Jerusalem! Jerusalem!

I'm officially in the Middle East and survived my first day of the trip. I have so much to write about!! I was in travel pool today so it was a very, very busy day. We started with a bus ride from Jerusalem to the airport near Tel Aviv. We drove the opposite route last night to Jerusalem but didn't see anything because it was dark. This morning's drive was beautiful along the hills and the roads! There was a fog in the valley along certain villages and it was truly beautiful!

We got to the airport a couple of hours before the plane landed so we watched all the Israelis get set up for the arrival ceremony. I was on the front row and had a fairly good view with the exception of a bunch of rabbis and priests standing in front of me. The whole experience was crazy! They shut down a terminal of the Ben-Guron airport and we went through security which included getting our hands swiped for traces of explosive materials. Don't worry! I was clean! My favorite part of the process was when the Israeli security guy asked very politely in broken English, "Ma'am do you please have weapons?" I said no and he just took my word for it!

Anyway, the ceremony was pretty cool and it was the start of a historic trip and all three leaders talked (Bush, Olmert and Peres). The coolest part was when it was done, we took helicopters from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. I didn't really see anything specific but just flying over the small cities, villages, and farmlands was incredibly cool. It seemed to me that we had extra choppers in the air protecting us. Or least I'm going to think that to make myself feel safer. Anyway, we landed in a soccer field and motorcaded to the King David Hotel, where the President had a little down time. I ate hummus and felafel while he took a little nap or something.

Then we went to the President of Israel, Shimon Peres's house. When we got there, there will a bunch of kids waving Israeli flags and singing some song. (We were actually about 40 vehicles behind the Pres's limo so we missed the first song by the time we walked all the way to the building.) But we did make it inside in time to hear a 12 year-old girl serenading Bush with a version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" alternating from Hebrew to English and the President just kind of chuckling at her. Then these other kids did this weird dancing and the whole thing was a bit cheesy if you ask me. The scene for the press area was a mob scene and I got pushed around by these very mean Israeli women. We waited there for a while and then we got in the motorcade to drive to the Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert's house. We hung outside in a tent while they met (and I had some really good pastries) and then about two hours later, we were at the press conference of the two leaders. It was in this courtyard outside his house and it was cold! I can finally feel my feet again!

Finally when that was over, we motorcaded back to the King David and my travel pool day was officially over. It all went incredibly smoothly with only a few issues that were quickly resolved with a few questions. I was just glad to make it through with never feeling unsafe or completely stressed with work issues.

Here are a few random observations from my trip so far!

*There are a LOT of guns in Israel and EVERYONE carries them. At the airport, we saw a group of teenage girls and ALL of them were carrying machine guns. Every policeman or woman and then many, many random folks in street clothes were lining the streets all with their machine guns/uzis.

*The hummus here is really the best I've ever had anywhere in the world. I think so far I've eaten my weight in it.

*Jerusalem is a very, very hilly place. I now understand why it took Jesus forever to walk places. (Speaking of Jesus, I haven't had a chance to see any of the holy sights but maybe I will have a chance to at least check out the Old City on Friday at some point.) Last night, I went to dinner with my friend Aaron who is working for the WH for this trip. We walked about 15 minutes to a Jerusalem cafe which was really good food!!

Tomorrow I'm headed to Ramallah for the day which will be a very cool experience as well!! I'll attempt to blog about it when I get back! I'm also hoping to have some more pictures posted tomorrow!

Off to see the world!!

Happy New Year!! I've settled back into the work thing after only working five days in December! I spent my New Year's Day at the WH waiting for the Prez to come home. It was fairly uneventful. He got off the helicopter. He waved. He walked inside.

Since then, I've been at the bureau getting ready for a big trip to the Middle East. We leave tonight and I'm all packed and just waiting for a ride to Andrews. We'll spend tonight on the plane and then the next ten days in six different countries of the Middle East. We'll hit Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, among others. I'm really excited! I seriously doubt there will be any time for sightseeing but I am in travel pool in Jerusalem so I'm excited to be able to witness some historic moments up close and personal! It's going to be a ton of work (the total opposite of December for me!) and not much sleep. But I plan on trying to update my blog from there when time allows!

Oh, and I'm not on Air Force One for this trip. I'll be on the press charter which trust me, is a good deal. I survived flying internationally on commercial airlines so this will be a piece of cake. The charter is the way to go!!

I hope Santa was good to you!

I hope everyone had a very very Merry Christmas! I'm back in DC after a week in Roanoke with my family! Santa was very good to my family this year and I had a lot of fun in the past week despite suffering from a moderate cold/sinus thing. It's not all that fun being sick on Christmas but it only lasted a few days and I'm well on the road of recovery. And Santa helped make me forget about how bad I felt when I got a new electric keyboard and three new lamps!

