Adventures on a Sunday Afternoon

So yesterday Sarah Palin was at the Civic Center in Asheville. Back in the middle of last week, Nikki and I had planed to go and yesterday after church, Nikki, my Mom, Jennifer (Nikki's Mom's election assistant and myself headed over to Asheville. The doors opened at 4:00pm so we left at 1:00pm thinking that would get us enough time. When we got there by 2:15pm, the line was already around the back of the civic center and growing. We wandered to the back of the line which kept growing and growing every minute- at least we were in the sunshine because the wind was rather brisk.

About 45 minutes into our wait, a man came around and said the were going to seat the people with special needs first and anyone that fit into that gourp should make their way to the door. Jennifer was diagnosed with MS several years ago and has to use a cane to walk. He told her to go on and my Mom to go with her to assist. They made their way closer to the door, but not quite. Nikki and I stayed on the street where we started. After about 30 minutes, Jennier called my phone and said they were at a stand still because security was so slow. So we waited, talked to the people around us, enjoyed some really fun politcal buttons and stood. And stood. And stood.

Finally, about 4pm, the line started moving at a snail's pace. We would go maybe ten feet every thirty minutes or so and at 5:30pm, Jennifer called and said she and mom were in and would be saving us a seat in section 219. Good, we have seats, we just need to get to the door.

6pm- line still slow and I have to use the restroom so bad my eyes are floating. I leave Nikki in the line with our new friends and walk down the street a few blocks where I find a bakery that is open. On my way there I had to walk through a throng of Obama supporters yelling and waving their pitiful signs in the air. Bless them- they need some serious prayer... and a shower. I get into the doors of the bakery but before they will give me the key to the restroom I have to buy a cookie. Oh, well. I make it back through the protestors (holding my breath) and find Nikki about twenty feet forward from where we were. Progress!!!

7pm- We are about 100 feet from the entrance to the civic center. Sun is gone, wind is cold and the news vans are to our right blowing fuel fumes all over. Jennifer has been calling every so often to see where we are and sadly each time I tell her about five feet from where we were. Rumor has it the arena is full and people are not going to be let in. I walk up to the enterance and explain to a security guard that we have people inside waiting for us in the handicap group. All they say is we have to wait.

7:15pm- Nikki and I say goodbye to our friends because we know now the palce is full and only a select few are going to be allowed in the Thomas-Wolfe auditorium to watch on closed ciruit TV. I find a VIP entrance and explain to them that we have people waiting. They said there is nothing they can do, but to go to the handicap entrance. We do and no on will let us in. As we are deciding where to go to wait for Mom and Jennifer, because we aren't going to see Sarah now, the man who had collected them earlier goes walking by. I go to him and explain the situation. He was an angel. He said to follow him and act cool. We did. He got us in to the lobby and through security only to come to the glass doors of the main entrance into the arena where policemen were there with a dog. He said the fire marshall had shut the place down and would let no one else in. I explained the situation and said we had seats. He said there is nothing he could do because everyone had been saying that. I called Jennifer and she came to the glass doors. She stood three feet away from us talking on her phone, pointing to security people as they shook their heads no.

At that moment Nikki and I realized we were not getting in. Someone in the lobby said we could go into the Thomas-Wolfe and watch if we liked. We both agreed if we wanted to see her on TV we would have stayed home. Then by some twist, a lady came to the door and told a specific group to make their line single file. They were going to get in!!!!! I grabed Nikki and for a brief moment, we became a part of that group. As we went through the door, Nikki was in such a hurry that she traped my right leg in the turnstile. No matter, I swung the left one up and over jumping to the ground. A security guard told me to take it easy and calm down. If only he knew.

I called Jennifer and told her we were in! She said come to section 219 which was three-fourths of the way around the building. Nikki and I ran like there was no tomorrow. Boy, does Jesus love us. We went through so much and so many people kept telling us no then another would let us a little closer when it looked as if we were at a stand still.

We got to our seats, about 100 feet away from the podium and sat down. We were cold, hungry and shaking from the excitement. We heard Sarah speak, took some pictures and went on our way.

As we left, the protesters had grown to include a group of people dressed a zombies. Not just a group, but hundreds. I prayed for them too, not just that they would come to their senses and take a bath, but if they are going to do special effects make-up, do some research and make it good. Amatures. Saddest looking zombies I had ever seen. But, a reallty fun adventure!