a night i didn't expect...

So, the evening began a little different. I had two tickets to go to a reception at the Science Museum with Congressional elected leaders. Figured it was a once-(or maybe twice-)in-a-lifetime opportunity, so Ry and I braved the traffic and go to our parking spot around 4:15 p.m. (By the way, we had to pay $25 to park -- but we did it, because we didn't feel like driving through the police lockdown known as St. Paul.

We tried to get through into the convention area, but weren't able to because we didn't have credentials. SO, we walked. A long way. As in, a VERY long way. I was in 4-inch heels; but I survived. Anyway, when we finally got close, we saw Rudy Giuliani being interviewed by Chris Matthews. It was pretty sweet.

We finally made it through the crowd to the Science Museum and were walked to the front doors by the secret service. We were hanging out, having free drinks and food, and basically just enjoying ourselves. The Star Wars exhibit was open for us, so we went down to check it out. It was alright. I'm sure for real Star Wars fans it would have been amazing. But I'm not a real Star Wars fan, so it was lost on me.

Anyway, we went back upstairs and were standing at a table when two guys came over to chat with us. One of them was from Germany, and the other lives in D.C. BUT, he's from Belgrade, Montana. Small world, huh? He asked if we were going over to the convention later, and I said that we didn't have tickets. He said he had two extra for his suite. At that point, I wanted to do a happy dance, but I just maintained my cool.

So, we went through the serious security and made our way into the suite. Which just happened to be right next to Tom Brokaw. I could see him on air; he was on the air with someone else, but I don't remember who. We also saw Joe Gibbs (love him), Sean Hannity, Alan Colmes, Shephard Smith, Mike Huckabee, Bill Frist, Tom Ridge, Cindy McCain, Sarah Palin, and of course, John McCain. We also saw two Code Pink women get arrested.

It was neat to be there to hear McCain's nomination acceptance speech. I still don't know who I'm voting for, but being there was an experience I won't forget, and it was also one I found valuable.

The moral of this story is always -- I repeat, ALWAYS -- wear a nice suit if you're in doubt about what to wear. Always. You'll never be sorry.