The Big Apple!

If you're a loyal reader (which I'm sure that really just means you, Mom), you'll know that I've spent a little bit of time in the Big Apple for work over the past couple of years. Usually it's been for the UN General Assembly so most of what I judge my opinion on NYC revolves around that. I realize that is unfair. When I'm there for that, the whole city is in more than usual gridlock as all the worlds leaders are being shuttled around the city. In fact, I know a lot of NYers that just leave that week to avoid the madness. So while I've never had a horrendous trip (and in fact if you'll remember, I saw the best in humanity in NYC a couple of years ago here), I've never really spent enough time to give it a fair share.


Minus a high school band trip to NYC, I've never played tourist in NYC before. And on that trip, all I remember is falling asleep in Les Miserables (or was it Phantom of the Opera?), sitting through a lightning storm in the cheap seats of Shea Stadium, and going into FAO Schwarz. So I have never really experienced NYC. This trip was totally different from the others! I stayed in the Hilton Millenium right by the World Trade Center site. Literally right next to it. In fact, when I looked out my window to see my view from the 23rd floor, it was the first time I had seen the WTC site in person. Honestly, it took my breath away. To think that here we are almost 10 years later and there's still an enormous gaping hole really hit me. I don't think words really describe how powerful that image is.




So anyway, back to work. This week, I was there for two and a half days and while POTUS was there one of those days, I never saw him and never got caught up in his motorcade, etc. POTUS was there to give a speech on financial reform and we thought it would be cool to do our liveshots from the New York Stock Exchange, about two miles from the speech site. I had never been to the NYSE but I have watched the opening or closing bell on TV for many days in the last 12 years so I felt like I knew the place. Um yes. It was that cool!! I have no idea what those people actually do and everyone kept telling me that I should have seen it ten years ago but I was still in awe. It was sooooo cool! (It was also much smaller than I expected it to be. Everyone says the same thing about the WH briefing room. That's the magic of TV cameras!) We were working out of my network's booth from the NYSE so for the first few minutes, I just stared onto the floor to see if I could actually figure out what was happening. The short answer was no. I still have no idea! They let us onto the floor of the NYSE to do a couple of liveshots and that was incredibly cool. We talked to some of the traders which usually ended up in a conversation that quickly went over my head. I just smiled and nodded. One guy I talked to had been trading on the floor for 41 years!! Apparently the NYSE has more rules for TV coverage than the WH. So every time I asked if we could do something, usually the answer was "well that might be hard but we'll try." Well God was just totally blessing us left and right because the only thing that we were denied was the chance to ring the closing bell. Apparently that thing is decided a year in advanced!

The other part of my trip that made it a great one was that I got to meet one of my friends on Wednesday night when I got to town. It's a pretty long and complicated story of how I know Eric but the other night was the first time we met face to face. But the short version of things is that several years ago, Eric found himself wrongly imprisoned in Nicaragua and through friends of friends of friends, I heard about his story. He was released after spending 14 months in basically a hellhole and has now written a book about his unbelievably true story. His book comes out on Tuesday but I had the opportunity to read it a few months ago and let me tell you, it's one of the most compelling things I have ever read. I can already see the movie in my head. I won't spoil it for you because I expect you to buy his book when it comes out on Tuesday. Seriously people- buy his book! It's got romance, adventure, mystery, major adversity but most of all it's a story about clinging to hope and faith in the darkest of times. I've told Eric this but I'll tell you too. When I was reading it, I thought to myself that hopefully I will never experience a situation one iota as terrible as his but we all face dark times (his by far outweighs anything I've ever even come close to dealing with) but if he could not give up on God and just clung to hope then I have no excuses. I told him I would like to be able to say without a shadow of a doubt that I would have handled things exactly the same way as him but I don't know. And I pray that I never have to face anything close to his story! It's an inspiring book on hope and faith and I urge you to read it. Seriously people- buy it!! How's that for a sales pitch? Just in case I need to make it easier, here is a link to his website and how to order the book. I left my time with Eric more inspired and hopeful in many ways! I hope you'll enjoy it as well!

Make New Friends, But Keep the Old...

"Make new friends. But keep the old. One is silver and the other gold."

