Things Loved In September

1. Getting last minute tickets to the Oprah show!

(Raise your hand if you didn't see that one coming.)

I won't bore you again with all the details since I already did so here: Operation Oprah and here: Oprah Day!, but I will add a picture my friend Kent took of her TV which clearly shows me and my friend Jill sitting in the audience right smack dab behind Oprah during a clip that aired on her Farewell Season Premiere!

Our episode aired last Wednesday, September 29th, and while Jill and I were once again on TV, it was clear that this time around Oprah only wanted us for our bodies since we were only seen from the neck down.

She's a fickle one, that Oprah.

2. So you're thinking, "What could she possibly have up her sleeve that tops Oprah, riiiiiight?

Well how about THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES??

Yeah, that's right.

I knew the President was in town last week for a speech at the UW-Madison campus, but as I left work that afternoon I was under the impression he was already at his destination so traffic on my way home shouldn't be a problem. As I took John Nolen Drive out of downtown Madison, I was stopped at the last light before getting on the beltline, about 20 cars back from the light, and for some reason when the light turned green no one went. I watched in confusion as the light cycled through from green to yellow to red and back to green...and still no one went.

What in the world is going on? Has there been some kind of an accident that I'm not seeing?

Curious to see how many cars were now lined up behind me, I turned around to find that not only were cars lined up as far as I could see, many of them were in "park" with their drivers standing outside their car doors--right in the middle of the road! Soon people where lining up along the sidewalk, camera in hand, and I realized not only were we not going anywhere anytime soon--but this must be the route the President is taking to get downtown! I put my own car in park, grabbed my iPhone, and joined the crowd of onlookers and parked-in-place commuters excitedly waiting for the President's motorcade.

Here are some pictures from the event!

Here they come!

These guys were in what looked like full body armour. It was a bit intimidating, and I was scared to take their picture, but I figured the kid on the other side of the street waving at them may have softened them up a bit.

Well hello Mr. President. So nice of you to drop by.

3. First Oprah, then The President of the United States...who else could I have possibly seen in September that would top that??

Oh, have you met my new best friend the Dalai Lama?

He says hi.

Okay, okay, I'm totally kidding. I didn't get to see the Dalai Lama in September...but I'm pretty sure he's got me penciled in for October.

I usually list five things loved each month, but Oprah and Obama are big enough to hold their own, so I think I'll stick with just the two of them this time around. Both were pretty amazing, and completely unexpected experiences--I seriously felt like Forrest Gump!