The stars aligned for me earlier this year when I was planning a trip to the East Coast and found out that the Piece of Me tour would be in the area at the same time. As a diehard Britney Spears fan who is four and half months along in expecting her first child, I took it as a sign that posing for a fun meet + greet photo would be the best way to announce my news to the world. While I couldn’t find the exact “I Have the Golden Ticket” tank that Britney wore to the 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory premiere when she was pregnant with Sean Preston, I was able to make one that was close enough (and that my fellow #BritneyArmy members attending the concert totally got a kick out of. Aren’t the costumes everyone comes up with so great?! I’ve channeled our gal for fun before, but now, I no longer need to stuff a pillow in my shirt to appear pregnant, LOL!).
This would be the second time I was lucky enough to do a meet + greet — the first time was on May 16, 2014 in Las Vegas, NV, and I was terribly sick. Having lost my voice, I had to write down my message to her on my hand, and even though I sounded awful when I recited it to her, she sweetly replied in her southern accent, “Aww, okay, aww, okay,” to every sentence I spoke.
As I walked away, my husband reminded me to tell her what we were using the photo for — I said, “oh yeah, this is going to be our Christmas card! It’s going to say, ‘Merry Christmas, love, Sean, Karli, + Britney, bitch!’” She let out a laugh and said, “Okay, cool!”
This time, on July 19, 2018 in Atlantic City, NJ, Britney was sick with a 102-degree temperature! (Guess that means the 3rd time will have to be a charm one day when neither one of us is under the weather!). Having been through the process before, I was less nervous, and I knew the time would fly by, so I came prepared with our request when we rounded the corner of the step and repeat and saw Britney, looking cute and casual in her jeans, black asymmetrical top, and high, tousled, ponytail.
(Lots of fans asked if she remembered wearing the shirt herself or made any comment about my replica — I honestly don’t think there was time for her to truly get a good look!)
The first photo was snapped without a countdown and before I felt ready, and the second one came just as quick. My husband and I weren’t sure what Britney’s reaction would be to our ask of her, so instead of risking an awkward photo in which we looked overly excited and she didn’t, we decided it was best for us to just do normal smiles and hope for the best that Brit went along in some way. Boy were we happy when the photos were posted the next day! Britney Jean Spears brought it! She totally went all in on the ‘OMG! surprise’ look and perfectly pointed her finger at my newly-popped baby bump. If only we knew, we would’ve, too! But truly, I couldn’t have asked for a better picture — it made for a unique pregnancy announcement that reflects who I am (and proves I have the most supportive husband who doesn’t mind going along with my fangirling ways). I posted it with the caption, “. . . oh baby, baby. #POPpingInDecember” — our due date is December 10th, but I wouldn’t be surprised if this little one made its big debut on December 2nd, after all, Britney’s Piece of Me can officially be called baby’s first concert!
After the two photos were taken, I turned back to Brit and recited the words I had told her the last time, but without my icky-sick voice!
And with that, we walked away, enjoyed the concert being the closest we’d ever been to her, witnessed the birth of Zachary Gordon-Abraham‘s now iconic “Who is it?” moment in person, and headed home the next day knowing that this arguably very expensive experience resulted in another special memory and keepsake for our (growing) family that is truly priceless.
Heads up — if we are ever “Lucky” enough to be expecting baby #2 “Someday” when Britney is touring or doing a residency, I will most certainly try for another fun photo with the caption, “Oops… I did it again!” Ha! And as a gift to my fellow fans, here is an itinerary I made if you ever make it out to Louisiana!
FREE DOWNLOAD: Britney Spears Kentwood Louisiana Travel Guide (PDF)
With Courtney + Connie at Connie’s Jewelry & Gifts (where Fe told me to get myself a “happy,” which is “something that makes you happy!”):
Chatting with Miss Nyla of Nyla’s Burger Basket after ordering Britney’s favorite grilled chicken sandwich:
