My BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG Tween Summit day!!!!!!!!!

Tuesday morning began a very busy day in the life of a Tween Summit student. All the Tween Summit students (there are about 18 of us) and parents, and Cox Representatives met for breakfast really really really really really early (7:30 am). (yawn!) Everybody looked spiffy and professional! After breakfast, all the parents stayed at the hotel to participate in a really cool Internet Safety workshop sponsored by NetSmartz. (My mom really dug it a lot!) We all walked around the corner to the National Press Club for the Tween Summit and Press Conference that would follow. Actually are parents stayed at the hotel to participate in a really cool Internet Safety workshop hosted by NetSmartz. When us kids got to the Summit room we all sat there and chatted for a while until John Walsh and Lauren Nelson walked in. The Summit soon began and we got into really deep conversations about what kids really do on the Internet. Lauren Nelson and John Walsh gave experiences and in-put on different safety topics. So many different stories were shared about personal and other experiences to the group. After the Summit there was a conference that both students and parents participated in. John Walsh answered questions from parents and shared personal experiences. When the conference was over we went to eat lunch, and then was followed by an interview answering question about the Summit. After the National Press Club meetings were over we went to two meetings on Capital Hill. The first with was with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. John Walsh and I chatted with Senator Reid about the Summit and protecting kids. A ton of people took many many many pictures and my eyes are still seeing flash bulbs! Senator Reid is a very busy man and it was a great opportunity to get to talk with about this very important subject. After the meeting and pictures, we separated from John Walsh and we went to our next meeting with Congressman Porter. My friend Savannah (also from Las Vegas) and I joined forces and educated Congressman Porter and his staff about the Tween Summit. He was a very nice man and was very generous with his time. He seemed sincerely interested in what we had to say. My mom also got on board and shared some thoughts with the congressman about what she had learned. After our important Capitol Hill meetings were finished, we put on our "comfortable" walking shoes (by this time our feet were throbbing!) and walked down 1st street past the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. Savannah and I had a little bit of fun taking silly "touristy" pictures. We got in a stinky cab (at least it had air conditioning) and went back to the hotel. We quickly changed into our fun clothes and walked a few blocks to the ESPN Zone to eat dinner and have some fun with the other students participating in the Tween Summit. We had a long, fun, intense, draining, busy and rewarding day! WOW -- am I tired! More later................