I can't believe I just did that

It was announced in February of 2011 that Taylor would be playing Arrowhead Stadium on September 24th of that year. As season ticket holders for the Kansas City Chiefs, I was able to get pre-sale tickets. I invited my sister-in-law Toni and my two nieces, Sam & Ava. I wanted so badly for both of them to meet Taylor. I began working on doing just that. This time I fell a little bit short. I was able to secure one meet and greet pass. A mixture of thoughts crossed my mind. "Which niece do I give it to?" "Should I use it myself so that I don't cause problems or play favorites to either of my nieces?" "Do I give it to my sister-in-law?" I finally decided that I would not use it myself. I needed to stick to my rule of trying to take someone new to meet Taylor. Although I could not go with Sam into the meet and greet room, I did get to accompany her backstage. I sent Sam with a letter to give to Taylor. I don't know whether or not Taylor received the letter, but I do know that Sam returned without the letter and instead a HUGE smile on her face. I knew right then that I had made the right decision. Sam was so excited she could barely talk! Thinking about that day makes me smile.

Taylor Swift & Samantha Dark

We had a great time at the concert! It was honestly the best concert I have ever been to! Very entertaining! I also had the chance to meet both of Taylor's parents. I had never met her mother before. Andrea and I talked for a little while near the sound booth in the middle of the stadium. I told her about the first time that I met Taylor and what a great role model she has been for thousands of young girls including my two nieces. I thanked her for raising such a great daughter.

Coming Full Circle

"When something comes full circle, it completes a cycle, returns to its beginnings."

When it was announced that Taylor would be returning to the Sprint Center in April of 2010, I knew that I wanted to go. I also wanted to reconnect with her so I began brainstorming how I could do that. I thought back to how this whole thing started. So I sat down and began to write a letter to my favorite radio station. I was able to secure two meet and greet passes for the show. I was so excited!!!  I always try to take new people with me to meet Taylor. The only person whom I have taken multiple times has been my mother. This time I decided to take my friend Grace. I kept it a secret until we arrived at the venue! I picked up the wristbands from will call and we headed inside. I had mixed emotions. I was really anxious, nervous but excited! It had been nearly 3 years since we had last seen each other. Would she remember me? I prepped myself for the possibility that she wouldn't know who I was. Grace and I headed backstage and positioned ourselves near the end of the meet and greet line. We finally made it into the room where Taylor was greeting her fans. I watched in awe as she took the time to talk to each person and to give them a big hug. She can make people feel so special. And then it happened...Taylor and I made eye contact. In that moment, I knew that she recognized me. The next question, "Will she know my name?" The line moved forward and it was now our turn. She gave me a giant hug and said, "Hey Ann!"  I couldn't believe it! I introduced her to my friend Grace and we chatted a while. I told her about Cale and how we were engaged. She immediately wanted to see the ring. She loved it. We chatted for a little while longer but then our time was up. We took a picture and said our goodbyes.

Left to Right: Ann (Heidebrecht) Dark, Taylor Swift, and Grace Brouillette

Things Change....including phone numbers

Taylor and I lost touch and it would be nearly 3 years until we would meet again. In the summer of 2009, Taylor played in Manhattan, KS at the Country Stampede. I tried to call her but her phone number had changed. She had also changed managers so all of my connections were gone. I saw her show again in August of 2009. She was the opening act for Keith Urban. I went with Cale, his sister-in-law Toni and her daughter Sam. We had a great time! Although I was disappointed that I couldn't get meet and greets for us, we still had fun!

A trip to see an old friend and a new one!

