The 58th Inaugural

I'm picking up on where I left off with my last blog about our trip to D.C. for the Inauguration, if you'd like to read about our experiences and adventures from the first day and a half, you can page back. 

But, if you're here just to read about inauguration day, you've come to the right place.

Friday morning we set the alarm for 5:45, and we're down for breakfast a little after 6. We thought about leaving earlier, because we were concerned about the crowds and how long everything would take, but we just couldn't stomach setting the alarm for any earlier. The gates opened at 6, music was to begin at 9:30, leading up to the swearing in at noon. Unfortunately, it was much colder the next morning, so we all bundled up and layered as much as we possibly could. 

After breakfast, we hopped right on the metro. It wasn't crowded at all, we all easily found seats, and while a couple of our train's stops were closed, not too many people got on, and by the time we made it to the Gallery Place exit, the train still was not over-crowded. I figured it was early, so maybe we were just ahead of the curve. We came out of the metro and found streets were already closed, blocked by metro buses, police cars, and military trucks. The perimeter had expanded even further overnight. Signs directed us to the blue area, and while we had a plan to get there, we ditched it to follow the signs, because we were worried about getting stuck somewhere. 

When we got up to meet with the Red Line Judiciary Square metro exit, there was a steady stream of people coming up from that metro, and the crowds were bigger, but certainly manageable. Police and the National Guard were stationed everywhere. Bomb sniffing dogs passed by us several blocks out from the gates, and there were a few pocket groups of protesters. (Again, I'm not sure I love that term, because I think some of them were less protesting, and more just trying to make a point, but whatever, for this blog purposes, I'm going to go ahead and label them as protesters.) 

We made our way up to the Blue gate, and there was one of the pockets of protesters. They weren't really doing anything but standing there with signs. I don't recall any chants or anything. The police had formed a nice line between them and the entrance, so you could still get in, but they could make their point. Really, the police, the Secret Service, the National Guard, they all did an awesome job. So Kudos to them. 

We were asked a couple of times by random officers if we had tickets, but we just kind of flashed them and moved on. Nobody really checked them too closely, and nobody took them (yay souvenirs!) We made our way up to the Security tents, which I believe were there for the ticketed areas, but not the general admission. There were plenty of lanes open, and no lines to speak of. 

They went through all of our stuff, and even had to take a picture on my camera to make sure it was a real, actual working camera (something they also do at the rallies I've attended). They were polite, and quick, and it was a painless process getting through. 

Once we were in, we were still a good two blocks from our spot. Again, it was clearly labeled, but nobody checked our tickets, we just made our way to our 'West Standing' section, and climbed the stairs over the wall. 

And there it was, the Capitol, in all it's early morning glory. It really kind of gave me goosebumps. History! I was there for history! 

We decided it really would be better to sit a little farther back in our section, because of the angle of the hill, we tried to go to a flatter area to help Hayden see a little better. By the time we got in and settled it was about 7:30. It was cold (although warm for D.C. in January, 38 degrees feels pretty cold to this Floridian), but it wasn't too crowded, so we put down our blanket and made ourselves comfortable. 

Like I said, Peyton and I made our own little statement with our attire and choice of buttons. Lots of people around us had their Trump gear on, but as far as signs and such, there were very few. I'm not sure you were even allowed to bring them in (although some people next to us somehow managed to get in umbrellas, and those were supposed to not be allowed). But, we all found the 'Ivanka 2020' sign slightly amusing. I mean, if you're all excited about the Trump family, and this presidency, don't you mean 'Ivanka 2024'? 

Anyway, I want to take a minute to tell you about what it's really like to go to an inauguration. You get up early, you go through security, and you sit and wait, in the cold and in the rain. You sit for awhile, then you stand for awhile. You huddle up together, and realize 45 degree is in fact, very cold when you're sitting there for hours. It's not exactly fun. But, all in all, you're there because you can't have this experience everywhere. You're there because sitting on your couch at home just won't give you the same experience. You're there to teach your kids that we might be a collection of red states, and blue states, but we are all Americans. 

