To say I was overwhelmed by the evening at Nora's would be an understatement of vast proportions. I have attended, since my election, more events and dinners than I can remember. Sunday night was the only one that felt...like family. I met more real people in one place than I had ever met before in my life. That is not hyperbole, that is the truth.

I had the opportunity to sit down and converse, not just chat, with several people that night. The one encompassing feeling that came out of those conversations was that everyone wants real, honest representation. They want to feel respected and appreciated at work, and they want to know that they have done something for the generation to follow. Is it any wonder I felt at home?

There is a lot of work to do yet. As I said, this is not a sprint, it is a marathon, and I am in it for the long haul. Some things can be accomplished at the state level. Others have to be done nationally. With people like you behind me, everything that needs to be done, can be done, simply because it is the right thing to do.