(Note: I highly suggest you read THIS POST to get a better grasp on just how much I am trying not to use a ton of exclamation points in excitement after every sentence in today’s post.)

Dolly Parton and I were in the same room.

I met my idol yesterday and I’m still not over it!!!!!

Since interning for SiriusXM, I’ve been around several musicians, all of whom have proved talented and generous and for the most part, personable, and I’ve gotten over being ‘starstruck’ to a certain extent. However, I’d be lying if I said that my heart didn’t soar and my hands didn’t shake a little bit when we got the news that my favorite female country artist was going to be waltzing into our studio.
In case I haven’t made myself clear, I absolutely LOVE Dolly Parton. I wrote extensively about my love for her HERE and well, my intern desk has been displaying the inspirational message, “W.W.D.D.?” for a while now:

• Did I spend more time than usual picking out the perfect outfit and accessories Tuesday night?

• Did I proclaim the day to be a holiday that we would refer to as “D-Day”?

•  Did I freak out slightly when I remembered that my current ringtone is “Jolene”?

• Did I run down Broadway and dash into several record stores searching for vinyl and books by Dolly herself the morning of?

• Did I send my mom and best friend text messages with waaaay too many exclamation points describing what was happening?

Shamelessly, all of the above!

I’ll admit- I was afraid that maybe she just wouldn’t measure up. I didn’t think she’d be horrible but with so much publicity, you never really know how an artist will be in person. But I’m here to tell you that if I didn’t already love Dolly, I do now, tenfold! She was gracious, quick-witted, excited and well-spoken and the whole time I kept trying not to bust out into a huge goofy grin. However, ‘trying’ is the key word in that last sentence, because when she’d start to talk about her songwriting, I’d just beam in the corner. She spoke about her new album and her inspiration behind it, but then she started to tell stories about the songs in her catalog and I think I may have done a little somersault in my seat. The stories behind I Will Always Love You, Love Is Like A Butterfly, Two Doors Down, Coat of Many Colors, Light of a Clear Blue Morning and MORE graced my ears. I know I’m just a little intern in a big pond and while I didn’t conduct an interview with her myself, sitting in and hearing one was like the answers to my own little fan questions. She talked and joked, but the best part was these little moments when she’d sing the first line of a song when talking about it and her voice would fill the studio for just a few seconds and I got to hear the woman I’ve idolized perform a few words in the closest makeshift concert setting I could imagine. And yes, of course I started smiling again like a goofball.

(And now- I’ll do a little plug and tell you that this Dolly goodness will air on SiriusXM’s various channels, specifically The Highway! Don’t miss out!)

You know, I would have told you that you were crazy if you had told me that the woman I described as “Queen Of The Lion Hair” would be standing right next to me, a self-described lion-haired fangirl, but for good reason, I was proven wrong.

And for the record, yes, she smelled like sunshine and dreams that have come true!