Those are brilliant words that I learned as a Brownie in Troop 69 growing up. I can still picture standing with our Brownie sashes on, in a circle, holding hands and singing this song. But I don't think I really have grasped the true meaning until many years later. This week has been a full week of work and other activities but the highlights of this week would definitely be centered around friendships. Oh, and family of course.

Last weekend, I went to the 'Noke to celebrate my adorable niece Raygan's first birthday. I know I am completely biased but that kid is one of the cutest kids I have ever seen. I say the same thing about her 6 year old sister and her 6 month old cousin. But I had the grandest time just chilling with my family. I hadn't seen Raygan since Christmas and that was 1/3 of her lifetime ago so I wasn't sure she'd remember me. But the second she saw me, she came to me and reached out her arms for me to pick her up. Maybe she's confused like the rest of the world in thinking I look like her mom but she just came right up to me like she had really missed me. And Cayton of course came running and jumping into my arms. (It won't be too much longer until she is too big- or I am too short- for her to do that so I just relished it even more!) Raygan's birthday party was on Saturday and as a typical 1 year-old, I don't think she really knew what was going on. Until the cake. She had had cake on her actual birthday (two days prior) and she was shoveling it in. And this time was no different except the icing wasn't hot pink. She ate the entire cupcake in no time flat. And was even willing to share some icing that had fallen out of her mouth with me. Such a sweet girl! Such a sweet family!!

On Saturday night after the rest of the family had gone to bed, I headed over to the Kerrs. I realize that I have known the Kerrs since before their youngest was born and Sarabeth is now 20! They were Sunday School teachers of mine in middle school and I was their babysitter back in my teenage years. I have always held their friendship dear to me and I always try to stop by their house during trips home because I just love them! And now their oldest, Claire, is engaged and will be married in September. Wow, I feel old!! But I have appreciated their friendships and examples for more than two decades now! I am so blessed!

Monday, I had the true treat of getting to spend the day with another special family. I met the Robertsons last October when I was in Azerbaijan and they made sure I was okay during my unfortunate illness from the unknown pill. I have only known them a short time and really not all that well. But well enough to know they are a super duper Christ-loving family! So when I heard they were in DC, I took the day off of work to spend with them. We played tourists and on paper it didn't seem like it would be all that easy considering they have 7 children and DC was a bit crazy hosting an international nuclear summit. But it was the most perfect day! We hit a museum, had a picnic lunch on the National Mall and then took a tour of the Capitol. We ended the day with dinner at our friend Lesley's house where we had some awesome Lebanese food. It was like having our own little international summit! This family exudes love and kindness and gentleness... pretty much all of the Fruit of the Spirit and I was happy to spend the day having that rub off on me just a little bit! :)

Later in the week, I met up with a friend who I had met when I first moved to DC but I hadn't seen her in about 11 years. Thanks to the marvelous world of Facebook, Kelley and I have reconnected online and she e-mailed me a few weeks ago telling me she would be in town and wanted to do dinner. I thought it might be a little awkward considering it had been so long but seriously, it was one of those conversations that picked up literally where we probably left off 11 years ago. Kelley was my Bible study leader when I first moved to Alexandria and really made me feel like part of the group. I told her that in many ways, I have her to thank for my happiness living here over the years. She was one of my first "new" friends when I didn't know many people and she made me feel connected in my church family who I have come to really love and cherish over the past 12 years. And I was soooo excited that we were able to have dinner and catch up and not really miss too many beats along the way! I think I'm going to plan a trip to Tuscon to visit her soon!

This week God showed me that I have all kinds of friendships and each one is a blessing. He has blessed me beyond measure by putting meaningful friendships in my life and I am forever grateful.

Catching Up!!

Wow! I was on a regular blogging roll there for a while... clearly the last couple of weeks have been a bit crazy. Actually, one thing working against me is that my computer at home shuts down randomly every 5-10 minutes and I lose everything I'm working on. It's maddening but eventually I'll get my computer fixed.... So in the meantime, this is going to be a random post!

