I had the BEST time last night! The event was amazing! It ended up being in this nice little room at Whiskey park (which, as I ended up learning is not an actual park as I had been looking for when I first got off the subway, lol, but a restaurant inside the Park Plaza hotel...ah, I'm still a tourist, I guess! ) so we were really close up to JK, Vanessa, Christine Pelosi and everyone there! Vanessa didn't speak but JK and Christine did and both gave fantastic and very motivating speeches. JK was ON FIRE! He really came down hard on the Republican/Fox News/Tea party spin machine, the birthers, etc and emphaized the utter importance of us winning these elections and keeping the Senate and House. He was very frank and candid about the whole situation but also provided optimism and hope...and got us all fired up and ready to FIGHT!

Oh and I got to meet him on his way out!! It was kind of brief as I think he was flying back to DC right afterwards but it was amazing! He is so nice! Not that I didn't think he would be, lol, but he is just so down to earth and approachable and is very generous with his time and focus. He is really attentive when he is talking to you and gives you his full attention, eye contact, etc. I forget exactly what I said as I was so caught in the moment and surprised (as I really didn't expect to meet him the first time out), lol, but I said something like "Hello, Senator" and introduced myself and he said something like "Hi, Tara, it's nice to meet you" and shook my hand!! I said something about being new to the area and being so glad to have him for my senator now and he thanked me. Jennifer (Democrafty) was there with me--so great to have gotten to meet you and your husband!--and we were going to try to get a pic with him but it happened so fast! lol. Ah well..next time. But she's my witness! hehe

I also got a chance to meet a lot of local area young Dems, signed up for a phone bank the weekend before the election, etc. I definitely felt a sense of momentum, of "we can do this" at the event. I mean I think everyone recognizes the very critical moment and point we are at now, but I definitely feel a shift and think that if we do indeed GOTV, we can pull this off! *crosses fingers*

A truly unforgettable night. Feels great to be getting more involved here locally. Looking forward to attending more--including the Obama rally Saturday --and meeting more of you soon!