Our house (well it's my sister's house now) was full, busy and loud for eight days. Laura, Katherine, and my mom did a wonderful job with all the cooking- actually I think everyone besides me did some of the cooking throughout the week. And it was a very enjoyable time at home. I'm sure my niece Cayton is having a hard time adjusting to normal since our departures. But she was sooo much fun to play with even from my sick bed. A definite highlight was playing with her new toys like Baby Alive who poops and pees in a diaper. And she has the new Bella Dancerella DVD/game. I'm sure people driving by the window slowed down to see her and her two aunts, and at times her MiMi and at times her Daddy, dancing around the family room like Princesses. MiMi (my mom) was rather impressed with my dance moves/coordination, especially without dancing lessons like Aunt Kay! It's hard work dancing like a princess!!

But it was truly great to play games and spend time with my family, the Casolas (who are practically family!), and some other friends of mine throughout the week. On two different occasions, I had coffee/lunch with friends from high school who I hadn't seen in years which was totally fun to catch up with them! There were many people I didn't get to see this trip so I guess I'll have to go back sometime soon!

I know this is sad for all of you as it is for me but tomorrow is my last day of my vacation. I agreed to work whenever the Pres comes back to town and he's decided to come back a day early so I will be working on Tuesday. Thanks Mr. Bush!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family and random people who read my blog!!

I've been on vacation since the 14th and in the meantime, I've celebrated a birthday, finished my Christmas shopping, hung out with several friends, and now I'm home for Christmas with my family! All of these activities may not sound as thrilling as some of the experiences I have for work but they are definitely more meaningful to me! I hope you are enjoying these holidays with friends and loved ones and eating a lot of good food!! I wanted to pass along my Christmas greetings from me and some of my closest friends!!!


Ok, so they aren't my closest friends but I did want to pass along the photos from the various functions! Notice the Prez's hand draped over my shoulder- pretty convincing that we're tight, right? And I tried to "auto correct" my picture with the First Lady but my hair was still messed up and I still had wrinkles on my clothes so it obviously didn't work! Oh well!!

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Partying with the Bushes

My Christmas party circuit has come to an end. It's been a busy social week! Thursday was the White House Christmas party, which is always a favorite of mine! My parents were my guests. Well, technically you can only bring one person but let's just say that I know people in high places! Everyone was impressed that I somehow figured out how to bring more than one person! Actually two years ago, I took my sister and brother-in-law so that Laura and George could meet Laura and George. Anyway, Mom and Dad had a great time, despite being nervous! They drove up on Thursday morning and before I went to work, I went through what it was going to be like, what the food was, what not to do, etc. They promised to behave and not to embarrass me. To be honest, I thought their expectations were not going to be met but they had a great time!!

One of my past guests told me it was just like going to an office party, but it happened to be at the White House and some of the entertainment was meeting the leader of the free world. It's true. For most of the evening, I introduced Mom and Dad to my co-workers and colleagues from the other networks. I'm sure they were never able to keep track of who's who but they were gracious anyway! The greatest part about bringing your parents to the office party is that people feel obligated to say nice things about you to them, true or not true. So I heard many nice things said. I've got a lot of people pay off now!!!

Of course the highlight is the picture taking time with the Bushes. It's all a very organized process and in all honesty, it's over before you realize that you've just met the President and the First Lady. They just stand there for literally hours every single night and get their picture taken with guests. So they have to pretend to enjoy this task for each and every person. And maybe they like it because they are quite convincing. I think they make that 10-second time frame for each person pretty special. This is my fourth Christmas party and picture. Each year, they act like they know me more and more. Granted, they do see me quite frequently and Mr. Bush waves at me every single time he sees me when he boards Marine One or Air Force One. But I'm pretty sure he doesn't really know my name. He's probably seen my name on multiple occasions but we're not buds. Anyway, here's the transcript of the exchange of the few seconds...

AIR FORCE STEWARD: Becky and her parents Dave and Carolyn (last names have been omitted in the transcript but they were announced)

POTUS: (interrupting) BBBBEEECCCCCCKKKKYYYYYYY! (He gives me a half-hug of some sort)

BECKY: Thank you Mr. President for having us here. Merry Christmas!

FLOTUS: Great to see you once again! Thanks for coming! (I had just seen her last week and had my photo taken)

POTUS: Mom! Dad!! Great to see you! Thanks for coming! Dad, stand over here.

(there is a little bit of confusion because his instructions are different than the Air Force steward's and there is protocol involved here!)

(My parents also introduced themselves to the Bushes and we all "chatted" but I don't remember what they said.)

In our photo, he has his arm around me like we're total BFFs! The whole scene was hysterical because it really looked like they were glad to see me and we were tight. I think my parents were quite impressed! Heck, I was quite impressed too! I can't wait to see how the picture turned out! No matter what it looks like, it will be hanging in my parents' house for the rest of time so I hope it looks okay!

