Yes, we can (Saturday with THAT ONE)

You may have noticed that I support Barack Obama as the next President of the United States of America. All during the campaign, I have wanted to attend a rally where he speaks, but things have not worked out where I could go ... until TODAY!

The girls and I drove to Pueblo, Colorado (no, really) to see both Barack and Michelle Obama speak. It was wonderful!! (And, gas was just $2.26/gallon! WOO! HOO!)

We were seated (well, we 4 shared 2 chairs - they had THOUSANDS more people than they expected!) in the ADA area because of my knees (don't get too excited, the access for mobility-challenged folks was not great. I don't know how many of the people did it. And, exiting was WAY WAY worse!!) But, it was worth the little struggles to get there.

We were maybe 25 rows from the podium. But, we were on the back side of the people speaking! They had not planned for anyone to be seated where we were, and so the loudspeakers were not pointed our way! I was really wishing I knew more ASL, as the woman who was signing was clearly visible from our seats! LOL! The row of elderly women seated right behind us, who talked the entire time about how they could not hear, did not help things. :-) When they were quiet (didn't their mothers teach them better??) I could hear Senator Obama very well. It was impossible to hear Michelle, or the couple of other people who spoke before she took the stand. They must have turned up the volume when Senator Obalama spoke.

There were security people everywhere! I enjoyed watching the men on top of the two buildings to our left and right.

It was THRILLING to be engulfed in a sea of politically like-minded people. And, it was wonderful to be able to take my children! May has asked me TONS of questions about voting, the electoral process (she GETS the fact that no matter how many people vote in Colorado, we have 9 votes to cast and the next President needs 270 to win - it took me 40 years to understand that. LOL!). Jane and Irene just get swept along in the flow of excitment. May is old enough to be more discerning. I told her to think with her OWN head and heart about who to back. Never just vote the way your parent(s) vote.

Michelle Obama wore a pair of rockin' tight purple pants! You go, Girl!

It was HOT in Pueblo today and so Senator Obama went without jacket and tie and rolled his sleeves to the elbow.

He is SO FIT on TV that I expected him to be skinny in real life. But, he looks just the same in person as he does on TV.

They hugged as she left the podium and he entered it. They are very natural and loving together. They were the same way with their two daughters when the entire family was on the stage after Obama's speech. There is an easy way about them.

There were no surprises in his speech, but it was stirring nonetheless.

All the people around us flirted and chatted with my girls. They all told me how well-behaved my daughters are. I love that!! The girls colored and drew and strung beads into necklaces. I sat next to an older man who didn't mind them brushing past his leg 5000 times. He also (with my permission) gave them candy out of his pocket (the individually wrapped Brach's mix you can get at the grocery store - it brought back great memories to me). He teased May and she and he got along great. I asked the girls who he reminded them of and they all said "POP POP!" I told him that he reminded me of my Daddy (my girls' Pop Pop), but he was younger. He said he would take that as a compliment. I told him it was a HIGH compliment. He glowed. He was dear.

ANYWAY -- we had just a fantastic time seeing Michelle and Barack Obama today in Pueblo!!

Yes, we can.