december 8 2009: meeting governor palin in colorado springs
**UPDATED** Video Added
Governor Palin’s Going Rogue tour hit the streets of Colorado Springs, CO this week and she seemed to have brought a slice of home with her: record cold temperatures and a respectable winter storm hit the state the day before Alaska’s former governor swooped in to give her Rocky Mountain fans a chance to greet her in person.
I was among those who chose to brave the cold temperatures and blowing snow to attend the book signing event and I was happy to have the opportunity to do so. In a last-minute prescient move, I decided to make the one-hour drive to the Springs from Denver the evening before, and reserved a hotel room near the Borders bookstore where the signing would take place. It was a good move. Not only because it saved me some messy driving in the middle of the night, but because it made the entire experience all the more out-of-the-ordinary.
SIGNING DAY PART I: There’s No One Else I Would Do This For
Things got going pretty early-on the day of the signing - around 4am. I awoke at the hotel, and began to evaluate each item of clothing for its warmth and layerability. Tank top under t-shirt #1, under t-shirt #2, then turtleneck…and don’t forget the base layer long-johns, topped off with snowboarding socks, etc…
You get the idea.
The mall doors would not open until 6:30am, however I knew that Palinistas, being who they are, would likely show up early to guarantee a good spot in line. True to form, there were about 25 people or so at the front of the line when I arrived at 5am. So, knowing there would be 750 wristbands distributed, I waited in the car for awhile to limit my time in the sub-zero temperatures. Eventually, though, I put my multi-layered ensemble to the test and ventured out to wait with the growing crowd. In the end, I was among the first 200 or so people in line.
I was guaranteed a wristband and a few precious seconds with the Governor!
SIGNING DAY PART II: I Hope I Don’t Faint
When early evening rolled around, it was time to get back in line for the final stretch of the journey and everyone around me was very excited and animated. As was the case in the morning queue, there was plenty of, “I hope she runs in 2012!” talk.
(In an informal visual poll, I can say that all of Colorado Springs agrees with this sentiment and is indeed hoping that Governor Palin will become President Palin in January, 2013)*
*The results of this poll are un-scientific but decidedly heartfelt.
Making my way from the hall and into Borders, there was an immediate change in atmosphere: from the bustling activity of the mall to the quiet setting of the store, making it feel immediately more intimate. It was an appropriate segue, I thought.
The better acoustics also gave me the chance to provide an on-the-scene report to Alaska’s favorite talk radio host, Eddie Burke, live on the air at KBYR in Anchorage. Eddie is a great friend to the Governor, supporting her endeavors over all these years; and he has become a great friend to many of us who do our own small part to express our admiration for who she is and all that she has achieved. If ever there was a glue holding Palin-bloggers together, it may well be Eddie Burke! And, I was happy to provide my first KBYR report for the show.
As our wristband-designated lines snaked through the store, we could watch as small groups of people went up the escalator to the second floor where Governor Palin was signing. I actually found myself smiling as I watched the process, knowing that at the top of the escalator, the experience of a lifetime awaited each of us.
SIGNING DAY PART III: Meeting Governor Palin
When it was my turn to venture up, I was (surprisingly) not nervous at all. Rather, I had a sense of calm excitement. If it’s possible to feel a sense of familiarity with someone you have never actually met, I think that’s what I felt.
My main goals upon approaching the table were pretty simple:
- Don’t trip
- Don’t injure Governor Palin or her staff
- Pass along Eddie’s message of “hello”
- Say something nice to Jason Recher because of his loyalty to Governor Palin
- Remember to respond if she asks me a question
- Respond to said question with appropriate info (i.e. tell her my name, not hers)
- Don’t be creepy.
In the end, I managed to achieve these goals (I don’t think I was creepy, but I guess others will have to be the judge of that), and Governor Palin was as gracious and personable as I had imagined she would be. As we shook hands and started to chat, I was struck by what I’ll call her approachable grace.
I can’t really describe it other than to say that there is an elegance about Governor Palin that I had not picked up on from afar. It was immediately clear to me that she is a woman who is equally at home shaking hands at the state fair, or running policy meetings with foreign diplomats. She is often described as a ‘confident’ woman. At this moment, I understood precisely what that means, and it was a powerful realization.
I don’t really know how long we talked - perhaps thirty seconds or less. She asked how I knew Eddie, and what I do for a living. And (I’m not sure if this was polite small talk or not) she mentioned something about staying in touch when I told her I’m a designer. Had I been a shameless self-promoter, I would have had a card in her hand in seconds!
But I’m not. So I didn’t. (One of you pass on my email address, would ya?)
As if all that weren’t enough, Chuck and Sally Heath (Sarah’s parents) were standing at the ready as each of us left the signing area. I’m typically not one to gush, but let me just say that I love Chuck and Sally Heath and I don’t care who knows! I told them this in no uncertain words and requested (and received) hugs from both. When I tore myself away and headed back downstairs, I made eye contact with ‘Aunt Katie’ (Sally Heath’s sister) and, yes, hugged her too. (She’s a hoot, by the way!)
