meeting hillary

So, this happened the other day!!!!!

I met Hillary Clinton.  You know, former Secretary of State, Senator, FLOTUS, potential future president ...Hillary!!!!  It all began a few weeks ago when I read she was coming to The Grove in L.A. as part of her book signing tour, and the rest as they say is history.

Of course, the event was the day after we got back from Vegas, and I admit to being exhausted on Wednesday night.  I'd read about people camping out for her signing in Seattle and was concerned the same would happen in L.A.  I didn't want to drive all that way only to find out the tickets were gone!  I woke up at five o'clock the morning of and checked The Grove's twitter feed to see if there were any updates.  Nothing. I guess they don't work that early. :-)  I left the house an hour later and thanks to two accidents on the 710 and a car fire on the 5 it took me an hour-and-half to get there.  Apparently, half the county had the same idea. The line extended all the way around the perimeter, but since I came this far, I wasn't about to leave now!

To make a long story short, I waited in line six-and-a-half hours, but it was totally worth it.

Sign inside the store.  

I waited four hours to see this! At this point, we bought the book and were given a wristband. I was in group Z. Talk about close!  (A few people later they started the standbys.  Eek!)  After exiting the store, we were directed to a different line and settled in for another couple of hours.  

I came prepared to pass the time with reading material and music but ended up talking with the people around me.  We sort of bonded, and eventually there were seven of us traveling as a posse.  (we went by the name The Magnificent Seven.)  We saved each other's places in line and took breaks for food and other necessities.  :-) 

Security was extremely tight, and we went through an airport like checkpoint before being allowed on her floor.  They had bullet proof glass set up on the side and Secret Service everywhere.  (These people have ZERO personality, and I mean, zilch.)  Barnes and Noble staff kept the line moving at a very steady pace.  I took this picture on the move (hence the blurriness), but it gives an idea of the overall setup. 

We weren't allowed to have our phones out after this point so the next photo I got is the one below!  When it was my turn, I was behind one of my new friends who goes to school in D.C.  Turns out he attends the same church as the Clinton's and mentioned it to her.  She replied, "I love that church."  Mini conversation!  Score!  I didn't have much to say other than, "Hi" and "Thank you."  Original, I know, but at this point she'd been signing for over two hours, and no one was given the opportunity to say anything more.  One thing I noticed was she made eye contact with every single person who came through that line, and I thought that was a nice gesture.  

It was truly an A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. experience, and I'm super excited I at least saw her face-to-face.  And, I must say, she has the bluest eyes...

The prize!