Taylor Swift

Wow. That was the best show I've ever seen - hands down. I just can't thank Heather (our awesome social worker at Children's National Medical Center) for thinking of Harlie and getting us these tickets. Ahhhmazing!

When Heather first called me about the tickets, I asked her if I could think about it. To be honest, I've been struggling lately. I have no energy. The smallest of tasks feels overwhelmingly difficult. So, getting us to Fedex Field in Landover, Maryland, felt way too hard.

But, I called Maggie, my niece, to see how she felt about it. She is a huge Taylor Swift fan. She about hyperventilated on the phone when I asked her if she would want to go. I recognized that this was an amazing opportunity. So, I knew I had to make this happen.

We went to FedEx Field for the U2 concert last summer. And getting out of there and home is brutal. Driving home on 95 at 1am is not my idea of fun. Tom couldn't go (more like he wouldn't want to). So, I thought through all the options. Here were the logistics:

• We had to drive to CNMC in DC to pick up the tickets. 
• Then we would drive to FedEx Field.
• I knew it would be hell getting out of the parking lot. 
• They are always doing construction on 95 in the middle of the night, so I knew traffic would be a nightmare, even after leaving the stadium.
• Staying in a hotel wasn't an option. Harlie has way too much equipment to pack and set up, then pack and set up again. Plus, there was no time to check in before the concert. The soonest we could leave was 12:30. I couldn't make that work. 
• I would have to be in charge, drive, etc., and knew I would spend all my energy on that instead of having fun and enjoying this time with Harlie. 

So, I decided to look into hiring a car service to do all the driving for us. It was the only way we could go. My friend Bethany suggested that I call TNT Limousine. I explained what I was trying to do and they were so awesome and I think they gave me a great deal. They gave us Allen and a Cadillac Escalade (so her wheelchair could fit in the back) for 14 hours.

It was amazing. I packed a cooler of goodies and we listened to Taylor Swift the whole way there. Here are lots of pictures...

Harlie, Caylee (one of her nurses), Maggie and me. 

We had great seats - Section 126, Row 4!

We went in earliest we could to see if we could get wheelchair accessible seats. Harlie cannot stand for long, so I wasn't sure how she would see anything. Unfortunately, they didn't have 4 seats together in handicapped seats, so we decided to keep ours and make it work somehow. We gave her a piggy back ride down the stairs to our seats. And the guy checking tickets said he would watch her wheelchair at the top of the stairs. She stood on the seat and we took turns supporting her.

So, I'm going to embarrass myself here, but when Taylor Swift came on and Harlie "cheered" I cried.

I couldn't help it! The loud, energizing music, her excitement, the thought that she was having a great experience and we were making good memories was just too much!! What a difference from what could have been.  I wonder if I'll ever be free from that thought.

Maggie and Caylee supporting Harlie. 

 There were fireworks...

fire...

lights...

 snakes...

and confetti...

She sang two songs right in front of us.

We all got bracelets that lit up throughout the show. It was pretty cool.

At one point, the girls in the rows closer to the stage asked us to switch seats so Harlie could be closer. They even helped support her standing, too.

It is amazing what some people notice and then how they choose to act. There are so many good people left. The negative ones are just louder for some reason. I would love to see that change in time.

It really was an AMAZING experience. I want to write Taylor Swift and tell her that she made my daughter want to stand, even though it was so hard for her, for two hours. I think that is one hell of a compliment. I put my foot in her chair and let her sit on my leg to give her breaks. Whoa, that was a work out for me!

We got home at 2:30am. We were exhausted. But, it was so worth it. I liked Taylor Swift before her concert. But I loved her after.

I'm so thankful that they donated the tickets to the children's hospital and that we got to go. And I'm so thankful for good memories.

Much love,
Christy xo