Last spring, we found out that Camryn's idol, Taylor Swift, would be performing in Portland on her tour this summer. Knowing how much Camryn is absolutely in love with her, Brian and I weighed the pros and cons of spending such a significant chunk of money on concert tickets for a six year old. In the end, we bit the bullet, and with the help of a friend who works at the Rose Garden, purchased two PRIMO seats for the concert of a lifetime.
Fast forward a few months, and as the school year approached, we realized that the district had adjusted the school calendar in such a way that the concert would actually be happening on the evening of the first day of school. Not exactly ideal timing for any of us, but figuring it was a once in a lifetime special evening, we accepted the fact that we'd fight the battle of exhaustion on the second day of school.
As the date approached, Camryn told everyone she encountered about her special outing. Her excitement built by the day, and when the first day of school rolled around, she pronounced it more than once, "The Best Day Ever!" She returned home from her first day of first grade tired, but happy, and excited to head to the concert.
To make the event even more memorable, we carpooled with our friends, decorated our "ride," accessorized with feather boas that might catch TSwift's attention, and hit Red Robin for dinner. It was there that Camryn ate a special, (although not-so-healthy) meal, topped off by a soda (only her third in her entire 6.5 years.) Afterwards, we sat in I-5 traffic for an hour, trying to make our way to the Rose Garden. By the time we arrived in our seats, it was already 8:00 p.m. and TS wouldn't even take the stage for another 30 minutes. 
Even though our seats were just feet away, and at eye level with the stage, Camryn was fading fast. With a long school day under her belt, and a full belly to boot, I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. I was hoping though, that once Taylor appeared, her adrenaline would see her through. As it turns out, it didn't quite work out that way...
As TSwift belted out her first song, tens of thousands of people in the Rose Garden went NUTS. It was huge, it was dark, it was loud, and it was all too much on top of an exhausted little body, and a tummy bubbling with carbonation and french fries. Instead of smiling, Camryn began to panic. She starting telling me she needed to leave. That she thought she would throw up, and that I must take her home now!
And so we fled to the safety of the bathroom, where we remained for the first half of the concert, with poor Camryn bent over the toilet bowl, convinced that at any moment she was going to lose her dinner. The most disturbing part though, was just how panicked and insistent she was about leaving. Some form of anxiety was taking hold, and no matter how much she loved that girl on the stage, she was not returning to the concert arena.
After about an hour, her tummy finally settled, but by then she was so physically exhausted, she practically melted into my arms when I picked her up. We spent the remainder of the concert cuddled on a concrete bench, waiting for our friends who were laughing, dancing, singing, and high-fiving Taylor Swift! (I haven't even had the heart to tell Camryn that part.)
We finally arrived home at about 11 p.m. for a few hours sleep before waking up the next morning, and heading to school, exhausted, and severely disappointed.
I'm not exactly sure what happened that night to make Taylor's #1 fan flee from the stage, but my guess is that it was a combination of exhaustion, junk food, and the just plain overwhelming experience of attending a concert for the first time, coupled with the fact that she had built this day up in her mind so much, that maybe the reality couldn't compare. I'm not exactly sure. And though we've talked about it, Camryn can't seem to articulate it either. No matter the cause, I am just SO disappointed for her. Never again, will she love TS quite as much as she does at this very moment, and although she wanted to be there, her once in a lifetime opportunity passed right by, as we huddled in a cold white stall, on the other side of the wall from it.
The good news is, that Camryn has somehow rationalized the experience in her own mind. She has made peace with the fact that she saw Taylor Swift, live in the flesh, even if it was for only 5 minutes. She's no longer concerned with what she didn't see or experience. Which leaves me solo on the shaky platform of disappointment. Which I guess means, that those 5 minutes, at a whopping $36 a piece, might just have been worth it after all...
