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Current mood:  accomplished Category: News and Politics
I had the trip of a lifetime, when I went to Washington, DC for the Inaugural "weekend". I was invited to the People's Inaugural Gala Weekend, by Mr. Harry Bass. He heard my song, "Change We Can Believe In", and fell in love with it! There were 6 events, starting on Saturday, 1/17/09, ending with an inaugural ball on Tuesday, 1/20/09. Mr. Bass provided tickets for me and a guest to all events, and I invited my pastor's wife, Katie Peecher, to go with me. We had an absolute blast! Jehovah Jireh provided the way, as only He can. I found a room at a Super 8 Motel in Annapolis, MD (1/2 hr away from DC), for $63/night!! This was unheard of! Most hotels were charging over $250/night, from MD to VA to PA. Forget DC!! The room was immaculate, and warm. What more could I ask? Anyway, I drove my car all of the way there, with no help from my Katie. She doesn't like to drive, but she was great company! A choir from ATL (Atlanta's Chorale:New Creation), learned my song, and sung it for the prayer breakfast at the Grand Hyatt in DC. That was followed by a women's luncheon, and an after-5 event, hosted by Iyanla Vanzant. The electricity in the air was palpable. People were excited and happy. Everyone was smiling at one another, and Black folks were acting like we had a secret...it was cool to be Black! Folks were saying, "Happy Obama-Day! Happy Inauguration Day!". It was hilarious, but it was wonderful to just be in the atmosphere, knowing that a change was coming, and that God is in control! On Sunday, there was a gospel concert at the historic Lincoln Theater. I sung my song as a solo, and opened for Richard Smallwood and Vision! How cool is that? I also met one of my Myspace friends, who is one of Mr. Smallwood's musicians: Jared Sawyer. I knew him on sight! Katie and I had dinner at an Ethiopian restaurant (yummo!), and came back for the jazz concert with George Duke and the Washington Jazz Orchestra. On Monday, we crashed the Illinois State Ball. King College Prep's (my alma mater high school) band was playing in DC, and I had the band director's cell phone number. I sent him a text, and we hooked up at the Renaissance Hotel, in DC. Katie and I were dressed for a ball, and we went in with the band, while they played to those in line. We stayed...they left! We mingled and networked, and saw folks from Chicago, and had a fantastic time! On Tuesday, it was Inauguration Day! We had decided not to go to the mall to stand out in the freezing cold with almost 2 million people, so we stayed in our warm Super 8 motel room, and watched it on TV. What a day of rejoicing that was! We later got dressed for the last ball. We had VIP passes, thanks to Mr. Bass, and we went back to the Grand Hyatt, met people from Jerusalem (yep, goofy me said "Shalom"! I really wanted to say "Baruch Ha Ba B'shem Adonai", but I didn't), Zimbabwe, and from all over the world. We had a phenomenal dinner (salmon, filet mignon, etc.), listened to live jazz with Vanessa Rubin, and then the DJ brought out the stuff! I was on the floor doing the Cupid Shuffle (Yes, I can!), and the Casper slide! Of course, there was Chi-town stepping going on. I stepped with Scott, who is the chief of the governance section of the US Dept of State. I don't know what dance he was doing, though! The next morning, it was bye-bye to DC and Super 8. We made it home on Thursday morning, safe and sound. Mr. Bass wants me to come back to sing at Constitution Hall, in the spring. I know that God has nothing but good things in store for me, and I look forward to the journey. I'm working on new music, I'm organizing a vocal group and orchestral ensemble, and glorifying my Father in heaven! Stay tuned...there's much more to come! If you haven't heard the song, "Change We Can Believe In", its below, on two blogs. There are 2 versions...one with me on the piano, with King College Prep choir, and the other with the instrumental soundtrack, as sung by Morgan Park HS concert choir, both of Chicago.
2:11 AM
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