Thursday, November 19, 2009

My 30 Seconds With Fame

I am normally not the "travel to meet people" type person. If a band I love is in town, I might go. If an author I admire is in the area for a book signing I probably won't go. Unless of course I personally know the person, like Steve. When I found out The Pioneer Woman was coming to St. Louis to sign her new cook book, I got really excited. But then I found out she was going to do a Q&A session and book signing in Kansas City, and I just HAD to be there. So I called up Tami and begged to crash at her place. I didn't really have to do much begging, even before I volunteered Mason to baby-sit Tucker. I figured with a Playstation, Xbox and Wii, there would be plenty to keep them entertained for a few hours. We didn't think we had to tell Mason about bed time, surely we would be back before then...

We underestimated just how popular Ree Drummond really is. The Q&A started at 7pm, Tami and I left immediately after she signed my book at 11:30. And there were still people waiting when we left. Poor Ree, I hope Marlboro Man gave her a nice hand massage afterwards, although he did his fare share of signing too. How someone so shy is okay having his wife publish a best seller with a picture of his butt in the book, I'll never know. Of course after he took the boys back to the hotel for the evening (at least that's where I'm assuming they went) I had the great idea to get a picture of just our butts for this lovely little blog. It's probably best that I didn't think of it sooner.

The boys were so entertaining. Someone gave them boxing gloves, and soon a showdown started on the stage. And you know the stage amplified the sounds of their little feet running and tripping. The microphone was also a great source of entertainment for them. After a bashful "Hello" from each of them, they snuck over when no one was looking to make as many sounds as they could before the organizer, who we named Book Lady, of the event stopped them. And since Tami and I were growing sick of each others company (not really, but it makes for a better story) this was incredibly entertaining for us.

As for The Pioneer Woman herself, so incredibly nice. Well I knew she would be nice and friendly and cute. And she was. Even though she refused to sing for us when she was asked, Marlboro Man made her. He's my hero. I genuinely enjoyed my 30 second chat with her, and I loved the fact that she didn't really want to stop talking. If the book lady hadn't rushed me along I'm pretty sure we could have had a nice long, up into the wee hours of the morning talk. I would love to tell you that we had this great connection and it was only me that she wanted to keep talking to, but that would be a total lie. It was clear that she wanted to talk to and know every single person there. Such a friendly soul.



So was it worth the 8 hours of driving? Well, the weekend was worth the drive, heck the trip to the Half Price Book Store (where we bought a boat load of books which I can't wait to dive into) was worth the drive. But was the The Pioneer Woman herself worth the trip? I'm not 100% sure. If she wasn't in St. Louis the very next day, then it would have been absolutely worth it. If KC offers a Q&A in addition to the book signing when she releases her love story and St. Louis doesn't, there is a good chance I will make the trip again. Next time though, I will plan a little more in advance so I can make plans to see ALL of my KC people.

Pictures to come...

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Wine-o-ween, My Food Twin and The Puddles

What a weekend. I know, I know. The weekend was a long time ago. But it's the beginning of the month, what do you expect? But it gets even better, the weekend story is actually going to include Monday. It was a long weekend.

Friday - Pre-Halloween Game Night
I can't speak for everyone else, but I had a blast. Everyone else said they had a great time, but would they honestly tell me if they didn't? And it sounds like such a cheesy thing to do, but they are always so much fun. And so much cheaper and better smelling then going to a bar. The Game of Things is still a favorite and I highly recommend it. Stephanie brought over Partini which was also tons of fun (and apparently Target no longer carries it). Since I have two friends that are allergic to dogs and three dogs, every inch of the house must be cleaned. The carpet gets steam cleaned (this is important to remember for later), the kitchen and the stairs get mopped, the dust gets swiped away (all of which needed to be done anyway), and the dogs get locked up or tossed outside.

Saturday - Wine-o-ween
Really, what needs to be said about this? Take Halloween mix it up with Halloween Themed Wine from World Market, dress up in PJ's as your costume and let the fun begin.
The Wine:
The Reds

The Whites

The Damage

It's amazing what 4 people can do.

Sunday - My Food Twin
Most people know that I have some interesting food quirks. It's not like I keep it a secret or anything, I even posted it on my dating profile. Pretty sure that's what made Mason fall for me. Anyway, I can't eat finger foods in odd numbers. Let's say we order onion rings as an appetizer, and everyone gets 3, I will have to give my 3rd one away because I can only eat 2 (or 4 if someone else doesn't want theirs). Mini peanut butter cups are eaten in 2's, so are pretzel sticks and toasted ravioli. Trader Joe's Veggie Sticks are eaten in sets of 6, because there are 3 different colors. This makes things like Twix and Kit-Kats the most perfect candy. I was recently told that I eat Kit-Kat's funny. I don't understand this. All I do is nibble the extra chocolate off the sides and then separate the wafers to eat individually. Apparently my Unofficial Future Sister In Law Emily does all of the things I just mentioned (and more), and we decided that if more then one person does them, then it's not weird.

Manic Monday - The Puddles
Remember that freshly steamed carpet in my house? Well, it's even fresher now. As I'm leaving my desk to head home, Mason calls and asks for a favor. He needs me to stop by Wal-mart and get some medicine for him, and some more shampoo for the steam cleaner. Charlie had gotten sick, all over the house. The bed skirt, my slippers, the rug by the back door, the wall and baseboard in the hall and the carpet in our bedroom, the hallway and the living room. Mason, who was also sick wanted to get the worst of it cleaned up before I got home, so I wouldn't have to deal with it. I knew I married him for a reason. He also knows that cleaning up dog diarrhea makes me almost vomit, or barf as my little niece would say (guess what word she learned to say yesterday). I'm 98% sure I know what it is that made him sick. The mud puddles in the back yard. For some reason they just look so tasty. So this weekend we are planning on raking leaves and filling in puddle catching holes. Sounds like fun doesn't it?