Anyway, Girls Weekend rocked! It is always soooo fun when Elizabeth, Missy, Becky and I get together! We usually do it in the summer at some point but since Elizabeth is welcoming baby #2 in July, we thought it would be best to do it before she can't travel anymore! And this year for the first time, I had the privilege of hosting the girls! I was so excited to be able to show them my new house and newfound cooking skills!! I work best under pressure in most arenas in life and thankfully I passed the test (my own) this time! I have to admit, I was a bit nervous because what if my meal sucked?!? But when the weekend was over, all of us were still too full from all the food we ate that we didn't want to eat again. I count that as a success! Of course I lso counted that a divine inspiration to go to the gym on Monday night after work!

Some of you might not be impressed but we had a rather full weekend. A full weekend to us is sitting around in our PJs just chatting or playing Nerts all weekend. But we left the house by noon on Saturday!! We went down to see the Cherry Blossoms at the Tidal Basin. They were about 50% in bloom but still pretty enough for pictures and to be able to check it off the bucket list to see the cherry blossoms. (I actually hadn't seen them from outside my car in several years. The throngs of tourists are always a headache so this year instead of ignoring them, I joined them!) The Cherry Blossoms are always an opportunity to do some great people watching. I won't bore you with all the details but I will share two highlights. We saw a pretty good looking, yet rugged guy walking a cat. On a leash. And trying to take pictures of it. Actually the cat was walking him. I think the cat was much more embarrassed than the guy. Then we saw another guy who had dyed his bulldog pink. I guess he is very loyal to the Cherry Blossom Festival. Seriously. You can't make this stuff up. If we weren't laughing so hard, we might have taken some pictures!

But the trees were beautiful and I bought some cherry blossom potpourri so I can pretend it's peak bloom season all year round!

Then last weekend was of course Easter weekend. I haven't been with my family over Easter in a long time because I just LOVE being at my church on Easter Sunday. Despite missing my family, I had perhaps one of the greatest Easters ever. I started the morning by going to the Easter Sunrise Service at the Lincoln Memorial. I have lived in the DC area for 12 years and never have gone and I really wanted to cross this off my list of things to do one day. I figured I get up earlier than that for work on many days so I have no excuses. And when I read the weather report about it being in the 50s as opposed to the normal 30s, I thought this was the perfect year to go! So about eight or nine of us from church met up to go and I'm so glad I did. It was a beautiful service and I have never sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to watch the sun rise over the Washington Monument. It was beautiful!

Then I ran home and got ready to go to my church. I wouldn't have wanted to miss it! Easter Sunday is always one of my most favorite worship services and this year exceeded my expectations! At one point I had teared up because it was just a glimpse of what heaven will be like- God's people singing His praises! At my church, we have an Easter Cross outside that everyone comes and puts flowers in. In years past, I've been "in charge" of it which basically means taking a lot of people's pictures for them. And usually it is really cold! But this year I just got to enjoy it! And it helped that it was really warm outside!

I am sooo blessed by my church family! After church, I went over to my good friends, Joe and Katie (and Ella)'s house for lunch. In another new thing, I actually made two of the side dishes for lunch. Again, I ate so much food that I was just stuffed!! I made it home for a 15 minute nap before I headed out to my next meal! Don and Audrey (my pastor and his wife who are like second parents to me!) invited me over for dinner and to spend time with some of their friends from Danville (where they used to live.) Eating was the last thing I intended to do but the fellowship with these three wonderful families made me forget that I had already eaten my weight in food earlier in the day! After dinner, Don and I took one of the families on a night tour of DC. The weather could not have been more perfect and by the end of the night, I felt like I had known these folks for years! I went to bed that night completely exhausted but feeling incredibly blessed by God for all the wonderful people God has put in my life.

And I've also worked quite a bit in between all these other events. Remember work? Oh yes. For a second, I had forgotten everything I had done in the past two weeks! I'm still forgetting many things but I'll break it down to two highlights.

Last week (or maybe the week before that- I can't remember), I got to see my old buddy Sarkozy. He's the President of France. I like him because he's short. I've seen him many times like last fall in Pittsburgh. A couple of years ago with President Bush at Mount Vernon. I think he recognizes me now. Just kidding. He has NO idea who I am. But he makes me smile every time I see him. I think this time he had to have been wearing lifts in his shoes. He seemed much taller. He was here for a meeting with POTUS and they had a short press conference in the East Room of the White House. I was trying to brush up on my French skills before the presser but I still can only remember the words for bathing suit and potato. I am sooo sorry Madame Hosp if you are still alive!! I did have to rely on the translation headsets but just watching Sarkozy made me laugh! His facial expressions when he speaks crack me up! And for the record, my headset failed me for a few minutes and while I couldn't tell you what exactly he said, I did have a general idea about what the topic was. So I'll take it. Baby steps to becoming fluent! :)

