Suzy Says

Well, well. We got ourselves a new President.

I set the alarm last night with anticipation – I could hardly sleep, as if it were Christmas Eve and I were five years old again. Crawled out of bed in the early morning darkness. The kittens stayed in bed, not even bothering to bother me for breakfast. As I waited for the coffee to brew, I opened the blinds, revealing the beautiful day, which would be sunny as soon as the sun had its own coffee and got back to work.

As I watched the ceremonies in my rose-patterned PJs from the comfort of my couch (other than standing as requested for the oaths and the national anthem), I noticed that the streets were surprisingly hushed. There are a lot of windows in my living room, so I could easily see how few people and cars were out and about. The freeway even seemed quieter than usual. And once the ceremonies ended, things slowly went back to normal. It’s as if we were all holding our collective breaths until the great moment was past.

President Obama is greyer than he was at the beginning of the battle, and as he walked slowly to the podium, he seemed almost literally weighed down with the responsibilities on his shoulders. His handsome face was grave as he walked into the cold sunlight to greet his people and the beginning of a new era. His speech, of course, was breathtaking. He may be one of the greatest public speakers in recent memory. It always seems to me that he doesn’t use notes or a prompter, though I could be wrong about this. It was a speech at once realistic, stirring, and inspiring. I was deeply moved and proud.

Update: You can read the text here, or watch video of the oath – flub and all – and speech here.

I was glad the sun smiled on our new President and beautiful First Family. It seems a good omen, the dawn of a new day.

I wouldn’t be the frivolous Self you know and love if I didn’t mention how much I loved Michelle’s* outfit, down to the touches of the olive gloves and shoes. Wonderful color (lemongrass!), very stylish, a bit of a nod to that earlier White House style icon, Jacqueline Kennedy. Regal, yet playful. And I loved Jill Biden’s sexy black high heeled boots!

I’ve never been so aware of living history as I have been the past few months, and especially today, even in the days following 9/11. Though these are some of our darkest days as a country, they are also some of our most hopeful, as our new President leads us confidently forward into the future.

*I’ve been following Michelle’s looks for months at the Mrs. O website. I can’t wait to see what she wears at the Inaugural Ball

Thanks to the Doc for this shot of Bush Street and Montgomery Street, about a block from my office. As you can see, Obama replaced Bush a little earlier here than he did on the East Coast!