4.5 hours later, I had what I came for!
The Pioneer Woman book signing was absolutely insane! I spent the entire night on the floor of Barnes and Noble, but it was worth it. Ree is just as nice and humble and welcoming as you see on her blog.
Before I left, I had a bowl of raw oatmeal + Chobani pineapple:
I left for the book signing a full hour and fifteen minutes before Ree was suppose to arrive, and when I walked it, the second floor was almost packed. I squeezed into the line right before they started to line people up downstairs.
By 5:24, I was comfortably settled in against a wall, typing away on my Netbook.
Fifteen minutes later, a cheer went up as Ree and her two daughters walked into the store.
And then people went nuts with their cameras. I take back what I said this morning. The Pioneer Woman IS an actual celebrity. When people scream and take twelve pictures of you, you have officially risen from blogger to celebrity.
Ree then spoke for about 10 minutes, but I couldn’t really hear from my position down the line.
I started to flip through her book (which is awesome; I want to make every single non-meat recipe!) and wondered how the heck she ever pitched this concept to a publisher. So many pictures! So many colors! So much INK! That equals a very expensive book to print.
All the photographs were taken by Ree, too!
I then proceeded to spend a good deal of time figuring out how I could move to the country, start a cattle ranch, have ten pet horses, and get the Husband to wear Wrangler jeans and chaps.
Two hours later…
… My tummy was growling, so I went to the Starbucks cafe and got a huge sugar cookie. I blame The Pioneer Woman. Her cookbook ignited a craving for buttah and sugar deep, deep in my soul.
And nearly half an hour later, I got moved to the “short line.” I got really excited and nervous!
And then… It was time for me to embarrass myself. 
This is how to conversation went:
Pioneer Woman: Hello!
Me: Hi! Errrr… I’m Caitlin.
PW: Thanks for coming! I appreciate it so much.
Me: You’re welcome. Thank YOU! Your blog is so awesome. I love it. I love your photographs [cue loads of awkward fawning].
PW: [Responds with gracious humility]
Me: Oh! Once you wrote about my blog.
PW: [Looks confused]
Me: Oh! It’s called Operation Beautiful. You know, with the Post-Its?
PW: Awww! I love that blog. It’s so sweet.
Me: [More awkward fawning]
Totally worth waiting for 4.5 hours! She was a sweetie. It was cool to meet someone I’ve admired for so long.
I came home and was super pleased to see the Husband made me a dinner of roasted veg and a black bean burger.
Thank you, Husband! You might not wear chaps and round up cattle, but I love you nevertheless.
Twitter
Operation Beautiful
Caitlin, you are so freakin’ adorable! I’m glad that you got to meet her.. even though you had to wait for 4.5 hours!
BTW, I LOVE the picture on your iPhone. So cute!
Megan
i can’t believe what a nerd i am…my heart was pounding and i was smiling a humongous dork just READING this post! if she ever comes to denver i might soil myself…sorry, that’s gross, but still!
Ah I’m so jealous! I love her.
So happy you got to meet her!
Ah man, I love her blog. You’re so lucky to have a signed cookbook. *envy*
SO awesome!
You two look similar!
Ahh! Love it. So glad you got to meet her and the pictures are beautiful!
I have to pick up her cookbook for sure, it looks gorgeous!
Aww that must have been so nice to meet someone you have admired for so long! Congrats! xox
that’s awesome! I would have not known what to say. When I met the running skirt twins I wassmiling all goofy and acting like I met freaking brad pitt. What a goob.
That’s so cool that you met her!!
I can’t believe there were so many people there for her, that’s awesome. I guess I should start reading her blog. I must be missing something good!
So fun! I got to meet her in Seattle and totally fangirled all over her. And then I just about died when I saw my picture on her blog! (check out the link here: http://naturallyfrugal.wordpress.com/2010/04/24/i-die/
Oh my god. The transcription of your conversation with Ree is effing priceless. Also, your picture with her is adorable! You’re so lucky! I totally admire her from afar.. and you for that matter
Her mac and cheese is fantastic!
Ahhh I love Pioneer Woman. Isn’t her book fab?? So so glad you got to meet her even ifit took forever! I missed the post where she talked about your Operation Beautiful. I’ll have to go read it now!
