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"I don&amp;#x27;t have to tell you I was swelling with pride for the leaders who have a vision for marching us forward together as a country, regardless of the party lines on which they stand. What I do have to tell you about, dear readers, are the moments from my the inauguration that I wanted to share the instant they happened that made me, well, get inspired. My first stop on Sunday: the Smithsonian American Art Museum for the Women Leaders in Washington Inaugural Brunch, hosted by Google, Elle, and the Center for American Progress. Among those in attendance: UN Ambassador Susan Rice and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebeilius. The room focused their attention on Kerri Washington and Rosario Dawson--whose activism inspired us during the DNC--talk about how important the renewal of VAWA is, and stood rapt for Susan Molinari, who knows how to get anyone excited about ladies. The highlights? Watching Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on the podium, and feeling the electricity her constituents must feel when she speaks. She has a brilliant poise on stage, yet talking with her one-on-one, you feel like you&amp;#x27;ve known her for years. Sen. Klobuchar&amp;#x27;s balance is a goal towards which anyone can strive when speaking. Then, freshman Rep Tulsi Gabbard (D, HI-02). &amp;quot;There&amp;#x27;s no &amp;#x27;normal&amp;#x27; path to office,&amp;quot; she told me. She said she was so painfully shy growing up that she didn&amp;#x27;t even have the confidence to knock on doors to campaign until she was 21, and even then, she&amp;#x27;d need to bring her sister along, and take 10 minutes in the car between doors to get back up the courage to go to the next house! The military &amp;quot;helped build up layers&amp;quot; of courage, she said, &amp;quot;plus lots of practice.&amp;quot; After a quick hello to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D, FL-23) along F Street NW, Washington editor Linda Kramer-Jenning and I were en route to interview Maya Soetoro-Ng, President Obama&amp;#x27;s half-sister by phone. Ms. Soetoro-Ng&amp;#x27;s love and support she has for her brother was evident in the interview, and her outlook on the tie between service for our country and our inner strength was moving. The sound of her daughters filled the background of our call. Walking around D.C. and at the Planned Parenthood f&amp;amp;ecirc;te, you could hear accents from every part of the country, and see togetherness in action, much like President Obama&amp;#x27;s inaugural address urged. Up early and dressed for the inauguration! All weekend I chose to wear a peacock feather-shaped necklace with a pretty blue jewel for President Obama by David Tutera Embellish. Read all about what it was like to be in Glamour&amp;#x27;s seat at the 57th Presidential Inauguration here. So many female service members were present both at the swearing-in, and buzzing around the Capitol all weekend. This is Kristin Davis of the U.S. Coast Guard Honor Guard based out of Alexandria, V.A. It&amp;#x27;s her first inauguration. What&amp;#x27;s a trip to D.C. without a stroll by the Supreme Court? And yes, The Inaugural Ball. You ladies chose it&amp;amp;#133;the Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent dress! A glam Patrick Shannon Dylan clutch with a media credential sticking out of it. Watching the first dance (or well, second, as they&amp;#x27;d taken the floor at the Commander-in-Chief&amp;#x27;s Ball already). For a moment, politics were suspended. Yes, we&amp;#x27;ll all have to go back to the push and pull--and it&amp;#x27;ll be soon--but opinions differed in that venue (really! You could hear them!), and when the First Couple took to &amp;quot;Let&amp;#x27;s Stay Together&amp;quot;, sang live by Jennifer Hudson, we weren&amp;#x27;t thinking about debt ceilings or gun control for a solid five minutes. Hey, it&amp;#x27;s a start. Let&amp;#x27;s hope some of the energy at the Capitol pervaded wherever you are, and that it&amp;#x27;ll carry us through the next four years. This post has been updated."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/inspired/blogs/the-conversation/2013/01/inauguration-weekend-2013-diar?>