Seven months ago my good friend and I bought tickets to bring our girls to see Taylor Swift in Toronto. At the time we thought about giving it to them for Christmas but realized that we both had Christmas pretty much planned and that six months was a long time for kids to wait for something.
So, just as fast as we decided to buy the tickets, we made the decision to hold off and surprise them closer to the date.
I don’t think we could have made a better decision. Last Friday our friends brought their girls (ages six and nine) down to our place before school. We asked the kids if they wanted to play a game and handed each of them a clue – one board that had a picture of an airplane, one with a picture of Toronto, one with a picture of Taylor Swift and one that said, “Right Now!!” It didn’t take very long for them to piece it together and the overwhelming screams I was expecting were actually excited cheers with a hint of hesitation. Shock? Disbelief? Were they really skipping school and hopping on an airplane in an hour?
The excitement really hit on the way to the airport and then the lady at Westjet got an absolute earful as we stood in line to check our bags. Unbeknownst to us, she actually called up to the gate and when it was time to announce preboarding, the Agent gave the girls a special welcome over the PA system and explained what was going on. Now not only were they going to see a rock star, they were feeling like rock stars themselves!
The weekend was incredible. We toured the CN Tower, ate at restaurants, stayed up too late, walked and took the subway everywhere, swam in the hotel pool, visited friends and relatives and of course there was the concert. Watching our six year old sing along and study every minute of her very first concert was worth its weight in gold.
I hope the girls aren’t too young to remember the weekend. I have to admit that I’m going to cherish the memories forever. The surprise. Our first girls trip. My first trip with kids without a baby or toddler in tow for seven years. Exploring a city together. It was incredible.
Our youngest daughter is only turning five at the end of this year and we had a great debate about whether or not to include her in the concert weekend (Taylor came on after her bedtime). In the end, the overall experience of the trip won out and we didn’t want her to be hurt that all of the other girls got to go and she didn’t.
As expected, she pretty much slept through the entire concert. My Mom always tells a story about taking us to an expensive buffet when we were little and how my brother ate nothing but a piece of cucumber. I guess I now have my equivalent since we flew her to Toronto to see Taylor Swift and she slept through it. The good news is that she thinks she had a great time at the concert – and truth be told, that’s all that really matters.
Deanna is a Mom of three, wife, marketer and blogger – lover of travel, morning coffee, family time, belly laughs, good friends and uninterrupted showers! Follow her on twitter @DeannaCMiller