Today I just happened to be scrolling through my pictures from years ago and fell upon one of the best memories of my life. This weekend was May 15-17, 2015 and I will remember it for the rest of my days.

Since I was young I always listened to Ed Sheeran. Before he was super famous and before many people listened to him, I was memorized by his music. Every song he released was real and came from the heart. I felt his music in my bones when I was listening to his albums, I just loved everything about him. Going to a concert of his was only a dream.

I remember in late 2014, I continually told my parents how amazing it would be if I could go to one of his concerts, but unfortunately, he wasn’t playing anywhere soon or near our town. As Christmas came around the corner all I had hoped for was concert tickets, but as the time neared closer, I knew that it just wasn’t possible.

On Christmas morning, my siblings and I ran downstairs and opened our presents, full of excitement. As Christmas morning came to a close, there still wasn’t any tickets and even though, I had loved every gift I had gotten, I had just hoped that maybe there would’ve been a chance.

Then my mom told me to go grab the last few presents from under the tree to bring into our living room and as I got up, I knew that something was about to happen. I went into the other room and right there, there was a big Ed Sheeran poster with a sign saying, “Rock in Rio."

At first, I was shocked because I thought to myself, “Wow that’s a cool poster”, but then my dad came around the corner and explained that they had gotten music festival tickets where Ed Sheeran and many other artists were playing. I remember I ran to the sign, started bawling my eyes out and hugging the poster. It was just such a dream come true for a fourteen-year-old girl.

After that, time was a blur and I swear May couldn’t have come faster. On the day, we were leaving for this adventure, my parents picked me up and I was so excited.

I remember getting in the car and playing Ed Sheeran right away. Although when I got in the car, my parents told me to look behind me. Obviously, I was so confused because what could be behind me in a car. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, my best friend jumped up. I was so surprised that I’m pretty sure I screamed a little.

This was about to be the best weekend of my entire life.

When we get there, the concerts are already going and the blood was rushing through my veins. Ed Sheeran was on that Friday and I remember waiting in a huge pit for him to come on. You could feel the excitement in the crowd.

When he started singing, I’m pretty sure I cried a little bit. I thought I was in a dream. I remember thinking to myself how amazing he was and how amazing this opportunity was. Thinking about it now it still makes me feel at peace. It was just one of those nights where you can lay down at night and know that you are truly and genuinely happy with life. Even though that was just a weekend out of my entire childhood, it was for sure one of the most memorable.

Sometimes memories like this pop in my head and I become appreciative and grateful for everything that my parents have done for me. I feel as if sometimes, parents get little credit because usually they’re always telling us how to live our lives or telling us we can’t do things. But being in college has only made me more appreciative of all the things that they do.

While writing this and reminiscing about my childhood, I can say that I am proud of who I am today and who I am becoming. And for that, I can only thank my parents. They have helped shape me into someone that I want to be and they help me strive to the best of my abilities. They have shown me what true love looks like and they have shown me the true meaning of hard work.

As I finish this up, I’d like to say thank you one more time to the best parents a girl could have. And even though, I am a teenager and times can get rough, just know that I will always be your little girl and I will always love you. This one’s for you mom and dad.