THE STARS ARE ALIGNED AND OUT AT INAUGURATION!

SO SHOOT ME FOR DELETING THE PHOTOS OF BIG NAME STARS/POLITICOS

So, I told you I was new at thing blogging thing....well apparently I put this earlier post somewhere and it was stuck in "drafts" and apparently did not send....so I'm sending it now....So ignore the now passe remarks about Caroline Kennedy....what a difference a few days makes.....Ron Howard subsequently became a nominee for Nixon the movie and Caroline is no longer going to be the "junior senator from New York"........but enjoy the vicarious thrills we got from seeing our cousins friends at the Screen Actors Guild ball and the BIG star studded events.....New Jersey Governor John Corzine was at the ball with us on Saturday and has quite the moves, but paused to bring greetings in between dances and singing by Grammy award winner Regina Belle....and the "fresh faced young man" standing with Ed [Ed has glasses, Deval does not] is my first legal boss [when I was a summer intern at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in NYC in 1985 ] who is now Governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick. ....speaking of glasses....hiding behind that big grin with big glasses is the very smart Rachel Maddow, whose show on MSNBC has many of us addicted and sleeping less each night..

HEADING HOME TO DETROIT/JACKSON

Finally, as if it were the icing on the cake.....we slept in late on Wednesday after the inauguration and read all the morning papers and shopped in the underground arcades between the Metro and our hotel for souvenirs, grabbed another great crab cake sandwich from the hotel's restaurant Mez and then headed to Washington National Airport------I refuse to call it Reagan International--even after all these years --for home.

HERE COMES DA JUDGE....

As we got settled in our seats, an elderly black gentleman behind me was looking for his window seat and hestitated crawling over 2 young kids already seated who didn't get out of their seats to let him in....I was on the aisle and looked up only to recognize one of my biggest legal heroes---6th Circuit Federal Court of Appeals Judge Damon Keith. Among lawyers and judges, he is a giant! [See his wikipedia entry below. ] So, I stood up and offered him my seat, quickly introducing myself, giving him a kiss on the cheek and mentioning how I knew him and had worked with some of his former clerks and am a mentor to one of his younger more recent clerks. His face brightened and he promised to take a photo with me when we landed. When the high school kids seated next to me asked me who he was I told them. They told their teacher and then she asked if they could get his autorgraph and take pictures. So, several students did and got him to sign their Washington Post and USA Today newspapers. He was very gracious to them. As he took my proffered seat, I introduced him to my husband Dave and my mom Doris and they chatted the entire trip back to Detroit. I'm not a hater.....!!! I eavesdropped from the row behind them counting the minutes until we'd land and I could chat him up.

Judge Keith did indeed wait with my husband for me at the gate and we talked for 15 minutes while I "interviewed him" about his experience at the inauguration and some of his famous cases and we caught up on the whereabouts of his previous clerks I have known. To summarize his impressions on the big event.... he got choked up a little and said essentially this: "There have been 3 major events in my life that have been unforgettable (1) the March on Washington (2) welcoming Nelson Mandela when he was released from prison and (3) the Obama inauguration [which he attended with his grandchildren]. He is indeed a fortunate and blessed man. I am fortunate and blessed to have met him on this occasion ----or at all!!

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Wikipedia entry for Judge Keith follows below:

Keith grew up in Detroit, where he graduated from Northwestern High School in 1939; Keith then moved on to West Virginia State College (B.A. 1943), Howard University School of Law (J.D. 1949), and Wayne State University Law School (L.L.M. 1956).
Keith's wife, Dr. Rachel Boone Keith, and he were married in 1953 and had three daughters. She died on January 4, 2007.
In 1964, Keith was elected co-chair of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission with John Feikens, and was a key player in the tumultuous times following the Detroit race riots.
In 1967, Senator Philip Hart suggested Keith to President Lyndon Johnson, who nominated Keith to his seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Keith eventually rose to Chief Judge of the District Court. And in 1977 he was nominated to the Sixth Circuit by President Jimmy Carter where he has remained.
Keith is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.