Also, this past Monday was the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. I don't want to sound un-American but it is probably my least favorite WH tradition. It is just never that enjoyable! This year was the first time in the past several years that I wasn't out there when POTUS came out. I instead had to go out there later in the afternoon and try to find a specific lady that someone at my network was doing a documentary about. The phrase "needle in a haystack" doesn't come close to the difficulties of finding someone in that crowd. But by the grace of God, somehow I found her (even though I didn't know what she looked like!) I think it was a miracle! It was so hot this year that I was only out there for about 30 minutes. But that was enough time to see 5000 kids screaming because they were too hot and hungry. And 5000 parents trying to get their screaming kids to smile for a picture in front of the White House. And enough time to get completely sweaty myself. And enough time for me to get harassed by the Cat in the Hat character who insisted on hitting me with his tail. Good times. I think by the time Raygan and Nolan are old enough to go and appreciate it (and be a part of the screaming kids), I will have enough time to repress the memories of how crazy this event actually is!

Spring has Sprung!!

I don't know about you but I'm so glad that spring is here! Despite the fact that today is cold and rainy, I am sooooo thankful that winter is behind us. Maybe it's the fact that six weeks ago, we had three feet of snow. But I am so thankful for the signs of change of seasons and new growth. I could get all deeply philosophical on you but I had to be at work early this morning so my level of inspiration is slightly low. However, I wanted to share a few pictures from yesterday's Marine One arrival on the South Lawn. It was so nice to be out there in good weather (hard to believe that was just yesterday) and to see trees and flowers blooming!!!


This weekend is girls weekend at my house and I can't wait!! Becky, Elizabeth, Missy, and I are going to have soooo much fun together!

I'm pretty sure he was waving to me and telling me to have fun with the girls this weekend! :)

Flat Stanley Adventures

This past week or so has been a bit busy. Apparently this healthcare story is kind of a big deal! :) It's amazing how many times my work schedule has changed in the past week or so because of POTUS's plans or change of plans. I was anticipating having to work overnights next week while he was in Asia so I can't say that I'm disappointed to be able to sleep at night next week! In the mean time, there have been plenty of events at the WH on health care and other issues. But mainly health care. I am not here to make any political statements on the topic but at this point, the topic makes my head hurt. I don't know if you've tried to read the bill but if you suffer from insomnia, I suggest trying to read it and understand it. Anyway, last week I had a visitor with me to the WH. Before you get too excited, I have very, very little pull to get anyone into the WH with me so no need to ask me! Unless you are a laminated piece of paper. And your name is Flat Stanley.

Let me stop right here and say that if you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, please check out this link. Also, after reading this, I really don't want to have a billion Flat Stanley projects show up at my door on one day. I would gladly help but I need to space them out. I suggest studying the Flat Stanley above and coloring him the exact same way and then just using these pictures! :)

About eight years ago, I did a Flat Stanley (FS from here on out) project for a student of one of my friends in Atlanta. And it pretty much rocked, if I do say so myself. He went everywhere, including along for the ride with a friend of mine to the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. I took FS every where with me (although that was before my time in the WH) and made a fool of myself taking pictures in front of all the monuments. I'm usually fairly modest but that kid's project had to be the best in the class. (Elizabeth, I really, really hope we got an A!) And then right after that, another friend sent me a FS from someone. I was really hoping that FS had a uniformed colored outfit so I could just send the same pictures. But of course not. FS from the projects of Nashville looked NOTHING like FS from suburban Atlanta. And I admittedly failed at FS Project #2. I sent a few pictures in but I couldn't re-create the efforts of FS #1, especially going to the opening ceremony of the Olympics! But FS is something I've enjoyed helping out with occasionally through the years.