We were some of the last people out of the WH when they gently start kicking you out. We got just past the gate and my mom said that she wasn't feeling well, had to sit down and she wasn't going to be able to walk to the car. So she sat down on a concrete bench and wanted me to bring the car to her (which is an impossibility because Penn. Ave. has been closed to cars for years and years now.) But I went to ask the Secret Service officer what my options were. While I was over at the guard shack talking, my mom ends up on the ground, laying on the sidewalk. A concerned colleague of mine from another network, told me we should call 911. The officer sent out a page and literally in 15 seconds, there were four USSS cars surrounding her, giving her oxygen, taking blood etc. She was feeling a little bit better but the DC paramedics told her she needed to go to the ER but she didn't want to. I told her they knew what they were talking about and we shouldn't take any chances. So they loaded her into the back of the ambulance and my dad and I rode down Penn. Ave. in the ambulance to GWU hospital, several blocks away. I hadn't ever been in an ambulance before and I hadn't driven down Penn. Ave. recently (I think I have been in the motorcade there a while back.) Anyway, long story made somewhat shorter, they ran a bunch of tests on her and there was some concern about possible blood clotting but she's fine now. They released her at 5a (I brought my dad home about 2:30 so he could get some sleep and I took a little nap until I went back to pick her up.) They left yesterday and things are fine now.

It was probably the most memorable WH Christmas Party. In addition to it being a really fun party and getting to see my friend, it just ended in a unique way! First of all, I'm thankful Mom is okay. But I am also thankful it happened where it did so she could get immediate medical attention. I was also touched by the outpouring of concern of my colleagues. I knew they were nice people but they more than proved it by their messages, phone calls, visits. (My boss wouldn't let me come into work on Friday which was incredibly nice!)

Here were my initial thoughts from the slight scene on the sidewalk-

1) My mom is not allowed to see any more world leaders. (She had a fainting spell when she saw the Queen in May but that time it was 100 degrees and she hadn't eaten anything.)

2) Wow, her Christmas letter is going to be awesome this year!!

Tis the Season (for Cheese Grits)

I am so very much in the Christmas spirit! I can hardly stand it! Last week (and yesterday) I spent my days listening to Christmas carols and writing cards and shopping. Then in the evenings, I played the oboe for the Living Christmas Tree. The tree was a big success, at least the oboe part was! I love playing in it because the rest of the orchestra are professionals, most in the military bands. So no matter how I play, I automatically sound better! But everything went well and I am so relieved. I didn't mind being the co-chair this year but it's a lot of work! On Monday, I spent the day at the church taking that 4000 pound thing down! Well I'll be honest, I had some help! :) But it was hard work!

But one of the things I like so much about this time of year (beyond the obvious that we're celebrating Jesus's birth) is the Christmas party circuit. For work alone, I have four parties I was invited to. I skipped the one for my network over the weekend. But last night was the WH Correspondents party. Tonight I went to the Vice President's party and on Thursday it's the WH party. It's a good thing I like my co-workers (from my network and the other press) because we're socializing quite a bit this week! I had never been to the Veep's house before and it was a good party! The thing that's different about that party is that is a variety of people there- some Senators, other politicos, some press. I was the guest of one of my correspondents and I was very grateful for the opportunity to go. I admit it. I'm a nerd. It's cool to see famous people like Donald Rumsfeld and Newt Gingrich in person! The actual party was in a tent outside of the residence (albeit the nicest tent I have ever been in! I didn't feel like it wasn't part of the normal house!) But we went inside for our picture with the Cheneys. And the food was delicious! Including cheese grits! I know the WH is serving them too (see previous post!) Who knew this year would be the year of the cheese grits! Oh man how I love them! Plus we got a departing gift. I haven't quite figured out what it is but I will eventually!

Don't worry, I'll post the photo of me and the Cheneys as soon as I get it in the mail. I'm still waiting for the one of me and Laura from a couple of weeks ago!

A short work week!!

I'm only working two days this week (yesterday and today) because I've got vacation days to burn and the Living Christmas Tree at my church for the rest of the week. But not to worry, the WH folks have made sure that I've stayed busy. Yesterday there was a statement in the Rose Garden about urging Congress to pass spending bills, FISA, etc. I wish I could remember word for word what he said but I was distracted. The WH chefs were cooking chicken fried steak fingers and that's all I could smell. It smelled sooooooo good and I know they taste good (from our tasting last Thursday.) It was just a bit distracting because I was pretty hungry and all I wanted to eat for lunch were the chicken fried steak fingers. Do you know how hard it is to find those for lunch in DC?

Today there is a press conference. It's upstairs from our booth in the briefing room. The room is too small for me to be in there so I'll watch it on TV just like everyone else. All the action will be steps away from me but I'll miss it! Oh well!