[edit] Notable Cases
In United States v. Sinclair (1971), Keith famously ruled that Nixon's Attorney General John Mitchell had to disclose the transcripts of illegal wiretaps that Mitchell had authorized without first obtaining a search warrant. Keith's decision was upheld by the Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court's landmark decision in United States v. U.S. District Court (1972) (also known as "the Keith case") contributed in 1978 to the president signing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). That decision is commemorated as a "Michigan Legal Milestone" called "the Uninvited Ear" and erected by the State Bar of Michigan.[1]

[edit] Clerks
He has been called a father-figure to current Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm, who once served as his law clerk, and administered the oath of office to her in both 2002 and 2006.
In addition to Governor Granholm, other former law clerks to Judge Keith include: Lani Guinier, first African-American woman to gain tenure at Harvard Law School, The Honorable Eric L. Clay, U.S. Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, David Simmons, Chief Administrative Law Judge at the DC Commission on Human Rights,Constance L. Rice, prominent civil rights activist and co-founder of the Advancement Project and Robert H. Giles, Assistant Prosecutor in Oakland County, Michigan

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THANK YOUS

So.....there you have it..............Thanks to Congressman Schauer for the inauguration tickets. What a lifetime milestone and unforgettable experience.

Thanks to my mom Doris because she kept on trucking, even when her knees and legs were about to give out.....I think she wondered who and how she'd be rescued in the sea of thousands if she passed out or decided she couldn't go any further.....fear is a powerful motivator!!!!

Thanks to God and mother nature for the sunshine on January 20th because the cold didn't seem as frigid as it had been all the days before the event.

Thanks to Eileen Lehnert who suggested that I create a blog and chronicle the events...good idea...

We are thankful to our cousins Staff Sargeant Calvin Phelps (who attended Congressman Schauer's swearing in and took him greetings from us) and his lovely wife Sheila and their son Curtis for taking care of Glen while we were gone. We were welcomed home by our 3 year old who asked us "how was your trip.....did you say hello to Barack Obama?" as he hugged and kissed us repeatedly.....This question from Glen is interesting for several reasons.....

During November parent-teach conferences at his pre-school, the first thing his teacher, Miss Diana, said was "....in over 30 years of teaching pre-schoolers, I have never known any students in pre-school to know or be able to name the President of the United States, except your son Glen........" OK.....?! Obviously he's been paying attention to dinnertime political conversations and our discussions of the news.....

The second reason it's so cute is that apparently Glen is no longer mad at Barack Obama....For several weeks after election day he would shrug and get a frown on his face when we talked about the then President-Elect....we figured out the reason later when we asked Glen why he didn't want to hear about Barack Obama. Glen told me the story of how Barack kept him from "swimming with the kids." Then I remembered how on election day, which was a Tuesday and day of Glen's regular swimming lesson,I had to get to the polls to vote before 8pm. Dave was out of town and it by the time I picked Glen up from pre-school, it was after 5pm and I knew I needed to vote before swim lessons. We were late for swimming because of Barack Obama. So Barack was standing between Glen and his love for the pool/swimming. He remembered how on election day, I let Glen make the mark on the ballot for Barack and took a photo of it. He really was involved directly in the event that caused him to have a shorter swimming lesson! Out of the mouths of babes.....Well, Glen will grow up with memories of what we hope will be a normal event in political campaigns and in life...............the best, smartest/capable person with the best ideas and strongest leadership skills gets the job, wins the presidency or accomplishes great things, without regard to the color of his or her skin.......Thanks for listening/reading/commenting and sharing.

Peace!

REFLECTIONS ON THE BIG DAY TUESDAY JAN 20 2009

IT IS THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY....A NEW ERA...A NEW NATIONAL LEVEL OF:

• CIVILITY


• CLASS


• INTEGRITY


• COLLABORATION , with a

SENSIBLE, RESPONSIBLE, FOCUSED GOVERNMENT! YIPPEE!!

