The Pioneer Woman and My BFF

I tend to be an overplanner. I think it is something that runs in my family. Just the other day, Alana grabbed Shawna by the shoulders, shook her, and yelled "Shawna! Stop overplanning your life!!!" It was a terrifying moment. Well, last night, I double booked myslef. But I didn't really know had until it was too late. I had planned to meet up with my brother, Paul, and his wife, Courtney to start watching Lost. But first I was going to go to a little book signing downtown. I figured I would be about an hour and a half. How wrong I was. I ended up not going to Paul's house at all, which made me really sad. I found myself surrounded by a huge crowd of crazy women. And I was one of them.

A few weeks ago, my BFF asked me to go to a little booksigning. No big deal. Sure. She sent me the link with the information. As the time got closer, I figured that I better read something about this lady I was going to go meet. Just so I wouldn't look like an idiot when I went and met her. I went to her blog. And I got sucked in. You can get sucked in too.

The Pioneer Woman

Anyway, I read her love story all day at work. And then I decided that I wanted to meet her too, cuz it was just that good and she was so dadgum cute. Somehow, I wrangled my little brother, Mason to come with me. Oh yeah, it was because we were going to go to Paul's afterwards. We left my house at 6:10, parked, and were met by six hundred crazy ladies. The signing didn't even start till 7:00.

See? It says 7:00.

So we bought a cookbook and headed over to the mass of people in the gallery next door gathering to wait for her to come in. Women are crazy. Crazy, I tell ya! We were all crammed in a little room packed wall to wall with people. We were lucky enough to actually get in. Because of firecode, they had to turn people away so they couldn't hear her talk about her book and blog. But we got to. As we walked in, they handed us a signing ticket and said it would be about an hour and a half wait. Mine had big O on top. I later learned that groups would be taken in according to the letter that was on the signing ticket. O! I hate the letter O!

So Ree the Pioneer Woman, aka the Author, came in and talked. I was too far to the back and side of all the crazy loud women to hear anything she was saying. Oh well. Then we were told to git because they were closing the gallery and to not even think about trying to sneak into line if we didn't have a letter A on our signing ticket.

That's her. This was taken by my giant of a brother and zoomed way in through window they had in the wall.

So Mason and I scrammed after we took a look at all the art and discussed what we liked and also our hatred of some of it. Apparently, we needed some enlightenment. So we went next door to Starbucks. The line was loooong. Long and filled with crazy women who wanted to get their cookbook signed by a famous blogger. When we finally got to register, we placed our order and they were fresh out of all the creme base stuff. Lame! So, to compensate for our long wait, she told us she would give us steamers on the house. Now that is what I am talking about! Mason is a giant luck charm! So we drank that and went for a walk and an hour and a half later they were on F. I never did like that letter. So we went back to the car and talked some more. And then I got tired. And Mason got hyper.

Apparently I am good at posing like I'm asleep. And Mason was excited.

About an hour and a half after that, we went to check again what letter they were on. J! I loathe that letter these days. And mom called and was getting a little upset that Mason wasn't at home yet. We should have just gone to Paul and Courtney's during the wait time, and I wish I had, but I didn't know how popular and friendly this woman was! So, rather than have Mason be in hot water with my parents, I raced him home. Then I came back and found a close parking spot. Score! And then I walked up to the bookstore and the conglomeration of cookbook crazed women had disappeared. There was noone standing in the yard. In the course of the 30 minutes that had passed, they had flown through the rest of the alphabet and I missed my stupid letter O slot. So I got in the back of the line and then they shut the door behind me. Five minutes later and I wouldn't have made it. I would have been more than a little miffed. But then Ree's mother-in-law came to the back and just started talking with us. She was way great. And tired. By this time, it was passed 11:00. So I wasn't miffed at all. I was dead last in line.

This is the mother-in-law. The mother of Marlboro Man.

So, I was standing by some pretty intense fans. Some drove up from Saint George to meet her. And they broght her cuppy cakes. That was sweet. But, I for one, wouldn't feel comfortable giving a chef baked goods. I'm just saying is all. Then I found out that some other girls flew in from San Francisco. Um, I get obsessive. But I don't think I get that obsessive. Anyway, half an hour later I finally reaced her table. She was absolutely adorable. She seems to me to be someone who doesn't recognize what a success she has become. And I like that. I like that a lot.

I finally made it back home at about 12:00. So much for some little booksigning!