My artsy photo of Chantelle looking at the Lincoln Memorial:)
So, I’m taking a trip this weekend to visit my brother’s girlfriend and celebrate her 21st birthday. She’s there for the semester doing an internship for the State Department. She also made my 21st a night to remember(as well as a hangover to remember) and I feel I owe it to her to return the favor.
In honor of my trip to DC, today’s Flashback Friday takes us back our Senior Year of High School, when Chantelle and I traveled to DC for President Obama’s inauguration.
It all started in the summer of 2008 when I was “hired” as an intern for the Obama campaign. The campaign quickly became my life, which meant that it was only a matter of time before Chantelle was right along side me. What started as something to do during summer break, quickly became a full-time (mind you…unpaid) job.
For the next 6 months, we spent more time at the campaign office than we did at school, with our families, or anywhere else. It was probably the most chaotic, hectic, and stressful time of my life, but I look back on it with the absolute fondest of memories.
Life after election seemed so much less glamorous. Going back to school, applying for college, and atending to all of the others things we had neglected was just depressing. (I admit I took it a lot worse than Chantelle, I walked around for about a month looking like someone had run over my puppy).
In January, our old boss contacted us and asked if we wanted tickets to the inauguration (what can I say? We were EXCELLENT interns). Needless to say, we booked a flight the next day.
The trip was turned out to be a lot like our time on the campain: whirlwind, sleepless, and not anything that we expected.
I don’t know how much any of you remember the Inauguration in 2008, but it was one of epic proportions. Despite all of the planning, I think the city was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people who showed up to see this historic event. In the end, like many other disappointed ticket holders, we got stuck at a security checkpoint and couldn’t get in.
Despite the less than optimal ending to our campaign adventures, I was so happy just to be a part of it all. I got to have one last hurrah with all of the campaign staff I had grown to love, and felt like that all of my work had really made an impact, however small. And… I did it all with my best friend in the world.
A Tale of Two Pretties 