Posted on 01/22/2005 6:01:46 PM PST by tgslTakoma
My report, such that it is, of Inauguration Day (as I sit here in snowy MD watching the events of that day being replayed on CSPAN):
My daughter and I awoke at 6:30am on Inauguration day, as she had an important date with the Secret Service at the Pentagon. We had been up late the night before, her polishing brass until 2am and me hemming her ball dress and making last minute things for the W2 Ball until 3:30am. I dropped her off at her school at 8:30am and met with Command Sergeant Major John McConnell to discuss last minute info about the parade, the Color Guard and the W2Ball.
Because the kids and their buses would be searched and secured at the Pentagon before going to the parade, and then the buses would be in a secured zone at the end of the parade (that nobody from outside would be allowed into), it was decided that my daughter would ride to the W2 Ball location with the JROTC instructor (Sgt. Crocker) and the the Color Guard. The kids were all excited about the day ahead, but no doubt dreading having to stand, and march in the freezing cold all day. I thanked CSM McConnell for all his hard work and told him I would see him and his wife and the Color Guard at the W2 Ball later in the evening.
With that settled, I went back to my house to load up all the ball stuff (decorations, raffle tickets, prizes, wristbands, posters...) and our luggage for the night. It's a darn good thing I have a gas-guzzling SUV, because it definitely would not have fit into a Mini Cooper.
I drove down to the hotel at around 11:30am, and talked by phone to Kristinn, who told me that they were still in line at a checkpoint at 7th and D St. When I arrived at the hotel, Angelwood met me and we offloaded all my cargo. Angelwood was fighting off a monster cold, so was feeling a little run-down. I checked in with Kristinn again and he told me it would be impossible to get through security in anything resembling a timely manner, so (with much sadness) I gave up on getting to see my daughter and her school marching in this once-in-a-lifetime event, and Angelwood and I got started setting things up.
We had been working only a short time before ELS and Exit148 arrived and pitched in as well. Angelwood had to leave a few times to check in with Tommi, the hotel events lady and Sharon, our very hard-working sound wizard. Sharon had a monster of a job getting all the sound equipment and electricity requirements straightened out, but she did; and for that we are all very, very grateful.
As Angelwood, Exit148, ELS and I were decorating the dining room area, I met up with Basil and Mr. Basil as they were returning from their fruitless (and harrowing) attempt at entering the parade security checkpoint at 7th and D St. Basil can tell you her story. Very scary!
After Basil had a chance to decompress in her room she came downstairs to pitch in with decorating. She and ELS headed over to the ballroom to hang stars, with the help of Robert the ladder guy, a hotel employee. Alas, 3D-Joy, who was going to be bringing fishing line to hang the stars, was hung up in the massive human traffic jam/near riot at the infamous checkpoint, and had not arrived at the hotel yet. We started using ribbon that I had packed for emergency use, but quickly ran out.
Basil headed over to the hotel bar to look for a Freeper willing to run across Thomas Circle to the CVS for more ribbon; and she came back with Freeper FourtySeven and his friend, a freeper lurker. The guys braved the cold and the leftists marching by to bring back ribbon - and saved the day! Thanks guys!
By this time Robert the ladder guy had left for the day, so I started climbing up the 12' ladder to hang the stars; but FourtySeven came back into the room and took over that job, doing a fantastic service for the cause, too, BTW.
Lovely ladies Basil and ELS held the ladder steady for him; and we were all entertained by the sound checks and rehearsal serenade by Capitol Offense.
As it neared to 5pm Sauropod and Hellinahandcart arrived and started hanging up signs and posters; and BillF, BufordP, 3D-JOY and many other DC Chapter members began trickling in from the parade and they started pitching in wherever needed. The hotel had a sit-down dinner set up for event staff and the band, because they knew we wouldn't have a chance to eat during the ball; and how glad I am that I sat down and ate a few bites before running off to get changed and check in with my kid via voicemail, as they were still marching! The band was still jamming as I went upstairs; I don't know how long they played or if they ever stopped to eat. They were having a great time, that's for sure!
Kristinn arrived at the hotel at around this time and quickly got involved in last minute stuff downstairs. Everyone was calling him on his cell phone, and Angelwood and I were trying to get him upstairs to change into his tux. Eventually that happened, (at around 8pm!) as others took their places at the registration tables.
