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Kourtney and Caleb Ballew pose for a picture in front of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy while at the White House for a state dinner with President Obama on Feb. 10, 2014. (Contributed photo)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - A thank you letter to President Obama landed a young Huntsville couple an invitation to a White House state dinner and a seat at the president's table this week. Caleb and Kourtney Ballew attended the star-studded dinner the president held for French President Francois Hollande.

The couple was still in awe Wednesday evening after a daylong road trip home for Washington D.C. "We're exhausted," Caleb Ballew said. "I actually spent more time at the White House last night than I slept."

And oh what a night it was. Along with the French president and the Obamas, the Ballews, both local attorneys, mingled with Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, actors Mindy Kaling, Bradley Cooper and Julia Louise-Dreyfus, comedian Stephen Colbert, members of Congress and Cabinet secretaries. Outgoing NBA president David Stern was there and Kevin Johnson, a former NBA star who is now mayor of Sacramento, Calif.

The Ballews were in the receiving line by Johnson when they realized they were standing in front of the portrait of George Washington that Dolly Madison saved before the White House was burned during the War of 1812. Johnson asked Caleb if he would take a picture of him and his wife in front of the painting.

"Just hearing me say that makes my head want to explode," Caleb,28, said.

The trip to the White House began with a simple thank you letter Caleb wrote Obama in November 2012, right after he had won re-election. He wanted to express his gratitude for some health care reforms the president had initiated as part of the 2009 stimulus package, especially a provision that funded COBRA health insurance for those who were not currently employed.

The couple hadn't been out of law school for long and had struggled to find permanent jobs. Kourtney, 29, had just joined a firm, but she had not qualified for its insurance plan when she got diagnosed with a medical condition that was going to require surgery. With the health insurance reforms, she was able to have insurance that ended up covering 80 percent of her bills and kept the Ballews out of what would have been staggering debt.

"It saved us from a very, very dire situation," Caleb said.

Without huge medical bills to face, the couple was able to continue to pay off their substantial law school loans. Caleb was able to get a good position in 2012, and they have since been able to buy a house.

Ballew said he doesn't know the answers to all the arguments about health care reform, but he does know Obama campaigned on the issue and followed through when he was elected. The results "had a direct positive impact on my family," something he expressed in what he called "a pretty emotional letter."

After Caleb wrote the letter, with which he included a small contribution, he figured that was it. In fact, he didn't hear anything until this January when he got a form letter with a stamped presidential signature, something he was thrilled to get. On Feb. 3, he got an email with the invitation to the dinner, something he didn't believe at first, being the skeptical lawyer that he is. He called the number in the email and got a White House social secretary on the phone.

Kourtney was not even aware he husband had written the letter, so the invitation was even more of a surprise to her. "When he said 'We're going to have dinner with the president,' I said the president of what'?"

They began to scramble for information on attending a White House state dinner. Caleb had to get a tuxedo, and Kourtney had to find a dress. "I have pajamas and suits I wear to court," she said. She fortunately found a gorgeous blue lace dress at an online site that rents high-end clothing.

The Ballews didn't have a lot of time to plan or think about their trip to the White House, but what happened when they got there exceeded their wildest dreams. When Caleb met the president, Obama thanked him for his letter and told him how much it had meant to everyone in the White House. The president then added he would have to double check, but he thought the Ballews were at his table.

"I said "I believe you are going to have to double check because I am pretty sure I won't be at your table,'" Caleb said he told the president.

The president was correct, however, and the Ballews were at the presidential table, along with two other "normal citizen couples," as Caleb described them. ABC News said the guests at the table were "a surprising mix of non-celebrity, citizen activists picked by the White House for prominent placement." Others at the table included the French president and Colbert and his wife.

The conversation at the table was comfortable with Caleb talking to Colbert's wife about their shared alma mater, the University of Virginia. The dinner was exceptional from a silky potato soup with American caviar to an aged rib-eye steak served with blue cheese. Kourtney made sure to capture photos of all the dishes with her iPhone after she saw even the celebrities in the crowd doing the same.

"I was that girl taking pictures of my food. Absolutely," Kourtney said.

Caleb's favorite moment of the whole evening came near the end, when Mary J. Blige was belting out a song and Kourtney and Michelle Obama were singing the words back and forth to each other.

"I looked over and Kourtney and the first lady, for a lack of a better word, were jamming out together," Caleb said. "It was like being at a rock concert with my girlfriends," Kourtney added.

"It's surreal," Kourtney said. "I'm just laughing because that's all I can do. I don't know how this happened. It's just spectacular."