My breakfast with Speaker Mike Johnson

And a confirmation I didn't know I needed

I received a text on Monday morning around 11:00 a.m. asking if I’d like to attend breakfast with Speaker Mike Johnson on the day after the congressional address that President Trump was set to give on March 4th at 9pmEST. I was busy changing a diaper, so I returned to the missed text a while later and almost fell over my desk chair running to the other side of the house to tell Sean. And then sprinted to tell my eldest daughter. And then I ran around the house again looking for the other three girls - I was stunned I was approached and honored to be thought of. Also, nervous out of my mind - what do I know about sauntering into the Capitol Building, chatting up staffers, and navigating the conversations with influencers and journalists who have been doing this for years? NOTHING, that’s what.

Of course, I texted back YES, I WILL BE THERE, all caps and far too many exclamation points. And so I set about trying to pick out an outfit (knowing I’d be surrounded by women half my age, double my height, and more stylish. I landed on a red blazer and sensible flats - I wasn’t sure how much I’d be walking.

Sean offered to drive me into D.C., drop me off, and pick me up, which I was grateful for. I knew I’d be on edge and bound to get myself lost in transit (D.C. is not user-friendly at all and is notoriously congested), so after a night that consisted of only two hours of sleep, we kissed the girls goodbye and jumped in the car at 6:00 a.m. this morning.

It’s Ash Wednesday, and so we were set to be fasting, but I didn’t factor that into the whole situation, and the entire drive I felt like I was going to throw up from nerves, an empty stomach, and black coffee (devoid of my beloved creamer and whipped cream - blech.) I found a discarded fruit bar in my purse (who knows how old) and nibbled on it.

After some blocked roads, we arrived at the drop-off location at 7:43 a.m., 17 minutes before I was supposed to be there. I had a short walk but underestimated how the back strap of my shoes would continually fall off as I had exfoliated my heels that morning (stupid move) and so I was continually looking like a weird contortionist on the side of Independence Ave. as I tried to adjust them. I walked up to the guest entry and walked up to a security guard, asking if I was in the right place. It just so happened that someone who worked in Johnson’s office was standing there and he said, “Hey miss! She is supposed to have breakfast with the Speaker, can you take her in” to which the girls hurriedly said, “Um, yeah come on.”