Tuesday, January 20th - A Day to Remember!

What a day!!! Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States of America. Most of the day, I had the TV on in the background as I went about my day - but when it came time for the inauguration ceremony - I made sure I sat down to soak it all in.

Many times through out the ceremony, my eyes started to swell with tears. . . I was so excited for the minorities in this country who now feel that the sky is the limit... I was thrilled to hear President Obama speak of a better day; how he wants to bring the world together in peace...and I was honored that he asked each American to play a part in making this nation and world a better place . . . but most of all I pray that He and "We as a nation" can accomplish the things he spoke about on this momentous day.

Here are some of my favorite excerpts from his speech:

"We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

"In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned."

"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth....and as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace."

"For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies."

""Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

Beyond the inaguaral speech, it is amazing how many Americans are energized to serve. Obama urged people who didn't have to work on Martin Luther King Day (January 19th) to serve their community - and thousands of people did! At the same time, Starbucks kicked off a new campaign - serve your community for 5 hours and get a free coffee. Our family is currently trying to figure out different ways to serve our community. . . not for coffee of course. . . but to help build a better nation.

Moving on. . .

What made this day even better was that it snowed here in Charlotte. Kayla was so excited to play in snow. ..we got her all bundled up and she played outside with our neighbors.

She had a blast playing in this little patch of snow a couple days later too. . .