Thursday, February 5, 2009

Memories- Mr. President

Before I was a mommy I worked for a Congressman. I loved it! Truly an experience I shall never forget!
This is one of my memories from that time...

I arrived at work to a frenzy of phone calls from people desperately wanting tickets to see the President speak. We didn't have any tickets left.

By afternoon, I was glad to leave the office to chauffer the Congressman's family to the airport to see Air Force One land. As we were pulling into the airport at the appointed time, one of the older children who knew better began using words such as "bomb" and "sniper". The younger children giggled and their mom gave "the talk" from the front seat...

"O.K. now kids, I really don't want to hear words like that, let's be on our best behavior..."

Then from the youngest in the way back of the van (for he had been demoted to the back by one of his older siblings)

"Can we say hate?"

Giggles once again.

After we walked into the hanger we were escorted by secret service to the waiting area. Of course they had food and drinks. The children wanted Mountain Dew, they got Sprite.

After about forty minutes of waiting we were notified that they were ready for us. But were they really ready for us?

We were "wanded" by on of the secret service men (the kids enjoyed this) and all of our bags were rummaged through, when they were satisfied that we posed no threat, we were sent outside to the tarmac to await the arrival of The President and the Congressman. The sun was hot in the middle of the giant concrete slab, but the kids didn't seem to mind. We waited for awhile, then in the distance someone pointed out an airplane to us. It was Air Force One. At this point, the youngest thought it appropriate to inform the secret service men who were lining the area that they were going to be run over by Air Force One if they didn't watch out. The secret service men didn't seem to hear him and he felt it necessary to scream it at them. They must have been deaf, or maybe it was the roar of the engines, he couldn't understand it, but not one of them moved. Amazingly, no one was run over.

Air Force One landed and the President, followed by the Congressman walked off of the aircraft and down the little steps. The younger kids were so funny, they were more excited to see their dad come through that door than the president! After the motorcade zoomed away it was time for us to head on over to the fundraiser.

Someone had reserved a parking place by the door for us and we walked right passed the line and through security (we were getting good at the security thing by this point). We were escorted into the reception where we were seated next to the biggest mountain of cheese cubes I have ever seen (apparently, from the kid's reaction when they saw it, it was the biggest one they had ever seen as well). The kids were excited. Wow! Seeing the President and a giant mountain of cheese all in one day! While the children munched on cheese and fought over who played a game on my blackberry first, the line for the pictures became shorter and shorter until it was finally their turn to have their picture taken with the President. We wiped off faces and straightened ties and bows. I grabbed everyone's things and met them at the exit. It lasted about 30 seconds. When they came pouring out of the room we were whisked off to a door and walked in, there in the crowded room we had our own little pen that we could stand in comfortably without being squished by all of the Congressman's supporters, and everyone could look at us like cattle at the fair. The younger boys didn't seem to mind, they enjoyed everyone looking at them as they lay on the floor, picking at their sisters. Then the President came out and gave his speech. At that point I was exhausted. After his speech the President made his way down the front row as the Congressman introduced each person. When he got to our little box I got to meet him and shake his hand. After he left we were set free from our box and I went to find my husband. There he was, talking to the boys who somehow got out of our box and away from me before I realized it. It was a fun day!