Barack Obama in El Dorado, KS

Our family had the amazing opportunity to see Barack Obama speak in Kansas on January 29, 2008, one week before Super Tuesday. In short, it was amazing. I know my pictures and words cannot do it justice. That having been said, here's my attempt:

The day before, our area had seen temperatures in the upper 60s, but by the morning of Barack's appearance, we were again very frigid. We drove to the rally in a blizzard, the strong winds pushing our van on the road. When we arrived, there was already a lengthy line of shivering supporters outside the venue. (The below picture does not do the weather, nor the line, justice.) With two young children, we decided not to stand in the elements, and wondered how, or if, we would be able to get in to actually hear him speak.
Getting in, and getting seats were somewhat of a challenge. I was able to get in with my Media credentials, and we hoped for some way for Brad and the kids to get in the main area, not the overflow room with a large screen TV. In the end, they waited until nearly everyone had been seated, and were able to find 2 chairs, believe it or not, front and center, about 6 rows from the stage. Amazing luck (if a little tight)! I went back and forth between them, and the media area. After a delay, a few introductions and a reminder to "go caucus!" U2's "City of Blinding Lights" began to play, the group stood, cheering, whooping, chanting and Barack made his entrance. It was truly electrifying.
He spoke for about 45 minutes. And it was all amazing. He spoke of his Kansas roots. His grandfather's hometown was El Dorado. His grandmother born in nearby Augusta. His mother was also born in Kansas. One of his grandfather's classmates was in the crowd, as was a third cousin of Barack's. His words were inspiring, but I don't need to recount them here. He spoke of his ideas, his policies -- healthcare, the war, taxes, economic relief, red states vs. blue states -- but I'll save the details. You can check out his website if you want to know where he stands. It was all inspiring, it was all emotional, it prompted many standing ovations, many hollars, many chants of "Yes we can!" or "Obama!"
It was all inspiring, it was all emotional, it prompted many standing ovations, many hollars, many chants of "Yes we can!" or "Obama!" The crowd of about 3,000 hung on every word and was quick to voice their support. Just looking around the group was inspiring. It feels cliche to say it was "diverse" but it truly was. From young families, to baby boomers, to senior citizens, to college students, even children, black, white, Asian, Indian, Hispanic, people in Obama t-shirts, suits and ties, Sunday's best dress, to a tattered sweater and ripped jeans.
One of the loudest points of the rally was when when Governor Kathleen Sebelius, fresh off giving the democratic response to the President's State of the Union the night before announced "
"I'm especially pleased to be here to announce my enthusiastic endorsement for Sen. Obama for president of the United States." After he spoke, he mingled with the crowd for a bit -- and unwilling to put our kids through the pushing crowd, we stayed at a distance.
After everything died down, Brad was interviewed by a Japanese news agency that was traveling with Barack.
It was a mixed experience for me. By the time Barack took the stage, I had been without sleep for about 24 hours (minus a 90 minute nap.) I was running (full speed ahead) on adrenaline, yet don't think I really captured all that was going on. In fact, as I was at work early this morning, watching some of our coverage from the day before, it all seemed to sink in for the first time. Tears came to my eyes, shivers up my back, and a pure excitement that I had seen this amazing man speak.

We took Owen out of school for the day, for this once-in-a-lifetime, educational opportunity. Although he was tired and hot (blizzard outside, sardine-like crowd inside) by the end of it, he made several comments about how this has to be one of the most exciting days of his life. This morning, taking him to school, I asked him to tell me what he would tell his teacher/class if asked. He gave a very eloquent "speech" about the emotion, the excitement, even the policies he heard. "To think mom, I've just seen the man who may be the next president of the United States."Lauryn, understandably, didn't get as much out of it, although she enjoyed the clapping, the hoots, and especially the music. ("It's a party mom!")

One final note: I know my words don't do the event justice. That may have something to do with my still-sleep deprived attempt to get this post on right now. I was excited to have my digital camera for the event, even though I am still new at using it. Most of these pictures were taken with a very considerable zoom, so I was impressed with their quality. I took about 75 pictures, and two videos (which I someday hope to post here, having technical difficulties with that.)

Local news coverage (see if you can spot Lauryn and I in the reporter's standup!)

Links to the complete speech.