I mean, just look at the Capitol Building all dressed up. It was so pretty! The clouds rolled in, but we never got much more than a few heavy sprinkles on us all day. Our area was actually really good too. You could see up to the podium, even though everyone was tiny, but with binoculars, even Hayden, the shortest of us all was able to see all the action. We were even closer than CNN who you could spot on top of one of the buildings. 

And then you just wait, and wait, and wait. We did bring cards, but the off and on rain made it hard to do. At one point there was an imaginary game of cockroach poker. We were able to bring snacks and uncrustables, so we had something to eat. None of us drank anything, because we were hoping not to have to use the port-a-potties, which were accessible to us most of the morning, until the stairs were blocked with ticket holders standing on them. 

Now, there's been a lot of talk about crowd size, and I've been asked about it, since personally, I was there. We were not packed in shoulder to shoulder. In fact, for most of the morning there was plenty of room to move around. News people came and went, interviewing people, and taking pictures, and people sat on the ground on top of blankets and ponchos with their legs out stretched, with still a few feet to spare. It was packed in more towards the front of our section, but back where we were, I didn't feel closed in. Obviously as time went on, there were more and more people, and when cameras panned the crowd, people squeezed in a little closer to try and get on camera. 

And of course it seemed like just a massive amount of people in general. A short girl like me couldn't really see that far behind us, down onto the national mall. When we got there, the line up right on the other side of the fences, the closest you could be without a ticket, looked pretty packed in, but past that I couldn't really see. I also don't really have a frame of reference for this type of thing. I tried to think about the biggest crowd I've ever been in, and all I could come up with is Bucs games. I think that stadium sits around 60,000, and we all know, that was hardly ever full. So, to the people who say there were small crowds, let me tell you however many people were there, it still was a lot. Did I expect more crowds on the metro, in the museums, and around DC on the days leading up to inauguration day? Absolutely. But that doesn't mean nobody turned out. 

And really, in the grand scheme of things, what does it matter? We shouldn't still be talking about it. (I also think the White House should drop it, but that isn't my call. And I think we can all agree there are much better things to cover than continuing to rehash just how many people were there). It was a lot. There, my official number: a lot. Did a little part of me twinge at the thought that Donald Trump thought I was personally there for him, yes. But, I will tell you, I was not the only one there to witness the peaceful transfer of power. I was absolutely, 100% in the small majority, but I was not the only one. 

I also want to note, just for the sake of telling you my observations, the crowd was not very diverse. There were a lot of white people, more men than women, and a lot of southern accents. I am just merely making an observation here, since so many people talk about the diversity, or lack there of, at Trump events. It's not like every single person there is a white guy. There aren't zero minorities in his crowds. But it  isn't a lot either. 

The crowd in general was pretty quiet for the first couple hours,  but you could hear the conversations of people around you. Depending on where you were, you heard different things, obviously. I sat behind a couple who complained about the economy under Obama, and couldn't wait for Trump to make it so they were able to buy a house. Fair enough. Different viewpoints, obviously, and they were surely misinformed about some things (such as interest rates on housing being at an all time high), but it wasn't offensive or anything. Asa, however, was not so lucky. He was directly in front of a group of four women who represent the very worst of America. Just to give you context, they were pretty, well dressed, put together-looking- women. 

But they were so vulgar, so racist, and so terrible, he actually tried to stay a few feet back from us so that the women would not get closer to us, so the kids would not hear the things that they were saying. (I actually didn't even realize what was going on, because I couldn't overhear their conversation). Now, I'm not about to quote people who use the N word, or the C word, or even the F word on my blog, which I try and keep family friendly. But these women used it more times than Asa could count. They talked about 'Moo-shell Obama' needing to lose weight, how Trump is going to set up a program to buy Russia's nukes, and of course, how the media is totally biased and refuses to report the fact that Barack constantly cheats on Michelle. No matter what you think politically, can you even imagine sitting in front of women saying this for hours and hours? It's grating, and it was terrible. If you know Asa, you know it takes a lot to upset him, but this certainly got to him. 

