Well actually, Friday was a fairytale. It was the most absolutely magnificent, perfect day.
It all started with Tristan's 10th birthday present- tickets to see Taylor Swift in Jacksonville! We got there around 2:00 and went around the back near the busses, hoping to meet her and the band. The band is known to come out and meet the fans, so we thought we'd try our luck. Tristan also made
T-Crazy friendship bracelets for Taylor and the band, so we hoped to get them to the right person for delivery.
Here we are waiting outside, courtesy of
jacksonville.com. We also got our picture taken for Taylor's
facebook page! There were about 40-50 fans outside and we all got our pictures taken. They haven't posted any as of yet, but we hope to make it on the page! Taylor's photographer also handed out guitar picks to everyone in the crowd.
One of Taylor's roadies walked out and handed Tristan a guitar pick and kept on walking. This later happened again, by a different guy. Both times, they just walked straight up to us, gave her a pick, nodded their head and kept on walking. I'm not sure why they singled her out of the crowd, but we are glad they did. Maybe it's because she is just so darn cute. That's what I think! After that, I started calling her a "pick magnet."
Daniel Sadownick, percussionist and congo drummer for Taylor's band, came out to say hi to everyone. He was so nice and took about 45 minutes talking to fans and taking pictures with them. We asked him if he would deliver the gifts, and he happily obliged!
Here is a picture of Tristan's bracelets, all personalized for the band and tied up with a bow.
Here is the bracelet she made for Taylor, so cute! She has definitely mastered the art of making friendship bracelets. She even made all the bracelets for the girls with removable clasps.
Earlier we tweeted Grant Mickelson and asked if he would come out and say hi, and he tweeted us back! After Daniel left, Grant walked out about 10 minutes later. He was so kind to everyone, talking, taking pictures, and signing autographs. He never seemed rushed, and like Daniel was so friendly and genuine. Taylor certainly surrounds herself with awesome people! While getting her picture taken with Grant, Tristan realized he was actually wearing her gift- tied around his necklace! So excited! To be sure, we asked him if he just got that bracelet that was tied around his neck. He confirmed that Daniel just gave it to him, and even modeled it for us!
He told Tristan that he loved it and that it was made with his favorite colors!
Waiting for the show to begin. We had floor seats, they were way in the back by the sound stage, but they were still great seats. As soon as the show started, we began singing and dancing and having a great time. During the 7th song, Better Than Revenge, a nice lady walked up to our row and asked if we would like to do something really special with Taylor. Of course we said yes! We followed her around to the sound stage where she took us inside the gates. She had Tristan stand up on a platform and I stood next to her. We watched the rest of the song, so excited to see what was going to happen next. We had seen her once before on this tour, and knew that she sits on a beautiful white tree and plays guitar on a small, rotating stage that sits inside the sound stage gates. We hoped it would have something to do with that! The nice lady started bringing in other kids, about 10-12 kids altogether and a few parents.
Here is Tristan standing on the platform! We were then all positioned around the tree, single file, and she gave us the rules- no pushing, shoving or touching the stage. Everyone happily gave her their solemn vow!
This is how close we were to the sound board! During the song Speak Now, as the band and the dancers staged a mock wedding- Taylor left the main stage and headed back to the sound stage area, high-fiving as many fans as she can along the way. She climbs the stairs and sits on a little perch by the tree, and starts playing the first of three songs; Fearless (on the ukelele), Last Kiss, and You Belong With Me. Tristan is learning to play guitar, and actually just learned that one, so it was exciting to watch Taylor play it right in front of us! Unreal!
It was amazing! We had front row seats for three intimate, acoustic versions of her songs. We couldn't believe it! She was so beautiful with her perfect porcelain skin and was genuinely humbled by the applause of 12,000 people. When she finished the third song, she climbed down the stairs and started hugging everyone in the circle. Tristan was so excited, she was finally going to get a hug from Taylor! (We saw her before during her Fearless tour where she literally hugged fans for at least 30 minutes and she just missed a hug by one person!) Tristan was next in line to get a hug when her security guard quickly turned her to the gate door to head back out to the main stage. It happened again! Tristan was just inches away from a hug! We couldn't believe that she missed it by one person- again! But, with a night like this, there was no complaining! No way, we were way too happy just to be there! If all that wasn't enough, they allowed us to stay in the fenced in area for the remainder of the night! Unbelievable! Tristan went back to the platform where she had a great view of the main stage. We met Taylor's dad, who was so sweet and talked to us for quite a while. He even gave Tristan a handful of- guess what- more guitar picks! He handed out cold water to everyone and later invited us to come up even closer, where he was standing. We sang and danced and truly had the best night we could have ever imagined. During the last song, Love Story, Taylor climbs into a little balcony and flies around the arena, smiling and waving and getting a good, long look at her fans who have made her such a success. She flew right over the top of us and we jumped up and down and waved, right along with her dad, who shouted,
"Hi, honey!" It was the cutest thing ever!
At the end of the evening, the confetti exploded in the air. What fun! What a view!
When we finally got to our car, it was 11:11 pm on 11-11-11. I definitely think 11 is our new lucky number! Thank you Taylor, for the best 10th birthday a little girl could have!
