25 years ago today was a milestone day for Trisha Yearwood. it was on March 13, 1999, when Yearwood officially became a member of the Grand Ole Opry, when she was inducted by Porter Wagoner, fulfilling a dream she had since she was a young girl.

“My mother came [to the Opry] on her senior class trip from South Georgia,” Yearwood recalled. “She wrote in her diary about seeing Hank Snow, Hawkshaw Hawkins and all those people. When I was inducted as a member of the Opry in 1999, she brought her diary and got Hank Snow to sign it. So it’s not only about me, it’s also about my whole family.”

Yearwood, who made her Grand Ole Opry debut in 1992, was invited to join by Ricky Skaggs on January 16, 1999. Her induction took place at the Ryman Auditorium.

“I have wanted to be a member for years, and they knew it,” Yearwood said when she was inducted (via CMT). “I’d heard rumors that it might be happening this year. The last time I saw Porter Wagoner he told me, ‘We’ve got to work on getting you out here.’ So, I was hoping that it was going to happen. It means a lot to me for them to say, ‘We want you to be one of us — we believe you regard the Opry as highly as we do.’

“This has the feeling of winning Female Vocalist of the Year, something I wanted my whole life. For my family, especially my parents, this is probably bigger than any award I’ve received. My mom once saw the Opry here at the Ryman,” she continued. “She wrote down descriptions of the Opry stars and the show, so she could take it home and show her mom and dad. She still has that diary, and it was really neat for me to see what it had meant to her. I feel proud, and I’m really glad they’re going to have that chance to see this happen for me.”

Yearwood has also had a hand in inducting other artists into the Opry, including both Carly Pearce and Lauren Alaina.

Yearwood will perform at the Grand Ole Opry, in honor of her milestone anniversary. In addition to just opening the  Friends in Low Places Bar and Honky Tonk with her husband, Garth Brooks, Yearwood is also working on a new album, which will include some songs that she wrote.

“I didn’t start doing this to release anything,” Yearwood told Everything Nash. “I just kind of had a big epiphany. I’ve written some over the years, but very little, and I was very self-conscious. I kind of had a big aha moment. And I just started writing. I did it for me. I wasn’t doing this to show anybody.”

In addition to Yearwood performing at the Grand Ole Opry, in honor of the 25th anniversary of her being a member, she will be joined by Terri Clark, Jeannie Seely, Suzy Boggus and Pam Tillis. A limited number of tickets are still available at Opry.com.

Find all of Yearwood’s music and upcoming shows at TrishaYearwood.com.

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Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry / Trisha Yearwood