Yesterday we got up early and drove to Dallas to see one of my idols, The Pioneer Woman. On my other blog, which I don’t write on anymore, I professed undying love for Ree Drummond and haven’t really had a chance to do so on here. But you should know that my adoration for her has not waned at all.
Fourteen months ago, when my life was very, very different, I made the same trek to see PW with a friend of mine. We waited six hours at a Borders on Valentine’s Day and meeting her was an amazing experience for me. You can read about it here, if you wish. This time around though? Much, much better in every single way. At some point I should write a post comparing the book signing experiences, because they’re sort of crazy if you’ve never been to one before. Ah, well. Another post for another time, perhaps.
Waiting in line at Sam’s Club. Yes, Sam’s Club. At first I was really hesitant because all her other signings were scheduled at high-end bookstores, but after setting foot in this particular Sam’s, I was a believer. Fanciest Walmart/Sam’s I’ve ever been to. It was three levels if that tells you anything.
We got there around 10:30 am and the line wasn’t bad at all. Shelton was amazing and brought chairs for us to sit on while we waited. We also had our pads so I was entertained the entire time. Also the Sam’s staff was excellent, they brought around samples for all of us and constantly asked if there was anything we needed while we waited.
She’s here! Shelton snapped these while making a bathroom run. Doesn’t she look fabulous?
We only waited in line for two hours before we got to see her. It was a much calmer experience this time around. She was so nice and so gracious, telling Shelton that he was a good guy for coming with me. It was so funny, I had written mine and Shelton’s name on a Post-it in the book for her to sign both of our names, but she ended up only signing his. We didn’t notice until we had already walked off, but had a good laugh about it.
Speaking of mix-ups… We went to In-n-Out Burger after the signing and I got all cocky and ordered the Flying Dutchman off their secret menu. Turns out “two patties, two pieces of cheese, and nothing else” ain’t no lie.
Fail. We had another good laugh though. Shelton said it was worth the extra $2 to get me another burger.
That’s the thing about mix-ups, misunderstandings and mistakes… When you’re in the right company, they turn into the best memories later.