Have you ever had the opportunity to see a concert and meet your idol all in one day? Well, I have on May 27th and it was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

For years, it has been on my bucket list to wake up early and go to the Today Show to see an artist perform and see Matt Lauer. The adventure of waking up early, being so close to a talented artist and being able to see the Today Show anchors sounded like an exciting morning to me.

I entered a lottery to win VIP tickets to see country singer, Dierks Bentley and lo and behold I won! I had the option to bring a guest so I asked my friend, Sophia. On the chilly spring morning of May 27th, we woke up at 3:00 a.m. to take a 4:07 train. The train was shockingly packed given how early it was! I thought that the train ride would prove to be a scary experience, but luckily, everything ended up being fine. Once we arrived at Penn Station, we then walked to Rockefeller Center and waited in a VIP line. After an hour and a half of waiting impatiently, we were moved closer to the stage and we ended up being really close to where the performance would be. I would not recommend waiting in the general admission line because you will not end up being as close to the stage. At around 6:30 am, Dierks Bentley came out and sang for a short while before the show aired, which was a very pleasant surprise. Two hours later, Dierks Bentley came back out for the show alongside the Today Show anchors.

Matt Lauer has been my idol since day one. I have always dreamed about having his job one day. The night before we went to the city, Sophia made me a sign that said "when I grow up I want to be Matt Lauer." She made it as a joke, but I held it up just for the sake of pictures. During commercial break, Matt Lauer was talking to all of his fans while scanning the crowd and all of a sudden, he made eye contact with me. My heart immediately dropped. Was this really happening? Next thing I knew, he started to talk to me after reading the sign. He was talking to ME! I held the sign up even higher and he said to me "you already are grown up." In retrospect, I have no idea what that meant because at that point, I wasn’t even in college yet! I was not--and am still not--grown up! It was crazy that he spoke to me and responded to the sign. Never in a million years did I think he would read my sign! That was a day that I definitely won’t forget; not only did I get to watch Dierks Bentley perform, but I had the opportunity of a lifetime to talk with my idol, Matt Lauer.