I think this is going to become the most memorable experience of my life. I am going to be telling my grandkids about this. There are very few things in life that everyone remembers and most of them are tragic; Kennedy, Columbia Space Shuttle, September 11. However, this is the first joyous event of such magnitude in my lifetime. How much can America progress in my lifetime? I do not know but I do know that this whole experience has shown me great promise for the future. This was one of the most fun trips I have ever been on. Joel, Precious, Eric and I are all good friends and we have not had any problems with each other. They are funny in their own way so being in DC was more fun with them around. The very first day we arrived I was super excited and had very high expectations. They were all met! The hotel was incredibly nice despite the awkward elevator system. Our room was also very comfortable. Joel and Eric were good roommates. Nobody was annoyed by each other’s clutter because we were all sort of messy. The Prayer Breakfast and Martin Luther King Jr. Luncheon were each memorable experiences within themselves. The breakfast highlights for me were Pastor/ Singer Shirley Caesar’s song selections coupled with her five minute mini-sermons. It caught my attention because her messages were directed towards shaping the youth instead of speaking about how far America has come like everyone else. The luncheon was too good to have just one highlight. The most impressive factor to me was that majority of the presenters were teenagers. Sightseeing was as exciting as it could be at a little over 20 degrees outside. We saw and touched the Washington Monument and got really close to the Lincoln Memorial. However, due to construction, long lines, and low sunlight (so cold I was crying) we left. The inauguration was the next day and even at 5 a.m. you could tell that the energy was different. The atmosphere was hopeful, energetic, and anticipatory, like Christmas. And for some of the older people it was a long awaited Christmas after many slow years. The streets were crowded the hotel was packed and police were everywhere. People were even cheering on the television and one lady started crying. In terms of the actual inauguration, I thought that it was pretty well planned and held my attention. I say this because a lot of official government ceremonies seem long and do not. I got really good pictures. The Youth Ball was really fun it was on the 12^th floor and everybody was really excited. So for all the good and historic reasons, it was a trip I will never forget.

Kerry