What an exciting week it's been! First an historic election and then my first ever stadium concert, actually both on the same day. I started the week by attending a "Get Out the Vote" rally on my lunch break Monday afternoon. I'd never been to a rally but when I got the call from the Democratic Party and found out it was two blocks from my office I just couldn't resist. I grabbed some co-workers and we headed down there around noon. There weren't as many people as I expected (I was picturing those mob crowds Barack always gets) but I think the crowd reached about 75-100 by the end. We were given signs and stickers and then gathered around the five TV news cameras that were there. About five or six local Democratic politicians were on hand to speak and they really worked the crowd. We had to cheer pretty loud and even started a few chants of "Yes. We. Can." and "O-BAM-A". It felt kinda silly but it was fun and the crowd got pretty excited. Now I can say I've been to a political rally. We even made the evening news. I didn't see it but another one of my co-workers caught me and Amy on KUSI. Hope I didn't look too stupid.
Me and Mary at the rally.
Denise, Mary and Amy rallying for Obama.
The next day, election day, started pretty bad. We woke up to heavy rain for San Diego. I wanted to get to the polls as soon as they opened so that I wouldn't be too late for work. I ended up standing in the rain for about 1/2 an hour while I waited to cast my ballot. It was crowded. Bryan voted for the first time by mail (I'm so proud!) and came with me to drop off his ballot but didn't have to stand in line. I usually like the whole process of going to the polls and getting my "I Voted" sticker but might consider the mail-in thing next time around. The drive to work afterward took about an hour (it's usually 1/2 an hour max) and I was totally frustrated and exhausted by the time I got in. But at least I'd had a chance to cast my vote.
About 7-8 months ago Mary, Whiteny, Kristine and I decided to spend election night seeing Madonna, who was preforming at Petco Park that night. We'd had the tickets for so long I'd almost forgotten about it. We figured it would be a fun distraction from nervously watching the election results roll in on CNN (we'd been so bitterly disappointed the last two elections...). But in support of our favorite candidate we decided to all wear Obama shirts to show our solidarity.
Me, Mary and Whitney in our Obama gear before the concert.
After a full day of work we went across the street to Stout for dinner and some election viewing before the concert. They had MSNBC on and we got to see the some of the early state results so we were pretty optimistic when we walked down to Petco Park. The lines to get in were huge! I'm not sure how many people were there but it was pretty packed; the whole field was covered in seats and it looked like every section in the stadium seating was full too. Fortunately the rain had stopped but it was still chilly. We found our seats and Mary started getting texts from everyone with election reults. Just after 8:00 we got the text we'd been waiting for: THEY CALLED THE RACE FOR BARACK OBAMA!!! Much cheering ensued. I couldn't stop smiling! Everyone in the stadium kept turing around saying "Did you hear?". It was so exciting to be out on election night and celebrate with a bunch of strangers who were just as happy as me to have a new president. Of course, the only McCain supporters in the entire stadium were sitting in the seats in front of us and kinda put a damper on our celebration but not much.
Madonna finally came on stage about 9:00 and for the next two hours put on one of the best shows/spectacles I've ever seen. It was amazing! She, of course, started out by announcing the new president and she was as excited as the rest of us. She played a bunch of her new stuff but also did some classics like "Vogue", "Into the Groove" (one of my favs) and a rockin' version of "Borderline". I'd never been to a huge stadium show like it before. Yes, I've been to a million concerts, but this one was more like a Broadway show than a concert. There were at least five costume changes, huge video screens, dancers, jump ropes, a gypsy band and, at one point, an old-fashoioned Rolls Royce on stage. We all danced (including the baby, who was really on the move that night) and sang at the top of our lungs. It was one of the best shows I've ever seen and definitely worth the $120 I paid for the tickets. Here are some of the highlights (not from my camera though...sorry they're so small but you get the idea.)
She played for a full two hours and looked absolutely incredible. I was exhausted by the end. We got back to our cars around midnight, I got home around 12:30 and went to bed by 1:00. Consequently I spent the next two days trying to recover. I just can't overdo while I'm pregnant. I slept until 11:30 the next morning, even through the construction noise going on in the kitchen (which is looking great by the way).
We woke up the next day to discover that Prop. 8 had passed, which was really disappointing for both of us. Bryan was particularly upset about it. Having had my candidates not win in past elections, I was used to the disappointment but Bryan took it pretty hard. I was just so happy and proud that our country had voted in the first African-American president that I couldn't be too upset. And it's not just that he's Africa-American. I think Obama is exactly what this country needs now. Hope, change and unity. I can't wait to see what happens in the next four years. Of course, a cynical friend of mine said "Now it's our turn to f-up the country." Let's hope she's wrong.
Yesterday was our one year anniversary. I can't believe how quickly it's gone by...and how different things are today than they were just 365 days ago! Practically a whole new house and a baby on the way. But its been a fun, if somewhat exhausting, year and Bryan and I are closer than ever. Saying yes was the best decision I've ever made.