I am a big Kansas Jayhawks fan! Rock Chalk! It is my alma mater and in March 2007 there was a chance that they might make it to the Final Four. My dad and I took a gamble and bought plane tickets to Atlanta, Georgia. The Jayhawks were eliminated from the Big Dance and did not go to the final four that year. The tickets were non-refundable but we were able to get an airline credit through Delta. My best friend from college and his girlfriend had moved to Athens, Georgia so that he could get his MBA from UGA. I found out about a show that Taylor was doing on a Wednesday. It was September 19th, 2007 and I decided to use my airline ticket to go visit my friends and catch a concert. I ordered the tickets, bought a copy of Taylor's CD for my friends and then began plotting a surprise. Through the help of Taylor's manager and road manager, I was able to orchestrate a surprise for Taylor. I met Rick outside of Taylor's bus. It was parked near the venue. I don't recall the exact time but I believe it was late morning or early afternoon. Rick went onto the bus first and told Taylor, "There's someone here to see you."  It took her a minute to recognize me and then she cleverly responded, "We're not in Kansas anymore!" She gave me a big hug! We were able to just hang out on her bus for a while. At the time she was obsessed with caramel cubes. She offered one to me and I have to admit, they were pretty tasty. I also met her dad, Scott. He was very nice. She asked me about my life and if I was dating anyone. I had just started dating Cale in July. She asked if we were still in the stage when everything is perfect. I answered that we were and I am happy to report that Cale and I are married and we will celebrate our 2nd anniversary on July 31, 2012. We are still in the stage where everything is perfect. I have found my true love.

Rick came back onto the bus and it was time for me to leave. He asked if we had tickets and meet and greets for the show that night. I said that we had tickets but not meet and greets. I also told him that I didn't expect to get special treatment. He wouldn't take no for an answer so later that night at will call, I picked up three meet and greet passes and three tickets. When I picked up the envelope, I turned the tickets back to the venue and told them I already had tickets. They were GA tickets...general admission not Georgia! :) All of the tickets at the venue were GA. Plus it was a sold-out show so I figured maybe 3 other people might like to go to the show.

Brian, Leah, and I arrived at the venue, grabbed a beer and listened to the opening act. Then we headed outside for the meet and greet. Taylor is always so sweet. Brian and Leah brought Taylor's CD with them for her to sign. She thanked them for having her CD.

Left to right: Brian Collins, Lean Collins, Taylor Swift, & Ann (Heidebrecht) Dark

Ann, Brian, & Leah

Bonfires and Amplifiers

On May 11th, 2007, Brad Paisley's "Bonfires and Amplifiers" tour came to Bonner Springs, KS. Bonner Springs is a suburb of Kansas City. Earlier in the day, I had called Taylor's manager to secure 5 meet and greet passes. I had to work until 5:00 and the meet and greet was supposed to start as 6:00. I met my mom, my brother Will, his wife Erin, and my friend Margot and we headed to the show. Traffic was HORRIBLE. We were barely moving and I remember thinking, "We are going to miss the meet and greet."  It wasn't a big deal to me, but I really wanted my brother, sister-in-law, and friend to have the chance to meet Taylor. We finally arrived at the venue and I went to will call. I asked for the meet and greet passes and they were not there! Luckily I knew where the backstage entrance was and I was able to find Taylor's manager. We were right on time!

When we were waiting in line, I tried to make a bet with my brother. I told him that if he asked Taylor to sign his bicep, I would buy his drinks for the rest of the night. He chickened out and could barely mutter a word. We chatted with Taylor for a while and took a few pictures.

Left to right: Ann Dark, Taylor Swift, & Margot Levy

Left to right: My mom (Dianna), me (Ann), Taylor, sister-in-law (Erin), & brother (Will)

**Nice fanny pack Mom!**

As Taylor continued to meet and greet people, we chatted with Rick for a while. He gave us ticket upgrades but he only had 4. I gave them to my family and went to sit on the hill for a while. We ended up taking turns in the "good seats." I also had a chance to see Mandy again. She gave me a hug and was as nice as could be.


What an amazing show! After the show, in true Taylor fashion, Taylor stayed to sign autographs and to meet anyone who was willing to wait in line. Since I had already met Taylor several times, I didn't wait in line. However, I did go over to the line and I found Rick. I thanked him for the ticket upgrades and told him that I didn't expect special treatment. He asked if I was going to stick around but I told him that my family was ready to go. He said, "Well, Taylor will want to say goodbye to you" and then proceeded to take me to the very front of the line. I gave Taylor a hug and accidentally stepped on her toes. Luckily she had on cowboy boots on. Hopefully they were steel-toed!

