A Brookalicious Encounter,

Hello.
At first when Shantel approached me about blogging together, I was giddy with excitement and ready to jump into this sailboat in adventurous capturings of memories! I feel like in a lot of ways, I live life in constant excitement of the bigger picture, and what there is to come, then feel a sense of fear that I didn't "make the most out of it" when the moment passes and I'm sweetly musing on it days later. So!
What better way to pause life for a moment and reflect on things that Made. Me. Smile. then blogging! (And when I mean smile I really mean minutes of squealing and stamping around in grass until I start wheezing and feel content of how much I am loved). Here goes then, a collection of vaguely interesting attempts at the "You had to be there" tales, understatement descriptions and mosaics of blessings, people, and misshapen journeys. And for those who live life to the fullest by procrastinating, and somehow are more than just a little interested in me -gasp-, here is my personal blog where I write shorter sentences and post more stolen images from people who are more talented than me in the creative aspect of life.
http://firefly-catching-days.blogspot.com.au/

Okay so here goes a grade 5 show and tell report of The Day I Met Brooke Fraser.
For those who don't know this magical, Christ centered, prolific, woman of God, Brooke is a Kiwi who somehow molds lyrics into beautiful breathy songs on whimsical characters and interesting perceptions of love/life, somehow magically fitting jigsaws of words that require googling; such as "succumbed to decrepitude",  "demeanour" and "colonnade". She has been my inspiration for quite a while now, after her glorious song "Love Is Waiting" turned my world upside down. Yes, go listen, now.

I attended Hillsong Conference at Sydney last week (which is another story altogether, I'll probably post soon on my personal blog), where although meeting a personal role model of my life may seem like a moment where a photo should be stamped "HIGHLIGHT OF MY LIFE", it was not, purely because of other encounterings.
My birthday, which just so happened to fall on a Tuesday, was originally going to be "The Day I Met Brooke Fraser", (wouldn't that be the best birthday present ever) but due to other factors that prevented Brooke from attending that Song Writing Session (perhaps she went to redye her roots), it was pushed back a little to Thursday. NO PROBLEM WITH THAT WHATSOEVER.
After another amazing, encouraging session of songwriting, which Brooke uttered my favourite funniest line of hers thus far "Songs are like poo. What you feed to yourself is what comes out.", she was guided on out by two menacing looking, black tied bodyguards. Tcha. Thank goodness for Chia-Chen's promptings. I finally mustered up enough strength and courage to approach her timidly and whisper "Um Brooke?" "BROOKE??!!", until she turned around and went "Yes darling? What's your name?"
The next few moments consisted of me mushing my face into her fur coat and lustrous newly dyed blonde hair, nearly sobbing out incoherent sentences of "Thank you for being such a blessing, your music has inspired my life.". Or at least that's what I hope I said. She rubbed my back gently in a tight hug and told me to keep believing. Gnaw. She looked like she was going to say more to be, but her bodyguards were ushering her out the warehouse room, so she repeated to be with her hand on the small of my back, "Walk with me, just walk with me Joanne." And as I walked with her, a couple of bouncy teenage girls, one with a fancy camera linked around her neck ran up to her and frothed with excitement "OMG BROOKE CAN I GET A PHOTO WITH YOU?" I stayed at the sidelines for a bit while her bodyguard snapped a few pictures of their teethy smiles, and after, while her bodyguard and husband were nudging at her to leave, hinting they were going to miss her ride, she exclaimed loudly "Yea but the car's not even here yet! Wait!" Bless her soul.
Then, a moment that surprised me, she turned back to me and went "Come on Joanne, you want a photo?" She hugged me again, turned to her bodyguard, who was holding my phone, narrowed her eyes at the sharp setting sun and went "Goodness these photos are going to turn out squinty!"

Which they didn't.
Thank goodness for that.