The doors opened at around 6:30pm and at the check-in tables John Robinson and Tami handled the guest lists, media lists and the name tags; BillF, Exit148, The Glaswegian's son and friend, and others were busily affixing wristbands to guests, VIPs and others. People were lined up into the hotel lobby and around the perimeter all the way out the door! The Glaswegian made an executive decision, and told everyone to register now and come back later for their name badges when things thinned out at registration. That decision got the line moving much better. Thanks Glaswegian!
Another quick aside regarding The Glaswegian... he had dropped off a 4' x 8' Bush/Cheney campaign sign in Kristinn's room (where many men changed from parade clothing into tuxes that evening). I arrived at the room while Steve0113 and his lovely wife Nina0113 were changing, and noticed the sign leaning up against the bar. I made an "executive decision" and placed the sign, with assistance, into the huge 8th floor window in the room. It wasn't until the next day that I realized the window fronted on Thomas Circle; and what a great place for a HUGE Bush/Cheney sign! Thanks for the sign, Glaswegian. It is at the valet station in the hotel awaiting your pickup.
My daughter checked in with me at some time near 6:30pm, and said that the Color Guard would be late getting to the Ball, because some of the buses were still stuck in traffic. I passed that word along to Kristinn, who rescheduled our official opening ceremony until they arrived, of course. Who could begin a ball saluting our troops without a Color Guard?
The Color Guard arrived at nearly 8pm, my daughter ran upstairs to change out of her uniform and into her party clothes, and I ran downstairs to find the Color Guard - who had already found Kristinn; and they were going over their program in a service hall. To my deep dismay, I also discovered that our "Missing Man" table had been accidentally taken by someone who didn't realize the significance of it. The hotel rounded up another table and clean tablecloth, and a couple of military Freepers (whose names now escape me, but thank you, guys) helped the hotel staff reset the table properly for the tribute. With that all set, it was showtime.
The lights were dimmed and Sharon, our sound lady cued our opening theme (The Munsters TV theme song) while the beam of the spotlight swirled around the room. The first man to literally run up onstage was Michael Graham, local WMAL radio host, (The Michael Graham Show, weekdays 9am - noon) and proud Freeper (suspects), who welcomed us all to this great event and entertained us with several minutes of political stand-up comedy. Thank you, Michael Graham! He then introduced our emcee for the evening, Kristinn Taylor.
Kristinn got things rolling with the introduction of the St. John's College High School Color Guard, fresh from the cold and mean streets of Washington, DC and the Inaugural parade; for the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem. Our Freeper family member who was to sing the National Anthem was sick so we played an instrumental version of the song, and the crowd of Freepers in the ballroom spontaneously burst into song themselves (God love 'em!); and they knew all of the words, of course!
After retiring the Colors, Kristinn asked for a moment of silent prayer, and then led the audience in toasts to the Commander-in-Chief, our allies, the Vice President, and each branch of the US armed services, as Freepers Hear-Hear'd, Hoo-ah'd, and Hoo-ya'd and all the rest. He then called everyone's attention to the Missing Man table at the front of the stage, and explained its significance to us all.
Next up, according to my photos - as my memory is pretty much shot from sleep deprivation and the stress of the day, was Sauropod's absolutely fantastic, fabulous, stunningly superb video production. The crowd watched in rapt attention, as 'Pod did his magic.
Up next was Nick Danger and the Free Republic Eagle Awards. My camera battery was dying and my flash shots didn't turn out. I quickly repaired to the lobby where I changed out camera batteries.
After the awards were presented to the winners who were present (Falcon of the year-Nikki Mendicino, Posters of the year-Buckhead and TankerKC, and Freeper of the year-Interesting Times), came a series of brief speeches by author Richard Poe, former POW and anti-Kerry activist Mike Benge, and a group of Iraqis who have become good friends of the DC Chapter over the past few years. Nofel Al-jazairy spoke to the W2 Ball attendees and honored guests about his deep gratitude to Americans who helped free his countrymen. Nofel gave a personal "Thank You" from his heart, to the mothers and fathers of US military members.
Then Kristinn brought the two Vannas onstage to draw tickets so he could announce the raffle winners, but because I was handing out prizes (pajamas, of course!) I didn't take any photos. The winners seemed to get a kick out of their prizes.
Next up on stage was impressionist Billy Finch, who did some fantastic impressions of famous people (Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Carson). Here is a photo of him doing a great Ray Charles singing "America the Beautiful." All of Billy's impressions were very well-received by the audience. Thank you, Mr. Finch.