The ceremonies yesterday spawned this new culture of commitment to the people and to the tenets of the Constitution and democratic principles and ideals, respecting in cultural, individual and civil rights! What a change. We particularly loved the warmth and attention the President and First Lady paid to Dorothy Height, to John Lewis, and others even though it was their big day......especially nice touch was the gift to Laura Bush from Lady Michelle as she greeted them leaving the White House, graciously seeing off the Bushes as they boarded the helicopter and countless other gestures that show their sophistication, class and tact. We are proud to be Americans again.

THE BEST LAID PLANS.........WERE DELAYED...

So, we woke up to sunshine on January 20, 2009, Inaugural Day here in Washington.....a first since we arrived......the clouds dissipated and the sun rose slowly shining brightly just before noon warming the crowds and signalling perhaps a preview of warmer days ahead in every respect. Its a metaphor that was hard to miss in light of the last 8 years and in light of the new dawn of Obama era. The sun's warmth was palpable.....it brought out the goodness, the good natured humor and civility in everyone in the crowds. It brightened the day and signaled a brighter future as well. It was still chilly.........but the sun was a salve!

We had all intentions of hopping on the Metro downstairs underneath our hotel and zooming to get processed through security at the gate where our precious inaugural tickets were accepted......well.....It was not to be, but just as well....as the day could not have been more perfect. The metro trains were packed when they arrived at the station so no one was getting off and no one could get on............Not to worry....they were so organized that a booming voice over the loudspeaker told us to take escalator up and buses were waiting to whisk up to Pennsylvania Avenue......no sooner had we ascended, we boarded and they took off. All those closed bridges and streets were actually open to the Metro buses so within 10 minutes we were at 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue deposited in the enclosed areas open only to pedestrians (actually---practically the whole city was fenced in and gated with only selected exits/street crossings that mandated you stay within its bounds and required ingenuity or conformance to escape the bounds).

WE SUDDENLY BECAME PART OF THE BORG/THE COLLECTIVE SEA OF PEOPLE

Just as we descended the bus, literally a sea of thousands of people were approaching the same area. You could overhear people saying that they had been turned away from the viewing areas in the National Mall about 1/2 mile away near the Reflecting Pool, so they were being directed to the Mall area past 14th Street. Within moments were were enveloped in this crowd of people that just moved as one slowly toward the next opening into the Mall. There was no swimming upstream to be done here. There were 2 feet tall concrete barriers to keep you from going straight into the mall, but people were jumping them and the 8 foot fences to escape the swarm. Since my mom is 80 and can't jump as high as she used to, we kept moving with the crowds.

KIDS' LIMO FANTASY

A lone limo was stuck among us in the sea of thousands, inching slowly toward a possible escape route at 17th Street. Many little kids walking among us thought it was President Obama inside the limo and were taking photos of it as it inched along trying not to bump people surrounding it on all sides. Parents were too kind or too unknowing to tell their children that it really was not the President in the surrounded limo......

ESCAPING FROM THE BORG

Finally at 17th Street there was a huge opening that allowed us to un-glue ourselves and freely enter the grassy mall area around the Washington Memorial. So, the next question was....how on earth were we going to cross the mall area and find an opening that would take us across Constitution or Pennsylvania Ave so we could just head to the Willard Hotel in hopes of enjoying the ceremonies from the comfort of the ballrooms and banquet rooms the New York State Society had sponsored....? We started a trek across the Mall area only to be told the nearest open crossing intersection was 18th Street.......An hour later we had made little headway---about the equivalent of maybe 6 blocks and still were no where near the exit of mall area---- and the ceremonies were starting. My mom happened unto some friends from our hometown, Canton, Ohio...as we trekked the mall....so another big shout to Gwen Singletary and friends. What a pleasant surprise!

SEIZING THE MOMENT......PRIME UN-TICKETED SPOT!