But it got worse. As the seats up on the Capitol building began  to fill in, the crowd became more rowdy. Whenever a Democrat was shown on the big screens, a large portion of the crowd would boo and shout things. Bernie got a huge amount of boo's, and comments about how the only reason he campaigned for Hillary is because she bought him a house in the Hamptons. (I mean, what now?!). But, more than that, there were comments yelled like 'Get that Jew off the screen!'

I had overheard a lot of things in the last few days, I had seen a lot of people scrolling some horrific things on Facebook, but that was all me being nosy and listening and looking in. But people were screaming these things now. Like, audibly yelling them. It's one thing to whisper ignorant or racist comments to your friends (which is still wrong and terrible), but to yell them? Come on. 

Calib actually compared the whole thing to going to a football game, when everyone else is rooting for a different team than you. To me, that's just sad. We're not supposed to be on teams on Inauguration Day. It's not supposed to be about winners and losers. But when I think about it, a lot of comments I overheard this weekend were to the effect of 'we won', they have to 'get over it'. There was terrible gloating at play. And just as much as someone who doesn't like a loser who pouts, nobody likes a winner who gloats. 

But back to my point, when I went to the Trump rally, I said, 'you know what, I was going into Trump supporter territory. I'm just here to observe.' Somehow (again, maybe because I was naive), I thought the inauguration would be different. I don't subscribe to the 'Not my President' way of thinking. I am an American, I support Democracy, and whether I voted for him or not, he IS my president. I might not support his rhetoric, or agree with some policies, but I only have one president, and he's it. 

So this inauguration isn't just for those people who supported Trump, it's an American tradition, and it's for all of us. I wanted to feel like I was part of the celebration, but instead, I just felt like I was at their event, observing again. I felt out of place. I felt like I didn't belong. 

Let me back up, why exactly did I feel that way? Well, in a lot of ways, it wasn't that much different from the Trump rally. I get it, people were celebrating. That's fine. But, it was more than that. 

Ex-presidents were announced when they entered, along with their spouses. Jimmy Carter was announced first. He had the tiniest bit of applause I've ever heard in my life. And there were comments made around us about how 'Jimmy Carter is probably glad he's not the worst ex-president anymore, thanks to Obama.' 

  I had a pit in my stomach that when Hillary Clinton came out, the crowd was going to, I don't know how else to put this, but to say 'let her have it.' I'd thought about that since I heard she was going to be there, but I also thought, you know, this is different, maybe it'll be fine. 

So, the moment came, and Bill was announced with Hillary. Not really to my surprise, things got ugly. I have never heard so much booing and shouts of profanity. People  shouted 'Lock her Up', 'Go home' and 'Loser!' Look, no matter what you think about her, she showed up. And that was brave, and a lesson to all of us in humility and setting an example. I was there for the same reason she was, to honor the peaceful transfer of power, to accept the results of democracy, to celebrate our freedoms. And my kids were not thrilled about the outcome either, but to have Hillary there and to say 'come on, if she can be here for these reasons, surely you can be too.' My hat is off to her and the huge gesture that she made by being there. (And to give credit where credit is due, Trump did have her stand up at the luncheon and gave her a round of applause, which was also a kind gesture.) But not only were the boos horrific, and the shouting cringe worthy, but he VERY SAME people screaming at her,  had been complaining moments ago about the Democrats who decided not to go to the inauguration. You can't have it both ways. You can't say they should have showed up, and then tell the ones who did to go home, or get put in jail. The hypocrisy of that one, and that moment will stay with me for a very, very long time. 

