Originally Posted on April 7, 2023

I still remember the first time I heard Taylor Swift sing. I was standing in the doorway of Kristy’s house in Marlow when the “Our Song” music video played on TV. Makayla had switched it on.

I was 12 years old, Makayla was 7, Jacy was 15, and Taylor Swift was 17.

Back then, we were just little girls who loved to dance around the house and act silly. None of us had yet experienced the giddiness of a first date, the pain of a breakup, or the freedom of being a young adult.

Year after year and season after season, we experienced life together. We grew up—not knowing that one day, in our 20s, we’d all listen to “Never Grow Up” and know the difference between childhood and adulthood.

“So here I am in my new apartment

In a big city, they just dropped me off

It's so much colder than I thought it would be

So I tuck myself in and turn my night light on

Wish I'd never grown up

I wish I'd never grown up” – Taylor Swift, “Never Grow Up”

But we did grow up—and playing on the radio in the car on countless occasions—from week-long, out-of-state trips to quick trips to Walmart—was Taylor Swift, who grew up with us.

“I was screaming long live all the magic we made

And bring on all the pretenders

I'm not afraid

Long live all the mountains we moved” – Taylor Swift, “Long Live”

As grownups, we continue to go through life together, and with each new Taylor Swift album comes a new group chat conversation about our favorite songs.

Last weekend, on April 1, we experienced what it’s like to recall 17 years’ worth of memories in a single night as we attended the Taylor Swift Eras Tour at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Over 70,000 people of all ages dressed up in everything from silver sequin dresses and leather white boots to ripped jeans and cowboy hats; they adopted the styles of their most-adored Taylor Swift albums.

We met with Makayla’s friend, Nichole, at a hotel before the concert so that we could perfect our hair and makeup—for fun.

Upon arriving at the concert, we walked a couple blocks to the entrance. The hundreds of people around us appeared carefree as they stopped for photos in the still-warm sunshine of the evening.

Inside the stadium, after Taylor Swift made her much-anticipated entrance, we sang, swayed, and screamed for the next few hours.

When Taylor Swift began singing “Love Story,” Nichole shouted, “That was my ringtone in 4th grade!”

It was in that moment I realized how personal the concert likely was for the majority of people.

We not only shared a common respect for the artist herself and her many creative talents.

We also shared a history with her.

We grew up with her.

I wonder where we will all be 17 years from now.