"I was there," by JoAnn Balzer

"I WAS THERE, in D.C., experiencing history in the making and the inauguration of President Obama, who we all worked so hard for. A new vision for America.

It was a most exhilarating experience on Inauguration day, even after having to stand in line FOR HOURS in the cold grey morning (19 degrees) on Tuesday to get through security and onto the west front Capitol grounds and then waiting FOR HOURS, MORE HOURS leading up to and through the event. Guess what? It was all worth it! And more!

A memorable part of the inaugural, in addition to the most important part making him finally “our” President, was seeing so many Americans of all races come together peacefully to watch him sworn in. Whether it was 1.2 million, 1.5 million, 1.8 million people, whatever, we were all standing there, shoulder to shoulder, for the moment of our lifetime.

Other meaningful inaugural activities for me included the Emily’s List Luncheon, the Lincoln exhibit at the American History Museum, and then, you’d never guess what else? ....parties, lots of parties! The neatest and most meaningful among them for us was the reception that my husband Bob and I co-hosted, with other New Mexicans, for our New Mexico Congressional Delegation on Monday (1/19) from 4-6:30pm in downtown D.C., before we headed for the NM Ball, also that evening.

We had at least 150 guests, a wonderful chock-a-block full party, mostly New Mexicans in town for the inauguration, but others from D.C. with New Mexico connections. The décor was "American and NM flags," a large NM banner sent from the Tourism Department, and the food was heavy, heavy hors d'oeuvres - posole, tamales, and other New Mexican fare combined with sophisticated D.C. goodies provided by our catering company. So perfect and so good! It doesn’t get much better than what we had, and the D.C. ex-pats were thankful for their chile fix.

At our NM Reception: Cabinet Secretary Napolitano was there, along with Senators Bingaman and Udall, Congressmen Lujan and Teague, the Navajo Nation President and VP, Val Kilmer (says NOT running for Gov., but we know how that goes), an Obama Gal from Santa Fe, wearing an Obama "recycled" dress, made from discarded Obama signs, teachers from Rio Rancho, supporters from Las Cruces, Santa Fe Grassroots volunteers, campaign donors, politicos and on and on. The crowd was glorious and diverse, in ALL ways reflecting Barack’s campaign! It was as if all of you were with us, celebrating together. The “Land of Enchantment” ball, the NM Ball, was held that same pre-inaugural evening, Monday evening 1/19, at the National Museum of the American Indian. Many of us who were at the NM reception headed straight there by Metro to the Mall and the Museum. The venue was so meaningful for me personally, as my husband Bob and I are passionate supporters of and advocates for Native American art and culture, and had attended the Museum’s grand opening. A spectacular treat, the icing on the cake, was that the museum afforded a spectacular view of the west front of the U.S. Capitol, which was illuminated on that evening to celebrate the coming inauguration and where we would witness history tomorrow.

Please know, as if you didn't, that we can all feel really terrific about the role we played. Being there somehow made me realize and appreciate that fact, the thought of how hard, each of us in our own way, worked for his election, and how each of us played a part. The WHOLE was truly... definitely... GREATER than the sum of the parts. I can never congratulate you enough. What a celebration, what a moment...Yes, we can, Yes, we did! We can all be proud.

With appreciation,
JoAnn
JoAnn Lynn Balzer
NM Finance Committee for Obama for America
Women's Leadership Committee for the NM Campaign for Change
Santa Fe GrassRoots for Obama
505-982-1793
joannbalzer@earthlink.net