I'm not the only one. The boys mouths were gaped open, my mom (who actually said she was grateful for her poor hearing, so she didn't overhear the things we did) was horrified. She didn't go to a Trump rally, she hadn't experienced that. And, my mom, out of anyone, is really even keeled and always wants to believe the best in people. But she was appalled. We later talked to my aunt and grandma, and they said they didn't hear any of the booing on TV. But it was there, and it was loud. It wasn't just a few, it was like being in an angry mob. It wasn't just around me, either. It was coming from many different sections, not just mine. 

The boos continued every time Hillary showed up on the big screen. I just kept hoping they would stop showing her, because it was painful to sit through. Look, I get it, people don't like her. Fine. But, the election is over, let's move on. 

Ok, let's take a break for a second to talk about George W. Bush at the inauguration. Those pictures of him trying to put on the rain poncho were amazing. And, I do want to point out, I clapped enthusiastically for him, because yay presidents! 

 Even Michelle and Jill got a few boos. And really, how do you boo them? They didn't run for office, they didn't ask for this, just like every spouse of every president (Well, expect maybe Nellie Taft. She specifically asked for that). They served the country, and maybe we could all just respect that. To the crowd's credit, there was plenty of applause for them too, certainly more applause than boos. 

To that point, Melania was out next, and she was of course greeted with cheers. I clapped for her, just like I did for everyone, because again, it's the respectful thing to do. 

Obama and Biden came out together to some boos.  Decidedly, there was far, far less boos directed at Obama and Biden, than Hillary, Bernie, or other Democrats. And to some people's around me credit, there was a small applause, even from people who had made some comments previously letting me know they had voted for Trump. I appreciated that. But, there were also shouts of things like 'Good riddance, Barrack HUSSEIN Obama!', and more than one person was using the N word, directed at the man who spent 8 years serving the country. There is zero excuse for that. None. We should all agree on that. Period. 

Of course Trump and Pence were announced to very large cheers of 'Trump', 'USA' and 'Build the Wall'. Those chants had come and gone a lot throughout the morning. I'm sure there were cheers for Obama at his inaugurations, and that I didn't mind so much. However, I fundamentally disagree with building a wall. I don't think you're a terrible person if you agree, I'm just telling you this, because it does make me cringe  a little to hear that chant. I feel like the people who are chanting that are not doing so for, should I say 'the right reasons'. Based on things I heard, when it is being chanted, loudly like that, it just has a racist undertone to me. And to hear it while standing on inauguration day, on the Capitol lawn, it just felt like America was moving backwards, not forwards. 

There were prayers, and people were respectful and quiet, and then Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senator from  New York, came up to speak. I could not tell you one word he said. The entire crowd booed so loudly the ENTIRE time he spoke, I could not hear a thing. It was awful. Things were shouted, and I once again  felt like I was in an angry mob. I don't think that translated to TV, and I do want to say, other people at the inauguration could have had very different experiences than me, in a crowd of that many people, everyone is going to hear and experience different things depending on where they are standing. But those boos were coming from everywhere to be loud enough that I couldn't hear him. It was the entire length of his remarks. 

Look, all of the negativity, I was trying to brush off as best I could. A swearing in! I was finally there to see it! No matter who it was, the excitement of that moment was building (even if I felt a bit of dread, of the inevitable I could do nothing to stop). Crowds had gathered on rooftops and along balconies to see the event. This is what I was here for, to watch that oath in person. 

And there it was. I was caught in the excitement for a minute. I am not a fan, he was not my candidate, and the hate that seems to have come from this is so disheartening. But, I witnessed history, and it was exciting. And I clapped and cheered, and nudged the boys to do the same. 