We stopped and garned a spot right in front of where a huge jumbo tron was projecting the live feed and sound--without commentary by talking heads--of all the comings and goings and the behind the scenes readiness.....Unfortunately, as you'll see in the photos...some brilliant technician set the jumbo screen up right behind a huge tree so there's a branch covering part of the screen! OK, if you haven't been to the Mall area....it's barren.....open......It's probably the size of 10,000 football fields.....There must be a dozen trees in the entire Mall area.....Why, oh why would somebody pick that particular spot!!!!!The wonders and curiosities of life?!!!

The open area quickly filled in and by the time 11:15 came, there was not a spare inch around us . The entire mall area was packed to capacity. Those estimates of 1.8 million people have to be underreported.....There were people everywhere .....Everyone was waving flags.....people were polite....saying "excuse me", "thank you" and "pardon me" as they tried to move or pass.....the portapotties were plentiful, but didn't see many lines for them.....

CROWDS' REACTIONS TO TELEVISED CEREMONY

As the dignataries were announced and seated, the crowd roared especially loudly when Sasha, Malia and Grammy Robinson were escorted to their seats, and erupted uncontrollably when the President Elect and Mrs. Obama were announced and arrived with the Bushes.....There was a surprising collective thunderous booing and hissing when Dick Cheney was wheeled in. Have you ever heard a million or two people hiss and boo at the same time? It's quite a roar.

While that moment of booing and hissing was uproarious and loud......to the contrary.....during the President's speech....you could hear a pin drop.....We all stood rapt and attentive, clinging to his every word, just as many of us cling to hope for a brighter future. His remarks were prophetic and signalled non too subtly that it is indeed a new era.....for Americans who can expect value added services from its government...no matter what the size.....The new focus is on what it can efficiently do to make our lives better, not on superficial metrics like size. It's going to be a new era in international politics and affairs.....we will befriend those who support democratic principles and stand firmly and unapologetically against those who don't respect others or them. He has laid down the gauntlet.....and set the bar high for individual responsibility and action and for government action to societal ills...

Obama's daughter's "thumbs up" is the consensus of the crowd around us.

WE FINALLY MADE IT TO THE WILLARD...........

So, at the end....we morphed back into the swarm/borg of thousands and 3 miles and 2 hours later....found our way out of the crowd to an open street area on 18th and H and circled around back to the Willard to watch the rest of the festivities in relative comfort.......My mom was a trooper and stayed up and made the entire 8 hour trip with only a few stops to learn and rest although she reports that all her "...itis [arthritis...bursitis....etc] relatives showed up to join her and sap a little of her energy......She also miraculously ran into some hometown--Canton, Ohio--friends on our trek across the Mall area.....Shout outs to Gwen Singletary and friends........Thanks to the buffet chefs at the Willard of scrounged up some food and great omellettes for us to enjoy as we recuperated from our morning ordeal and watching the luncheon and afternoon events on TV in the Peacock Lounge.

So...........we resisted the temptation to buy any one of the thousands of Obama souvenirs being hawked by vendors up and down the sidewalk....We'll have more time today to pick up some souvenirs...

A SHORT RIDE "HOME"

The packed Metro ride back to our hotel was quick. A big shout out to the elderly African American man who let my mom lean on him since she could not reach a place to brace herself once inside the packed Metro car....and for alerting us when he thought she was fainting...Actually, she moved away from him as a place to hang on became available. Needless to say, the sight of the comfortable beds and flat screen TV was welcome! We decided to chuck changing and making it to any other balls..............This turned out to be a good decision since the President and First Lady stayed only a few minutes at each one.....We'd have our fill for one day. A bed-side view from the flat screen was the perfect ending to an absolutely wonderful day and experience....

More later......

I'm sure we forgot quite a lot of events...but as we think of them, we'll update the blog again....Thanks to all of you who emailed us and called or commented on the blog during the last few days......We loved every minute of it and hope you enjoyed it as well wherever you were.

