Inauguration Day

It's official: Barack Obama is the President of the United States! We woke up extremely early this morning, groggily ate our cream cheese and bagels on the bus, and hiked to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum to see one of the many large screens scattered around the mall. We could clearly see the Capitol from our spot, so we were in one of the closest sections. Sure, it was freezing (temperatures in the teens!), and we had to stand to prevent our rears from freezing off, and we were all extremely tired, but it was worth it to be at this historical inauguration. After the inauguration, we made our way through tightly packed streets, moving at a snail's pace with nowhere else to go. I'll admit, it was a bit frightening; it's easy to get claustrophobic when you're within about an inch of everyone else around you. The documents in the National Archives had more breathing room than I did! Finally, we made it to our warm bus with its comfy seats. We just sat there for a while, relaxing as we let the crowds die down a bit. Then it was off to the ESPN Zone, where we played tons of video games; most were sports-oriented. I drove a virtual BMX bike, rode a virtual roller coaster, and played some real air hockey, beating my aunt 5 to 3. Good times were had by all, and we went back to the bus. At first, we thought we would be eating at a restaurant. Then, of course, the road we would have had to take was closed due to none other than Mr. President himself. Now, I'm in the hotel room waiting on pizza (not that I'm complaining about pizza). We leave for Houston tomorrow, so clothes will be packed inside suitcases tonight. I'll try to post tomorrow, but I can make no guarantees.