And, as quickly as I had gotten swept up in that historic moment, it was all washed away. Seconds after the oath was complete, an African American woman, not more than 25, fell to her knees sobbing, her friends were helping her up and trying to escort her out. She was mumbling loudly about how she felt, and I couldn't make out most of it, but I did hear 'I'm going to die.'  It was jarring and upsetting, and I felt for her. Look, was that an over-reaction? I'm not here to say, and neither are you. I can tell you that was no show. She was deeply, deeply upset. If she was that emotional, it probably was not the best decision to be there. Making it even worse, an older white gentleman, perhaps in his 60s or 70s, leaned down at yelled at her 'Thank God we got him elected!' It was cruel. It was horrific. As Asa says 'I never thought the first time I saw true cruelty to another human being would be at a presidential inauguration. In what world is that ok? That, again, is totally inexcusable, no matter who you voted for. I didn't hear it, but Asa informed me on her way out, people were yelling the N word at her as well. That poor girl. Out of everything I saw, that will also stay with me for a long, long time. 

But, that whole thing was a matter of a minute or two, and quickly every one turned their attention back to newly sworn in president Trump for his inaugural address. Did I love the address? No. I had so hoped to feel like he was reaching out to me, and I did not. The America he describes is not the America I know. I don't deny that some Americans can identify with that he says, but I'm not one of them. I do feel like it was dark, and slightly disrespectful to people who have served this country. I just want Donald Trump to start talking to all of the American people, instead of just the ones who voted for him. I want him to look at his phrasing, and realize there's a difference between censoring yourself and just being sensitive and respectful. Look, a lot of people thought the speech was hopeful and inspiring. I didn't. It's a matter of opinion, and since I'm writing about how I felt at the inauguration, I'm telling you my viewpoint. I just didn't care for it, and it seemed slightly surreal and bizarre. 

After his address was over, people started walking out in droves. There was still a couple of prayers to be said, and the National Anthem to be played. And, I took notice of the large amount of people who continued walking out, and didn't pay any attention when the Anthem was played. I know what I'm about to type is going to sound stereotypical, but when I was at the Trump rally, and other events, comments have been made about how everyone stands for the National Anthem, respects the flag, recites the Pledge of Allegiance. It's a stance people were really passionate about. Yet, when it came to trying to beat the crowds, a slew of people were walking out, paying no attention. It was odd. 

We of course, stayed to the end. I mean, you're talking to the family who spent years of Bucs season tickets sitting through to the bitter end, even when we were down 35 to nothing. We're not a leave early type of family. 

We were hoping to make our way down to the parade route, but that wasn't so easy. Fences kept you out of streets, and there was no way down the National Mall. Perhaps if we had sat down and waited, it would have been easier to move about, but instead we followed the crowd, where we were being directed. 

That was the most crowded in that I felt, and we did all keep track of our 'moving buddies' as we made our way out. It was shoulder to shoulder, and I felt a little claustrophobic. We headed back the same way we came, and everything bottle necked going back through the tents where we had our bags checked earlier. 

While in the crowd, you could hear Marine One, and then it appeared overhead. Everyone cheered, and I thought 'That's nice of them.' And then I realized WHY they were cheering.  It certainly wasn't in thanks. You could hear 'Good riddance' and  'Take your terrorist friends with you.' There were also quite a few middle fingers in the air. I meanwhile, grabbed my camera. I'll certainly miss Obama. 

We all get fed into side streets, and the area really got congested, but you could hear all the conversations of people around us. There were these two older guys talking about how they heard Donald Trump went inside and 'immediately signed the bill into law to build the wall.' I'm not sure how that would even work. That's not how laws go into effect. I also overheard two women, probably about my age, talking about how the 'popular vote is made up by the media to discredit Trump'. I just heard some highly uneducated comments all weekend. If you don't know how a bill becomes a law, or much about how the electoral college vs the popular vote works, and you want to discuss it, or complain about it, then at least work on educating yourself, or asking questions so you are somewhat informed. I don't want to make fun of people who clearly don't have an understanding of how some things work, so I hope that's not how this is coming off. I'm just trying to share my experiences. 

Anyway, then, there was an older couple complaining about protesters at the intersection blocking the crowd leaving the inauguration.. I'm not really sure they were protesting the election, honestly. The people here were holding up religious signs, kind of like the ones you see at any large gathering, or at least it happens here in Florida. You're leaving a Bucs game and some guy on the corner has a megaphone and is telling everyone to 'repent'. It was that kind of gathering, with signs like 'The Pope is the Anti-Christ'. 