During Billy Finch's routine, offstage, Kristinn and I gave Buckhead a gift from the DC Chapter, as a token of our appreciation for taking down Dan Rather and CBS. What was his prize, you ask? A fine plush terrycloth robe for him to Freep in! May he continue to catch the MSM in more lies, fraud and forgeries for many years to come. Buckhead, we salute you, sir!
TankerKC, I never was able to find you. We have a goody bag for you, too.
Then it was time to dance! Kristinn introduced Governor Huckabee and the Capitol Offense band, and the real partying began! The dance floor was packed immediately, and dancers spilled out onto the carpeted area of the ballroom.
I ran out into the lobby to grab a drink and a smoke... While out there, I caught pix of some more Freepers, including Jimmy Valentine's brother, Kristinn and Nofel, jtmac40 and his lovely wife, Trueblackman and his also very lovely fiance. Yes, ladies, I just said "fiance." Trueblackman is getting married. We talked for awhile and I can report that his fiance is a very nice lady, so we can't be too jealous. She will take good care of him, as he will her, I am sure. Two kids in love.
I was preparing to head back into the ballroom when I spotted my great long-distance Freeper pal pjb819 and we went off to the hotel bar to smoke and gab. The photos we took in there didn't turn out too well, either. Oh well. We had a good time catching up on one another's life events and gossip, too.
Finally late in the night, I did manage to get into the ballroom again and got to dance with a special fella during the band's last number. And then the ball ended. Governor Huckabee stayed onstage afterward to meet and greet Freepers, who were lining up to thank him for a wonderful show. Thank you, Governor Huckabee and Capitol Offense!
A whole bunch of us headed out to the hotel bar to chat some more and celebrate.
My goodness, I saw so many familiar faces and old friends, but the night went by too fast for me to get to greet and visit with everyone. Next time we need a three day party!
Yeesh, I'm so unphotogenic! Gov. Huckabee told us he lost 110 pounds (he looks completely different than he did 4 years ago). I should've asked him what diet he used and immediately started on it! :(
He's the nicest guy and Capitol Offense rocked! I told him we hope to visit Arkansas someday to see the Clintoon LIEbrary! LOL
Great presentation!..I am enjoying the words and pictures..(tamping down envy!)..
Good heavens... were you and TaxRelief there? How on earth did we miss you? FReepers are growing in number I guess, so much so it's becoming difficult to find one another in the same room. See you both again at CPAC perhaps?
Thanks for the great pictures of the Freeper Ball.
BTTT!!!!!!
Great story and photos Takoma!!
Arkansas Governor Loses Weight Old Fashioned Way
UPDATED - Friday April 16, 2004 1:54pm
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Plain old healthy eating and exercise - not reliance on Atkins, South Beach or other diet plans - has Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee setting a weight-loss trend of his own.
"I could do one of those commercials where you're standing in your pants. That's really when it hit me," Huckabee told The Associated Press on Wednesday as he marked losing 100 pounds.
The governor said he had tried various diet trends that rely on low-carb and low-fat extremes, but said he couldn't keep the weight off until he joined a 15-week Weight Control Program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences last June.
For Huckabee, health is the issue, not weight or looks. He was prompted by a diabetes diagnosis and the death of his friend former Gov. Frank White, who had a heart attack. He won't say how much he weighed when he began dieting.
"I don't want the weight issue to become the focus," he said. "I want the focus on health and fitness. The victory is feeling better and knowing that I'm healthier. It's not setting a goal of a weight. That's the gravy I can't eat anymore."
It's no easy feat. In the first phase of the program, participants eat only small amounts of regular food, consuming between 800 and 1,000 calories per day through a powder-based, low-calorie beverage that has carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals.
"Our main goal is to help them establish a healthy relationship with food again," said Carolyn Bernthal, the program's coordinator. "We're trying to get them to change their lifestyle. (The governor) is a good advertisement for us. It's changed his life."
When participants are at 5 percent above their goal weight they are gradually reintroduced to food and plan a diet with a doctor and a dietitian.
Dieters lose weight at a steady pace. They have weigh-ins, calorie-counting classes, therapy and are in close communication with their doctors.
"I'm trying to be more focused on my blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol numbers than I am on weight," Huckabee said. "You need to focus on good habits good health."
