January 14, 2009 11:18 AM
A trip of a lifetime!
When my family first heard about a proposed school trip to Washington, D.C., to watch the inauguration, our first thought was "Wow! Wouldn't that be great?" At the time, we had just considered sending our two oldest kids, Adam, 12, and Rachel 10.
But before we knew it, both my youngest son, Jason, 8, and I were included in the five-day, jam-packed trip that now includes 94 people from four different schools. Hulstrom Options K-8 (where my kids go to school) in Northglenn is sending 23 students and 15 adults; Mullen High School has 41 students and seven adults going; and Fort Lupton High School and Brighton High School have six students and two adults participating.
Everything seemed to happen so fast. The initial meeting about the trip was Sept. 24th, the first deposit was due Nov. 3rd, we had a final meeting on Jan. 8th and here we are just a few days away. The big X's on the calendar have been getting closer and closer to our departure date.
I've noticed that the kids have gotten very interested in inauguration news. My sixth-grader Adam has been surfing the net and reading as much as he can about Washington and the big event. I cannot believe how much information is out there about this inauguration! One of our favorite web site shows stages and grandstands being erected and other preparations going on for the historical Jan. 20th inauguration. (http://inaugural.senate.gov/2009/index.cfm)
Our favorite "family number" has always been 44. My husband Darren had this number on all of his sports jerseys growing up because he loved to watch Floyd Little when he played for the Broncos. Our kids always try to get this number for their sports jerseys as well. When we remembered that Obama was to be our 44th president, we were all the more excited!
This trip would not have been possible without a loan from Grandma Flora and Grandpa Bill, who have always valued education, and did not hesitate to say yes when I asked. At first we were only going to send Adam and Rachel because, as I told my mom, I thought that Jason was too young and would not remember much of the trip. But when I mentioned this to my mom she asked me if I remembered our family trip to Washington when I was 7. "Of course," I said.
"Well you were a year younger than Jason when you went," she said.
I had forgotten about that.
My mom then called back the next day.
"We'll only lend you the money under one condition," she said.
"Uh oh, here it comes," I thought.
"You and Jason have to go as well, and Darren too if he wants."
I didn't even hesitate.
"Um, let me think," I joked. "OK!"
The trip to D.C. my mom was referring to happened back in 1973. We didn't attend an inauguration, but I remember clearly going with my family to see all the tourist attractions I'd read about in books at school. (I also remember insisting on buying a huge sombrero from a souvenir stand. So in a lot of our pictures from that trip someone - usually me - is wearing that silly thing)
I realize that I am blessed that we have this wonderful opportunity to watch history - along with 7 or 8 million other people now expected to be there. And with that kind of crowd, I feel much better going along for the ride to keep track of the kids.
My husband Darren, however, chose to stay home. His idea of a fun family vacation is not dealing with millions of people to watch something like an inauguration. His speed is more Disney World. He jokes about making a tidy profit by selling our tickets to Washington! Like that's gonna happen!
We've heard that we represent the only middle school from the metro area going to Washington for this occasion. I can't imagine the coordination that went into this trip!
The three teachers that organized the trip are Michelle Pearson, one of Hulstrom's wonderful middle school teachers, Barb Figg from Mullen and Kelly Jones-Wagy from Brighton. They are fellows with the Teaching with Primary Sources Program sponsored by the Library of Congress here in Colorado. They have all worked together before on various projects and are also associated with the When History Happens project. The inauguration blogs of the students will be posted at whenhistoryhappens.org and several of them will be posting to YourHub.com/nextgen.
Mrs. Pearson has us prepared for any situation and has repeated 10 or 15 times, "Layers, people, we need to stay warm!" We will have five full days in D.C. and Mrs. Pearson wants to squeeze in much in as possible. My only question at the final meeting was, "Will I be able to bring my own Advil?"
The one thing we're not looking forward to is the 4:30 a.m. arrival at the airport on Monday. With a group as large as ours I can understand why we will need all the time we can get. We will be on the lookout for the neon orange hat and neon green coat that Mrs. Pearson claims she will be wearing that morning.
January 15, 2009
5:32 PM
Toni Stimmler writes:
I can't wait to read all about it!1 Thanks for the link!
January 16, 2009
9:38 AM
Val Rivas writes:
What an amazing opportunity! Looking forward to following along with you!