But, anyway, they weren't really blocking the street, so much as taking up about 1/3 to a 1/2 of the intersection. But, the guy next to me complained to his wife 'Can't the police do something about this.' She calmly told me 'Well, they can't just make them move', he replied, totally serious, mind you, 'They could shoot them', and his wife had seemed calm and even keeled, I thought she was going to be exasperated with that comment. Instead she said 'well, I don't disagree with you.' At that point, I just covered my face. Like, oh my goodness. That's just, wow. 

Once you got to the end of the intersection and fed down other streets, the crowd really did clear. It was about quarter to one, and we debated on if she should try and get to the parade route or try and brave the metro. We were still kind of stuck in the perimeter (shout out to google for keeping track of that!), so we decided to take a minute, stop on the curb and eat some sandwiches I had in my bag. (I packed them because I was pretty sure food would be hard to come by, at least in a timely manner). 

When it was less crowded on the streets, there were plenty of 'protesters'. I never saw any of the protest groups that made the news. In fact, outside of the people at the gate, I never saw a big group of them. Instead, there would just be a single person or maybe two or three people together, walking quietly down the street holding a sign, or standing there holding a sign. And, plenty of people coming from the inauguration screamed in their faces as they crossed paths. Nobody stopped, and there was no big confrontation, but there were plenty of loud passing comments made.

 I also would like to note, not every single one of the protesters was just trying to quietly make their point. Asa was, at one point, told he should be ashamed of himself. I get it, I was at the inauguration, but we should all be aware there's plenty of people who were there to support Democracy and history, and maybe not stereotype. Even if I was there to support a Donald Trump presidency, I don't think I should be ashamed of myself. Nobody should be ashamed of themselves for simply participating in the inauguration,. Personally, I think I should be proud of myself for showing up, even though he wasn't my candidate, and the fact that we could look past that. I'm not putting down people who couldn't, or people who protested, or people who went because they voted for Trump, I'm just speaking to my reasons and experiences. 

There were also plenty of vulgar signs. I mean, can we just stop with those? There are kids around. That goes both ways, there were things not helpful about Trump, and plenty of 'Hillary sucks, but not like Monica' shirts. I am married to Asa, I have no problem with vulgarity. But, maybe we don't have to be so public about it. I mean, Peyton and Calib internet, so whatever. But, Hayden. He's 10. Maybe it would be best if he didn't see all of that. 

And to be clear, there were plenty of people smiling and happy and minding their own business, and just celebrating. There were just more bad apples that I anticipated, being rude and obnoxious, and like I said, it grated on us. We all noticed different things, while we walked from the Capitol to the metro. Peyton would later tell me he saw a couple of men holding hands, and some people yelled some horrible comments at them for just walking down the street together. I mean, I hate that he saw that. But, it is a learning experience, that's for sure. 

We thought about going to the parade, but the heavy sprinkling was on and off (although we never got poured on) and the boys were tired and cold, and honestly I think, running out of patience. Since we had exited through the security tents, to get to the parade route, we would have to go back through. Most security checkpoints was for people who had tickets to the parade (we did not). We found one open to the general public, and the wait to get through security was estimated to be between 80-120 minutes. We decided instead to head back to the hotel. 

I was concerned the metro would be a nightmare. But we got on, without any wait, and easily found a seat. I'm telling you, the Cherry Blossom Festival on the metro was WAY worse. So, if you ever want to go to an inauguration, be aware that DC knows what they are doing, and they deal with the crowds well. Obviously, there are bigger and smaller inaugurations, and I'm sure all kinds of things factor in, but I wouldn't say the crowd was ever an issue for us, so don't let that hold you back. 

