I applied
for the White House Easter egg roll through the lottery…and didn’t get in. When
I forwarded my rejection email to my sister and mom, my sister took action and
reached out to a friend of hers. Before I knew it, we had three tickets to the
egg roll.
My
sister’s friend warned her that it would be a bit like going to Six Flags—we
think that is a bit of an understatement, as it was more like going to the
Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center (but the crowd was filled with
toddlers and children who had just stood in line for over an hour). When I
posted a photo on Facebook with a caption that stated it was a
“once-in-a-lifetime experience”—I meant it, as I don’t know if I can ever brave
the crowds again. Granted, it was an amazing opportunity, but I wasn’t prepared
to stand in line for hours with a two-year old having brought no games, books
or toys. If there is a next time, I will be better prepared!
We finally
see the Welcome sign after having been in line for an hour—almost there! (Actually,
not quite, as we still had two more lines to brave.)
Alex got an Easter tattoo on his hand—he is
not sure how well it goes with his bowtie.
We had a
gorgeous day for the egg roll—look at that sky! The trees were either in full
bloom or just budding. The setting was quite beautiful.
Since I
was completely unprepared (major parenting fail), I gave Alex my phone to
occupy himself. Of course, he immediately started watching Curious George. By
the time we got into the egg roll, I took my phone away and he started
screaming “I want George”. All I could think of was that the President before
Obama took office was George Bush, and I wondered what others around me must
think as my son, with tears streaming down his face, screamed at the top of his
lungs “George, George, I want George”.
Eventually
Alex calmed down and we were able to enjoy the grounds. We walked down to the
hula hooping section and danced to the music, then we stood and watched the
fountains with the monument in the background.
Strolling
around the grounds were many different types of characters. At first, Alex was
petrified of these, but he eventually became intrigued by them. As a former
actor, I have done a variety of awful gigs. Being a character at the White
House Easter egg roll, though, has to be the worst gig ever. First, the day was
incredibly hot, and, as many of these costumes were huge, the individuals
wearing them must have been sweltering. Second, and maybe more importantly,
they couldn’t see; each character was assigned a handler, and this handler was
telling the character when there was a step, what side a child was waving to
them (“child waving on your right” we heard), etc. We left feeling really
grateful that we were not characters at the White House Easter egg roll.
Alex got a
box of Peeps and a commemorative Easter egg at the end. We headed back to the
car (past some gorgeous cherry blossoms) and then to my sister’s apartment in
Georgetown for an Easter egg hunt and dinner.
Alex was
smiling at my best friend Joy’s gorgeous little boy (he is absolutely the
happiest baby I have ever met!).
In the
end, despite the crowds and the heat and the toddler meltdowns, it was a
fabulous day.
