What Can You Do In 27 Hours?

So this past weekend our small town on the gulf coast welcomed President Obama and family for a 27 hour vacation!  I marvel at the idea of a 27 hour vacation and so I spent a bit of time this morning perusing the News Herald to see how his visit played out.  I was in town for a good portion of those same 27 hours, but had other priorities as it was Chelsea's last day at home before leaving for college.  So I am thinking to myself...hmmm how did our day compare to theirs?


The Dodd Family Schedule
*Saturday morning Chelsea and I got up at 7:00 immediately had coffee and she made banana walnut muffins
*8:00 am Nicole, David, and Claire wander downstairs, followed shortly thereafter by Kate and Rich...let the fun begin

*Claire entertained us by crawling around and climbing (where were the reporters for this?)
*Last of Chelsea's stuff gets loaded into the third car (many hands make for light work is sooooo true)
*Around 11:00 am we gathered in the living room for a family discussion of  The Law by Frederic Bastiat. Rich had promised us a rousing discussion of this very thought provoking little book and other than Claire  falling asleep and a couple of eye rolling moments we did all contribute and learn something...though I have to admit it's not as much fun to argue a viewpoint when you are preaching to the choir!
*1:15 David, Nicole, and Claire left to attend a wedding
*Chelsea and Kate left to go eat Mexican food at Los Antojitos (cheese dip and chicken enchiladas)
*Rich got the oil changed in Chelsea's car and then proceeded to take all the rest of the cars too!

*I went to the grocery store to shop for Chelsea's last dinner (on the menu...scallops, barbecue chicken, scalloped potatoes, sauteed asparagus, salad with mandarin oranges, almonds, feta cheese and grated carrots...menu selected by Chelsea)...for dessert s'mores!
*A quick swim with Claire before dinner...no oil here!

*Dinner and then grandparents arrive for s'mores
*At 9:00 pm grandpa heads home, Chelsea, Kate, Nicole, grandma, and I head out to Pier Park
*Chelsea visits with Clarissa...Nicole and I get a double shot espresso at Starbucks
*9:45 we go to see Eat Pray Love
*12:15am back in the car headed for home
*1:00 am in bed
*5:00 am alarm goes off...moving day begins
*6:10 am on our way to Starbucks (no...that double shot espresso did not last)
*6:35 heading up 231 to Auburn
*10:10 Rich and I (in separate cars)  arrive at the Hotel at Auburn...Stephen pulls in a few minutes later...Chelsea and Katelyn....well they by-passed Auburn and were headed towards Atlanta!!!

*10:45  The girls arrive...we decide to eat the lunch buffet at the hotel (it is fabulous food, however no one is really hungry)

*Noon  we head over to Eagle Hall in the Village...moving in begins!

The Obama Family Schedule (do not know exact time nor order of events)

Saturday Morning the President arrives on Air Force One at Tyndall AFB

The family stayed at Bay Point's Marriott Resort

They had lunch at Marriott's Bayside Bar (fish tacos, burger and chicken fingers...guess who ate what)

A meeting with the governor, Panama City's mayor, and others at the Naval Coastal Systems Center

The President and daughter Sasha took a quick swim at Alligator Point...look no oil!

A boat ride on the Bay Point Lady around the bay

Pirate's Island Golf....both Sasha and the president made a hole in one (very impressive considering the number of spectators, secret service, and reporters lurking)!!

Dinner at Firefly with fried oysters, tuna, lobster, steak, shrimp, pasta, and creme brulee (what about the hydroponic salad???  It is divine)!

Bruster's Ice Cream...mint chocolate chip, hot fudge sundae, oreo cake batter (all sound yummy)!
On Sunday morning a quick secret trip to Wonder Works by the first lady and Sasha
Departure on Marine One from the Navy base

Amazing they fit so much into their schedule...but then there was the secret service and motorcade and police escorts and no lines....all those things necessary for a president just to be able to get where he needs to be! As for my family...I think we did pretty good with fitting stuff in...no secret service or motorcades required! 

I must say this...so much criticism follows the president through his day.  I am not into that...so regardless of the "agenda," the world does now know that there really isn't an oil problem on Panama City Beach...  merely a perception problem.  So many people cancelled their plans to vacation here this summer and that did hurt local business...but they all missed out on a great beach vacation in a real American beach town.  The summer season is almost over...but if you really want to know a secret...October is the best month of the year here.  I'd encourage everyone to come on down the water is fine, but I kinda like the quiet!