In middle school, my brother bought Fall Out Boy's second album, "From Under the Cork Tree." I listened to it over and over again. That was the same year my mom bought us iPods, these huge hunks of metal that held charge for days. I had basically no music so I listened all the time—bus ride to and from school, car rides, anywhere and everywhere. That hasn't changed much. My music library has grown by about 270 percent since then.

Throughout the horrible two year hiatus of Fall Out Boy, I continued to love the music they'd put out, but also mourn that they were gone. Since the early 2000s, when my brother bought that album, I have loved Fall Out Boy. Their music has made me happy, brought me out of slumps, made me dance around in my room like an idiot and sing even though I certainly cannot. I never knew if I'd ever see them in concert.

Then they came back.

I remember waking up in February 2013 to see a post on Facebook saying that Fall Out Boy was putting out a new album and had already released a music video and song on YouTube.

I saw Fall Out Boy when they reunited with their fifth studio album, "Save Rock and Roll," on the Monumentour in 2013. I began in the pit but had to quickly move because I'm five foot six and can't cope with a bunch of burly men and elbowing women. The following summer, I saw them again, with Paramore as their co-headliner, in a huge open venue where I could barely see anything. Despite the minimal visibility, the concerts were always amazing. I love Fall Out Boy.

Last autumn my friend and I heard that Fall Out Boy was coming here, to Dayton, to the Nutter Center and then we heard about the possibility to meet them for a relatively fair price. I pounced on the actual concert tickets when those were released, snagging ones for the pit and a week later, my friend got the two of us the upgrade for the meet and greet, which sold out in less than ten minutes.

Then came the waiting game.

Wednesday, March 9th, 2016 didn't come soon enough and now that it's gone, I'm bummed. My friend and I got to the Nutter Center at three, like we were asked to by the VIP email. We got inside pretty quick but were then rushed outside by a fire alarm, which bothered bassist Pete Wentz, something he posted about on Snapchat (wish I could find the video of that but Snaps disappear!). After maybe twenty minutes, we went back inside, stood in line for more than an hour and a half and finally, my friend and I were so close to meeting Joe Trohman, Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz and Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy.

Waiting in line!

There was a man walking up and down the meet and greet line telling us that we were not to touch the band, do not ask for lyrics to get as a tattoo, have what you want signed ready, etc, etc... But as we got closer to the front of the line, the more people we saw coming out from the closed off area where the band was. We'd been told we really couldn't hug Joe because he'd recently had back surgery, so that was a serious no go and everyone else coming out was saying the same but the other three guys were huggable, some were saying that Patrick was upset that this man was saying hugs were off limits. I was going to ask for a hug. If they said no, at least I tried.

My friend and I went in. We waited. My stomach turned. My hands got a little clammy. What would I say in the 15 to 30 seconds I had with the band that got me through good and bad, the up and down?

I went forward, a security guard took my album booklet and handed it to Joe. I greeted him, we said the regular how are you things. I said the same to Patrick and Pete and Andy. There was a brief moment of awkward silence then I said something about how I should have been in class (sorry, Dr. Flanagan!), I hugged everyone except for Joe (don't break the rules!) after asking for permission. Everyone smelled incredible and they gave wonderful hugs. I was pleased and I was shaking. And then it was picture time. Then I was given my booklet back and I walked out. It was probably 45 seconds and it was glorious.

Afterward, my friend and I waited a little bit before we were let into the pit. We never expected to be this close to the stage!

After a little while, a third friend (fellow staff writer Juliana) came to a gate and I ran upstairs with her ticket. (Side note: Don't run up the stairs in the Nutter Center when you have asthma.) After an awesome performance of PVRIS and the cringeworthy performance by AWOLNATION (I'm not a fan of anything other than their song "Sail"), it was time for Fall Out Boy to come out.

They played more songs I love than I could have hoped for and usually, I'm a super awkward person at concerts. I feel like people are watching me dance and they're laughing at everything I do. I didn't care this time. The last thing I cared about was judgment. Instead, I was having the time of my life, watching my favorite band after almost a decade of loving them.

That concert was incredible. I can't say a single negative thing about Fall Out Boy's performance. They said things about striving for your dreams, overcoming mental illness, and being all that you can be. Pete Wentz said something about jumping higher each day and just going for it. They mentioned taking a break soon to make more music. They honored Bowie, they played their hearts out and were beautiful.

Thank you for the last 10 years, Fall Out Boy, the 10 years that I've spent loving your music. Thank you for the inspiration, for the messages of encouragement, for the empowerment and the goals, thank you for the hugs and the love. Thank you for everything that you've given me that I couldn't put into words when I saw you. Thank you.