I never really talked about it because I don’t want it to define me nor want to gain publicity from it, but 1/21/10 will always have a special place in my heart. I decided to share the story just this day because it is, in my opinion, worth reading. See that girl with the purple feather clip in her hair? That’s me. At my first Monster Ball. Radio City Music Hall, NYC. I asked my mom for tickets to see her show, and obviously she said yes. It was all I wanted. I was joking with her the night before like “maybe I’ll be able to meet her!” she doubted me. Luckily I found the stage door at Radio City (I didn’t watch the videos from previous nights so I didn’t know) and slowly more and more people showed up and barriers were put up. Then of course a huge black Suburban rolled up. Immediately I panicked, I couldn’t believe it! LIKE HELLO SHE WAS IN THE CAR. THE Lady Gaga was in the car! So a few seconds later I saw an extremely petite woman pop out of the car with yellow hair. I pretty much died. She was looking around a bit to see where to go first, I blanked out for a second and was the only one not screaming etc and then she started to strut towards me. Of course in my head I was like “OH MY FUCKING GOD IS THIS HAPPENING” but tried to keep my composure on the outside. My ability to talk was taken away so I had to try a bit harder to get some words out. So she strutted up to me and somehow I found the words “how are you sweetie?” (remember, around this time she was in a rocky state and passed out and cancelled the shows and cried on Oprah) and it was so surreal like, we were in a bubble. Paparazzi on my left with their flashing lights and fans on the right screaming for attention, and here I am asking Gaga how she is. She was quiet, and said “doing good” back. All I could do was smile like a goof. Then she asked for my name, and it’s awkward because her name is Stefani, and so is mine (Stephanie) so I kind of winced when I said my name and that’s the most vivid thing I remember from that day, is how with all the flashing bulbs and hysterica, she was looking right at me less than a foot away asking for my name. It was like time was moving really slow and nothing else mattered. So I said my name to her and of course it wasn’t all that legible but she wrote “Stedshfkajh (I can’t exactly read how she spelled my name so that will suffice) -LG”. I was the only person, at least on that side, that got a personal autograph. I’m the kind of person who if an artist has greatly impacted my life, if something happens to them, I give them something to remind them how much they mean to me and I hope they get well or whatever so I gave Gaga a card. So I told her it was for her and her face lit up slightly. She said thanks, and was off to sign things for other people. Once she went in I freaked out, in a complete state of shock I think I called my best friend first screaming in the phone. Then I called my mom and was like “I TOLD YOU” hahhaha. I still don’t know why she came to me first (my makeup? hair accessories? the fact I wasn’t screaming?), but to know she did still makes me happy to this day. It sounds cheesy but it was nice to know that all her focus was on me for like 20 seconds. I love her.