Mrs. Obama was at the SAP Center in San Jose to promote her best-selling book "Becoming."
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A glamorous Michelle Obama was greeted like a rock star as she walked on-stage.
"Wow, you guys are doing good out there," she told the roaring crowd of 12,600.
The first topic moderator Michele Norris brought up was of that sweet exchange between Mrs. Obama and George W. Bush during his father's funeral.
"He has the presence of mind and the sense of humor to bring me a mint, and he made it a point to give me that mint right then and there and that's the beauty of George Bush," Obama said.
Mrs. Obama shared experiences and events that shaped her life and are now part of her memoir, "Becoming."
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The SAP Center was at capacity as some waited hours to be the first inside.
"It was my girls birthday presents, so I thought this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for them to go ahead and hear her first hand," said Parminder Grewal of San Jose.
People came from all over the Bay Area, some as far as Sacramento.
"It warms my heart just to be able to get near her, to see her, and be inspired," said Diana Evans of Sacramento.
Evans got emotional describing the moment. Wanting to look her best, she brought out her Michelle Obama swag bag.
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"I just wanted to shine her light, along with me wearing it," said Evans.
The former First Lady has not only inspired fashion choices but inspired young women everywhere.
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"To be able to see her, especially as a young African American female, to see and look up to her has been really inspiring," said Sarata Sesay of San Jose.
Mrs. Obama's message to youth-- "You have so many mistakes that you can recover from, so much you can learn from, don't beat yourself up because you haven't figured it out."
Take a look at more stories and videos about former FLOTUS Michelle Obama.