Welcome President Barack Obama - The Inauguration

Anyone watching the events? I am trying to work and watch the livefeed AND keep track of a inauguration blog....!

Please post any comments regarding today's activities!

The crowds are INCREDIBLE!

I pray for everyone's safety today. Just heard that at the Capitol where the inauguration takes place there are four seats in front labeled "captain, crew, crew, crew" - for the 4 that led the miraculous plane landing last week.

Michelle Obama's gift to Laura Bush today:
A writing pen and journal inscribed with today's date to start a new chapter of her life. Sweet.

Watching here at work I feel proud to see just how far our country has came and will support my president in any way possible.

If Cincy were here I would say you kept the faith you helped in your way to educate everyone with your knowledge the people decided it was time for change and today is a new day for all of us.

Their children are so beautiful and seem so unstressed and happy. God love them!

Did anyone see the children's concert in DC last night with the Jonas Brothers, etc. where the girls were honored? They were SO darn cute. And Michelle is a cool mom - up and dancing with her girls.

"Simple Gifts" is one of my all-time favorite songs. Makes me smile and cry everytime I hear it.

I am just overwhelmed with emotion right now......what a beautiful display of our country's ability to believe and have hope......I am very proud to be alive during this time of change and blessed to be a part of history that our future generations will look back on with pride....I am not a political person by any means, but I am touched to see Americans, black, white, democratic, republican, all nationalities, races, religions and creeds stand together to welcome our new president Mr Obama...may he bring our country to a time of peace, love and prosperity for all walks of life and may he do so with God guiding his hand...

congratulations to all of you, for you are a part of something so beautiful and hopeful....

God bless us one and all ............

Heder

President Obama has a huge job ahead of him. God bless him if he can get this country back in shape again.

The new White House website is up:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/

I was pleased that Obama made reference to President Bush and his Administration being so gracious among many other things he didn't have to do during this transition.

I also have seen a change in Obama since the election. It's not an easy job. I think he and Michell have had an opportunity to get to know the Bush family and they seem to all like each other.

The Bush twins gave the Obama girl's a tour of the house, they told them the history of where children of former Presidents had slept, and which rooms they had slept in. They gave them advice about making sure to only have a few friends that they know they can trust and to be very kind to their animals because sometimes they may feel like they are their only friends when they need to be have alone time and be comforted. That to me was very sweet.

It was very, very moving to see them all hug and kiss each other when the Bush family were departing. It was very interesting to see Michelle say to President "Call me" (I'm pretty sure it was to both he and Laura, they were all quite close to each other at the time)

I wish Obama all the best. But he needs to be his own man and begin making his own history. Enough of the Lincoln duplicating.

Swearing in on Lincoln's Bible.

There is just too much Lincoln. All the way down to today's lunch china being a duplicate of Lincoln's White House china.

The menu is based on Lincoln's favorite's even to his love of apples (they are have some sort of apple glaze)

Lincoln didn't have a big fancy lunch, he went to a local hotel and had corned beef and cabbage and blueberry pie.....

This is a very different time and there will be very hard decisions ahead of him, he can't base his decisions on Lincoln would have done.

I do wish him well, but he is now the President and he has work to do. I will wait and see if he is up to the task.

Apparently either Senator Kennedy or Byrd was taken out of the luncheon on a stretcher. They aren't sure who it was yet.

It was Kennedy. He had a seizure. And, according CNN to Robert Byrd collapsed also....

What a long day - these people must be exhausted!!!

Did you see when the motorcade stopped going down Pennsylvania Ave. and Barack/Michelle and the Bidens walked for several blocks waving at the crowd? I felt so nervous for them, but very, very proud.

Wow. ABC news reported that an estimated 1.9 million people filled the mall and lined the streets, and there was not a single arrest related to the inauguration.

I know there was a lot of security but that is still amazing.