January 16, 2009
4:18 PM
Stephanie Boyett, Ciara Colgan, Ainslea Colgan writes:
We are so excited for you and the kids. We're going to be following along on the journey with you so we can feel like we were there too! Take care. Stephanie, Ciara and Ainslea
January 16, 2009
4:28 PM
Diane Deckert writes:
What a great opportunity to see history being made! I look forward to reading about it in your blog!! Diane
January 16, 2009
7:42 PM
Christina & Steve Fleming writes:
Darlene and family, welcome to Washington, D.C.! Steve and I hope you can stay warm and enjoy the historic inauguration in our hometown! P.S. We love the blog too. Thanks for including us!
January 18, 2009
8:24 AM
Cindy Dreher writes:
Darlene thanks for your wonderful introduction to our fabulous trip! 4:30 AM will come mighty early, but what a small inconvience for such a large opportunity! Michelle Pearson rocks for all of the work she has put into this! I am packing my layers.....
January 18, 2009
10:31 AM
Jacque Campbell writes:
Dar,
I am so excited for you and the kids. What a fantastic opportunity for all of you. I will be watching for you in the crowds :). Can't wait to hear all about it. Enjoy!
January 18, 2009
2:47 PM
The Monarchs writes:
Dar & Kids - What a wonderful opportunity! We are so excited for you. We will be following the blog. Have fun and be safe. Can't wait to see the pics.
January 18, 2009
7:02 PM
Robert & Lina writes:
We hope you kids have a wonderful time in Washington D.C. with all the activities planned. What a wonderful experience, and we are really excited for all of you. We will be watching the Blogs with your input day=by=day. Have fun and a safe journey.
January 19, 2009
12:35 PM
Bruce & Carole writes:
We are so excited for you and all the kids. What a great opportunity to see history being made. We will be watching for your Blog’s.
January 19, 2009
6:09 PM
Alli condon writes:
Dear Rachel and family,
Hope you made it to the air port on time!Have a great time in D.C..I will look for you on t.v..I will watch your blogs!
January 19, 2009
9:39 PM
Uncle Ree Ree writes:
Wow you guys look like movie stars on the banner header!!! I hope you guys are having fun and learning a lot in the process. I love you all and I will be sending this link to my phone so I can check it out during the day! Hey sis send me some pics if u can :8)
January 19, 2009
10:09 PM
Jeanie Styer writes:
We will be watching for you on TV. Stay safe and stay warm! Can't wait to log on each night to find out all the exciting news! Thanks for keeping us posted Darlene!
January 20, 2009
7:27 AM
Shannon Rizzi writes:
Hi Darlene--It's Stacy's sister Shannon. Great article--just like Stacy promised. Tell her I found the blog and am looking forward to reading it every day. Have fun!
January 20, 2009
3:18 PM
Chris Radeff writes:
What an amazing adventure! A part of history (I still wish it was part of "herstory") but amazing nonetheless! See you soon!
January 20, 2009
4:05 PM
Loren & Steve Brunetti writes:
As we watched the inauguration today we couldn't help but think of you and the kids. We hope you are having an amazing time!! Have a safe trip home.
January 21, 2009
6:30 PM
Kendra Dudden writes:
Did you feel overwhelmed with people? How close were you able to see the Pres?
January 22, 2009
1:18 PM
Robert & Betty Letner writes:
Hi to our Grandson Jeffrey Letner--we know you will never forget this historical trip. Enjoy every minute. We want to thank everyone who made this trip possible.
January 22, 2009
9:23 PM
Darlene Trujillo
writes:
Hey Kendra,
Overwhelmed is such an inadequate word to describe the crowds. I would even describe it as frightening at times when millions of people were trying to leave at once. You hear stories where people get trampled to death in crowds and I could easily see this happening. Fortunately I don't think there were any injuries reported.
And unfortunately we did not actually see President Obama in person (but I Iike to think he was the speck I saw though our binoculars). :) I mentioned the jumbo trons that were set up everywhere and they were awesome! I was able to record his speech on my camcorder and it was like I was standing right in front of him. I think the only people who would have been able to seen him in person were the people who bought tickets to the front sections of the stage. We also heard stories of people who had tickets and still could not get in. It was the most amazing thing to be there!
Talk to you soon, Darlene
January 27, 2009
3:07 PM
Peggy Bogaard Lapp writes:
Thanks for sharing so much with us! I loved the pictures from your 1973 trip. But I'm with Darren - too many people to have around you. I'm sure your kids will always remember this occasion, and it will help to shape who they become. Maybe you have a politician in the family? Good for you for making the trip happen, and a big thanks to Grandma Flora of course!
February 12, 2009
6:15 AM
LawrenceCooper writes:
Darlene thanks for your wonderful introduction to our fabulous trip! 4:30 AM will come mighty early, but what a small inconvience for such a large opportunity! Michelle Pearson rocks for all of the work she has put into this! I am packing my layers..
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