Bush send-off

We were honored yesterday to be able to attend the send-off of former Presidnet Bush at Andrews Air Force Base. Historically, each former President flys on Air Force One for the last time following the inaguration of the suceeding President to his destination of choice. In this case, the Bushes were headed to Texas, and they invited a crowd to help send them off. It was such a neat day and a wonderful way to honor a President that has kept our country safe for the last 8 years. We will always consider it the most amazing professional experience to have served in his Administration, and we are so proud of the achievements of the last 8 years.

There was a crowd of about 500 people who were in the hangar. Mostly friends of the former first family and political appointees.

They had big screens set up in the hangar where we watched the inaguaration of President Obama.

We then watched the TV coverage of former President Bush land at Andrews in Marie One. We all cheered when he walked out of the helicopter.

As you can imagine, he recieved a VERY warm welcome by this crowd. Former VP Cheney spoke, follow by former Pres Bush. Lynne and Laura joined them onstage.

His sentiments on looking forward to being back in Texas were near and dear to my heart. Who doesn't want to be back in Texas, anyway? :)

There were cheers and tears when he and Mrs. Bush boarded Air Force one for the last time. What an amazing piece of history to be able to witness!

Sprint to the Finish Party

We got invited to a fun party that Bush Chiefs-of-Staff Josh Bolton and Andy Card hosted to celebrate the "sprint to the finish". This was Josh Bolton's motto for those of us who stayed in the Administration until the end, encouraging us to use our time wisely and effectively right up until the last day. And it sure was a sprint to the finish.... I was crazy busy at HHS even on my very last day! So it was a great reason to celebrate all the hard work and hang out with many of our Administration buddies.


All smiles to be celebrating the accomplishments of the last 8 years and a terrific President.


They did not tell us in advance that President and Mrs. Bush would be stopping by. What a fun surprise. (Sorry about my crappy picture quality... it was dark).

Joel with our buds Nathan Sales and Al Lambert.

My kind of crowd... still VERY proud to be "W" supporters.

There were lots of Administration "celebrities" in the crowd. We even snapped a quick pic with Karl Rove! Check out his casual attire.... sporting a hat from the '04 campaign.

Christmas at the White House

One of the great many perks with serving as an appointee in the Bush Administration is the opportunity to visit the White House at Christmas (when it's otherwise impossible to get a tour). We've been privileged to see the White Christmas decorations for the last 4 or 5 years, and it's always such a highlight of the season.

Every year there is a theme and this year's was "A Red, White, and Blue Christmas". I have to say, although it was pretty, it wasn't my favorite year. The decorations were all Americana-inspired and done in patriotic colors. Very elegant, but just didn't feel as Christmasy to me. But as always, we really enjoyed seeing the beautiful decorations. So for those of you that didn't catch the HGTV special hosted by Mrs. Bush which showcases all the decorations, consider this your own personal tour of the White House!




A patriotic Santa greets you as you walk in.


Wreaths hung by American eagles line the hallway looking out onto the Rose Garden.

The Vermeil Room (named so because of the vermeil-plated collection of silver that is showcased in this room, along with some of the First Lady portraits.)

The Library.

The East Room. You can kinda see the White House creche behind me in the picture, to the right of the tree.

The Green Room.

The official 2008 White House Christmas Tree. It's always displayed in the Blue Room and decorated consistent with that year's theme. This year, each state made a series of ornaments depicting the history of that particular state. Very pretty! (Interesting factoid: the chandelier in the Blue Room is temporarily removed during the holidays to accommodate the tree. The tree lights are actually wired through the ceiling where the chandelier hangs... wish I could do that at my house!).

The view of the Truman balcony and the National Mall from the Blue Room.

The Red Room (my personal favorite).

The State Dining Room.

A close-up of the topiaries that decorated the White House... they were very cute!

Each year, the White House pastry chef makes a gingerbread White House. It's always a little different each year, but always equally magnificent.

Standing in Cross Hall under the Presidential Seal.

Several trees and garland decorate Cross Hall.

The stairs up to the First Family's residence.

The White House is actually very "white". The bricks are gleaming literally gleaming white.

Even the Eisenhower Executive Office building where the White House Staff works (and where my old office was) gets decorated. This is such a neat, historic building... only one of a few French 2nd Empire-style buildings in the city.

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Hope you enjoyed your holiday "tour"! Sadly, with the new Administration coming in January, my days of White House tour-giving are over! :(

4th of July at the White House

One of the great perks of serving in the Bush Administration are the great VIP invites that often come along with our jobs. The sweetest ones came when I worked as a White House staffer--our favorite was tickets to the President's box at the Kennedy Center which we enjoyed numerous times and were able to treat friends to as well. So although some of those perks end when you leave a WH job, many still continue. This year's included an invitation to watch the amazing DC fireworks from the White House lawn. Although this wasn't our first time to watch them from the South lawn, the experience never gets old, and it's hands down the best view in town!


Picking a spot on the lawn.


There was quite a crowd there to watch the fireworks. Before the show, the President and First Lady (along with their guests) came out onto the Truman balcony and greeted the crowd. President Bush's birthday is July 6th, so we all sang him "Happy Birthday"!


Waiting in line to get ice cream bars and cokes.


The DC fireworks are always quite a spectacle.


Despite a little rain earlier in the evening, it cleared up in time for the big show.


The President and First Lady were great hosts!