"Hey eh eh eh, hey eh eh eh!" sung the crowd at the "We Are One" Inauguration Concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday afternoon. If there was any moment to really love being American, this was it. The concert was a celebration. The pride beaming from all those in attendance had absolutely nothing to do with blind patriotism, Obama Mania, or celebrity performances. It was about being gathered together as one people and honoring history. I can't even begin to describe what it felt like to stand there in among the crowd. Just happiness. Standing beside us along the reflection pool was a woman from Chicago draped in a red, white, and blue quilt reading "Change We Can Believe In." She and her husband had made the quilt together, and were asking people to sign their names and messages for the future inside the quilt's threaded stars and patched American flags. The couple had hundreds of signatures. One signature in particular read, "We Have Overcome." When Barack Obama surprised everyone by making a speech - his energy and wisdom overwhelmed the sea of people to a place of reflection and respect. Incredible. If this was just the kick-off to inauguration weekend, I cannot possibly imagine what Tuesday will hold in store for us.

It's hard to describe the feelings that I was having yesterday as I stood near the Washington Monument during the concert on the Mall in honor of President Elect Obama. Pride, hope, happiness, unity, and so many other feelings that I could not begin to list them all. As the time for the inauguration draws near you can feel the anticipation in the air. Everyone is excited and the feeling is contagious. The concert was great and the crowd was huge. The stage was in front of the Lincoln Memorial, and I was standing near the Washington Monument which is about one mile away. When I turned to look behind me there were people at least half way up the mall to the Capital Building which is about one mile from where I was standing. I have not heard any estimates of attendance, but I can tall you that it was less than the number who will be there on Tuesday.
-- Julie Norris

We have been in the middle of all the preparations for the big event tomorrow. They still haven't pegged the actually number of people that will be attending the ceremony...I still hear numbers of 2-4 million people. There are 5000 porta-potties distrubuted across the mall. These numbers are a bit distressing but funny at the same time. I will just have to hope that no one has a spicy sandwich with old meat, as all of the available restrooms might be occupied. I am fasting now and hope to be slightly dehydrated tomorrow. There are several jumbo-trons around too. This is good as I would prefer to see a bit more than a brown dot in the distance. The concert they had to start off the Beyonce, U-2, Garth Brooks, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Josh Grobin, and Mellencamp performed and Tom Hanks, and Samuel Jackson spoke. The atmosphere is one of elation and joy. One woman was walking with her family exclaiming loudly "I love my President!!!!!" The others in her group looked over to us apologetically saying that she wasn't even drinking. I let her know that no apology was necessary and that I felt the same way. Personally I feel represented by this president, but my feelings of representation are likely dwarfed in comparison to African Americans in this country. It is such an emotional journey that I am taking right now. I am proud to be an American.ï¿1/2

Before heading to Prince Frederick, MD my former daughter-in-law, Brenda, and my two grandaughters that I have not seen in more than five years took me on a tour of DC.We drove by the concert area; there were so many people heading to the concert that the traffic could barely move. Police and emergency vehicles on the corner of 7th and Constitution stopped us; it appeared that a tourist (?) tried to cut through traffic and was hit by a passing vehicle, it looked very serious. One of the warnings given to us before coming to DC was to use the crosswalks, we could be arrested if caught jaywalking. Getting hit in busy traffic should be obvious.

If the crowds are so tight that people and vehicles move practilly as one huge mass two days before the inauguration, I wonder what it will be like on inaguration day? The mass of people in DC is becoming overwheleming to me. Twenty-four hours out of the city will be refreshing.

To get back to the apartment, I had to take the Metro from the Smithsonian station right off the National Mall. When I got there, however, there was a huge crowd of people around the intersection adjacent to the station. Police cars and police men were blocking off each of the four roads that crossed there, and they had flares on the ground. At first I thought there was some sort of accident, but then I saw 6 or 7 police vehicles speed through the intersection and stop in front of the Department of Agriculture building, half a block away from the Metro station. When I started to get closer to the station entrance, I found that police officers held people at the top of each escalator. There were literally hundreds of people trying to get into the station, with police officers holding them back. Meanwhile, the police parked outside the Department of Agriculture building, with lights and sirens running. Once we were finally allowed to go into the station, it was extremely crowded- so crowded that the police officers held the people at the top of the escalators inside the station until everyone else could get aboard the Metro. I don't know what was going on but it was pretty crazy.

Yesterday I went to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. This is by far, my favorite museum that I've ever been to. My favorite display was the one with the Star-Spangled Banner, the very first American flag. I also enjoyed how the museum has people portraying important figures in American history. There was an Abraham Lincoln running around, and a George Washington, along with many others. I'm glad I got to see the entire museum. Last time I was here I was only in the museum for a couple hours.