We got up early to make sure that we weren’t late for our scheduled tour of the White House.  We were to be at the White House Visitor Center at 9:30 a.m.  This part of the tour was to become more interesting than the White House itself, believe it or not. There was lots of incidental information about the White House that I found intriguing. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman, a leg of his  daughter's piano  fell through the floor.  He then  had the entire house restructured, much like our own family recently did to our 150 year old home, by laying a new foundation, concrete walls, and support beams.   I enjoyed looking at the photos of different Presidents and their families living in this historic home.

However, the White House tour itself, was a disappointment.  There is a portion of the first floor that is designated for the tour, and this part looks like a museum, but not a very interesting one.  There is no warmth in it, or any evidence that the First Family ever uses this part of the house.   The furniture is not particularly attractive, and neither are the chosen paintings on the wall.

The weeks preceding this trip, we had read a book together called, “The White House,” and this told us 99% more about what it was like to live in the White House than this tour.

After reading the book, the kids mentioned that living in the White House was the closest thing to living like royalty in the U.S. as it gets.   

I found myself thinking about this tour long after I had left it.  “If I was First Lady….” What would I do differently with this part of the House?  And then my imagination took me to all kinds of ideas.  First of all, the décor would have to go.  I’d improve the colors. I’d find way better historical furniture.  And the paintings, they’d be the first to be replaced.  I’d get some pictures of First Families using these rooms and help people envision how they were used and the families that inhabited them.  I’d put more personal touches around the room – like family photos or favorite books of the presidents. 

Yes, “If I was First Lady,” there’s a lot I would do. But at course, the revamping of the White House tour area would have to wait until I got done attempting to revolutionize  the U.S. Educational System first…