7-25-09 Yesterday was a full day. The garden is almost finished, we hiked on the Matanuska Glacier, and 2 carloads got to "meet and greet" Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin! With speedy drivers Johnny Milleson and Cathy Brown at the wheels of the first 2 vans to leave the glacier, 2 of our vans made it to Patriot Memorial Park in Wasilla where the annual Governor's Picnic was in full swing. (The 3rd van was stopped for construction on the road for more than 20 minutes and didn't make it to the event in time.) It was like a town festival with balloons and a crowd of people. Flags and pins were being given to the families of active duty servicemen and at the conclusion of this ceremony, Governor Palin shook hands and signed autographs. Cathy Brown spoke with Ms. Palin , offering greetings from the Grace Church mission group. Cathy also reminded her that she had met her in Leesburg, VA when she attended a rally carrying an Idaho sign. Mrs. Brown also invited Sarah Palin to attend church at St. David's. Ally Kuehm spoke to Governor Palin about the letter her dad sent to her about our mission trip to Wasilla. After a few moments, the security guards gently pushed Ally away and said it was time to move on. Sarah Palin spoke to Deacon Ann, calling her by name, even though they hadn't seen each other for 4 years. Becca said she wanted a handshake and when she realized it wasn't going to happen, she gently poked Sarah Palin on the back. Ilia was able to get a video of Ms. Palin, as she walked through the crowd with her bodyguards. The most exciting event for our group was when William Bigelow was able to shake hands with Governor Palin, saying it was a pleasure to meet her and was able to get a signature on an Alaskan Legislature pamphlet. William will have to tell everyone all about this when he returns to Virginia! When Governor Palin drove off in her own Ford Explorer, our teenagers joined the crowd of people running behind the car to wave good-bye.
