Meeting The Pioneer Woman!

Yesterday, I met Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman! I’ve been reading her blog since some co-workers of mine turned me on to it back in 2007. In the last few months I’ve gotten my mom and sister into checking out her blog too. I’ve made many of her recipes and they've all been delicious. Her site has so many of these recipes, photography tutorials, stories of her life on the ranch in Oklahoma, and so much more. I encourage you to check it out, if you’re into that sort of thing.


Meeting her was a bit surreal. I was most certainly star struck and I had no idea what to say to her. I think I managed to say something about reading her blog for a long time and it was nice to meet her. I just couldn’t believe I was finally meeting the woman behind the blog and the two New York Times bestsellers, The Pioneer Woman Cooks and Black Heels to Tractor Wheels. She was very sweet and very pretty. I was particularly happy that she was everything I expected, meaning that she isn’t one person online and someone else in person.

Her signing was held at one of the Barnes and Noble stores here. The store was handing out tickets to assign a place in line. Brandon works nearby and drove past around 9am. He told me there was quite the line outside. I had planned to leave work early so that we could get down there. I expected a crowd but the presence of a line before the store even opened made it seem even more ominous. I wasn’t getting off of work until noon and the signing was to start at 2pm. Brandon went back a while later and the line was gone. He ran in and picked up the two tickets they’d let him have. The tickets were pale yellow. We were in group three with an estimated number of 30 tickets per group. However, as it turned out, an entire party of people could get in line on the one ticket. My friend and co-worker, Barbi, called me around 10:30am and was headed down there already. She arrived to get a yellow ticket also and settled in for the morning. She secured a nice table with a couple chairs in the café area. The store handed out so many tickets that they went through every color of the rainbow, then a variety of neon colors, and then letters. It was crazy!

Just after three our color group was called to get in line. I was in my car and on my way home by 3:58pm. Thank goodness for those yellow tickets or we'd have been there all night!

Here we all are hanging out at the table. Julianne had been watching the kids at our house while B and I were at work so I picked them up and off we went. Mom and Dad both came too. Dad took Gavin back to the kid’s area to play for a bit. Poor kid had ants in his pants after awhile. B came and picked both of the kids up after he got off of work.

Abby had great fun with Grammy waving at people as they walked by. She giggled and was less than pleased when people did not wave back.

This is just a small portion of the line. The line wrapped all the way around the store. People were everywhere!

Barbi and I in line and getting so excited!

My parents, sister, and I. I think this is the only picture we’ve had taken of the four of us in quite a while.

When we made it to the front of the line I was shocked. I knew we’d eventually get there and that I’d eventually meet her. But, I realized again that I had no idea what to say. No more time to think about it though, it was time to say hello to Ree Drummond!

Barbi and I with P-Dub!

Dad was taking pictures of us with Ree. She started joking about how we convinced him to come along. It was very funny. She thanked us and Dad for coming out to the signing and off we went.

My signed books!

What an awesome experience and not one I’ll soon forget! I imagine she’s exhausted by the time she greets hundreds of people and signs even more books. But, I’m so grateful she came to Columbus!


*A few pictures borrowed from Barbi and Mom. I hope neither of you mind!
*If you are a Pioneer Woman fan you can vote for her in the 2011 Bloggies by clicking here.  She's been nominated in several categories.