Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Inauguration Weekend: Celebrations All Around! (Part 1)

Last weekend had to be one of the best weekends EVER! It was awesome for a few reasons:

1. I got to hang with my hubby and my friends.
2. Love was in the air.
3. I got to listen to Stevie Wonder all night.
4. I witnessed President Obama get sworn in again and reflected on the greatness of Dr. King.
5. I GOT TO ATTEND THE OFFICIAL INAUGURATION BALL!!!!!

Yup, we scored last-minute tickets to the official Inaugural Ball. More on that in my next post. Here's a little bit about one of the best weekends EVER.

Our theme song for the weekend, Rick Ross' "Presidential" 

It all started on Friday night. My sweet husband got me tickets to see Lalah Hathaway perform at the Howard Theater. SHE SANG HER FACE OFF! I love raspy voices (see: Kim Burrell), so she's right up my alley.

Waiting in line for the show 

To top it off, she brought out a special guest - Kenny Lattimore. I used to love "Never Too Busy," but I had no idea that his voice was so amazing.

Lalah Hathaway & Kenny Lattimore doing a little impromptu scatting

We'd plan to have dinner during the show, but we got there just as they ran out of seats, so we cut our night short, and went to pick up our Inauguration tickets from my husband's friends!!! 

One of my husband's best friend's parents are big Obama campaign supporters and fundraisers. They have awesome connections, so they were able to get us some tickets. We stopped by their hotel after the show to pick them. I couldn't believe it! My hands were shaking. 


After we picked up the tickets, we headed home.  I needed to rest for the long weekend ahead of me. 

On Saturday, after a morning of dissertation writing, I headed to my girl Dr. K's house for a pre-Inauguration ball dinner and girl time. We had an awesome dinner (Dr. K can burn!!!) and got all dolled up for the International Ball at L'Enfant Plaza Hotel.  


The highlight of the evening? Meeting Korto Momolu, brilliant fashion designer who gained national attention as a finalist on Project Runway. 


We had a blast. I tapped into my inner 25-year-old, dancing until about 2:30 in the morning. I finally called it a night and headed home because there was so much more in store for the weekend. 

While at the International Ball, I made a decision to find another dress on Sunday morning because I saw the dress I had planned to wear a few times in a couple of different colors that evening. I needed to be special for the President and the First Lady! 

First thing Sunday morning, I ran to the formal dress store where I found my mom's mother-of-the-bride outfit. After trying on at least 10 dresses (and seeing my previous choice in about 5 different colors), I finally settled on another dress that I thought would be perfect. After running a few more errands (accessories, nails, etc.), I ran home to change for some Sunday night fun. 

First, we stopped by a surprise engagement party for one of my husband's friends, K. K took his girlfriend on a romantic getaway in London and Paris, and he popped the big question while over there. Nice, right? Well, my husband had referred him to the jeweler who made my ring and helped him design it, so we couldn't wait to see it in person. I just love love!

Hubby and the groom-to-be

After enjoying the bride-to-be's complete astonishment and shock at the surprise, we headed over to Liv Nightclub for the Wonder-full Party, a celebration of Stevie Wonder's music. The play Stevie Wonder music all night - songs he wrote, produced, sang, the remixes, songs that sampled him - the whole 9.

Sneaking in some smooches at the Wonder-Full Party


We had such a good time. The engagement party ran longer that we had anticipated, and I was on the verge of telling my hubby to just go home.  I'm so glad he pressed forward. The party was AWESOME. The music was great! I mean, you can't go wrong with Stevie Wonder. We found a great parking space right in front of the venue, which is next to impossible on big weekends like these.  I also bumped into one of my besties who was in town as well as my hometown family friend and piano extraordinaire, Robert Glasper, who got us inside without the long wait in line!

My "little brother" and hometown hero, Robert Glasper

Folks getting it in for Stevie Wonder

After a night of partying and celebration. My hubby and I took our old bones home for some much needed rest. After all, tomorrow was THE BIG DAY!!!!

More on our amazing time at the official Inaugural Ball in my next post! 



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