We got back to the hotel and the lobby was buzzing with not only people who had just been to the inauguration, sporting their buttons and hats and hoodies, but plenty of people checking in with their daughters in tow and their pink hats displayed for everyone to see. And yet, everyone was smiling, getting out of each other's way politely for coffee and hot chocolate and cookies that the hotel staff had out for everyone. There wasn't a sense of animosity or anything, which was nice to see. 

And let me just take a moment to say, all of the people who work in any sort of service industry did an awesome job. They live in a political world in D.C., and they obviously know how to handle themselves. Nobody ever once got looked down on, or treated differently, or anything like that. And a shout out once again to not only the officers, and military men and woman who worked to keep everyone safe and orderly, but to the people who were tasked with cleaning up the mess. Because, holy geez, was there a mess! 

When we got back to the hotel room, the boys all warmed up and tucked themselves in, and took little naps. The parade started at least an hour late, so they were glad we opted out. We did keep it on the TV though. 

We did muster up the energy to go over to Ted's Montana Grill for dinner. They had some fun little craft sticks instead of crayons, and delicious burgers and shakes. 

And we all had little American Flags in our burgers, which was fitting. Usually we do our favorite part of the day at dinner, but instead we decided we should go around the table and say something positive we might get out of a Trump presidency, and something negative. Because, we like to say around here, you can't complain about the bad stuff, unless you give credit for the good stuff. 

If you're wondering, our positive points were things like term limits on Congress, and improving infrastructure, but we are concerned about his cabinet picks, and what ignoring global warming  could do. 

Oh, and just putting this here, Calib sported his patriotic socks to the inauguration. Yay America! 

The next morning we packed up our stuff and headed down to breakfast. The tables were full of women of all ages sporting their pink gear. Our flights were booked long before the Women's March on Washington was announced, so we weren't able to see that as well. Our flight left at 10 am, in order for us to get home in time for Asa to work to avoid having to take to take another vacation day. I would have loved to go to see that in person too, if nothing else to report on that too. 

Our flight home was more of the same, clearly full of people who had been at the inauguration, in which we overheard plenty of ignorant comments and profanity (which I'm now kind of tired of reporting on, so I'll just generalize that there and move on).  It was not the best flight I've ever been on, but the Flight Attendant did give us extra snacks and drinks and served us first because she said she likes to take care of her back row. 

When we got home we made a quick trip to PDQ for lunch and talked about our favorite part of the trip. Now, I know, I've been kind of down on our experience. And I'm not going to lie, it was deflating. But, the swearing in was everyone's favorite part, for all the reasons I've said time and time again; for the democracy, the history, and lessons that you just can't teach your kids from a book. 

I've worked really hard on this blog, I spent days going over it and editing it, and I've realized it will never be perfect. I just hope it offers a snapshot into our perspectives. 

I want to make sure, I don't perpetuate the idea that every person who voted for Trump is bad, or racist, or homophobic, or Islamophobic. That just isn't true. But I am telling all of you that it is out there, and that rhetoric is getting louder and louder. We can blame Trump for this, but that won't do any good at this point. It's out there, and we need to do something about it. It doesn't matter if you voted for Trump, Hillary, Gary Johnson, Harambe, or not at all. Agree that those things are wrong, that we're all Americans, and that loud, hateful group does not represent what we, collectively stand for. To those who voted for Trump, just acknowledge this is out there, and make sure you never even inadvertently discount it or make excuses for it. Stand up when you hear something hurtful, no matter who's mouth it comes from.  

On the other side of that, we need to understand that nearly 63 million people voted for Trump, and every single one of those 63 million people are not terrible people. They just weighed their options, thought about their priorities, checked a box and made their voice heard. The same as you. While what I witnessed at the inauguration seemed like so many people, too many people, an overwhelming, alarming amount of people, I still know that it is such a small percentage of people who voted for him who act this way, and say these things. So, I think for those of us who didn't vote for our current president, we just need to give the majority of Trump voters a break. 

