Back home

I've been recovering from this exhausting and exhilarating trip. I never got around to writing what I thought about President Obama's address. I do believe that it's a speech that grows on you. I was moved when I first heard it -- but like many have written and said, you really have to read the full text to appreciate all that he was trying to say. Bottom line is that the president read the mood of the country well. His message? Buck up, folks. We've left 8 horrible years behind us, but we're still in for a rough ride, but we'll make it through together. But seriously -- find the text and read it. I guarantee you'll feel differently about it

My friend Scott wrote a great response in the Huffington Post, so read his thoughts here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-kurashige/president-obama-and-the-w_b_159654.html

Thank you to all of you who followed this blog, and thank you to my Mare Donna who gave me her couch and was my partner in crime for the entire trip.

When I got back from DC and gave her T-shirts and a First Family coloring book, and I told her I had been to DC to see President Obama, my four-year-old goddaughter Mahalaya was pretty impressed. "Does Obama know you?!" she asked, her eyes wide. "Not yet," I answered. "Maybe one day!" So see you in 2013 for the second inauguration, and maybe I'll get on the other side of the fence for that one.