4:15PM PICKED UP BEAUTIFUL INAUGURAL TICKET/PACKET

TRAFFIC........TICKET TREKKING.......TAKING IT ALL IN..................

So......where were we? Monday was Martin Luther King Jr birthday holiday and the streets are all barricaded with 8 feet tall metal linked screens and normal metal stree barricades in preparation for Inauguarl Day....The swarms of police, visiting and DC-based, are keeping order and keeping things moving. The plan today/MLK Jr. Day was to pick up tickets, attend a couple of cocktail parties and soirees before finally ending up at the JWMarriott for another ball.......Well...the best laid plans......need we say more? We did get the tickets (more on that) and attended the ball!

My friend Johnine, the Washington insider phoned or texted all day reporting on her adventures in traffic and who she saw at Congressional Black Caucus and another event where the President and First Lady were in attendance.....Another vicarious thrill......So, why did we wait to Sundaynight and Monday night headed to balls......

We should have learned our lesson Sunday night about the traffic........I guess I'm a slow learner.

TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC, TRAFFIC....TRAFFIC...FORGETTABOUT IT....METRO IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO....
.....Car service is hardly worth the exorbitant money since all the meeting places are several blocks away from wherever you are going, if it's anywhere near the White House....(everything is near the WH!).....so we sat in Taxi last night for 90 minutes on the way to JW Marriott for the Coleur Odyssey Inaugural Ball and finally got the driver to drop by at the closest Metro station and we joined the crowd of black tie festooned partiers taking the train, easily and handily to the stop 2 blocks from our destination.....The barracades for the parade route were putting assembled....the streets were empty of cars and all you could see for blocks were flashing red lights (police cars blocking off all main streets and bridges)...

Enjoy the photos of my girlfriends, Regina Belle, the entertainment for the ball (she was 2 hours late, stuck in traffic and she and her band/entourage had to get out of limo and walk 8 blocks to get to the hotel.)...we ate, partied and danced until she arrived and WHAT A SHOW......she was worth the wait......

Enjoy photos of the gorgeous ticket packet and my friends at last night's ball and the Capital at night (quick shot from taxi...we were afraid to get out of it for fear that while taking a better picture, someone would try to get in it and grab it! Taxis were in rare supply last night!....

Getting dressed and headed to the Capital and Willard Hotel for New York Society Brunch and Parade Viewing......more later.................

Inauguration Day -Minus 1--the countdown!

Good morning.....well OK...good afternoon. It's another cold --20 degree--day in the Nation's Capital. Speaking of cold.....our feet were frozen last night as we waited for taxi after the Gala at the Newseum on Pennsylvania Avenue......So, Sunday night the people were out, the gowns were glittery, and the taxis were impossible to find (even when we called 2 companies to request).

That One! Inaugural Gala featured Omar Edward, tap dancer extraordinaire and star of the Tony Award winning "Bring in da Noise, Bring in da Funk and NBC's "Showtime at the Apollo" as the master of ceremonies for the short program honoring Hill Harper and Beverly Bond.

Omar was assisted by Wendell Pierce, actor from the HBO series "The Wire" and movies Ray, Bulworth, Get on the Bus, Malcolm X , Waiting to Exhale and I think I Love My Wife. Hill Harper you will recognize as an actor author, activist and founder of a foundation to enpower, encourage and inspire underserved youth to succeed. Hill was also a Harvard law school classmate of our new President-Elect Obama.. Another award recipient was Beverly Bond, renowned DJ and Founder of Black Girls Rock, a mentoring outreach program targeting "at risk" teenage women of color which encourages dialogue about images of women in hip hop and music culture to improve the images protrayed in mainstream media. John Rhea, a banking senior executive and member of Obama's National Finance Committee and newly sworn in Illionis Senator Roland W. Burris and Kimatni Rawlines, and an automotive multi0media and marketing portal entrepreneur were also honored.

