A day of the DNC . . .

On Thursday, August 28, 2008, thanks to my dear friend Bob, Bug and I were fortunate to attend the Democratic National Convention and witness history in the making. It was such a great experience. I checked Bug out of school at noon and we drove back downtown for lunch and a look at protestors. Bug's favorite scene was when the mounted police arrived with the horses in riot gear --- neither of us had seen horses in riot gear before. All was peaceful, thankfully . . . . a few protestors, but nothing too over the top.

Here is Bug at our table at the Corner Bakery, where we had lunch before a quick tour on the 16th Street Mall . . .

On historic Larimer Square, all the flags of the United States were flying in honor of the convention. I took a close-up of the Arkansas flag . . .

More flags . . .

Bug and I left my office with my friend, Kevin, to walk to Invesco Field at 1:30. We were able to get through the gates a little after 3:00. It was HOT! And I had forgotten to bring sunscreen. Luckily, some was passed back through the line. And the DNC folks had huge barrels of water waiting for us outside Invesco. I felt very fortunate to get through when we did --- some people were in lines for much longer. When we arrived, the show started with various members of the military talking about why they supported Obama as their future commander-in-chief.

CNN's tent was right below us. Can you see Wolf Blitzer? I remember seeing him in Little Rock during Bill Clinton's campaign first Presidential campaign.

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, warmed up the crowd . . .

Unfortunately, I had put my camera back in my purse and couldn't get it out and unzipped before Olympic Gold Medalist Shawn Johnson had finished leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance, but did manage to catch Jennifer Hudson singing the National Anthem, and it was so beautifully done.

Sheryl Crow was great. I enjoy hearing her live more than just listening to her songs on the radio. She's so pretty . . . she came down the ramp in front of us all dressed in white, looking very tall and thin . . .

Stevie Wonder . . . WOW . . . I can't believe I got to hear him live . . . I use to sneak my sister's 8-track tape of his greatest hits and sing to the top of my lungs with "Sir Duke" and some others.

Al Gore . . . hmm . . . wouldn't our world be different today if he had been our president for the past 8 years? He gave an incredible talk, so impressive. . . . .

Joe Biden make another quick talk before Obama came out. There were a ton of speakers, not all of whom I'm posting. Some of the most poignant stories came from those of "regular folk" who have suffered because of the policies implemented under the present administration. Their stories were so compelling . . . several of them had been life-long Republicans . . . until now.

Here is Bug holding a sign they gave us at the convention. They also distributed American flags for everyone to wave.

I'm so sad that my pictures of Barack Obama did not turn out well. By the time he came on stage, around 8:00 p.m., it was already dark and the pictures did not turn out well at all. But he was so engaged, so captivating in his speech . . . . people all around me were so hungry for his message. Everyone there . . . all races, ages, socio-economic levels . . . you could see in their eyes and their demeanor . . . everyone there wanted change . . . someone to believe in . . . someone to help make day-to-day life a little easier. I have never felt such a collective "hope" in my life. Even Bug noticed it. And it meant a lot to her when Obama said, in a video message played right before he appeared, that he "was shaped more by the absence of my father than by his presence." She tugged on my arm and said as I leaned down "me too, Mom . . . I'm like him." . . . . I was so blown away that she said it, but even more so by the fact that she meant it. That old adage "that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger" is, apparently, a concept that a 10-year-old can grasp when she has lived it personally. So, I love that she feels a connection with Barack Obama and that she understands adversity can be a blessing in disguise.

Here's a shot of the stadium . . . . Can't you feel the energy?

It's going to be a long 10 weeks until the election. But my hope is that on August 28, 2008, with my daughter at my side, I personally witnessed the next President of the United States. . . . Thanks, Bob.

Thursday night . . . . looks like I'll be at Invesco

Today, I got a call from my dear friend who is chief of staff for one of our U.S. senators. All the senators are staying at a hotel just a few blocks from my townhome, and he had some downtime. So we went for coffee, and he gave me 2 tickets for Barack Obama's acceptance speech Thursday night at Invesco Field. I feel so honored . . . there are thousands of people trying to get in . . . and he thought of Bug and me. The tickets themselves are so cool --- they're holograms, so when you move them, the information "changes". Now I just have to figure out how to get to Invesco and spend the day outside with a 10-year-old who will not understand the wait. But the opportunity for her to witness this part of our country's history . . . . well, it's a can't miss event. I'm so grateful to my friend. And I was able to visit with the senator he works for as well, who gave me a newspaper from my old home town . . . . it was so nice to read . . . didn't realize I had missed reading news from home until I had it in front of me.

Bug and I watched Hillary's speech tonight. I thought she knocked it out of the park . . . incredibly impressive, and I hope I have the opportunity to vote for her in the future.

Bug started soccer practice tonight with her new team. I was so proud of her ---- she walked into a group of girls who have been playing together for several years, and she just fit right in. And she played so well that the other parents were all talking about "the new girl . . . . she's really good." (They didn't know she was mine. ) One of her coaches has the highest coaching licensure there is and played pro and semi-pro women's soccer. The high school team she coaches has made All State in Colorado for the past 2 years. And she took a shine to Bug, which means she's A-okay in my book. :):)

And the park where Bug practices is so nice . . . I ended up jogging while she practiced and was amazed at how long I'm able to jog . . . . guess my blood has finally thickened up enough to give me the needed oxygen at this altitude. I was thrilled and plan to start jogging the 2 nights/week she practices. Between jogging, tennis, biking, and the workouts at the JCC, hopefully I won't totally suck on the slopes this season!

All in all, it was a very nice day.