Historic Morning

The Presidential Inauguration events drew me away from my work activities this morning. Living in DC, it is hard to concentrate on the normal tasks at hand, so I set aside my action items and watched the overflowing crowd (over two million strong) on TV. We have a delegate inside, the singer from our wedding, who is braving the cold for an eyewitness account of this amazing moment. "Bearing witness", said one woman on the radio - and she was right.

Our delegate left with his "roommate" this morning around 4am; he was able to enter his assigned seating area at 9:45am, where he will eventually take position in the coveted stands (Purple section rules!) at the base of the Capitol Building. The text messages are flying furiously as the event unfolds in the early hours:

"Crazy"

"still havent moved an inch. weve had a couple of ambulances cause people have freaked out!"

As President-elect Obama left the Blair House, received service at St. Thomas Church across from the White House, and took the ceremonial coffee with President Bush and the First Lady, the crowds continued to arrive and the cameras continued to roll. Fitting that these images are shared across the country, a common American experience alongside what all the thousands are experiencing on the National Mall. An historic morning, and we are all there.

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