The music was jamming.....the jumbo-tron screens were huge and continually scanned the crowds and gave everyone a bird's eye view of all the action on multiple levels of the mueseum. Dave's eyes lit up at virtually every song from 70s and 80s and hips were moving as he spouted off the name of the artist, the year it was released and music trivia about each tune to keep me entertained.....The women were bejeweled and young!!! The men were decked out....the fur was flying.....fur coats that is.....sported by men and women..........

TAXIS.....NO WHERE TO BE FOUND......

We walked the red carpet going in and used it to keep our feet from freezing on the way out as we waited for a ride back to the hotel. Finally, after hours of waiting and dozens of calls to cab companies, we offered a young women whose car was valet parked $20 to drop us at the nearest hotel where we figured, there were bound to be cabs...................Found a willing good soul who,with her 2 girlfriends gave us a life (refused the money!!!) and wished us well.....She was born and raised in the same Queens neighborhood as Dave......the things you discover when hitchhiking in black tie attire in Washington DC....They too were in town for the inaugural festivities and were only too glad to help us......So we get out and of course....it's 1:30am and the hotel lobby is locked unless you have a room key...It's a Marriott...we're staying at a Marriott...albeit another one in different state!!....but no luck.....doors don't open...security guard looks at us like we have 3 heads.....So we head across the street to McCormick & Schmidts restaurant hoping to snag a cab there....we meet up with a young couple headed to Arlington, VA like us and agree to share a cab................which we do and discover in yet another "un hijacked transportation scenario" that she is from Grand Rapids and he is from Columbus, Ohio.....So we met 5 new friends and good Samaritans in 1 night.

HEADED TO CAPITOL HILL TO PICK UP INAUGURATION CEREMONY TICKETS AND PRACTICE METRO RUN TO GET THERE IN THE MORNING......STAY TUNED FOR REPORT ON TONIGHTS'S DINNER, GALA...................

SUNDAY IN WASHINGTON....THE EXCITEMENT BUILDS

Sunday January 18, 2009 4:30 pm

So....we're blogging for the first time to bring you our thoughts, observations and sights and goings on in Washington during many inauguration events. Forgive us in advance for ignoring any protocols......we'll catch up soon. It's an exciting time and everyone is pumped and smiling everywhere you go. We'd love to have you share in our sense of adventure and excitement so stay tuned....So we've left the -15 degree weather of mid-Michigan to the balmy 20 degree temperatures here in the nation's capital.

Today's highlights-- SUNDAY JANUARY 18m 2009 --- (and it is not even 5pm):

Inspiring history lesson and sermon by the lone surviving March on Washington speaker, civil rights leader and GA Congressman John Lewis at Shiloh Baptist Church pastored by The Rev. Dr. Wallace Charles Smith; (Check out photos if we can figure out how to add more)

The HBO -That One! Concert just ended and the 500,000 spectators are milling around basking in the sights and sounds of dozens of America's biggest entertainers.....

Brunch at Art Smith's (Oprah's former chef's new restaurant at The Liaison Hotel) new Art and Soul Restaurant where we other diners were Oprah's hairdresser Andre and friends, exiting and getting into a limo as we entered music producer Babyface Edmonds and lady friend (who from the back looked just like Tracey Edmonds!) and dozens of celebrities and politicos ID'd by secret service and FBI escorts hovering near the tables. Chicken and waffles....delish!

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Attended church service at the historic Shiloh Baptist Church 9th and P Streets NW which was founded in 1863 by 21 former slaves. These slaves left Fredericksburg, VA under the protection of the Union Army. After settling in DC and meeting in various homes, they organized a Sunday School in a small building on L Street between 16th and 17th Strets NW. This grew into one of the most well regarded religious institutions in Washington. It's been at the forefront of social, political, and educational advancement for all people. Congressman Lewis is from Georgia and was the youngest of MLK, Jr's protegees and is the last surviving speaker among the 10 civil rights speakers at the 1963 March on Washington with MLK, Jr. His sermon detailed the civil rights struggle and his role in it at various junctures. He detailed how so many ancestors and historical figures had put their lives on the line and taken a stand to enable this historic moment.

