Only four more days...

...until we head off to the Inauguration!!

I'm so excited I can't stand it. My mom is, too -- every day, we talk about the news pertaining to the Big Day. My mom gives the weather report. It's 28 degrees right now, and it'll be 21 (TWENTY-ONE!!!) -- degrees on Friday. (But it'll warm up to a crisp 35 degrees on Inauguration Day.) I share the latest updates I've read online about transportation, security, etc.

We've both packed, unpacked, and then re-packed our clothes (and disposable hand warmers!). It's hard to plan for winter when I walk outside and it's 80 degrees and sunny. (Gotta love California in January.)

The other night, I took out all the sweaters I owned, layering on as many as I could before my jacket no longer buttoned up (after three, I started sweating). Then I took off the sweaters and tested other options. Shirts, thick sweaters, thin sweaters, sweatshirts, you name it. I realized how really ill-prepared I am in the winter clothing department, and how under prepared we wimpy Southern Californians are for ANY weather (other than 80 degrees in January). This point was proven clearly on the way to school, when some kid biked past us wearing a big jacket, gloves, a hat and a scarf -- it was probably 60 degrees out, but he was dressed for much colder weather.

I settled on this winning combo: long-sleeved shirt, sweater, fleece jacket, wool coat. All finished off with a scarf, hat and gloves. I think it'll be enough -- we'll find out on our trial outing Monday.

Then it was time for Mark's dress rehearsal. I didn't bother with his thermal shirt, but I made him put on all the other layers -- long-sleeved t-shirt, pullover sweatshirt, zip-up hoodie, and his big jacket. He was so bulky, his arms raised up a bit from his sides.

"Oh no," he said, of the final layer. "I am not wearing this stupid jacket."

"You don't have to wear it, you just have to bring it," I told him. Thin-blooded little California boy has no idea what cold really is -- I know he'll change his mind about the jacket the minute he steps out of the airport and into the cold.

"Fine, but I'm not wearing that ugly hat," he protested. I giggled and thought of Kelley and I saying the same exact thing to our moms when we lived in Washington D.C. Our loving mothers bought us these horrendously ugly knit hat/scarf combo sets, and we both refused to wear them. We refused while we were in California, that is. The minute we returned to D.C., we put them on and left them on the rest of the winter, constantly praising our genius mothers.

I also shared my winter wear philosophy with Mark. "There will be at least two million people there next week," I said. "Not one of them knows you, and none of them will ever see you again. So stop worrying about what you look like -- worry about staying WARM!"

(Oh my God, I REALLY am a mom! Only moms say stuff like that.)

He'll stop arguing about all the layers once we get there. I lived through Washington's worst winter in 100 years -- even though it was a long time ago, I remember what cold is, and I don't want any part of it!

Anyway, I'm just excited. Thrilled to go to my first Presidential Inauguration ever, and even more thrilled to go to this Inauguration in particular. I'm excited to return to Washington -- it's been waaaaay too many years since I've been there. I'm excited to show Mark around my adoptive city (OK, the adoption didn't stick, but I still love the city and all its beauty and history). I'm excited to return to the Lost Dog Cafe, and to show Mark the apartment where I lived in Arlington. (My mom still refuses to go see the...um, "urban"... rowhouse where I lived in the city -- even now, 15 years later! Yes, the same place my dad warned Scott NOT to tell mom about. It may have had some personal safety issues...)

Only four more days until we fly into history...but hey, who's counting?