I’ve was a diehard Garth Brooks fan growing up.
I was the fan who wore all the T-shirts and had posters hanging in her room. I bought his newest cassette tapes at the local Wal-Mart the moment they were released.
My parents even took me to Fan Fair in Nashville one summer. I think I was about 10-years-old. We waited in line for hours to get Garth’s autograph only to be told that he wouldn’t get to us. I’m pretty sure I cried. So the next morning we woke up at the crack of dawn and stood in line for more than six hours to see him in concert.
Oh, the things parents do for their children.
Garth is officially out of retirement and recently kicked-off his World Tour. He’s making a stop in Oklahoma in January. My Dad said he would buy me a ticket for Christmas. So we came up with a game plan to try and get tickets for what was sure to be three sold-out shows.
On Friday, we hovered over our computers – me in Oklahoma and Dad in Texas. – waiting for tickets to go on sale. My palms were sweaty and my heart was racing as I watched the seconds tick away on the screen. I felt like I was the 10-year-old waiting for Garth to take the stage in Nashville.
At 10 a.m. I clicked find tickets and by some crazy miracle I got them (in only 30 minutes). My Dad clicked at almost the exact same time but didn’t have any luck.
We’re in the nosebleed section but I don’t care. I’ll bust out my boots and sing along to all my favorite songs – along with my mom, sister, and brother-in-law.
I’m just giddy with glee!
Later that day, with the excitement still bubbling inside, I sat down to list a few gifts in my gratitude journal.
There, written on the page, was the number I had set out to reach back in January.
Gifts 999 and 1,000 were just waiting to be added. I knew exactly what they needed to be.
#999 – The excitement of getting online to get Garth tickets – and actually getting them – and sharing the crazy moment with my Dad.
#1000 – Parents who will go the extra mile for their kids – even when they are about to turn 33.