Pierre and I arrive mid-morning in Denver. The airport is teaming with delegates. We pretty efficiently manuever our way through the throng and find the airport shuttle bus. Along the way from Dallas to Denver we meet delegates speeding their way to one of the most exciting conventions ever. The diversity is awesome. People are excited and friendly...and fired up. A baggage claim worker yells out "Obama is in the House!" It hits me! I'm really at the Democratic National Convention..to nominate the first African American to ever run for President. For a second, tears sprung to my eyes!

We arrive at the hotel and the first person we see is Erin Moore, the SD 16 female delegate. She is with her partner Patti. It is good to see a familiar face so soon! We check in and with great fear and trembling go up to our room. The rooms that has received zero stars on Internet rating sites with comments like "don't even think of staying here!". Turns out, our room is not that bad. It's a little dated, but it does have a sleep number bed and appears clean. So much for setting zero expectations! You can only go up from there!

But no time for lollygagging. We ditch our stuff and walk to the nearest light rail station. We take the train downtown and make our way to the Convention Center where our friend Chella Cardona is serving on the National Credentials Committee. We manage to get through all of the security nets and race to the appointed meeting room, but the Committee has been very efficient and finished their meeting already.

So Pierre and I are back outside checking out the green area - a place full of booths relating to green energy. And then we make our way to the walking avenue. Along the way, we see thousands of riot police. They are everywhere, dressed for trouble, driving in armored vehicles, riding on horses (who are also dressed in protective covering), or simply standing in ready units. We see very few protestors and those we do see are very peaceful...after all, they are protesting against the war and for peace. The riot police add a heightened tension to the scene.

The Convention seems to have attracted a large number of anti-abortion folk, who, as we are entering the Convention Center outside have taken over the entire apron outside the entrance and are displaying their usual graphic posters. They disgust me. We are here to do serious business. For me that is a passion to stop this never relenting war on woman. I vocalize my disgust. I am through being quiet and polite about this harrassment.

Pierre and I make our way to a bar and make contact with Chella, who soon joins us. She looks very professional in her 'go to meeting' outfit. Later we are joined by Pierre's nephew, Chris, who lives in Denver and his wife, Ali. We spend the afternoon meeting and greeting many of the delegates, chuckling at all of the great tshirts and costumes, and watching thousands of riot police make their presence known.

But then it is time to go to the Convention Center for the opening delegate reception. There has been a snafu with the tickets for the Texas Delegation but we are, to our great surprise, easily able to get through security just using our honest faces (!) and make our way to the reception. The event is a fundraiser for the Katrina victims. We are very pleasantly surprised to see that all of the food and beverages are free. The food is delicious - seafood gumbo, piles of giant shrimp, and other New Orleans favorites. Pierre buys a tshirt as part of the fundraiser.

Chella arrives with a Hillary delegate from Sherman that she has met on the way. Throughout the evening, we meet so many amazing people. People ask us where we got the buttons we are wearing and soon we have a brisk trade going...all profits to Obama Dallas and we sell our last Save Roe button. Pierre takes lots and lots of photos. And then, through the crowd comes Joe Rowe and his caretaker. They have completed their long drive from Dallas. It is so great to see everyone. We run into Erin and Patti again. I get my photo taken with my son's Congresswoman - my son lives in Maui and was a delegate to the State convention...for Obama, of course.

We meet people from everywhere, including two women from Paris and Berlin who are anxious to find delegates from Texas because they are part of the Americans Abroad, but vote in Texas. We meet a guy from South Dakota and share memories of our trip there a few weeks ago. We meet people from Philadelphia, who give me their cards and beg me to come work for them during the general. I get a handshake and a bow from someone from Colorado after Pierre tells him I am working on voter registration in Dallas. I meet two young guys from London, working in Georgia for Obama. I see Tom Blackwell from Dallas across the room. And then, my first celebrity sighting....I go to the bar for another glass of wine and run into...Barbara Boxer? Oh, no, it's Gloria Allred...the great defender of spurned women..she is tiny!

Finally, the fun is over. We find the bus outside the Convention Center to take us to our hotel. And on it, many of the delegates from Dallas - Erin and Patti again and also Jeff Strater and his partner. The hotel lobbying is buzzing, but we are tired. We fall into bed and we are so tired, we forget to input our sleep number setting!

Tomorrow, delegate breakfast at 7AM and special guest the Governor of Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius. And then tomorrow night, an amazing lineup of speakers, including Michelle Obama. I can't wait to experience it all!

Gillian Parrillo
SacWomen