Dear Pioneer Woman: You had me from, "It’s a sweat ring self protectionist thing."

From one hot natured woman to another, I instantly loved the Pioneer Woman! It took little convincing from my mom and a Sunday morning of reading Black Heels to Tractor Wheels and I was hooked on everything Pioneer Woman. After reading a few of her blog posts about her Basset Hound Charlie, with paws that smell like fritos and her very good looking, chaps wearing, husband Marlboro Man, we became instant friends.

Well I got to meet my new friend, when she came to Dallas for her cookbook tour. My AMAZING mom called me at school telling to me to drop my plans for the night because she was giving me an early Christmas present. Early that morning she had driven to the Border's in Dallas to get a VIP, Gold bracelet for the book signing which meant we would be one the first 100 people to meet Mrs. Ree Drummond herself! I was ecstatic! My mom picked me up handed me my present, the Pioneer Woman cookbook and we were on our way!

It was a very cold, wet and rainy night which cut us close with our 6:45 pm deadline to get in line... I appreciated my mom and my shiny gold bracelet when I walked into the book store and saw this Pioneer Madness!

We later found out that the bookstore had handed out 900 bracelets!!!! The color bracelet you had determined what time you would get into the "official" line. Our gold bracelet allowed us to walk up to the front of the line and we followed that blue tape to the path that led to the Pioneer Woman!

Me and my beautiful mother! (Please ignore the warn off makeup; that's is what 19 kindergartners and indoor recess will do to a girl!)

Here we are with our gold, VIP bracelets.

Even though we were with the first 100 people in line that line sure did creep along. I cannot imagine being part of the last group to join the line. The signing started at 7:00 and we got to the front at 8:25 p.m. Here is our first Pioneer Woman sighting...
Ree, I wondered if you were as nervous as I was... you looked quite calm when we finally reached you. I wondered how your hand held up signing all of those cookbooks. How did your smile hold up? I always get the half smile/ half wincing look after too many pictures... not you.
We kept asking one another, what are you going to say to her? You only get one chance... and I honestly cannot remember what I said to her. I hope something came out... I remember smiling, giggling, not much else. I was so excited...

(My mom is so cute! I want to be just like her...)

When the man running the show shooed us along after glaring at us for walking behind the table to take a picture we were handed a free Tshirt!!!! Then we saw her sweet little "punks" she likes to call them. The Pioneer Woman's daughters came with her to the signing and I snuck behind to take a picture with them after getting them to sign the cookbook as well.

This was a great night. We found out that the store stayed open until 2 a.m. until every person had their book signed. I was thankful for my mom's "with it" knowledge to go early to sign up and for the gold bracelet! I like to think that my signed cook book gives me special powers as I brave recipes like her Cinnamon Rolls and Beef Stew... we will see! :)

Happy Cooking! P.S. She told us she will be publishing her and Marlboro Man's love story, Black Heels to Tractor Wheels with juicier details! Can't wait!