A State Affair

I've been able to spend a little bit more time at the WH recently and last night was one of those moments where I thought to myself, "Self, I have a pretty cool job." The longer I do this job, the less often I actually feel those moments which is pathetic, I know. But last night, POTUS and FLOTUS hosted their first State Dinner and I was here as part of the pool. Truth be told, I had had a ticket to my church's Thanksgiving Day dinner and given the choice, I would have been there instead. But I do admit, I had a pretty cool day at work yesterday. It reminded me of what a blessing I've been given in life and I'm truly grateful (so appropriate for Thanksgiving).

Ok, enough sap and on to the details... Yesterday my first assignment was to go to the FLOTUS's event where she previewed the dinner. The actual dinner was in this extraordinary tent on the South Lawn of the WH but her preview was in the State Dining Room. They had two tables set up like the tables in the tent and the tables were sooo beautiful. Kind of reminds me of my house but just a few more forks at the place setting than mine. :) Anyway, I think this is only the second or third event of hers that I have been to. All politics aside because I am not here to discuss politics, but she is a striking woman! (I'm all ready thinking towards the Christmas party and I'm wondering how awkward the height difference will be for the photo!) Anyway, she went through her thoughts on the importance of the dinner and the visit and then we heard from the WH curator about the history of State Dinners. I was actually fascinated by all I heard... I am such a geek. She was doing this preview for a group of young women involved in the WH mentoring program. I don't know how these girls got to be a part of this group but they are some lucky ducks and I only hope they realize how cool that is! They even got to taste the dessert that was going to be served at the dinner! We on the other hand were rushed out of there. It was a cool event... not as cool as favorite tasting of the Christmas food but pretty close.

The next event on my schedule was the official arrival of the Indian PM and his wife at the North Portico. I do remember last year being in travel pool on his last visit with the former POTUS so I was hoping he would remember me. I think I recognized a few in the Indian press corps but no such luck from the Prime Minister! Anyway, POTUS and FLOTUS came out all dressed up and met with the Singhs as they arrived. They stood there for a few seconds while camera flashes were going off like crazy and then POTUS said his almost-famous line "One of those should work now" and the four of them walked into the WH.

After that, we went inside and waited for the two couples to come to the middle of the Grand Foyer for the official portrait. While we waited for them, the USMC orchestra entertained with a few wonderful songs. One of them had a beautiful oboe solo. Again, I'm a geek. I know. I was going to give her some pointers but I don't think she needed any guidance from me. She was good. Anywho, I digress. We waited and waited for the leaders to come out and all the while, I was getting stepped on by the Indian press corps. Let's just say there wasn't a lot of respect for personal space. Most of the time all I could see were the backs of the Indian cameramen. However, at just the right time, I took advantage of my small stature and snapped a picture with my Blackberry. Sometimes it pays to be short and able to squeeze into small spaces!!

After all that, I never actually got to go into the tent to see the actual dinner. Somehow my name was left off the guest list. Katie Couric was on the list. So was Brian Williams. I'm sure my invite just got lost in the mail since I have moved. It looked really cool on TV and I'm sure was a fun night. I decided to call it a day after we got a glimpse of the entertainment. I can't believe they picked Jennifer Hudson over me!! :)

All in all, although it was a bit nutty, I had a great day and I was reminded of how truly blessed by God I am. It is something that I am truly grateful for!