Attended presidential inauguration party

I have a dim recollection of being in the Lauinger Library at Georgetown University, looking out the window and seeing fireworks in the sky celebrating the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan. I have no memory of any other presidential swearing-in festivities during the 30-plus years I've been eligible to vote. ... until now.

The Teton County Democrats hosted a coffee-and-muffin get-together so we could all watch Barack Obama take the oath of office. I've been so excited by Obama's election win that I wanted to share Inauguration Day with someone, so I went. Given events of the last eight years, the room was filled with relief, joy and hope. The ceremony, the speeches, the sight of the huge crowds on the Mall in Washington,  D.C., and the sight of President Bush participating in a peaceful transition of power made me feel proud to be American.

I hope to make more of Inauguration Day in the future. Of course, it depends on who is being inaugurated.