Brick by Brick

Guest Blogger: Cody Edwards at Historic Inauguration

Finally, the whole point of the trip; the viewing of the Inauguration. At 4:00, we received our wake up call -- I took a quick, hot shower, put on my clothes (that I had luckily laid our the night before), and rushed out the door, forgetting my lanyard. I quickly ran back to the room to get it, because we aren't allowed to go anywhere without it. 

 

After two hours of traffic, we arrived at the entrance to The Mall. At about 7:30 we had safely secured our spot for viewing the ceremony. Although we were far away from the Jefferson Memorial, we were much closer than a good number of people. We stood in the freezing cold weather, all huddled together in a group, for six hours, until it was time to go. The crowd was so immense that the weather was easier to deal with than one would think.

 

This ceremony, with all of the people going wild and the speeches of celebrities and politicians, was possibly one of the highlights of my life. After leaving, we were caught in another two hours of traffic. When we returned to the hotel, everyone went to get ready for the Inaugural Ball, which was a dance for the People to People students in our hotel.

Guest Blogger: Cody Edwards, '12 on the Way to DC

Freshman Cody Edwards is traveling to Washington, D.C.as part of a student ambassador program to witness President Obama's historic inauguration. Throughout the journey, Cody's "dispatches" can be read here.

Saturday, January 17

"Today I left for Washington. I woke up at 8:30 to pack and by 12:00 I was on the road to Hyannis to pick up my friend, Christian, who is also on the trip. We got to the airport at around 2:30, immediately checked our bags in, and then went through customs. Christian's Mom came with us to the gate to see us off, we boarded the plane, and we were on our way to D.C. Once we landed, we were greeted by some of the delegate leaders. Once we got to the hotel, we had an introduction and dinner. Then we were sent to our rooms for the night."

Sunday, January 18

"Today was a late day for us. We woke up at about 5:45 AM, took showers, got dressed (we had to wear khakis today), ate breakfast until about 8:00 AM, and took off. We went to another hotel to hear Mary Eisenhower, President Eisenhower's granddaughter. After her speech, we went to lunch, then to Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. We were there for a couple of hours, and then we went to the JFK Memorial, where we ate dinner. Then, an hour ride back to the hotel."

A Waiting Game

Guess it's raining up where you are.

I know this because Mr. Al Catelli, Advancement Director, and I are waiting out flight delays amid our return to Boston. At the moment, we're passing time in the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. While it's not tough duty to spend time in south Florida, the waiting's got me thinking about, well, waiting.

What does waiting invite us into? Folks waiting alongside us are spending time with families, reading, plugging into technology (such as your humble blogger), or perhaps sleeping. One inevitable reality -- and benefit, I would say -- of waiting is the opportunity to slow down and spend time in our own minds and hearts. Forced alone time, even amidst lots of other people, can give way to unexpected thoughts, new ideas, and maybe some realization of God in my life. Soon, it'll be back to the familiar busy-ness and distractions of everyday life. For now, it'll be whatever might come from the free, forced gift of unexpected time.