In 2007 I saw the music video for Teardrops on My Guitar while I was getting ready for third grade and Taylor Swift instantly became my favorite singer.
In 2010 I saw Taylor Swift live for the first time for her Fearless Tour at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It was my first concert and I could not have been more excited. That just so happened to be her first ever solo stadium show (and it was sold out!) and it is a day that she talks about constantly even now.
Over the next 8 years, I ended up seeing her in concert 4 more times for every other album when her tour stopped at Gillette Stadium. These days were the highlights of my summer and some of the greatest memories I have growing up.
Over the years my sister, her best friend, and our cousin have made fun shirts for every show and it's become a tradition that I love so much. I have all of the iron on shirts in my closet. They all have each of our favorite lyrics from the album on the back and now they're a great time capsule to have forever.
The first time I saw Taylor Swift was just before my 12th birthday when she was only 20 and this July when I saw her for the 5th time I was 20. I've grown up listening to Taylor Swift and seeing her in concert. She's just as much a part of my childhood and teen years as anything else.
I've seen her grow up and evolve. I've seen all of her eras and haircuts. I was there from her country to pop music transition. I've seen the media turn on her and fall back in love with her time and time again. I've seen her with good boyfriends and bad boyfriends. I've seen her single and powerful. I've seen her build her entire empire from scratch.
Taylor Swift has been a constant in my life for the past 11 years which isn't something I can say about a lot of people.
I hope one day I can take my daughter to see her in concert so that she can experience the magic that is seeing Taylor Swift live. I can't wait to be able to say that I saw her at the very first stadium show of her career and stuck by her ever since.