 In less than a week Barack Obama will take office as the 44th President of the Unites States of America. Now, I don't know about you but I don't remember everyone making such a fuss about an inauguration before. My parents tell me last time everyone was so excited was when Kennedy took office, which was before my time. I asked my Dad who was the first president he voted for and he mentioned some Mexican guy's name. Obviously it was before he became a citizen because I know it wasn't in the USA, not yet anyways.
Yes, it will be a historical moment when the first minority takes office. Everyone thinks its a really big, emotional day for the African-American community. But I disagree, I think it's a big day for everybody.
Lucky for me my name got pulled from a hat and I scored two tickets from Congressmember Zoe Lofgren's office to the swearing-in ceremony on the Capitol's lawn. I will be hanging out with CBS TV reporter Len Ramirez and KLIV radio reporter Rosana Madrigal who will be gathering stories from everyday people. And for those of you who actually enjoy my written banter you can follow our journey and shenanigans at ObamaStreetUSA.com. I suggest starting at my first blog "DC, here I come (I think)" so it all makes sense. I've only done 4 entries thus far so it will be easy to catch up.
So, think of me while you're sitting on the couch in your warm comfy house. I maybe freezing my tail off, but my heart will be warm.
God Bless America! Darlene
Note to spellcheck administrator: I think you can safely add Barack Obama's name to the list now.
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Inauguration Party Tips
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Gather up your family, friends and co-workers to watch this Historical event unfold. Expect to see great entertainment, huge crowds and at least one extraordinary speech. If you can't make it to one of the many public events across the nation, throw an Inauguration party at your home or office. Remember the Swearing-in Ceremony takes place on January 20th just before 12:00pm EST and the program starts at 10:00am EST. Depending on where you are at it's breakfast, brunch or lunch.
InvitationsFirst things first, it's not a party without people. Send on or offline invites to your guests with the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when & why). Evite has 15 great designs to choose from.  Logistics
Make sure you paid your cable bill and all the TVs are working. Take out your computers for extra viewing. Click Here for the direct video stream on Tuesday. Have plenty of seating for everyone. If you don't have enough seating, borrow chairs, footstools, benches or get milk crates and place a pillow on top.
Decor
Red, White & Blue everything and don't forget Old Glory!
Food & Drink
Have easy to eat finger foods available. People will most likely not be eating at a table so make sure you have food that can be eaten with one utensil. Try not to make anything that would require a knife. If you are serving alcohol make sure to have non-alcoholic beverages as well. Have plenty of coffee available especially if you are on the West Coast as the program begins at 7am and news coverage starts even earlier.
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Obama Street USA
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 Visit Obama Street USA's web documentary featuring blogs, interviews, news
reports and pictures of the preparation, travel and Inaugural week's
activities from a personal perspective. ObamaStreetUSA.com >
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| Inauguration Facts
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Inauguration Facts
Courtesy of The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
· George Washington's inauguration was held in New York City on April 30, 1789.
· Inauguration Day was changed to January 20, from March 4, in 1933 by
the passage of the Twentieth Amendment to the US Constitution.
· Bill Clinton's, January 20, 1997, inauguration was the first inauguration to be broadcast live over Internet.
· George Washington gave the shortest inaugural address in history. (135 words)
· In 1865, Abraham Lincoln was the first president to include African-Americans in his inaugural parade.
· In 1917, Woodrow Wilson was the first president to include women in his inaugural parade.
· When January 20 is on a Sunday, the president-elect usually takes the
oath of office privately and then repeats the ceremony in public on
Monday.
Helpful Links:
Official Inauguration Committee Website
Official Presidential Inauguration Store
DC's Official Inauguration Website
Best Unofficial Guide to the Inauguration Activities
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