I believe in the separation of church and state and many Americans agree with me. Today at the inauguration of President Obama religion played a key role in the ceremony. Not only was their Rick Warren spewing religious rhetoric, but there was also a preacher at the end of the ceremony who said a final prayer. This really upset me. Why do we have to be a "Christian Nation"? Why aren't we an American nation? To me this country puts Christian first and American second. This is wrong and it is the reason why our country is so divided and will always be divided if we include religion in politics.

Today we went to President Barack Obama's Inauguration! It was really amazing but at the same time I was slightly disappointed. Even though I knew that Rick Warren would be saying the opening prayer, having to actually listen to him was extremely frustrating. Warren spoke about the importance about equal rights for all, but he is a hypocritical bigot. If he really believes in equal rights for all then why does he not allow homosexuals into his church (his website for Saddleback Church says they do not accept homosexuals into their church if they don't change their life-style)? Unfortunately Rick Warren set the tone for the rest of the inauguration and left me with a slightly sour taste in my mouth. Although today was historic and incredible, Rick Warren showed me how hypocritical religion and this country can be, at times when we are looking for change from our leaders.

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I have been up since 2:30 in the morning getting ready to go to the inauguration. I had three pairs of socks, leggings, 4 sweaters, 2 scarves, a jacket and ear warmers. Don't forget I had the portable hand and feet warmers. We went to the metro station at 3:30 because the station opened at 4:00 am, and there was already a line. Once we got into the station, the trains were already pretty full. After we got on and rode for a couple of stops, the metro filled to overcapacity which created an intense exiting situation. The lines to get into the viewing areas snaked around and around. We stood for almost ten hours, but when Barack Obama took his oath of office, I knew that all that waiting, walking and standing was worth it. Nothing could have changed that moment. I was part of history, and I will remember it for the rest of my life.

1. Our day started at 3 am and we just pulled in at 5 pm. It was a freezing day with the wind chill temperatures dipping to 8 degrees, but I wouldn't miss this experience for the world! There were some things that worried and disturbed me.....one thing involved security. We were assigned the silver ticketed section of the inauguration. This wasn't prime standing area, but it was still reasonably close. We were not searched (I realize that perhaps the logistics prevented a thorough search) not patted down, not asked to go through metal detectors. I asked an officer about this, and he said the area was too far away for someone to harm the president unless they had a weapon. Well that was my point! I could have easily brought a weapon to the ceremony....or explosives, or whatever. Even if it didn't hurt the president, there were millions of people at this event that could have potentially been put in harms way. We also were able to be much closer than we anticipated. Obama's speech was inspirational, he represents me, and I have not been represented by my nation's leader in a very long time. My souvenir silver ticket was stolen when my friend inadvertently dropped it. Other than those few things, I had the time of my life!

Spotters and counter-snipers visible on many rooftops, military visible in abundant numbers, yet the people there to witness the inauguration were warm, friendly and courteous. Imagine entering a crowd of two million and working your way to the jumbotron viewing screen, not a problem. Leaving the apartment at 11 am I was on the National Mall on the corner of the reflecting pool in front of the screen in only 45 minutes. Following the swearing in of President Obama everyone began to yell, praise God, shout Halleluiah and hug one another. A woman just in front of me turned around and crushed me in a warm bear hug; tears of joy were streaming from all of our eyes. The Presidential Inauguration is an experience that I will always remember. Sharing it in D.C. with two million other people was amazing.

Traveling back to the apartment was a bit more difficult; the Metro was packed.