Maybe people voted for him  because it's been a hard 8 years for them economically. I know some people who think he'll be tougher on drugs, trade deals, big corporations or immigration. And I'm sure some people voted for him because their beliefs would be more represented on the Supreme Court if he were in office as opposed to a Democrat. You might not agree with those reasons, but there's nothing wrong with that way of thinking. The people who voted for him for reasons like those are not wrong. Their perspective is just different than mine. It doesn't make it right or wrong. Just different. And this is a country, where I'd like to believe that we can still celebrate our differences.  

We just need to respect each other. Band together. Denounce the hate, something I know that we can all agree on, and discuss the things we don't agree on. If not to change minds, but to offer other perspectives. 

And that brings me to what we should do from here. Or at least what we're trying to do here. 

First of all, I challenge everyone to think about what they're sharing on social media. Really think when you 'share' something, or 'retweet' something. Think about if it is helpful. If you share or retweet a post from 'Occupy Democrats' or 'Conservative Daily', you'll be hard pressed to find any of your friends who don't agree with the headline to click on that article. It's very unlikely that articles that come from sites like those are going to change any minds, or even offer up a different perspective. Those of your friends who disagree will roll their eyes and continue to scroll down. Those who agree will like and share, and perpetuate the cycle. 

And the memes, my gosh, the memes. I get it, they're funny. I live with boys. I see a million 'mom, you've got to see this' memes a day. But, sharing them can sometimes rub people the wrong way. Laugh at them and move on. It's adding fuel to the fire. I know, first amendment rights and all that. I totally get that. You have every right to post that meme. Yay, America! I just think maybe it would be great if we worked toward understanding each other, and those don't seem helpful to me. 

I actually do think it would be great if we did talk to each other about politics in a respectful, open manner. Yes, even on social media, I mean lets take advantage of what we have available to us, right? But I think the first step is in our phrasing. Lets try and make sure it's not coming off like someone is right, and someone is wrong. Instead of picking a fight, it'd be great to say things like 'I understand where you're coming from, but just to offer you a different perspective, here's what I think', or 'I respectfully disagree, and this is why.' or 'Here's an article I found (from a reputable news source), I'm looking for other perspectives, what do you guys have?' 

I don't want my kids to grow up in a world where you just stop listening to people who think differently, where nobody ever challenges your views. My gosh, how would we ever evolve our views and become more open-minded. I want them to grow up in a world where everyone is given a chance, where you can be articulate about your stance without making other people feel bad about holding a different one. If we all just stop talking about it, how will we ever evolve our views and our thinking? 

You know, Peyton said something that I think we could all agree on: "I hope Donald Trump is a good president". Because, you know, we can be skeptical, and we should be, he shouldn't be given a pass because he's our president, he does work for all of us after all. But we all need to root for his success as a leader, because if he does well, we do well. 

To that point, lets not pick on him for things that don't matter. And I know, different things matter to different people. But, we're just going to have to let some things go. If you pick apart the man, you can just end up discrediting your own argument. Lets not nit pick if his 'Day One' was Saturday or Monday. Lets not talk about his kids, his vacations (we all know a president is really never on vacation, anyway), or anything else that's trivial. Pick and choose your battles. Talk about the issues that really matter. If you argue about everything, you're arguing about nothing, because it will fall on deaf ears. Like Asa says, you can't complain about the bad if you don't celebrate the good. 

So, yes, back to what we are doing here. 

Like I said back on election night, it's our responsibility to send some extra positive-ity out into the world. And of course, this year we're studying every country in the UN to give some perspective to the boys, and teach some tolerance for other cultures. But, we also want to stay informed, and we want to celebrate the good if we're going to complain about the bad. So each week we plan on, as a family, writing about something we think President Trump did good this week, along with something we think he needs to improve upon. We think it'll help keep everything in perspective. 

And that my friends is that. I really hope I gave you some insight into our trip. I appreciate you all, your opinions, and your viewpoints. Be nice to each other out there!