Last Wednesday night Ree Drummond, (aka )The Pioneer Woman, was in Salt Lake City on her first ever book tour for her very own cookbook: The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes From An Accidental Country Girl. That's the official title, anyway. I call it my bible. I sleep with it under my pillow and pray with it every night.
Okay, not really. But perhaps I should back up a bit....
Ree Drummond is my absolute idol. I came across her blog just over a year ago and I've been following her ever since. I was instantly smitten. Her recipes are nothing short of outstanding and her photography is absolutely stunning. She writes simply and from the heart about life as a wife and a mother, and life on the ranch she calls home. She graciously shares all of her knowledge, tips and tricks on cooking and photography and persists that if she can do it, so can anyone else. I have learned so much from her about so many things. She is really everything I want to be and I look up to her immensely. So when I heard she was coming to town for a book signing, I knew I simply had to meet her!
My dear friend Willow is also a huge fan, so we decided to make it a date. She was signing at the Kings English Bookshop, first giving a small talk and a Q&A at the gallery next door. The doors weren't opening until 6:30, so we figured arriving about an hour and a half early would be more than sufficient to give us time to grab a bite to eat and get in line. How popular could she be?
Oh. Very popular, it seems. Forget dinner, we got right in this line that was wrapping around the block! There was a Starbucks right there so my dinner consisted of a slice of coffee cake and an iced chai latte, which I ate while standing in line. But really, I didn't care...I was going to meet The Pioneer Woman. Small price to pay for a good spot in line.
We also ran into my darling friend Bekah, also a huge fan. I love running into friends, always a pleasant surprise. Bekah is one of the most creative gals I know...if you haven't already, you should be checking out her Etsy store. Very fun. Christmas is coming, folks!
Anyway, when we all filed in, it was becoming clear just how popular she really is....
What a turnout! We estimated that there were easily 200+ people there. I think I counted five boys.
When Ree finally appeared, the crowd went nuts. It was neat to be in a room full of people who have all been brought together by this amazing woman. She talked for a few minutes, and did some Q&A. She even A'd one of my Q's!
And she even did her Ethyl Merman impression.
Afterward, we made our way over to the bookshop for the signing. We had been sorted into groups earlier and Bekah, Willow and I were in the fourth group. It was quite a long wait, but we had fun chatting and winding our way through the narrow bookshop and looking at all the unique books that are characteristic of The Kings English.
Finally, we made it to Ree. She is so adorable in person, and very gracious. She said 'hello' and 'how are you' with a huge smile, then paid me a lovely compliment about how pretty I looked in my scarf. I have no recollection from that point on, as I think I probably blacked out from the excitement.Eventually I came to and was able to capture my friends having their moments with Ree as well...
And then it was over. An unforgettable night! The three of us giddily headed out of the bookshop and back to our cars, reminiscing about our meeting with The Pioneer Woman.
