Working Mom Adventures: The Academy Awards 2013 Evokes Memories of the Inaugural Ball

Seeing all of the glamorous ladies on the E! Red Carpet Show for the Academy Awards 2013 reminded me that I never posted my piece about the Inaugural Ball…

My Life Is Hectic, But Sometimes I Do Cool Things

Yes, I know that this post is shamefully overdue. However, as my tagline indicates, I am on a quest for balance in my stilettos. Most days I am grateful if I make it to the end of the day without tripping, falling and busting my lip open because my house is a wreck, I am drowning in toys and at work there are literally dozens of people who want something from me all at the same time.

I am not whining, at least not too much. My quest is similar to most professional mothers. However, at times, I take a break from my chaos and do some really cool things. One of those things was attending The 2013 Inaugural Ball. Having been an ardent supporter of President Obama since his first campaign and being a great admirer of the First Lady, I was THRILLED that I had the opportunity to attend the Ball.

Using Paid Time Off to Attend the Inaugural Festivities Was Time Well Spent

So, I took Paid Time Off and my sister and I traveled to DC to attend the Swearing In and the Ball. Calling our experience amazing would be a great understatement. The experience was life changing. We were where we needed to be at the time we needed to be there. It was as if all of the stars aligned. However, since this is Chaton’s World, things did not go exactly as planned.

We had planned an inspiring day followed by an elegant evening. Instead, we got something else...

Because our plans came together at the last minute, we stayed in Alexandria instead of in DC proper and relied on the DC Metro for transportation. The Metro worked like a dream for the Swearing in when we were dressed in multiple layers and were wearing flat boots. However, our trip to the Ball was a little more precarious.

I am convinced that the President and First Lady were the only people who got to have a glamorous trip to the ball. Unlike Cinderella, my sister and I had no glass chariot, instead, we had a rickshaw…

Unlike the Celebrities at the Oscars, We Did Not Travel By Limo

The Ball was at the Convention Center, which has an exit right there. Like many people we thought that we would ride directly to the Convention Center, exit into the Ball and commence to partying. However, it didn’t work out that way. After much confusion we learned that the Convention Center exit was closed. So, we had to get off at a much earlier station. Then we had to figure out how to get to the Ball. Taxis were in short supply. So, I chosen form of transportation was a “cycle rickshaw” otherwise known as a “pedicab” affectionately referred to by my sister and I as possibly the worst way to travel in the middle of the winter.

As the guy was riding the bike, the wind was whipping around. It was like ice shards were being placed in our skin at a rapid pace. All I could think about was “there goes my hair” and any hopes I had of having my photo placed in a magazine. Then the cycler took us down a street that was closed and we wound up getting yelled at by the police and in the middle of an intersection after the light had changed!

When he finally let us out we had to get into a line that was several city blocks long. My sister and I laughed harder than we had in a very long time. And by the time we passed through security and entered the ballroom we decided that we were going to drink, heavily and have the time of our lives. And so we did.

It is really hard to describe our joy and excitement. Being around 40,000 of our closest friends who were all celebrating the inauguration of our president was simply awesome. It was real, but even with our experience in the rickshaw, it still feels like a fairy tale.

However, since I can't describe it with words, I decided to do it with pictures.

BTW--Like the celebrities, we ended up having fast food on the way home too. Gotta love McDonald's!

Here are photos from the evening. ENJOY!!! (Check out more photos at http://chatonsworld.blogspot.com/p/out-and-about.html)

Yes, we did see President Obama and the First Lady dance and heard Jennifer Hudson serenade them. The entire thing was breathtaking.