Wounded Warrior caregivers do not find enough time for themselves. We are so busy caring for our warriors and our families that we forget to take a break to do something fun that's just for us. Thanks to the help of a great non-profit, I was able to put together an incredible night for several caregivers.

I am a self-professed music junky. I like every kind of music from Opera to Rap and everything in between. I am a big fan of several artists. A few months ago I saw Sarah McLachlan was coming nearby. I contacted Operation Ward 57 for some help. I went to them and said that I'd love to take a group of caregivers to enjoy Sarah's music live. Well Operation Ward 57 was totally in for this adventure. They contacted Sarah's management and even had a reply within just a few days. Sarah's management not only gave Operation Ward 57 tickets but they also provided them with Meet and Greet passes for 10. I was super excited.

Operation Ward 57 left it to me to fill those spots. We had them all filled, but then the power went out this week and some of our caregivers had to relocate their families. We were able to fill 8 spots and I finally just had to be happy with filling 80%. Being a caregiver is so hard and sometimes things just happen that we cannot predict. Unfortunately some of the ladies I had invited were experiencing just that this week.

In the early afternoon, the eight of us loaded up and left the hospital to go have a great evening away with Sarah McLachlan at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD. We arrived a little early so we grabbed some dinner at the local mall food court. Then we made our way to the venue. Once again I was pleased to discover another unique little treasure a few miles away from DC. The Merriweather is a lovely outdoor concert venue with a seated pavilion option. We were given the "gate crashers" option and were able to enter the venue early and got to sample some California Tortilla and learn about some other local venues like the 930 club. Here's our quick pic before Meet and Greet.

We had a great time just hanging out in vendors section. We shared stories and resources. Best of all we shared a lot of laughs. Before we knew it, security was there to escort our group to the meet and greet area. We walked to this quaint little area that was covered in trees which made it nice and cool. Within minutes, Sarah walked in. Our group patiently waited their turn and we got a group shot and individual pics and autographs. Here's our group shot. As you can see, it is full of smiles. Sarah was awesome and was excited to see and meet all of us.

My friend Laura and I chatted with Sarah a little bit. We told her about the ladies in our group. We also told her about Operation Ward 57 and how amazing they are. Here's a picture of us chatting with Sarah.

When Meet and Greet was over, Sarah's awesome crew hooked us up with VIP wristbands so we had access to the VIP lounge and bathrooms during the show. Basically it meant much quicker access to the bathrooms and refreshments and much shorter lines. We had great seats in the pavilion and enjoyed the show. It was a very nice surprise.

Here are a few shots from the concert.

To me, the Merriweather is like the Wolf Trap. It's a great little hidden treasure that everyone should go and enjoy. Here's the link to their website so you can find out more. http://www.merriweathermusic.com/