Local Republican Kris Eng appreciates what she called a “nice message” in the excitement of this week’s Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

“My overall reaction is that I’m glad it’s not a bashing session,” she said Wednesday from the four-day event. “It’s really risen above that. You go in concerned — we’ve heard all of that.” Eng and Joyce Haas, a local Republican who also serves as vice chairwoman of the state committee, found a quieter spot to talk during Wednesday’s events, and both spoke of inspiring speeches they’ve heard so far.

Haas talked about a breakfast she attended Wednesday morning featuring Ann Romney, wife of GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, and Janna Ryan, wife of vice presidential candidate and Congressman Paul Ryan.

“The wonderful thing was all of Ann Romney’s daughters-in-law were there and spoke,” she said. “They were basically introducing their mother-in-law, but they talked about the wonderful relationship that they have, now that they’re the daughters that (the Romneys) never had, and the relationship of the sons to their mother and father.”

Haas said the Romney grandchildren attended, rushing their grandmother on stage.

“You could just feel all the love and the relationship this family has,” she said. “You could see the closeness of the family.”

Love was the theme of Ann Romney’s convention speech Tuesday night, in which she talked about her love for her husband, children and grandchildren.

“And I want us to think tonight about the love we all share for those Americans, our brothers and sisters, who are going through difficult times, whose days are never easy, nights are always long, and whose work seems never done,” she said during the speech.

Haas, an experienced conventioneer, said this year’s event has been “phenomenal” and that delegates have had many opportunities to hear different people talk about their relationship to Mitt Romney, “the type of man he is, and talking at the same time about things that have gone wrong in our country under Barack Obama ... and how it can change.”

Eng said she appreciated the speech by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, which addressed fixing the nation’s problems and the ingenuity of Americans’ ancestors.

“A lot of last night, in the speeches were a lot of families and people who gave their personal stories,” Eng said. “Immigrants starting businesses on their own, from scratch. It was really nice for those of us who have been Americans for generations and to be reminded that people still come to this country, like our ancestors did, for the opportunity to be whatever they want to be.”

Penn State senior Anthony Christina also is attending the convention, volunteering in the page program. He serves on the Penn State College Republicans, as president of the Pennsylvania Federation of College Republicans, and as an off-campus representative to the University Park Undergraduate Association.

When reached Wednesday, Christina said pages were told not to speak to the media during the convention. Messages to convention press representatives were not returned.

Daryl Schafer, chairman of the Centre County Republican Party, is watching the convention from home, and helping register voters and hand out bumper stickers and signs from the party tent at the Grange Encampment and Fair.

He called Christina a “terrific, sharp” person.

“He’s well-spoken, and he really has a passion for the Republican Party,” Schafer said. “I’m glad to see that he was able to make it down.”

Jessica VanderKolk can be reached at 235-3910. Follow her on Twitter @jVanReporter