You know, I gave careful thought to whether or not I should write this post. I had a few reservations: Would there be enough time for it to even make a small round through the interwebzzz? Would people care enough to share it? And would some of my online friends think I was fangirling way too hard, not acting my age?
Then, I decided that, contrary to the belief that has driven my actions in past times—that a thing should not be done until it can be done perfectly—a thing isn’t worth doing because you know it will be perfect. It’s worth doing if there’s a good reason for it and if it’s something you want.
I want to meet Taylor Swift with my best friend…in three days.
Up until a week ago, I thought that Katlyn and I might be able to get last-minute tickets to Taylor’s concert in Atlanta. We had discussed sitting with our fingers poised on our mouses (mice?) all this week, waiting for someone to change their minds. We had entered every contest we could find. Listened to radio stations for hours, waiting for the right song to play or a code word to be said. We had posted all over social media.
Nothing…as far as I knew.
Then, as I was sleeping late, I had a crazy dream. I was with my husband, Ethan, and he was making this weird noise—a dull, repetitive, hum. I was quite concerned until I finally woke up and realized it was my phone vibrating under my pillow. I pulled it out, thinking it must be alerting me to take one of my medicines, but instead I saw at least four missed calls from Katlyn and a text saying, “Please answer!”
When I returned the call, Katlyn’s voice sounded unusually excited and unusually enunciative—which is 100% not a word, but the best way to describe how she talks when she’s explaining something, very excited, and/or in front of someone else. This should’ve been a tipoff, but cut me some slack for barely being awake.
Katlyn explained that a contest we had entered, held by MSM Group in Atlanta, had resulted in a pair of tickets (and more) for us, but not through the drawing.
MSM Group had asked that people like their Facebook page and send them an email with a bit of contact information to enter a contest for two tickets to see Taylor Swift in Atlanta. They neglected to mention that it was a random drawing, so many participants sent emails explaining that they were Taylor’s BIGGEST FANS and how badly they wanted to see her concert. Katlyn, and both of our mothers, told them something a little different.
They talked about how Katlyn and I have been “Swifties” since 2006, when Taylor really started to get big, and that the one major thing we’d never been able to do together was go to a concert—mostly due to my lupus and other health problems. Turns out, MSM Group has some ties to lupus through a friend of theirs, and our story made an impact on them. They had contacted Katlyn a few weeks before her call to me to discuss the possibility of doing this for us, then rounded up the tickets and organized the rest of the surprise: A limo for the evening and a nice dinner wherever we wanted to go.
Katlyn had been keeping this from me for weeks, diligently reminding me to enter contests and post on social media, all while knowing it wasn’t necessary. We then had to keep it a secret for ANOTHER week while the guys from MSM Group edited the video they had made of Katlyn calling me to tell me the news. (It’s really a must-see, with one small “bleep” moment from me…oops! Click here to visit MSM Group’s Facebook and watch the video.)
I keep saying that MSM Group’s generosity has been a huge blessing to us, but I haven’t fully explained that. Their outpouring of thoughtfulness and kindness has resulted in other warm and fuzzies that they probably didn’t even have in mind when they decided to do this for us.
Katlyn and I have always been incredibly close, ever since we met and became friends nearly 20 years ago. This past week, though, has brought us even closer. We have texted almost constantly, discussing outfits and signs, scheduling and dinner, and gushing over our chances of meeting Taylor. As a result, we talk about other things even more than usual. We’ve had 40-minute phone conversations about how our weeks are going. Katlyn’s living in Atlanta has seemed to make these things more difficult, but the past week has made me realize that nothing is too difficult to try for if it’s important to you.
Besides strengthening my relationship with my best friend, this gift has shown me that I have an astonishing number of people who care about me and are thrilled for good things to happen to me. I’ve had dozens of “likes” on my Facebook posts, plus comments, tweets, and messages from people congratulating me. People have shared our posts, saying things about me being their inspiration or how cool it is that this has happened to us. Friends have called in tears, saying I deserve this and how happy they are for me. Our moms have screamed their heads off in celebration.
Katlyn’s brother even wrote a post that made me cry. He talked about how proud he was of Katlyn for working so hard to make this happen for me, for us, and that has been a blessing to me, too—realizing that I have people who would commit to doing everything they possibly can to create luck and achieve dreams. What an incredible feeling!
When video was finally posted yesterday, we let out a huge sigh of relief because we could talk about it…but then, it was time to get to work. Now, we have another goal.
We figure this is the best chance we’ll probably ever have to meet Taylor, and we’re determined to make it happen. Call us silly fangirls, immature sycophants, plain old dumb, but share our posts while calling us whatever you want.
I could go through the list of reasons why we not only adore Taylor’s music but also admire her and look up to her, including but not limited to her remarkable business sense and unwavering philanthropy. Her influence spreads far and wide, well beyond the music industry.
However, I don’t really have time for all that. The concert is in three days, and we need to get this message circulated through cyberspace. The goal is for someone from Taylor’s team—dancers, security guards, Mama and Papa Swift or Taylor herself—to see it, someone who can make meet-and-greet passes happen for us.
To be honest, I don’t know how that would work. I know that the passes are usually handed out to concertgoers who catch the attention of these folks before or during the show, so I’m not quite sure how we would get passes if we were discovered online.
What I DO know, without a doubt, is that we certainly won’t get them if we don’t try.
The deal is that, whether or not we get to meet Taylor Swift on Saturday, we will have been blessed by the kindness of both strangers and friends. We will have stood within arm’s reach of one of our biggest role models, possibly gotten to meet one or both of her parents, and been escorted to and fro and treated to a nice dinner to boot. That’s a pretty good deal, if you ask me.
But, like I said, this is probably the best chance we will ever get. To not make the absolute most of it would be a slap in the face to those who have made it happen and who have supported us before and since.
Therefore, I am begging you: Please share this post or one of the others we’ve made. Get our story out there for someone from Team TSwift to find! I think it must be a pretty good story since all this has already come of it.
Taylor Swift has said that the tiniest little thing can change the course of your day, which can change the course of your year, which can change who you are.
I think the course of our lives has definitely been impacted in a positive way, but it actually already had been, just through our love for Taylor and her music. What has come to light during this experience is the extent of the love and caring my family, friends, and even acquaintances have for me.
Queen Tay also said, “In a relationship, each person should support the other; they should lift each other up.”
I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite as supported as I feel right now.
Thank you to everyone who made this wild dream come true, and thank you in advance for helping to make our wildest dream a reality.
Social media: Laura Ann’s Instagram + Katlyn’s Instagram + Laura Ann’s Twitter + Katlyn’s Twitter
To watch the video of Katlyn’s surprise call to me: MSM Group’s Facebook
Dancing ’round the kitchen in the refrigerator light, to TSwift music, in 2008.
Photo shoot in 2007 when we drove around town, listening to TSwift in between stops to take pictures.
Making one of our famous music videos to a TSwift song. 2007.
Tipps for Life 
I love you girls!!!!