Well, it had been a while since FS had come to visit me. Enough time had passed to get over the personal defeat of doing a less than spectacular FS #2. My friend Katie asked if I would let FS hang out with me for a few days. This FS is for a student in Casper, WY. No offense to any friends from Casper because one of my closest friends is from Casper. But automatically, this kid's FS being sent to DC is going to be the best in the class. At least in my humble opinion. I picked him up from Katie's house and took him with me to the WH. It's quite easy to get him in the WH since he was stuffed in an envelope in my bag. Secret Service didn't even see him! Unfortunately this FS #3 did not look anything like the first two FSs so I couldn't re-use any previous pictures. But the good thing was that I was only helping out and not responsible for the overall FS project. My thinking was that if I could produce just one or two cool pictures, then I would be able to count my part as a success. And as luck would have it, the day I brought FS with me to the WH, POTUS hooked me up.

No, I didn't get close enough to POTUS to ask him to hold FS for a picture but the chances of that EVER happening are slim to none. But he did have several events open to the press which honestly, doesn't happen all that often. So FS started his day off at an event with the NCAA Football Champions, the University of Alabama in the East Room:

Then later in the day, he went back to the East Room, again, for another event. Sorry FS and kid from Casper that my camera batteries died and I had to take pictures with my friend's blackberry for this event. But if you look closely, you'll see FLOTUS and POTUS at the podium making remarks and then with former American Idol contestant Katherine McPhee singing at an event celebrating International Women's Day:

After that, I handed FS off to my colleague from CBS who was going into the Oval Office for a meeting with the President of El Salvador. It's kind of hard to actually do your job and take silly pictures of FS at the same time. And this is one of those times where FS picture taking might not have been fully appropriate but Thomas took one for the team! Thanks Thomas! Here is FS waiting in the Colonnade with the rest of the WH press corps to go into the Oval Office. The second one is where FS is in the Oval Office and if you look carefully, you'll see POTUS making comments:

A couple of days later, FS hit the road with me to go to St. Louis for a healthcare speech. FS got to be in the gym at the high school where POTUS make his remarks and then helped my WH correspondent with a liveshot. Ok, he wasn't really on TV but if you look closely, FS is definitely there.

To be completely honest, FS wasn't my focus while we were in St. Louis. It just so happen to work out that my sister and nephew were able to come to our workspace and I got to hang out with them for a few hours. It NEVER works out for things like that to happen. The last time I was in St. Louis with POTUS, I think I saw my sister for approximately 15 minutes. But this time, thanks to some fundraisers, I was able to play with my adorable nephew (and see my sister) for THREE hours! Nolan was the total hit of the workspace! I know I'm biased but he is the cutest baby boy ever!

See, I told you he was cute. And I'm not just saying that because I think he looks just like I did as a baby.

Bob Moore and the Kitchen Basket

Today I'm blogging with a heavy heart. I hope you won't mind that this post is going to be more serious and emotional than most.


In my world, I'm honored and blessed to be around all kinds of important and cool people. But I've discovered that the most meaningful people who God has blessed me with are the every-day "normal" people with whom God has intersected my path. Yesterday, one of my dear friends, Bob Moore, passed away and went to be with the Lord. He was one of the most amazing people I've ever known. Just the best. When I first heard the news I was incredibly sad but the more I thought about him, the more peace I felt. Bob is now in the presence of God and is free from his oxygen tank and wheelchair. He is probably dancing or playing softball or giving hugs. And when I think of that, I have a hard time being sad. I'm still sad for his wife Barbara and the rest of us who will miss him but I can't help but being happy for him being completely healed and hanging out with Jesus.


But I wanted to let the rest of the world know why Bob Moore was so special to me. I'm not really sure when I truly got to know this man and his wonderful heart but in the past six or seven years, I've had the privilege to see a living example of God's love. He wasn't a perfect man but he was a Godly, loving, kind-hearted, sincere man. He made me feel like I was the most special person on the planet. And he had a way of making every person feel the same way!


People were naturally drawn to Bob and I consider myself blessed to have been dear friends with him. He would tell me that if he had been 40 years younger and not married, that he would have swept me off my feet. (Don't worry, his high-school sweetheart and love of his life, Barbara was always standing right there when he said things like that!) I'm sure I wasn't the only gal he said that to but every time he said that to me, I felt so special! I'm one of the many who relished in the fact that after a Bob Moore hug and kiss on the cheek, I would smell like his cologne long after I left the conversation. It was such a sweet fragrance, just like his character. He had such a way of encouraging me and others around him, that I think that is what I'll miss the most.


