The National Teaparty in DC: 9/12 project

This was my first BIG rally! I had attended the Marriage Rally in Raleigh, NC and helped organize a Tax Day Teaparty in my town, but when I got the call to attend the National Teaparty in DC on September 12th, I was a bit apprehensive. BUT I went.

My friend Vicky and I joined a group of patriots in Roanoke Rapids, NC at 4:30 am Saturday, September 12th, leaving my knight-in-shining-armour to hold down the home with our daughters. It was dark, but the enthusiasm, energy, joy, and ready-to-make-a stand feeling I saw in everyone we met that early in the morning was truly comforting. Fifty-six of us rode in the tour bus, followed by a 15-passenger van that they rented at the last minute (as more patriots kept calling our organizer to attend the rally) along with a pick-up truck with a few last minute tag-alongs.

As we made our way up I95 to Washington, we kept passing other buses full of red/white&blue clad patriots waving back at us. Bus after bus full of Americans scared, fed up, and just plain angry about how the Democrat administration has been taking our country off course of our founding fathers' intended existence. During the 3.5 hour journey, things were rather quiet, some trying to get a little more sleep, others reading, listening to ipods, or those like me, watching out the window thinking about the day ahead. What is it going to be like? How many of us are there? and will there be trouble, will we be heard, is this going to make a difference?

Vicky told me as we were approaching the DC area and the monuments were beginning to peak into view, that she had never been to Washington, DC and that she really hadn't cared to with the way things have been for so many years. I felt sad at first, but sort of understood. I remembered my first visit to the Capitol, how excited I felt, how patriotic and proud I was seeing all the amazing monuments, building, and gazing at our nation's Capitol! How beautiful it was and how I just stared at it...couldn't get my eyes off of it. As my family drove through the streets of DC, we would see limos, buildings, and engravings of amazing sayings.

Anyway, back to the present, we got unloaded and began to see big gathering of other patriots. About an hour into the event someone told us that we had filled the entire length of Pennsylvania Avenue all the way to the Capitol. We cheered, our numbers were up, more and more Americans have heard the call of their country and come to help make a difference. She needs us, and we need her for as Michelle Bachman says, "Thousands come to America every year for safety, a better life, and protection from the oppression they are experiencing in their countries. If we muck up America, where are we going to go?"

The atmosphere was one of collaboration, one goal, solidarity, peace. No one was rude, angry, or impolite, I didn't see any problems at all. Everyone was smiling, laughing and cheering together as one. I kept thinking about how at Pope John Paul II's funeral the atmosphere was peaceful, sad, but yet joyful at the gift of his papacy. No violence, trouble, just prayer, pride, and fellow admirers of the beloved late pope and how so many came to his funeral and that the event went off without a hitch, the same was happening today for our country. Yes, I had prayed for travel protection, asked others to pray for our trip and for the day. It just seemed so right and peaceful. No one looked at what party you belonged to, or what faith you had, it was the common ground we all were there for that took presidence this day.

On the bus ride back, the mood was one of enthusiasm, empowerment, many were talking about the next rally, some were talking about having one soon. "We don't want to lose this energy and enthusiasm." Everyone was exchanging phone numbers, emails, and Facebook pages with a promise to keep up with each other and plan the next rally soon. Vicky wants to form a teaparty network state by state with a national connection so that each state would be contacted for rallies, phone calling, whatever so that we can best work for the American liberty and freedom we are fast losing if we don't stand up now.

At the end of the day, we were tired, I checked my pedometer and it read, 20,548 steps in ONE day! No wonder my thighs ached all the next day, I could barely kneel at Mass Sunday morning!