Your Name is Ann Marie Too? Wha?!

This is the story about last weekend, when I got to meet my blogging idol, The Pioneer Woman.

While Ree started out blogging and still does, she has also branched out a bit.  She now has multiple books that have been on the best-sellers list, has been featured and performed guest appearances on quite a few TV shows and now has her own Food Network Show.  Oh yeah, .and she's been challenged to (and won) a "Throwndown with Bobby Flay" which is what I'm most jealous of!

When I read on Twitter that she was coming to the Mall of America to do a book signing, I was beyond excited!  So I packed grabbed her cookbook, my iPad so that I could read while waiting (which I found out was dead in line---super), and ventured off to the MOA, where no sane Minnesotan goes from November-January.

While in line, since my iPad was dead, I compiled my list of things that I wanted to tell her.  As the hours rolled, by I got more excited by the minute to tell her all of these things cooking in my head:

1.) First, to ask if that is Marlboro Man watching over you, very husband-like, from the balcony? If so, when I get out of this line, do you think that he'll sign my cook book on the page that showcases his cowboy butt?  Is that weird?  Sorry...

Might not look like him in this photo, but, sure did in person...plus, the CASE hat had me wondering.

2.) Thank you for introducing me to hound dogs!  She was the person that got me to fall in love with hound dogs...and now I have one that she's signing a "Charlie and the Christmas Kitten" book for.  Yeah, I know that it's pathetic, I don't even want to hear about it.

3.) Thank you for running around field filled filled with poo to take pictures!  Sometimes her pictures of the farm life make me hurt for small town life (and even tear up on certain days when city life is really getting me down).  This country-girl-gone-city enjoys it more than you know!

3.) Thank you for introducing me to blogging!  I have been reading her blog since 2007 when I was forwarded a link to her "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels: A Love Story" series that she had written about how her and her husband met.  Which is now a published book and apparently is no longer posted on her website (tried to find today).

Back in 2007 I didn't know what blogging was and I sure has heck didn't know who these people were.  Yet, I found myself spending hours reading witty, quirky and funny commentary on things that I thoroughly enjoyed.  While it took me quite a few years to start, I ended up with one blog that I didn't like, and took over a year to establish  what I want to write about...I think that I've finally found my stride.  So, thank you for opening this door for me!

Now that you can see how excited I was to meet The Pioneer Woman, let's get back to last Sunday and all of these oozing compliments that I wanted to share with my idol.

She is probably the only thing that would get me into the Mall of America during this time of year.

Holy horse poo, I'm almost there!  There she is!

I made it!  It was my turn to tell Ree how great I think she is and ask my questions!  Here's how it went:

Ree: opens her cook book to page where my name is 
Ree: "You're name is Ann Marie?  Mine too!?"
Ann Marie: "Oh my gosh, I had no idea!  That is crazy!"
Ree: "It's even the same spelling, with no "e""
Ann Marie "Yeah, I've had quite a time changing my name this summer without the hypen in there."
Ree: opens the Charlie book
Ree: "Who's Wallace?"
Ann Marie: "He's my dog, I don't have any kids...so he's the next best thing."
Ree: "What kind of dog"
Ann Marie "He's a cute little beagle mix."
Ree: "That's great!"
Ree & Ann Marie: taking one picture that was a fail and then one better one

Ann Marie & Ann Marie

Here's how the the commentary running through my head went, illustrated in purple:

Ree: opens her cook book to page where my name is 
Ree: "You're name is Ann Marie?  Mine too!?"
Ann Marie: "Oh my gosh, I had no idea!  That is crazy!" OMG, now she thinks that I don't read her blog and I'm some kind of creep getting my book signed because I watch the Food Network or something!?
Ree: "It's even the same spelling, with no "e"" Seriously Ann Marie, how could you have missed this one?
Ann Marie "Yeah, I've had quite a time changing my name this summer without the hypen in there." Honestly Ann Marie, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Why in the WORLD would she give a donkey's behind about your silly issues with your name change??
Ree: opens the Charlie book
Ree: "Who's Wallace?"
Ann Marie: "He's my dog, I don't have any kids...so he's the next best thing." And now she thinks I'm a weirdo because I'm having her sign a book for my dog.  Holy crap, I am a weirdo, what am I doing??
Ree: "What kind of dog"
Ann Marie "He's a cute little beagle mix." I am so nervous I could puke, why am I sweating?
Ree: "That's great!"
Ree & Ann Marie: taking one picture that was a fail and then one better one
Ann Marie: Oh my goodness.  I totally forgot to ask her about Marlboro Man, among everything else.  I wonder if I can turn around and go back and ask?  Oh man, there is a security guard packing heat there that will probably take me down if I try to turn around and ask.  CRAP.

As you can see, while my intentions were there.  But, the execution was extremely poor.  Dangit all to dog biscuits.

Maybe the next time that she comes to the Minneapolis, I can just cut to the chase and give her a letter with my "thanks" instead of acting like a freak-o-la.

Or, maybe I'll get just as mental and sweaty as I did this time.  Oh man.