Rep. John Culberson on House floor during protest, originally uploaded by Rob Bluey.

What better place to witness history than the U.S. Capitol. Today when Republicans took over the House floor for six hours in protest of the Democrats’ adjourning without a vote on oil drilling, the GOP not only showed some backbone but also left a mark on Congress that won’t soon be forgotten. I’m thankful that I was able to witness it firsthand.

This wasn’t the first time lawmakers pulled off a stunt like this. Democrats did it back in 1995 during the government shutdown. But this was the first time citizens visiting our nation’s capital saw the action up close from the House floor and could follow it live on the Twitter accounts of Reps. John Culberson (R-Tex.) and Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.).

For me, it was an opportunity to reprise my role as a Capitol Hill reporter. Dashing over to the Russell Senate Office Building, I met up with a friend who escorted me through the Capitol to the Republican cloakroom on the House floor. There I saw Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) taking a drag on his cigarette before I walked onto the floor. Being my first time on the floor, that alone was pretty amazing. But to stand there amongst a cheering crowd of Hill staffers and out-of-town visitors was something I never imagined.

I picked a spot near where the president makes his entrance during the State of the Union. As lawmakers gave speeches — Reps. Tom Price (R-Ga.), John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) Mike Pence (R-Ind.), Kevin Brady (R-Tex.), Don Manzullo (R-Ill.) and Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) to name a few — I chronicled the action on Twitter. (Despite a warning not to bring my iPhone to the floor.) And as members spoke, I snapped some “illegal” photos like the one above of Culberson. (No photography is allowed on the floor.)

All the while, staffers from all over Capitol Hill, including a few of my Heritage colleagues, dropped by to check out what was happening. Members were mingling with constituents, and the House floor, a place usually so formal, was transformed into a convention hall with rousing speeches and even a rendition of “God Bless America.” Some even went a step further than me and shot video.

Of all the things I’ve done in Washington, this one has to one of the best. Certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I’ll never forget.

(Note: I want to thank all of the people who messaged me on Twitter this afternoon and apologize for not responding to your tweets during the protest. I now know what it’s like for @johnculberson, who responds only from his desk and not from the floor.)