 1933 and was the same place where Kennedy proposed to his wife, Jackie. We had a lot of  fun and it was great to be in a place where so much had happened. 

Then, jumping into a cab again, we pushed our way through crowds of hundreds in Union Station. We had gotten word that Obama would be getting off of a train there and we were flipping out. We pushed and shoved and thrust our cameras up above the crowds.....only to find that it was a decoy and that he had left five minutes before... Even if we didn't see him, knowing that we were in the same room with him was awesome. 

Totally happy with how the day had gone, we got onto the metro once again to go back to the church. Today was pretty chill.....and chilly. We had a lot of fun and our group bonded with LOTS of laughs. 

Day 1 Pics of Places

ben's chili bowl
    front of union station

the capitol

WE THE PEOPLE: Washington DC day 1

Yesterday morning was a little harsh. We left at around 9:00 and our breath was taken away by the 13 degree air that....erg....welcomed us? We braced ourselves against the wind and headed toward the Falls Church bus station. We ended up at the metro station that would take us into the capitol, Washington DC. We waited there for about 20 minutes while John got us our metro passes and Austin and Kendall interviewed Eugene. Eugene is a  metro security guard that has been working in DC for more than 30 years! We watched him in disbelief, as our toes and fingers froze, while he told us about his father taking him to the March in Washington when he was 16. It's amazing that the people you walk by everyday have such incredible stories. 

Within in the next 45 minutes we were scrambling to get our coffees and scones at Starbucks. We relaxed for a minute while our bodies thawed out and our spirits were boosted............we were ready to start! We made our way to Union Station where we were met by Lucy and Mark Connolly, tour guides for the historical site as well as fellow Santa Barbarians. Our jaws dropped at the sheer hugeness of the place as well as its story. Mark Connolly first went to Union Station in 1987 and he described it as being "...ankle deep in water. The only thing living in sight was mushrooms." If that is true, Union Station sure has come a long way! We walked around admiring the beautiful architecture and Roman statues. Part of the station is actually used as a train station and others are used as shopping centers, food courts and event rooms. It was incredible walking around in the station and it was great to see people from back home.  

We then quickly ran from the warmth and back out onto the streets of DC, heading toward the Capitol. As we were walking, John dared Harrison to jump over one of the blockades that was in the middle of the sidewalk. Of course, being Harrison, he  accepted and assured us all that he would make it over like a pro.....well, it didn't go quite as he had planned. I told him to wait so that I could catch his awesomeness  on film, but instead I got America's Funniest Home Video. His gloves slipped and sent him flying. Of course, we all rushed to his side, but in a few minutes when we watched the video, we realized how funny it was. Even Harrison was laughing! When we had pulled ourselves together, we walked into the Capitol. We were ushered through security and into a group for a tour. It was awesome! We walked through the Rotunda, the Crypt, and several other historical rooms. It was beautiful. Then, the highlight of the day, for me at least, Ben's Chili Bowl. 

Immediately, we knew that this was the place for the Teen Press. It was PACKED, with people of all colors, shapes and sizes. The cooks behind the counter were laughing and singing their hearts out. We sat down, ordering and smiling at the pictures of the owners with Bill Cosby, Hilary Clinton, Bono, and many more. After we had eaten, we started a conga line through the restaurant....a big hit. On our way out, Sophie and I stood on a chair in the middle of the room and asked for everyones attention. We requested a big "YES WE CAN" from everyone in the restaurant, and by George, we got it. It was amazing. 

Today was such a great experience, seeing the hope and excitement of the people. We were surrounded by "Obama"s....on posters, hats, even the sides of sunglasses. In the metro stations, there were all sorts of plays on Obama's campaign logo. It was incredible, and I am so happy to see that there are so many others that are sharing the joy of having Barack Obama as our President-Elect. WE THE PEOPLE