(SUBMISSION) Hi there! My name is Ali, Iām from Oregon and Iāve been loving Taylor for quite some time time timeāsince I was 15 to be exact! At that age I wasnāt big into music, didnāt listen to the radio, and had to be given my first Taylor CDāand the rest as they say is history! I saw the Fearless tour that same year, which sealed the deal on my love of Taylor, and have been happily along for the ride ever since. I by some curse of fate missed buying tickets for the Speak Now tour, had tickets offered to be the day of, but was taking the ACT and my mom didnāt respond fast enough. Red came along soon thereafter. It was released during my first year away at college and during a terrifying time for me medically. For that, and for being there through the confusion of no longer being able to swim, it will always hold a special place in my heart. The next year I vowed to make it to the tour despite the fact that the concert date landed THE DAY before I had to be back at school 1,000 miles away. I convinced my parents to do the drive in one day so I could go and was soooooo pumped!! But then, having gotten a job as a RA I had to be back to school two weeks earlierā¦ I had to sell my tickets. I was heartbroken. Fast forward to 1989, the album that was there for the laughter and the tears that were my final year of college, my first boyfriend and first breakup, and the unknowns of post-graduation. The first day I took off of my first real job was to drive to Seattle to see the 1989 world tour with my best friend. I remember asking the day I was given the opportunity of a full-time position that included working Saturdays, if I could have that ONE off. Just that one! Please. Our seats were sooo far away, but we were there, together like we seldom are, dancing the night away with our favorite girl. Last year, when announcements were made about Taylor being at Formula 1, I thought how fun it would be, I could get the time off work, but I price checked it and was like no way. My dad is a big fan too and I talked to him thinking heād talk me out of it, but he said that sounds really fun! Formula 1 cars, Taylor Swift, and time with you! I paced in circles all night trying to decide and finally bought the tickets. We had the time of our lives! From standing in line for hours, to laughing at the people taking cuts and the others confronting them about it, to being squished up against the fence and my dad making Walking Dead zombie jokes about how on the show the zombies can mow down a fence so why canāt we?, to sprinting down the lawn to get the closest spot possible. Itās memories like these from my few concerts (in THREE different states!), itās deciding to make crazy intricate posters (one of the things I absolutely love the most) in hopes that Tay might see them, but if not to at least get an awesome photo, itās the blasting of 22 on my 21st birthday and my friends screaming 21!!! in its place, itās my clients excitedly playing the opening of any song and their jaws dropping when I name it, itās showing my dad the acoustic version of OOTW and finding him listening to it on repeat, itās me blasting All Too Well at midnight as I drive home from a terrible day at work because despite its sadness itās my favorite song, itās all this and so much more that makes me love this crazy talented, smart, creative, driven, beautiful girl that we all love so much. Sheās given me these memories and provided the actual soundtrack to my life for the past 9 years, and for that Iāll forever be grateful. Taylor, Iāll forever be cheering you on <3