May 9th, 2007

It was after I had purchased tickets to Brad Paisley's "Bonfires and Amplifiers" tour, that I found out about an acoustic show in Wichita, KS featuring Taylor Swift. The concert was hosted by KFDI 101.3 FM. I had talked to Taylor on the phone after ordering tickets to Brad's show. Taylor was one of three opening acts. The other two were Kellie Pickler and Jack Ingram. I didn't want to sound too desperate and I certainly didn't want to call too soon. I reluctantly called Taylor one morning around 10:30 a.m. to ask for meet and greet passes to Brad's show. She said that it wasn't a problem. I mentioned her show in Wichita and she asked if I was going to come. I initially said no. I worked at an investment bank and taking time off during the first 10 business days wasn't a good idea. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to go. I talked to my boss and was able to get the time off. The next challenge would be securing tickets. They were not available online. You had to go to the radio station to buy them. Since I live in Overland Park, this was not feasible. So I sent an email to Carol Hughes. Carol works for KFDI. I explained my situation and asked if she would purchase four tickets for me. She agreed to do so and I went to the post office to get a money order. I immediately sent her the money order and she indicated that she would leave the tickets for me at will call. My mom and I had invited my fourth grade teacher Joan to come along with us. She also brought a friend. I was a bit nervous when we arrived at the venue. I was hoping that the tickets would be there. They were! I immediately saw Carol Hughes and thanked her for securing tickets for us.

The show took place at the Mosley Street Melodrama. It was the perfect venue. There was not a bad seat in the house! Prior to the show, we were asked to write down questions for a Q&A session with Taylor. I wrote down a question and submitted it. My question got picked!

"If you could sing a duet with any country music singer, who would it be?" Taylor's answer was Brad Paisley.  Although they haven't officially recorded anything together, they did share the stage a few times on his tour.  As the show drew to a close, it was announced that Taylor would be staying to sign and take pictures with all of the fans. I had been told by one of Taylor's friends to look for a lady named Mandy. Mandy works at Big Machine Records.  I found Mandy and we decided to wait until the end of the line. I remember Mandy being so nice and down to earth. The line dwindled and we got closer to Taylor. I had prepared a little booklet about myself. I felt like I knew so much about Taylor and she hardly knew anything about me. I put together my iTunes playlist...just like certain celebrities have theirs. I wrote down why I chose the particular songs. I also had my two best friends write letters about me. I gave this to Taylor and she immediately started reading it. She noticed that one of the artists on my playlist was Chantal Kreviazuk. She asked if I had heard the song "In This Life." I hadn't but I downloaded it later that night. Whenever I hear that song, I think of Taylor. :) Thanks for a great recommendation!

We chatted for a little while and Taylor told me about one of her pet peeves. This is really random but I found out that it bugs me too. All of the tables had bottles of water that were half empty. Whenever I open a bottle of water, I finish it!

Left to right: Joan's friend, Joan Moore, Taylor Swift, Dianna Heidebrecht, & Ann (Heidebrecht) Dark

I said goodbye to Taylor and told her I would see her in two days!

CMT Music Awards & another phone call

In 2007, Taylor Swift was nominated for Breakthrough Video of the Year for her video "Tim McGraw." The CMT Music Awards are conducted using online voting by the fans. Even in 2007 Taylor knew exactly how to connect with her fans. Each email address was allowed one vote. Wanting to help Taylor in any way I could, I drafted an email to my family and friends asking for their votes. I was able to get 23 extra votes for Taylor. I texted her to let her know about the votes and to wish her good luck. She promptly responded. I had a tennis match that night and I was unable to watch the awards show live. Luckily I had set the DVR and  I was able to watch the awards show. After watching Taylor win her first award, I decided to take a shower.   After my shower, I checked my phone and noticed I had a missed call and a voice mail from Taylor. I remember being so mad that I had missed her call. Looking back though, I think it's pretty cool to have a voice mail from Taylor Swift. I had the sense to save the voice mail and every 21 days the automated lady from Verizon warns me that my message will soon expire. If you are wondering if Taylor is as nice and genuine as she seems, the answer is yes. You can listen to the voice mail below.