Mother-Daughter weekend

Last year, about November, it dawned on me that our daughter was going to be 10 on her next birthday.  10...that is double digits, that is going to college in 8 more years, that is past the point of little kid-hood, that is almost babysitter age, that makes me want to cry.  Ok, I mean I have fully finished and up to date scrapbooks of her since she was born.  Wait, no I don't, I think I fell off that wagon when she was 5.  I should really get back on that one.  She is our first born and our little girl and she was turning 10.  So, I did what is appropriate in our family for the double digit birthday, I thought of something big.

Emma is a guitar strumming, Taylor Swift loving fool.  As members of the Taylor Swift VIP fan club (its ok if you are envious, I can send you link for becoming a member as well) we received notice of a pre-sale for her concert in Salt Lake City and I jumped on it!  What could be more fun than taking my daughter to her first concert???  So, with the help of my Dad, I secured tickets to a concert that sold out, completely, in the pre-sale, in five minutes!

Then, I had to keep it a secret for 5 months.  THE AGONY AND TORTURE!!!!!

Her March birthday rolled around and she went bananas with the news. Saweeeeeet.  We were officially the coolest parents in the world.  Oh, but then she had to wait 2 1/2 more months until the actual concert day.

Fast forward to last weekend and here is where the fun part starts.  With all the adoption drama and school just finishing, a mother daughter weekend was much needed.  Two days before we left, her VIP package arrived in the mail complete with a blanket, tote bag, guitar picks, iphone case (uhhh NO, she does not have a phone), bracelets and a program to take with us.  Now, it was just me and Em, on a plane (courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa), staying in a hotel, and seeing Taylor Swift.  Let the adolescent screaming begin!

Emma, Felicity and I on the plane to SLC

After a mad rush of the mall (it was like running after a wandering toddler) because "MOM, I have to find a red dress" we came up with a cutie red poncho style shirt to wear over her white dress.  Oh my, I was exhausted all ready.  Good thing Corbin and Daddy weren't with us, they would be toast!  We put our feet up for approximately 12 minutes before she looked at my outfit and told me I wasn't red enough.  Uh, I totally had my Sseko sandals on with a red rose atop my red painted toes AND a red bracelet on!  Back to Nordstrom we went to look for red which is NOT the "in" color right now.  5 minutes and $68 later, I was styled by my 10 year old daughter to an acceptable state.  All the while I was reminiscing my brand new red tank I had hanging in my closet and kicking myself for not being the cool mom who packed that sort of thing.  Duh Mom, it is the RED tour!!!

Yep, were were there at ten to 7 since the concert starts at 7 and that is when Taylor will come on right?  Um, no...I have been to enough concerts to know this, but was not willing to break that spirit.  Two hours and 2 opening acts later, Emma was near comatose and a friend showed up with this 8x10 from the meet-n-greet she went to.  Thank you Heather for boosting her sprits back up! 

While we waited, I wondered if I was one of the oldest women in the arena at 34.  There is something about 10,000+ screaming college and adolescent age girls that took me back to my youth and the first concerts I attended.  Mind you, my first concert was John Denver, but my Dad did took me and I can still rock out  "country road, take me home" to you.  After that, I headed down the Violent Femmes, They Might Be Giants concert path so, Taylor Swift is a breath of fresh air for me when it comes to someone my kid is looking up to!  

Emma, if you want to write and play songs about mean girls and lame boyfriends, then I say rock on sista.

Finally, out she came!!!  What a blast.  Emma had a fantastic time singing along on the way home she told me all about why Taylor had written those songs and what she was feeling when she did.  I could probably be Taylor Swifts mother now too.  I mean, I really and truly know her thanks to Emma's Taylor Swift encyclopedia brain :)  

What I do know for sure is that girl never once came out with skin showing, her boobs about to fall out or skirts so short you could catch a glimpse of her business.  Never once did she grind down with one of her dancers or give my daughter the idea that being a girl known for her sexiness is cool.  Right on, we will take it!

Em didn't even make it under the covers when we returned and she stayed that way until well into mid morning when I finally had her get up so we could go see the tabernacle choir.  

It was very cool, but she made it through 4 rehearsal songs and she was done.  I wasn't arguing.  

We hit the museum because Em loves museums and I was there to do whatever she wanted to do.  Luckily for me, she filled in the blanks for me of the who and why that I had about Christ and his life. Thank you classical christian school for allowing my little bible scholar to learn as she pleases. 

We left the 91 degree heat of SLC and took the 43 minute flight home to Bozeman.  When we got here, it was POURING down rain, my minivan battery was dead and I had left the windows cracked because there was a 0% chance of rain.  Awesome.  Emma informed me that her AG doll, Felicity, can NOT get wet!  Deep breath in, and out.  I found a nice security guard who got us running and we headed home.  We had started the summer off with a bang and nothing was going to dampen our spirits now!