Bob was such a giving man. I can look around my house and see several wonderful gifts he and Barbara have given me over the years. Oh and by the way, these gifts were always wrapped impeccably. And then put in a nice gift bag decorated with lots of ribbons and bows. Each gift made me feel incredibly special and loved. And I'm not the only person he treated so well!!


I have a small basket of items in my kitchen. This basket kind of collects many things I'm not really sure what to do with. They are all greatly appreciated but they kind of hang out there until I figure out their permanent home. Some are serious. Some are goofy. Most of them are from Bob Moore. These items will tell you a lot about this man:


1) CHAIN LETTER IN DISGUISE. It's just a goofy, silly letter that made me laugh. A lot. And the best part was that the postage stamp had a picture of Bob Moore on it. Long before I knew anyone could pay to do that.

2) HOKIE KEYCHAIN. It plays the Hokie fight song if you touch a certain spot. Bob knew I loved the Hokies and this is just one of several Hokie memorabilia that I have thanks to him.

3) OBOE PIN. He saw a lapel pin that was in the shape of an oboe and since I play the oboe, Bob got it for me. He said, "I know you don't wear pins but I thought of you when I saw this and I love to hear you play the oboe." I might just wear that pin one day.

4) CROSSES FOR YOUR POCKET. This little item was a signature item for Bob to give away. I think he gave me about four or five over the years. In addition, he gave them away to many of my friends who I would introduce to him. He and Barbara were at the top of the list for my out of town friends and family to meet. And usually they would end up with a small Cross for their pocket. I might have to keep the trend going and start giving them away.

5) COUPON FOR A FREE COOKIE AT FUDDRUCKERS. If I ever ended up at Fuddruckers (or Atlantis) at the same time as he and Barbara, he would find a way to win the argument and buy my meal (Ok, I didn't give him too much of a fight because I knew he would prevail.) Sometimes at Fuddruckers after church on Sundays, the staff of the restaurant would come over and give Bob a free container of desserts and cookies. For no reason other than Bob made friends with everyone. The cookie guy at Fuddruckers is a key person to have in your corner! So I would reap the benefits of Bob being such a nice guy. And when there weren't free cookies, he'd buy me one or give me a coupon for a free one. I still have one that I'm sure he gave me. I wonder if Fuddruckers will let me cash it in. :)

6) CARDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT. Like I mentioned earlier, Bob had the gift of encouragement. I had many cards from him and Barbara and I've kept each and every one. The one in the basket is from this past fall before I was going to Baku. They said they were praying for me and knew that God would be doing great things. And he was one of those people who if he said he was praying for you, he wasn't just saying it. He really did pray for me more than I will ever know. I knew he had been battling some health issues but he still took time to send that card and pray for me, and I greatly appreciated it.

7) A HANDKERCHIEF WITH HIS EMBROIDERED MONOGRAM. This is not only the most special thing in the basket, but possibly the most special gift a friend has ever given. A few years ago when our friend Billy died unexpectedly (Bob and Barbara were among the witnesses of his death), Bob took his death really hard. He told me he hadn't cried that much for anyone's death in his whole life. I personally saw him cry on more than one occasion when talking about Billy. I cried quite a few times myself. One of those times was a few days after Billy's funeral and a bunch of us went to a Christian concert that Billy had gotten us tickets for. I think I started crying the second I sat down in my seat and realized that Billy's empty seat was nearby. And I think I probably cried through literally the entire concert. Clearly I had come ill-prepared and my sleeves were not doing a good job catching the tears. Bob had tears streaming down his face as well and handed me the handkerchief out of his pocket. He gave me a hug and kiss on the cheek and said, "I think you need this more than I do."I used that hanky until it was a soggy rag. (BTW, I've never used a hanky before and I probably broke all kinds of hanky-etiquette.) So I took it home and washed it and tried to give it back to Bob. He refused to take it and told me to hold on to it, that I might need it in the future. I think I'll carry it to his funeral on Thursday.


