we are one!

And so the inaugural festivities begin!!

Obama, of course, is sworn into office tomorrow as you all surely know and this city is CRAZY! There are just so many tourists and so many people in general! And I haven't even gotten to the big event yet so that's just how crazy this all is! 

Yesterday Becca and I braved the early morning and river-freezing weather (the Potomac river outside our place is frozen over!) to attend the free public We Are One inauguration kick-off concert at the Lincoln Memorial. Yes, we arrived at 9:30 AM and the concert didn't start until 2:30. Yes, it was about 30 degrees and 20 with the wind chill factor. Yes, there were moments when we wondered what the hell we were doing there but it was SO worth it!! I know Mom and Dad watched the concert, but did anyone else? It was incredible. Famous actors and artists were there for speaking parts (all these really inspiring words and quotes from past presidents, as well as Obama) and musical performances. It was a truly star-studded event and it was totally free to the public! And of course the Obama family attended =) Here's a pic of Becca and me there:

The best part really was just how incredible the turn-out was. Hundreds of thousands of people all huddled together for warmth celebrating around the reflection pool. At one point Becca and I escaped the crowd to watch the rest of the concert on top of a hill nearby and looking at the crowd was awesome. Everyone was in such amazing spirits despite the temperature and hours spent standing. It made me even more excited for the actual inauguration because that will be similar but on an even bigger scale! Incredible. 

I feel so blessed to be a part of this whole thing. I can't believe I am here in DC for one of the most inspiring moments in American history! Very cheesy but couldn't be more true. I know a lot of people that didn't go to the concert because of the weather and just stayed in to watch it on TV. I will tell you I'm not missing one single moment of this!! Even if it means thawing out frozen limbs all next week.