Just as we finished-up the 50/50 tour, I sent the following letter to President Obama telling him about our grand adventure and wishing him a happy birthday. He hasn’t responded, but he is a pretty busy guy. I like to imagine that someone, somewhere in the White House, read this and liked it enough to share: “Mr. President, you gotta hear about this crazy family….!”

Happy 50th Birthday, Mr. President. I’d like to suggest the perfect way to celebrate: a 50/50 tour.

Last summer, my husband and I both turned 50 and began an adventure we dubbed the 50/50 tour. Our challenging goal was to visit all 50 states while we were 50. The rules for our tour were fairly simple. In each state, we were to spend at least one night, visit a site important to our national heritage, chat with a local or two, and sample some regional cuisine.

While the rules were simple, implementation was painfully complicated. Like you, we have very busy lives. Ok, so neither of us is the leader of the free world, but we do have two demanding jobs, two active kids, and a host of time-consuming obligations. We wanted our kids to join us for every bit of the tour, so we pushed our logistical skills — and our marriage — to the limit by scheduling our travels around Little League games, business trips, and high school exams. At times, we also pushed our collective patience to the limit. I know you’ve done your share of negotiating, Mr. President, but have you ever tried convincing a teenager that it would be fun to take a family vacation to a neighboring state… or two… or fifty?

It’s been quite a year. We’ve seen our nation’s cornfields in Iowa, oilfields in Oklahoma, and battlefields in Pennsylvania. We swam in Hawaii and threw snowballs in Vermont. We marveled at the Grand Tetons in Wyoming, shopped at the Mall of America in Minnesota, and fished for shrimp in Mississippi. And with a little luck, while you are blowing out your birthday candles, Mr. President, we’ll be concluding our 50/50 tour with a visit to Alaska.

We had seen many of our country’s sights before, but visiting all of the states in rapid succession gave us a completely new perspective on this mighty country. I’d like to say that we’ve seen it all, but the truth is, we barely scratched the surface.

What we did see often surprised us. We truly enjoyed each and every state, and found ourselves wishing we had more time to explore the unmatched sights our country has to offer. The natural beauty alone is staggering: breathtaking beaches, lush forests, eerie caves and deserts, and majestic waterways. Adding to that, we re-lived our nation’s history by visiting memorials, monuments, and museums on topics ranging from the civil war to civil rights, Model Ts, rock & roll, and even the lowly potato (Blackfoot, Idaho – don’t miss it).

But best of all, throughout our journey, we met smiling Americans eager to help us find our way or just share stories about their homes. People like Lucille, an octogenarian in Iowa, who told us about her town’s rise and fall with the railroad. And Sam, in New Mexico, who told us about the spiritual connection he feels to the land. And the friendly guy in New York City, who proudly pointed out his city’s sights as we walked together to the subway station.

Sometimes, we were surprised by our reactions to what we encountered. At the age of 50, we had both become somewhat jaded. As you well know, Mr. President, our country faces many serious challenges. It can be easy to focus on our problems and overlook our strengths. The 50/50 tour reshaped our focus and renewed our faith in our country and its people. We were humbled and inspired by what we saw: compassion, hope, courage, determination, brilliance, beauty, and so much more.

Ours is a nation of diversity, but two things were shared equally by those we met along the way – tremendous civic pride and an overwhelming respect for the military. When you meet with service members, Mr. President, please tell them that they are deeply appreciated by their countrymen and women all across the nation. We saw this time and time again. Signs in small towns thanking those serving overseas; tributes to veterans at performances and ball games; handshakes from bus drivers to those in uniform.

Our flight to Honolulu is a case in point. You’ll remember that when a plane lands, the flight attendants ask the passengers to “remain seated until the Captain has turned off the fasten seat belt sign”. This never happens. Passengers are simply too eager to disembark, often jumping up as soon as the wheels touch the ground. As our plane landed in Honolulu, the passengers were anxious to burst from their seats and hit the beach. But just before landing, the flight attendant told us that a couple of service members stationed in Iraq were onboard our flight, heading for some R & R in Hawaii. She asked us to allow the service members to depart before everyone else. She didn’t have to ask twice. No one moved a muscle, except to applaud and cheer wildly as the two left the plane.

So, as you begin the next 50 years, Mr. President, start off on a positive note. Take a 50/50 tour. Not to campaign (although I suppose you will be doing plenty of that soon), but simply to share this incredible country with your family. You’ll gain memories to last 50 lifetimes.

Now to get you started, if you’d like to know which state was our favorite, the answer is easy: all of them.