"Watch your step. This place can be a little rough." -Obi-Wan Kenobi

I recently returned from an exciting trip to New York City, which happens to be much more intimidating than my little town. My vocal jazz group performed for a packed house (over 400 people, beyond the seating capacity) at one of the world's largest jazz festivals. One of my arrangements was performed and it went so well I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or if the sound was truly coming out of our mouths. Various attendees would stop us in the hall throughout the rest of the festival and tell us how much they enjoyed the concert. People actually remembered my name and mentioned enjoying my arrangement...people that matter in the jazz world. (I still haven't grasped the magnitude of it.) Sure, I rode in a limo for the 1st time, sang my heart out at jam sessions, and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning listening to live music only to wake up 3-4 hours later for a clinic, but I also got to meet brooklooineghost.

"Who is she? She's beautiful." -Luke Skywalker

If you haven't seen it, take a look at this. Brookie is too sweet and her girl is absolutely precious (not to mention positively gorgeous)! I did indeed meet up with them that 1st night for only a minute, but when we were reunited the next day, it felt like we had been friends forever. I must thank Brookie and her Princess Girly (I've decided she deserves such a title) for coming to my performance again...they went completely out of their way a number of times in order to be there, but it meant the world to me. After the show, they treated me to the most amazing dinner (Princess Girly wanted to hold my hand the whole way there!) that just happened to be right close to Forbidden Planet. Needless to say, that was a blast: I got to stop pretending to be a grown-up! The beautiful ladies then took me all the way back to my hotel and I hugged the little Princess goodbye. My fun with Brookie was not over, however. The next day, we met up one more time for yet another amazing meal (I think I might actually have dreams about this one). This time, we were joined by her MAN! I gotta tell you all, he is extremely kind and funny, but...don't mess with Brook! No one wants to have to answer to this guy. Seriously, I feel blessed that I got to spend time with Brook and her amazing family. They were so sweet and generous, and you wouldn't believe how much fun we had just chatting away! What did we talk about, you ask? Well, YOU for one thing! (Ha ha! Nope, I'm not telling!) This was not my first "in real life" experience, however.

"You have taken your first step into a larger world." -Obi-Wan Kenobi

I must give credit to the wonderful Jedi Melinda for spending the afternoon with me in Chicago back in December. (Looky here for her perspective.) She knew I was dealing with something rough, but I never even imagined the love and support she would send my way. Towards the end of our delicious meal, she surprised me with a number of nicely wrapped packages! (I would tell you what was in them, but you'd be so jealous Palps would be knocking on your door in seconds begging for your apprenticeship.) We chatted the hours away and visited my best Lego friends, Vader and Artoo, who were very happy to see us. We had a blast and I can't wait until we meet up again.

Take a look at that Luke quote again. That's exactly how I think of these women: they are stunning- inside and out. Brook is the absolute definition of cool. Plus, our lives have strange parallels, so I feel like I can look up to her in a million ways. Her passion for life and people is just dazzling and I can only hope some of that has rubbed off on me. Jedi Melinda is like a sister, a mother, a mentor, and a dear friend all wrapped up into one. She has shown me generosity, wisdom, encouragement, and just plain fun when I needed these the most. I hold both of you so dear in my heart. "Thank you" will never be enough!

Forcefully,
JP

"Wonderful girl. Either I'm going to kill her or I'm beginning to like her." -Han Solo