The Ahlstrom Family: Never Turn Down Brad Paisley... No Matter What!

For months I have been hinting to Spencer that I wanted to go to the Brad Paisley concert. I went to his concert a few years ago and loved it! I have been a huge Brad Paisley fan for years and he gives an AMAZING concert! I kept reminding Spencer that it would be the best birthday present and that it would make me so happy! I'm sure I was a tad bit annoying with all my nagging. Well, then I got sick and gave up on the quest knowing that it wouldn't be smart or healthy for me to go to a concert, plus Spencer is NOT a country music fan and he honestly had no interest in going. I did find out last week that he had looked up tickets without me knowing (crafty man), but he made a smart decision in not purchasing them due to the $120 price per ticket. I had come to the realization that I would just have to wait another couple of years and go when he came back to town, and despite my sadness over this thought, I accepted it.

4:30PM January 27th, 2012... I am riding on a bus full of cheerleaders to Cottonwood High School for a game. PS - I am the super cool coach who has an IV at the basketball games. Multiple students have asked if I was doing heroin through it... really? Anyway I get a phone call from my brother Jason, he asks what I was doing, and seemed very disappointed when I told

him where I was headed and that my plans for the night mainly consisted of watching high school basketball games and doing my fluids. Turns out he had acquired 4 tickets to Brad Paisley and needed someone to go with. He remembered how much I had talked about it during Sunday dinner so he thought he would ask me first. I got so excited that my catheter started bleeding, but I told him he would have to call Spencer and ask. As much as I wanted to go, I knew that Spencer did not, and I also knew I wasn't in any condition to go. Spencer surprised me and accepted Jason's offer and hooked him up with a date! So I anxiously sat through the JV basketball and as soon as the game was over I left with Spencer to head to the Maverick Center.

I forgot how much I hated concert traffic... I felt so bad for anyone who was just going that general direction and not to the concert because it was super frustrating to get anywhere near the venue. I didn't expect much from our tickets and I was just happy to be going at all. I think I was more happy that Spencer was willing to go because it's something that I really wanted. Free tickets don't hurt either. But our seats were AWESOME! They were directly to the left of the stage where you could see every detail. I could literally see his wedding ring on his finger when he would play on the stage in front of us, it was that close! I will admit I got emotionally a couple of times. The opening acts were Scotty McCreery from American Idol and The Band Perry, and I couldn't help but to get teary eyed when I thought about how this young 18 year old boys parents must have felt and how proud they must be of him. And then The Band Perry were all siblings and that gave me the same reaction. Thank you crazy hormones! The music was insanely loud and I had to eventually sit down because I was too nauseous and light headed, but the set was great! Brad Paisley played for 2 hours straight and played the best songs! Spencer even smiled once in a while and did tell me he had a good time.

I learned that I probably shouldn't do that again anytime soon. I still have a pounding headache, had to pull of my catheter because it blew (actually Spencer did it... thank you!!!), but I guess it was worth it. it was just as good as I had hoped it would be and it was the best surprise! Thank you so much Jason for thinking of us and thank you Spencer for being so selfless and helping me have an amazing night!