A friend and I traveled to Roanoke, VA early Sunday morning for Sarah Palin’s “Going Rogue” Book Tour. We arrived just before 6 am to a huge crowd that had started gathering much earlier. Reports were that the first in line had been there since 8 am Saturday and a large number of her supporters camped out overnight to assure that they get a signed copy of “Going Rogue”. Sarah’s tour bus stopped by the sight around midnight Saturday so that she could personally thank the gathering crowd. Sarah told the “campers” she was looking forward to meeting them the next day.

As we wound our way through the twists and turns of the mall where the Barnes and Noble bookstore was located – it didn’t look good for us. It was hard to guess the number of people, the crowd was so spread out, but it was huge. It was cold, and everyone was in a great mood. Like the people who attended the 9/12 March on Washington, it was a wonderful group of folks from all walks of life and everyone was excited for a chance to meet Sarah Palin. We had fun chatting with everyone. A couple behind us had their three children with them – two boys, four and six years old, and little two year old Elizabeth who has downes syndrome. She was delightful!

Time moved on and event coordinators told us that we were in the “gray area” as far as getting our books signed. Then word came to us that all of the armbands had been given out and we were in the “stand by” line. It was cold, but no one was giving up hope and people continued to arrive. We were constantly informed of how things were progressing and that Sarah had decided to start signing books an hour early. Panera restaurant opened and woo hoo, coffee, hot chocolate and food was available. They were also very nice about allowing us to use their restrooms.

We had great conversations and at one point David asked several of us “what other politician would you stand in line this long to meet”? My immediate answer was Michelle Bachmann, he and others agreed. Keith said the only other person he could think of was Ronald Reagan, were he still alive, and my friend suggested Margaret Thatcher. David, a gentleman in his ball cap with the American flag, questioned why it seemed that only women were standing up strongly for our country.

The sun finally came out and it was a bit warmer. Then the Going Rogue tour bus arrived with Piper sitting up front and waving to the crowd. Where was Sarah – was this going to be one of those “I traveled to Roanoke VA, stood for hours in the cold, and all I got was a view of Sarah Palin’s tour bus”? The line in front of us continued to diminish and the coordinators gave us the good news we were hoping for. Sarah was going to stay and sign books – we were going to meet Sarah Palin. A nice woman approached our group, greeted us and introduced herself. “I’m Sarah’s Aunt and wanted to thank all of you for coming to meet Sarah.”

Winding my way through the store, getting my books setup with direction from a great staff, I was no longer tired but very excited for the opportunity to meet this great American woman, and there she was. Dressed in a beautiful deep lavender jacket, I was struck by her grace and beauty. I had seen Sarah at a rally when she ran for VP and, of course, on TV but up close, she is drop-dead gorgeous. As I approached the table one of the assistants asked my name. Sarah shook my hand and I told her what an honor it was to meet her. She smiled, greeted me by name, thanked me for coming and you would never know she had done it 1,000 times before. A gentleman beside her stood, called my name, shook my hand and said “I’m Sarah’s Dad, thank you so much for coming”!

No cameras were allowed, but a photographer was there. We will be able to download our photo meeting Sarah at a later date. There was no personal message, just her signature, but it didn’t matter. It was a fleeting moment, meeting a great American woman, members of her family, and I am so hopeful the next President of the United States.