I can honestly say I'm a better person for knowing Bob Moore. My only regret is that I didn't get to say goodbye while he was alive. He knew I thought the world of him and Barbara but I'm not positive that he knew the scope of my appreciation for our friendship. He was the kind of guy that when he once met a guy I was dating, he gave the guy the spiel that if he did anything to hurt me, he would come after him. And Bob was on oxygen at the time and he still would have taken the guy down if need be. I totally believed that. I told him every time I've seen him in the past months since he's had some health problems that I loved him (and Barbara) but I wish there had been one more hug and kiss on the cheek. I look forward to being able to say goodbye on Thursday and then I'll look forward to finding him in heaven one day! I'm sure there will be a long line of people, okay women, waiting to get their hug and kiss from him. I wonder if he'll still have that same sweet cologne!

Is There a Doctor in the (White) House?

The month of February was my month to work in the bureau so I missed being at the White House and on the front lines of things. So I couldn't wait until March 1st. I realize that February is the shortest month of the calendar and for that I am grateful. So I've been back at the WH for the past several days and ready for the action.

On Monday, I didn't see POTUS because he only had one event that the press was allowed to cover and that was off-campus so we didn't go with him. On Tuesday, I saw POTUS for the first time in weeks (well actually I saw him in Vegas but that seems like a lifetime ago!) I went out for the helicopter arrival. You've heard me say it before, but I always like a good helicopter arrival or departure. Ok, I like the idea of a good arrival or departure. In theory, there's nothing like being on the South Lawn of the White House and watching the leader of the free world get on Marine One and take off with the backdrop of the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial. If that doesn't make you love being an American, I'm not sure what would. But in reality, the winter months (or any event of weather) tends to dampen (pardon the pun) that spirit. It was incredibly cold and windy before the helicopter landed. And I wasn't wearing my thick coat. I've decided that it's gotten incredibly dirty and nasty this winter and should not be worn at the White House unless it's 50 below zero. It's just too ghetto and I respect the office of the presidency and the White House way too much to do that. So I did what I always do, I stood behind the biggest camera guy out there and braced myself from the cold. I eventually warmed up once back inside in the whole in the basement that we call our booth.

Yesterday, POTUS was making comments on health care reform yet again and I got to be there in person. I don't get all that excited anymore about events but I remind myself of two things. 1) 98% of the American population won't ever step foot into that room or the White House for that matter. And 2) I won't be doing this forever so I need to appreciate each and every opportunity. The highlight of this event that it was a room filled with doctors (or at least people in white lab coats.) I admit, I was scouting the room for cute, young, apparently-single doctors. Bad news, Mom, I didn't find any. But I will say, I felt safe in that if any medical emergency had occurred, we would have been more than okay.

Oh, and one of my most favorite things was that I got to see my friend Dana at the event!! She's such a superstar (even without the TV makeup on!)

This is kind of random but I thought I'd share anyway. It's my blog so I set the rules and there are none. So being in that room full of doctors made me think of my run-in with the White House doctors years ago. It was about four years ago and we were in our old booth (way before the renovations of 2007) and I was sitting at my desk and I felt something hit me on the head. I didn't know what it was and at the time I remember feeling a little sluggish (one step away from napping on the job). After coming to after briefly blacking out for a few seconds, I did what anyone would do... blame their correspondent. I thought that my correspondent had taken something and whacked me over the head to wake me up or get my attention. I thought it would have been a little bit across the line but to be honest, it wouldn't surprise me in the least. After my accusations of her being exceptionally mean, I realized that it had something to do with this long piece of metal by my chair. And I looked up at the ceiling to see a new hole and the place from where the metal bar had come. Being the brilliant person I am, I finally realized this bar had fallen from the ceiling and hit me right on top of the head. I felt a little bit like Chicken Little but it really did hurt. So I called the press office who made some calls and before you know it, I was being escorted to the White House doctor. They gave me a stack of paperwork about workers' compensation and other documents trying to persuade me to not file any lawsuits. I get this personal escort to the doctor's office and when I got there, they had all heard about what had happened to me. I even ran into a lady from my church who had heard it was me. After some not-so-rigorous tests and scans, the doctor declared there was nothing there in my head! He basically confirmed what many others have said across the years! :) I'm sure if that had happened yesterday while surrounded by 150 doctors in white coats at the White House, I would have had 148 different opinions!

Ok, back to your normally scheduled programming and train of thought. See the kinds of things that you missed out of because I haven't always kept a blog? Humor me, please! :)