The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond

On May 4 I got to meet a fellow blogger. Okay, so she's the QUEEN MOTHER of all bloggers.....you know her as The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. I know her as my new blogging Soul Sister, but whatever.

I had been calling Borders for about 3 weeks to find out when they were going to give out line tickets for her cookbook signing.

I was a little nervous that there would be a warrant out for my arrest for aggravated stalking or phone harassment when I arrived at Borders that morning, but either their caller ID doesn't work or they gave security the day off because I scored 2 tickets to the first signing group! The second ticket was for my friend Lori who ended up being sick and couldn't make it   :o(    

Johnny even left work 2 hours early that day so that he could come home to drive me to meet Ree and take my picture with her. What a good hubby.......I'll have to make him her guacamole recipe as a big thank you.  xoxo

So we were rushing out the door to get a good seat for her introduction speach & question/answer discussion.....when.....

The stupid garage door broke.



And I mean......really, really broke. Fell off the tracks, flip sideways broke.

Nearly crushed my husband to death broke!!!

Discalimer: I am not a drama queen.

A full HOUR later, with our neighbors' help shoving it down as far as we could.....this is how we left it. Nice, huh? Well, I figured if someone wants crawl under the door and steal my awesome orange traffic cone, let them! They could have it. I needed to meet Ree Drummond. Stat! 

With traffic we arrived about 1 1/2 hours late. She was due to speak in 10 minutes.

No worries, I'll get a good seat.........



NOT

 And seriously? Right now all I wanted to know is what that girl is talking about. Doesn't it look like it was pretty juicy stuff? Wishing I had super hero ears right about now.

I was stuck in the waaaaaaaaaay back of the book store, behind about 1,000 people who were taller than 5'4" and couldn't even see the podium. I'm still going to make Johnny that guacamole recipe for trying....true story.

He felt bad. REALLY bad.

Johnny took my tiny Nikon point and shoot, wiggled over to the side of the room, put that bitty thing in FULL zoom high above everyone's heads and went for it.

And this is what he got me. Great pictures! What a sweet ♥ 

Ok, I'm loving Johnny even more right now, if that's even possible.

This is actually the first photo Johnny's ever taken on my new-ish camera.

 I was just glad he remembered to take the lens cap off.  

Our turn!  Cheeeeeeeese.

This might sound silly, but I was so excited that I don't remember taking this photo.

Ree was so cute....and nice and, as I soon found out, very patient.
 

Ree has inspired me so much with her photography. So when she chose my M is for Macro photo in her photo contest I was elated. Johnny suggested that I bring a copy of it with me to show her and maybe she'd sign it.

Achem....gulp...."Ree, do you remember this pic from your macro contest?"

 

Ree: "Of course I remember it, I chose it!"

Me: DOH!  Me again: "Haha, yeah..."  Ree: "So how did you do it?" Me: "Haha, yeah..."   (Just a teeeensy bit nervous...) 

Snap out of it, Brenda!  So.......I told her in probably way too much detail about how you had to get really, Really, REALLY close (hence, macro....Goood Gaawwwdd) and then get the laptop just right...and just so...and at just the right angle....just so....and take about 30 pictures and pray.

So help me God. I talk too much when I'm nervous.

Me: "So yeah....that's how you do it!" All pleased with myself.

Hello earth? Swallow me up now. Thank you.

But the QUEEN MOTHER of all of us bloggers was gracious and listened to me blabber on and on about something she knows WAY more about than I ever will, signed my cookbook and....well....made my day.

But not before taking yet another picture with me. Because I just wouldn't move on.

Hey Kat! Guess WHAT?!?! I spy....a vampire.  Hee-hee. Sorry. I had to.

OK....Brenda. Moooooove on. Security IS on duty tonight.

Remember when I met Michelle Obama and a tiny part of me wanted to run off with her gorgeous black flower brooch? I'm not saying that feeling took over when I saw Ree's Nikon.

Nope. Not at all.....

These two ladies were in front of me in line waiting to meet Ree. Karen & Charlotte ~ what sweethearts! They drove up that morning early for line tickets, stayed in the area all day and when they came back to Borders for the signing there were no parking spots so they missed her whole discussion.

We stood out front awhile and I filled them in on the question/answer session. They were going to hang around until closing to see if they could talk to Ree again....so jealous! Hope it worked out for you girls!

OH! Big P.S. Ree announced that she finished her book "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" and Hollywood bought the rights to her story, is making it into a film and guess who is playing her role??? The gorgeous Reese Witherspoon. It was meant to be....Ree - Reese.... Ree - Reese..... See what I mean? I'm a quick one.

As for my hubby.....he gets MAJOR points for knowing how much it meant to me to be there and tagging along just to take some pictures that I could tape in my cookbook.

There WILL be guacamole tonight. Yes, Houston, there will be "guacamole"  ;o)

 

How fun was that? Getting to meet my blogging Soul Sister and then heading off to dinner with the most handsome city cowboy in Virginia, it was a special day.

Oh yeah, and the garage door? This is how it was stuck for 24 hours.

So purdy. It's kinda like me, just a bit "off kilter." 

And see? I told you I had an awesome orange traffic cone (don't ask). I guess no one wanted it. Their loss.