It was four weeks after I saw The Empire Strikes Back Special Edition that I went to go see Return of the Jedi Special Edition. In between those four weeks I was preparing for something extraordinary that was going to happen in my life.

After I saw Empire, my mom, sister and I planned to go see Return of the Jedi on it's opening weekend March 7th. Then things changed the movie was pushed back one week later to March 14th. While this doesn't seem like a big deal, it was the same weekend of my Black Belt test, which was Saturday March 15th.

I couldn't go on opening day, because I had school and my final lessons before the test. Not Saturday because of the test and because of my party (just in case I passed) and not Sunday because I had a family friend's birthday party to go to. I had to settle for the following weekend. I kept thinking there might be a chance on March 16th, but it never happened. My Mom also told me that I had to pass my test in order to see it. Even more motivation to do well.

On March 15th, I achieved my goal of getting my first degree Black Belt along with four of my best friends who got their black belt on that same day. My family and friends were there to cheer me on as I achieved this high honor. My friends and I had worked so hard to get to that level and we finally achieved it. It was a great feeling.

The following Saturday March 22 I went with my mom and sister to see Return of the Jedi. I had heard raving reviews from people in school who said the Special Edition version was amazing. I was looking forward to the new scenes, especially the musical number in Jabba's Palace.

We went to the theater and sat and waited for the movie to start, seeing some of the same trailers I saw with Empire and waited for the lights to dim and the show to start.

Then...The 20th Century Fox Logo, The Lucasfilm LTD logo,

A Long Time Ago In A Galaxy Far, Far Away....

STAR WARS

Again it was a great experience you just had to feel. After it was over I stayed for the credits and lived in the moment. For an 11 year old boy a dream had been fulfilled as I saw my three favorite films of all time in the movie theaters. I can't find the right words to describe how I feel. It's something you have to experience.

A lot has changed in the past ten years for me and for my love of Star Wars. I'm 21 years old and in my 3rd year of college. I left Karate in May of 1998 after my contract with the school was up. After doing it for 5 years at that point I grew tired and my mother couldn't afford it anymore. We decided it was perfectly fine to stop.

For Star Wars, I couldn't have imagined what would happen with the Saga over the next ten years. Three new films that I loved just as much and everything that went with them. Although I am grown up I still watch the films and collect the merchandise. It's my passion for these films that will never die. I love these stories and I feel like a kid everytime I watch them.

Recently I have looked back a lot at that period in my life and realized it was one of the best times of my life. I reflect on it and wish I could live that all over again. Maybe it will, maybe it won't. I still cherish those memories to this day and I still have the ticket stubs in a special place in my room.

I love Star Wars and I always will. I hope the next time I have an experience like this it will be when I show these movies to my children and live through them.

May The Force Be With You Always