Program doctors say they want it to be a lifestyle change and the last diet participants ever take up. Huckabee has embraced this, including exercise.
He has switched from walking to running, something he didn't even consider a year ago. He started with one lap around the Governor's Mansion grounds and now he's up to four, running a mile and a half and walking two miles before biking indoors.
"This is the first time I've been running since I was 14 years old in junior high gym class when I was forced to," Huckabee said.
His new goal is to run a five-kilometer race, although he hasn't committed to a date. Some friends have started telling the now-trim governor that he can stop losing weight. But that's not how the diet works, he said.
"What's happening is my body is simply adjusting and regulating itself," Huckabee said. "I'm healthy and continuing my exercise without any real effort to lose weight at all."
Huckabee, who also is a Southern Baptist preacher, said it's amazing how his tastes have changed.
"I used to only eat fish like Jesus intended - battered in cornbread and deep fried," he said. "Now I like blackened catfish."
Now, the governor has his own recipes. He cuts up fresh apples and peaches and pours Diet Sprite over them to make a healthier fruit cocktail. He chops strawberries and sprinkles a low calories sweetener on them.
"I absolutely love asparagus and I used to hate it," he said. "I haven't eaten dressing on a salad since last June. I'm almost addicted to apples. I eat several apples a day."
The lost weight has altered Huckabee's life and his wardrobe.
"When the pants join together at the pockets, that's when you need to get a new pair," he said. "We ought not to be obsessed with how we look and how much we weigh as much as how healthy we are."
It is amazing that we didn't cross paths, but as you point out, FR is getting BIG! We brought two other families with us, so we had an entourage of 13 in total (including 7 teenagers/preteenagers), and playing the hosts, didn't get to mingle as much as we normally would. Once Capitol Offense started playing, we were pretty much non-stop on the dance floor and did very little socializing. (We saw BillF while checking in. Mr. Conservative Gadfly discussed local political strategy with me for half an hour. My interaction with TGSLTakoma consisted of greeting each other through the door in the changing room. BufordP was there as well. We spent about five minutes with Kristinn, mostly around getting and returning room keys, about three minutes with Congressman Barr and Gary and Nina Aldrich, and about two minutes over a Lone Star lobbying Sauropod to join us for our March 19 FReep in Fayetteville, NC. We shook hands with TrueBlackMan as we passed in opposite directions, and of course spent a few minutes with Eugene MacDonald at the 0Cents booth! I'm sure I'm forgetting someone, but that was pretty much it!)
We're still damn'd sorry that we missed you!
Unfortunately, the Inauguration ate up the CPAC budget this year, so we'll have to skip it this time. However, we did manage to make it a real Conservative oriented trip with visits with Congressmen Myrick and McHenry, Senator Burr, Pat Toomey at the Club for Growth, and the staff of the Heritage Foundation at their open house, so combined with the W2 Ball and Bush's Second Inaugural Address, it was alomost like a do it yourself CPAC!
You and Zelig should see if you can come down to NC for the weekend of the 19th. I'll ping you separately to more information, but it is a great location for a weekend FReep. It's also a good chance to see the DC Freepers in action outside of their home turf! They are impressive!
You and the rest of the DC Chapter are National Treasures. This thread is just one more amazing gift from you to all of us! A Million thanks!
PS, you looked like a million $$$ too!
Thank you for the post and all the great news...those of us stuck in the great white emptiness of MA read it and were with you, partying like mad, even a few days late.
I worked really hard on this thread about the W2 Ball, so you'd better enjoy it!
Not bad, not bad at all. I give it a 6.5...oh what the heck it's sunday and I'm overflowiing with the milk of human kindness...make that 7.826.
:-)
I enjoyed it. GREAT POST!
EAGLES UP!!!
Spoken like a true mom! Thanks, TGSL!
Thanks tgslTakoma ~ congratulations, great contributions and a perfect presentation ~ Good Job!
I immediately recognized a weight loss but 110 pounds??? He's a mere image of what he once was and needs to put back a little, if only in his face, as his eyes lost their sparkle.
best group of organized pictures. Thanks
Takoma, thank you so much for your report. It is the most complete one I have seen, and made me (fiinally) get a sense of what and how it all happened. I truly felt like I was there.
I'm so happy for you kathy. I sure wish I could get my husband interested. He resents the time I spend on FR. He simply does not understand my interest in politics and news. His interest is his work, period.
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