JOHN LEWIS' SERMON QUOTES AND TAKEAWAYS:

"Sometimes you have to turn things upside down to get them right side up."

"Do justice, have mercy and walk humbly.."

"Find a way to get in the way and turn things upside down..." [Be a change agent]

"No one could have arranged the calendar the way history has turned out...August 28, 19955, Emmett Till was lynched.... It was on August 28, 1963 that Washington and the nation witnessed The March of Washington [where John Lewis spoke, along with Martin Luther King, Jr. and 8 others]; On August 28, 2008, Barack Obama accepted the Democratic's nomination to be President of the United States.....Only God and a higher power could have ordained these historical events.....

Reflecting on the impending inauguration and swearing in, Congressman Lewis mused :

....." it may not be the promised land that Martin talked about during his speech at the March on Washington, but it is major down payment on Martin's dream.....the dream is too right, too necessary and too noble to die.

We were moved to tears.....remembering our grandparents, and my father who died this summer and my mother in law who died 2 years ago who could not be here to witness these events......tears of joy and appreciation for the thousands of people of all races who fought for civil rights and legal rights for African Americans to be recognized, treated and acknowledged as whole beings, worthy of equal treatment and equal access and equal rights under the law.....tears of joy hearing the beautiful voices of the Shiloh Baptist Church choir......voices of angels......What an especially poignant history lesson, spiritual reflections and joyous celebration of our ancestors past contributions ...................

If you haven't been to a Baptist Church before, this one is a must if you are ever in Washinton. They started precisely at 10:55am...the choir's range and repertoire was broad and ever appropriate---from Negro spirituals to traditional hymns to rousing gospel foot stomping, hand clapping renditions.....finally "Order My Steps".....Congressman Lewis' favorite song......Absolutely phenomenal musical arrangements and delivery....The men choir members were in Black Suits and the women donned Black dresses and each wore a strand of pearls in honor of the future First Lady Michelle Obama. The list of dignitaries, members of Congress and their families, Historical Black College and University Presidents and their families, Washington local government and agency and education officials who were recognized and introduced and visitors from as far as Nigeria, London, California and points in between, was long and impressive.

Thank you to my wonderful friend and Washington lawyer Juliette Pryor, who invited us to attend last week telling us that Congressman Lewis was the speaker. The service was rousing, the 200+ member choir under the leadership of Maestro Thomas Tyler brought us to tears on too many occasions....A shout out to my home girl from Cincinnati, Tonya McMillan Schmoke, who recognized me in the foyer of Shiloh Baptist Church when we hadn't seen each other since graduation from Spelman in the early 80's.....Good to see you and let' s stay in touch.

TONIGHT'S AGENDA:

HBO Party at the Newseum-----the concert was fabulous and now the party to end all parties....We picked up our VIP tickets today and will don our gala attire to party with the stars and get a preview of one of the best locations to watch the inaugural parade......Terraces are open to the press only for security reasons but we'll scope out the best parade viewing sites for those who already have tickets for Tuesday......If you don't, gotta find another spot, as it's sold out for Tuesday parade viewing. (Try Shiloh Baptist Church where German National TV is doing a live feed and the church is hosting a viewing party!)

TOMORROW'S AGENDA:

Pick up inauguration tickets

Brunch with Washington area friends

Design travel gameplan for Tuesday morning's route to the Capitol area

Prepare gameplan for travel from inauguration to Willard Hotel for parade viewing brunch sponsored by the New York State Society

Make round of cocktail parties at law firms and consulting firms run by friends

Prepare for 2nd gala event at JW Marriott hotel and scout out transportation plan in light of all street and bridge closings..

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What a day! What a day! The excitement builds with every moment....Let's take you back to how we got here....next time......OK, not that far back....