Taylor & Brett may have had the greatest inquiry process of all time, and it started with another Taylor, one you all know. 

The Eras tour. Let’s talk about it for a minute, because I’m not sure a single cultural event brought more heartbreak to this family than that one. The funny thing is, we had tickets to opening night in Glendale. We bought them relatively easily. However, Archer was a newborn and got sick, and we didn’t think it was a good idea to bring a sick newborn on a plane. So we offloaded the tickets for a few hundred bucks and said “It’s fine. We’ll grab tickets to the Chicago show and go then.” 

Then it turned into a phenomenon. From that point on, for well over a year, we were foiled at every turn. We weren’t going to pay scalper prices when those prices could replace a good chunk of the gear in our bag. So we kind of gave up. Kayla would try her hand at the ticket releases, verified fan lotteries, the works, and nothing ever panned out. And it’s worth noting, there’s nothing “casual” about Kayla’s T-Swift fandom. She’s a diehard, life-long Swiftie, and this tour was a BIG deal.  

Then Taylor’s inquiry comes in. It’s really short. Just letting us know she’s getting married at the Sixpence, she’s looking to have a good time, and she’s ready to book! 

So Kayla starts texting her, and before long, Taylor, who works in event management at Lucas Oil says “Hey, I’ve got two great tickets to Eras, and I want you to have them so you and Lil can have that experience together.”

She hadn’t even booked yet.

And she was doing one of the nicest things anybody has EVER done for us. 

I tell this story not because I want to talk about Taylor Swift, but because I want to talk about Taylor Rathke (Now Bilger’s!) overwhelming generosity and kindness. The joy she provided for our family (Lil cried her eyes out when we told her she was going), is immeasurable. She inspires us. And our hope is that we can keep paying forward the kindness she showed us. Because we’ll never stop being grateful. 

So I’m going to shut up now and get to the day featuring two of the loveliest, most wonderful people you'll ever meet.