Becoming

Sunday night, after being postponed from the February blizzard, Mom finally got to cash in her Christmas present from me to go see Michelle Obama on her "Becoming" tour and let me tell you - Michelle was definitely worth the wait.  Getting to the show was definitely an adventure {after waiting in traffic for hours dad got us one of the last parking spots in the lot just to have to wait over 30 minutes to get into the dome - luckily the show started late} but we got in right as the lights were dimming to see the likes of Ciara and Eddie Vedder introducing this magnificent woman.  The introductory video already had me practically in tears, and by the time our moderator Jimmy Kimmel introduced the Mrs. Obama, the packed stadium was up on their feet cheering for this superstar.  Listening to the former First Lady speak was hopeful, funny, entertaining, enlightening, nostalgic, and a bit sad as I realized how much of an alternate universe we live in now compared to the 8 years of the Obama White House.  She sympathized with the crowd {my favorite quote of the night being "I miss us too, y'all"} and when talking about how she cried as she left the White House for the last time, Jimmy Kimmel chimed in with "I was at home crying too".  She told stories about her childhood and her life before DC and some of my favorite stories were of how she met Barack and the early days of their relationship.  She spoke longingly about the days when our Commander In Chief was respected by leaders all over the world, and warned of the leadership by fear that has unfortunately gripped our nation in the past few years.  She was honest, relatable, and hilarious when describing trying to clean up a teenage sleepover at the White House the morning of the Trump inauguration {"Grab your blankets.  Grab your pillows.  Grab your biscuits.  The Trump's are coming!"} and spoke of the disappointment of looking out at that inauguration and not seeing the diversity and elation that had been there 4 and 8 years previously.  Though it was a late night and took forever to get home {after waiting in the parking lot for 30 minutes not moving an inch Dad decided to run over a curb into a field to get to the lineup to the freeway} it was so worth it to be in the presence of such an inspiring, motivating, and strong woman.  She encouraged everyone to talk to their neighbors, get involved, and vote, and that until we can have an open and honest dialogue where people are actually listening to each other we won't be able to make the change that we so desperately need.  It was such an inspiring and moving night that I am so honored to have been witness to, and I left with a renewed sense of hope and determination to do my part to make this world just a little bit better.

 lines to get into the stadium were insane

waving at the crowd as her motorcade sped by

xoxo,
stephanie marie