My Weekend Crush

Children love to hug Michelle Obama. They run up, heads raised, eyes sparkling and just grab hold. They’re in awe and also maybe a little bit in love. Really, we all are. I mean, gosh, wouldn’t you just love to hug her, too? In her less than five months as First Lady, Michelle has confirmed everything we already knew about her. Smart. Passionate. Dedicated. Inspiring. She has also proven herself to be something many of her detractors once wickedly whispered that she wasn’t – warm. Hence all the hugging. Michelle Obama is the kind of First Lady who both makes us feel better about and brings out the best in ourselves. While she happily and eloquently speaks out about the causes she champions – from education to national service – what she has really done best is that old writer’s trick: show, don’t tell. We are moved by Michelle because of what we see. A Harvard-educated lawyer. A dedicated community activist. A loving mother of two wonderfully well-adjusted daughters. And the supportive yet seldom sycophantic spouse of the leader of the free world.

Through the years we have had many amazing First ladies from Abigail Adams to Eleanor Roosevelt and Hillary Clinton. What Michelle has been able to do in her short period of time in the spotlight is the seemingly-impossible task of being both glamorous and grounded. We can relate to her, but we also aspire to be like her. She seems as at ease chatting up the queen as she is palling around with Elmo. She is real, she works hard and something tells me she still makes the President pick up his own dirty socks. I like that, I like that a lot. And, at the same time, you know his heart probably races whenever she enters the room. It’s awesome to have a First Couple who totally have the hots for each other. Heck, and we haven’t even started to talk about her arms. Sweet mercy, her arms (you’re going to want to click that, seriously, trust me). Happy Mother’s Day, ladies. Happy weekend, all.

p.s. Sarah Haskins totally agrees with me.

p.p.s. Well now Michelle is just teasing us with them.