Not Your Ordinary Trip to Wal-Mart

So last weekend I took an excursion to Northwest Arkansas, and I'm back home and here to tell you about it.

I. Met. The. Pioneer. Woman.

My life is now complete. (Just kidding. I can't quit now--my birthday is next week!)

I was super excited, and the 3 1/2 hour wait didn't even faze me. That doesn't mean I'm not glad I wasn't at the end of the line. (I'm not sure, but I don't think that sentence had too many negatives, don't you think?)

Apparently I was not the only one who thought Ree was worth waiting for. (No, these are not random Wal-mart shoppers checking out men's socks.)

And no, my friend Katie and I were not here to try on ladies' undies. (Ahem)

As we slowly made our way down each and every aisle in the woman's section, with our mile-high stack of the latest Pioneer Woman cookbook, "A Year Of Holidays", we got wind that a certain someone had also come to this cook book signing. Once we emerged from the last sock aisle, finding ourselves in that final home stretch, we, too, saw something you don't see every day:

"Marlboro Man"! (A/k/a Ree's rancher husband)

Yes, we all got our picture with him right there in the jewelry department.

He was so nice. What fella puts up with a 5-hour-plus steady flow of crazed, hungry, fanatic women and is still smiling?

This is Jordan, Katie's friend. I didn't meet her in line, though there was plenty of time to make friends with those around us, trust me.

So at this point we're just a few steps away from meeting the best blogger, best cook, best photographer, best story-teller, best basset hound owner, best ranch wife and mom, and best Food Network show host ever all wrapped up in one.

(Drum roll please.......)


Tadaaaaa!!!

No, I'm not photoshopped in! (Though she would be the one to tell you how to do that, just like she's the best one to diagnose your camera problem when you're trying to get your picture made with her. Yep, that happened. She also complemented me on my dress. Just thought I'd throw that in there.)

We were just a wee bit happy to see her. And hey, she looks happy to see us! She's cool like that.


She was amazingly friendly and kind! If you've ever met her, you know what I'm talking about. You'd NEVER know she'd already been smiling and signing for four hours! Just so gracious and talkative to us like we were the first in line. Just confirms why I love her.


We were so pumped! We made it through that line and had a good time doing it!

I wouldn't stand in line that long for just anybody. The Pioneer Woman is just that kind of person.