'Tis the season for politics!

On Friday, Kailey, Jayden and I were three of 20,000 people in attendance at Bass Pro Shop to hear Sarah Palin speak to Springfield. Despite the weather (temp in the 40s), it was a fantastic experience. We arrived around 9:30 and joined the line for people who had tickets (my friend's husband got us VIP tickets...he rocks). The atmosphere was that of comraderie and anticipation. As a side note, when we entered the line, there were 2 protesters. We waited in line for about 30 minutes before entering the security zone. By this time, the protesters had grown to a whopping 7 people. This provided material for many jokes about Democrats among the crowd.

Getting through security was pretty much like getting on an airplane, except we got to keep our shoes on. As soon as we got through security I showed our tickets to someone and they directed me to a guy who escorted us to the VIP bleachers...fancy. I found my friend Kristy on the bleachers and we settled in. The program was due to start at 11, but Palin wouldn't arrive until noon. The GOP officials had warned everyone not to bring signs, which I thought was kind of strange. Shortly after we sat down, GOP workers passed out homemade and McCain/Palin signs to the crowds. We also got red, white and blue pom-poms. Did I mention it was cold?

For the next hour, we listened to music and talked with the people around us, waving our pompoms every time the sun peeked through the clouds. As 11:00 neared, the electricity of the crowd increased. Pierce Arrow (Branson singers) came out on stage and sang for us. They began the show with an emotional rendition of the Star Spangled Banner while we saluted the enormous flag on top of Bass Pro. Several state and local Republicans also spoke to the crowd. Next thing we knew, a guy animatedly introduced...Naomi Judd!! The crowd was literally silent for a few seconds while we processed that. Then we loudly welcomed her onstage. She talked about being a working mom, what America meant to her, and the goals of John Mc Cain and Sarah Palin. Then she introduced Sarah Palin.

The crowd erupted.

It was exciting and exhilerating. Governor Palin brought her daughters with her and talked about how the weather and Bass Pro Shop reminded her of home. (Another side note: my friend's husband drove the youngest daughter in the motorcade and she sang "all the mavericks in the house put your hands up" from SNL...how cool is that?) She began by thanking our troops, she reminded us that only one man in the race had fought for our country and he didn't plan to stop, she talked about how Joe the Plumber was able to accomplish what the Republican party has been trying to do for months, she discussed their education plan (allowing parents to choose the school their children attend), she reminded us of her accomplishments in the state of Alaska, she promised to remember she was working for us, she declared her love for our country (several times), and she attempted to renew our hope for the future. After the rally, she spent a good 30-45 minutes signing autographs, talking with people, holding babies, etc.

The biggest emotion I experienced from Sarah Palin and the entire rally was that of patriotism. I left the rally with pride for my country and hope for the future.