When my time with the Palin and Heath families was done, I lingered in the hallway and tried to process the day’s events. I continued to watch hundreds of people stream in and out of Borders, clutching their newly-signed books, excitedly calling friends to relay their experiences, and hovering around Mrs. Heath and Aunt Katie as they spent time chatting with folks in the hall and offering their own autographs.
I had hoped to catch a glimpse of the famous Going Rogue tour bus, but due to the Alaskan weather invasion of Colorado, I’m assuming the bus remained garaged as it was easier to travel by SUV. Oh well. I was still happy I didn’t trip…
Epilogue:
December 8, 2009 was a day I will never forget.
I talked with a woman who might be the first Madame President in our nation’s history. And, I met one of our country’s great families - the Palin-Heath clan - and saw that the best part about them is that they reminded me of my own.
Thank you, Governor Palin, for your tireless energy and the gracious reception you have given to the thousands of people who have journeyed to see you these past few weeks. As is typical, you have given more of yourself than is required…and, on behalf of a couple thousand Palinistas in Colorado, I offer my sincere gratitude for the experience of a lifetime.
May His hand of protection be upon you and your family as you make your way back home to your beloved Alaska.
- tdc
*UPDATE* VIDEO ADDED
*BONUS* ANOTHER COLORADO STORY
Michelle Malkin writes of her experience with Governor Palin in Colorado Springs!
PHOTO CREDITS:
- Top photo - courtesy daylife.com
- Michelle Malkin and Gov. Palin - courtesy of michellemalkin.com
…Some news outlets are behaving as if my travel was a secret that they didn’t know about – despite the fact that I’ve tweeted about my flights and at least one local newspaper reported on the arrival of my flight into Rochester, NY. What’s even funnier is that these same media outlets think it’s shocking that we stay in hotels. I guess they expected us to pitch a tent alongside the road. We love the great outdoors, but such an arrangement is hardly practical for a book tour…
I’m truly humbled by the response to my book tour by everyday Americans, and if traveling by plane means that I can meet more of these wonderful people, I’ll travel by plane (or bus or train or canoe or dog sled or whatever it takes)…
Governor Sarah Palin commenting on the consternation of certain media outlets that she (gasp!) also travels by plane on her book-signing bus tour (via Facebook)
*Oh, to be a fly on the wall when an eager reporter charges into the newsroom with breaking news such as this…The Pulitzer Prize competition will be stiff this year!
- tdc
thoughts on going rogue: palin and steinbeck
Last week, I was excited to finally receive my pre-ordered (two months ago via Amazon) copy of Governor Sarah Palin’s book, Going Rogue. Admittedly, I was impatient to crack it open, but it was a busy week and I had to wait a couple of days to start reading. As of now, however, I can happily report that I am about halfway through the book, and it has certainly been an enjoyable journey thus far.
When I use the word “journey,” that is exactly what I mean to say.
In the first few sentences, I found myself thinking of the many John Steinbeck novels I have read over the years.* Steinbeck’s straightforward language makes for powerful prose that immediately piques readers’ interest, leading them to wonder where they will be taken, and whom they will meet in their mind’s eye. From the first paragraph of Going Rogue, I was similarly drawn into the scene as the Governor describes walking through the 2008 Alaska State Fair with four of her children, engaging in snippets of conversation with her constituents at the time. It was as if I were walking right beside them, taking in the sights and smells of that festive August day.
As I think about it, perhaps this is what allows so many millions of “ordinary, hardworking Americans” (as the Governor is fond of saying) to connect with this pioneering Alaskan woman. It’s so easy to feel as if we are by her side - and she by ours - walking together through daily life. Our concerns are common. Our joys, similar.
When she writes of using her “micro level” experience as the matriarch of a large family to inform her management of the state of Alaska, we can each recall similar situations in which we were challenged to accept new responsibilities, banking on the lifetime of preparation that brought us to that point.
Governor Palin believes that Providence is at work in her life - that God has a plan for each of us and that we must only be open to allowing His will to implement that plan. In her case, this belief appears to free her from the excessive worry and fear that stifles the would-be potential in so many others. Instead, the Governor approaches every situation head-on, plainly exhibiting the reason that she is often described, first and foremost, as “confident”. She shows no hesitation in taking the next step - not because she has delusions of grandeur - but because she knows that wherever she is, she is exactly where she should be.
This is something more of us would do well to learn. Certainly, the Governor’s strength is undeniable, but it need not be uncommon.
Going Rogue has been a fascinating tale thus far, and I believe women, in particular, will benefit from this in-depth encounter with Governor Palin’s biography. Though her stories largely take place in an Alaskan world many of us have not yet experienced, there is much to learn from the Governor’s open, insightful - and humorous - approach to telling the story of her life, thus far.
I look forward to the next 217 pages…
- tdc
*We’ll pause here to allow the Palin-haters to stop laughing and return to their feet.
Credits
*Top photo courtesy HarperCollins
*Second photo by Shealah Craighead (official 2008 campaign photographer)
