Me and My New Friends

It was a cool and rainy August day. The kind of day you get only on the East Coast where the cool is a balmy 87 and the rain is only for five minutes, yet it soaks you to the bone.

(Clay is trying to edit me as I type, but this is MY story. I need the dramatic beginning. Trust me.)

Anyway, the rain. It was raining. I took Goldie and Milo to a kids' museum and Clay took George to the Spy Museum.

At the kids' museum Goldie and Milo were busy manhandling baby turtles and lizards when one of the staff walked and said, "Whenever famous people come in here with their kids I get totally starstruck." My first reaction was, "Oh Honey, don't get nervous around me, I'm really just one of you when it comes down to it." Then I realized there must be another famous person at the museum and she was itching to tell me who. "Cate Blanchett is here with her sons."

Five minutes later Goldie is sitting next to Cate Blanchett's son and happily painting away. Well holy shit, I'm a little star struck as well. Goldie and her son are practically planning their wedding and Cate and I are new BFF's. Except she isn't looking at me or even acknowledging me, which is understandable because she obviously feels intimidated.

Half an hour later they left for their hotel and I began texting people, "Guess who Goldie just had a play date with?!"

Later in the evening I'm still telling Clay all the details of the museum and how Cate touched Goldie's hair. Meanwhile, Clay's eyes have glazed over. He suggests I walk over to our favorite pizza spot near "our house" and get him a handful of slices for dinner. Not because he wanted pizza, but because he wanted quiet.

It's pouring rain, again, but as his dutiful wife I walk to the pizza place, getting soaked with each step. (Doesn't the rain sound so dramatic?)

At the Pizza Place there's a line to get in. As I get closer I realize it's the damn TSA folks again. They've followed me here from Sea-Tac lookin' for more action. But this time they have hand-held metal detectors. Once again I get frisked and searched but am allowed in. All this strikes me as odd because they don't do this at lunch. They must get a rough dinner crowd.

Then it occurs to me, The President must be here! I immediately ask the TSA guy what's going on and realize this TSA guy is actually Secret Service. He says, in one breath, "We have a special guest dining here and it's not the president."

I'm certain it must be a senator I've never heard of.

Then the adorable girl ringing up my pizza confides Michelle Obama is upstairs. She's giddy with excitement. The girl, not Michelle. Michelle's upstairs and I can't see her.

Side note: Just yesterday we went to the American History Museum where Goldie and I saw the gown Michelle Obama wore to the Inauguration and I told Clay seeing her dress literally made me tear up.

I need to see Michelle.

I plunk myself down at a table next to the stairs with Clay's pork infested pizza and pretend to eat. I figured she'll need to come downstairs at some point.

And she did. First Malia came down. Then Sasha, who was practically running, and lastly Michelle. I was arms length from the first lady when we made eye contact and she smiled at me. And yes, she was smiling at ME, I was the only person, besides the TSA guys, in the room.

And then I started to feel sad for Clay. I knew he was going to hear about "my dinner with Michelle and the girls" for the next few weeks.

So I walked home in the rain. And I didn't even mind.