Obama in Springfield!

Here's Senator Obama from our side view, fairly far back in the crowd.

When Tim and I heard that Barack Obama planned to visit Springfield, Illinois for his big vice presidential candidate announcement, we thought, "We should go." Since Obama is a Senator from Illionis, he decided to return to the state capitol for his big announcement. This was exciting for us, because it's about a 45-minute drive from Jacksonville to Springfield. We wondered how Ella would do at this kind of event, but decided to just go for it. You don't get the opportunity to see a presidential candidate - let alone a dynamic one like Obama - every day. So, we braved the heat and the incredibly long line to see and hear the candidate in person.

This is Senator Biden speaking, with Senator Obama sitting in the chair next to him.




Obviously, it was hot! We'd walked for about 30 minutes to get from our parking spot to the end of the never-ending line. Then we waited, stood, and walked in line for at least an hour. Luckily, we had lots of snacks and water to get us through. Plus, it was cool to be part of the energy and excitement of the crowd. Ella really did well with all of the people and surroundings to look at. Once we got onto the grass, we settled by a somewhat shady tree and danced, read books, and tried to cool off. Ella's shoes soon came off and we got more water to drink and pour over ourselves. We didn't capture many of her smiles, but she liked the music and clapping with the crowd.



These images give a small view of the enormous crowd there and our place in it.
We enjoyed being part of the excitement of today! The heat, standing, and long lines were definitely worth it to hear Senator Obama speak and to say we had a glimpse of him in person! I took Ella to see John Edwards at Everett Community College last year and now she's seen two of the 2008 Democratic presidential candidates. Hopefully one day I'll be able to tell her we took her to see the President of the United States!