So cool that you met Ree aka the Pioneer Woman! I remember seeing her blog once a few years ago and she was already famous in the blog community…she had so many regular readers. She is so awesome! I didn’t know she wrote a book, but its amazing that she has become such a celebrity just by starting a blog. Maybe one day that will be you, right?? haha
you’re so cute caitlin! i gotta check this woman out if you regard her so highly
PW is awesome!! I loved reading her cookbook and drooling over everything she makes.
I had to laugh at your recount of your conversation! Sounded eerily familiar…the awkward fawning part…kinda like when I met you at Fitbloggin and accosted you at the POM cocktail party! LOL! You were just as gracious as Ree
hahah i love it when you accosted me at fitbloggin!! it was epic.
very cool. i would have waited 4.5 hrs. too. she IS superwoman!
That book looks so beautiful – I’ll have to check it out.
BTW I stole your raw oatmeal idea and I love it! Thanks for all the ideas.
Awww that is SO COOL!!!! I’ve never read her blog before.. must fix that!!
Oh, lucky! I love PW!!! (I also have major love for the specific B&N and used to hang out there and study all the time in college.)
That’s so cool! You definitely have to let us know when she lists your blog on hers! Eeeee!
Ahhh! I love her sooo much!
If you are ever in Missouri (I have no idea why you would be haha) I will definitely volunteer to take you horseback riding. I only have 2 horses, but I’ve worked at a lot of huge ranches. Seriously, some of the best times of my life.
YES! I want to go horseback riding.
Looks like I’m the dork who doesn’t know who this chick is! I’m always behind! So cool you got to meet someone you look up to AND that she gave your blog a shout out
http://www.firednfabulous.blogspot.com/
I love that even celebrity bloggers get excited about celebrity bloggers
I didn’t know you were a P-Dub lover too!!! I haven’t met her in person yet….but have read her blog for a few years…..love her, her punks, MM, dogs, her family and her cookbook=)
I love pw!! I wrote about meeting her here- http://therigdons.blogspot.com/2009/10/night-we-met-pdub.html
I am ashamed to say that until today I didn’t know who the Pioneer Woman was! I checked out her blog and it’s awsome! That black bean burger and veggies look super good too! Have a great night!
You know, I have to agree that PW is super talented and wonderful, but all I could think while reading through this post is that you look absolutely beautiful in your photos with her. Seriously luminous!
*blush* thank you darlin’!
I kind of felt star struck when I met you. Is that dorky?
LOVE Pioneer Woman. She truly is a blogging pioneer.
That’s so awesome! I love the Pioneer Woman’s blog. Her recipes are fabulous.
The roasted veggies in your dinner look delish.
Jenn
Anyone who doesn’t believe in the power of social media or Web 2.0 just needs to see those photos of people paparazzing PW with their cameras. Incredible. I agree, the PW is a pretty rockin blog and I bet she was a total sweetheart!
AGREE!
I love PW – her photos are just GORGEOUS and her recipes? Delicious!
hahhahahah aw you look so happy!
love that picture of you handing her the book….ur such the sterotypical fan….its so cute
i cant even imagine how you would react if you ever met edward cullen….err i mean robbert pattinson
ohmigod, i would probably vomit out of excitement. on his shoes. and then i’d try to kiss him with vomit breath.
ooooh i am so jealous! What fun!!!!
I met Alice Waters [her restaurant in San Fran, Chez Panisse] and I’m pretty sure I did a lot of the same nervous chatter! I quickly told her about my thesis in food + architecture, and she actually told me if she wasn’t a cook she would have gotten into architecture. She even suggested and wrote down a book title for me in the copy of her book she signed for me. Totally exciting moment
I randomly found the PW blog by searching for a Chicken Tikka Masala recipe. I didn’t know how popular she was. And very cool that you read her blog, too. I say it’s a very small world. I’m glad you got to meet her ~ very impressive. That picture of Maggie on your iphone is my absolute favorite!
awwww so cute!! i’m glad you got to meet her – you look totally stoked lol
I don’t know if I would be patient enough to wait that long, but what a neat experience!!
How awesome! I can’t wait to flip through her book (and yours too – when it comes out!). Thanks to inspirational bloggers like you and the Pioneer Woman, I am encouraged every time I write a post on mine.
How fun! Plus, the sugar cookie looks so darn good
That’s so cool that you got to meet her! I love her blog and drool all over my keyboard when she posts pictures.
Who am I kidding, I drool over a lot of food blogs every day, but hers is the first blog I’ve thought “hmmm… I could live on a ranch. Maybe. But only if it involved a cute cowboy and the ranch had wi-fi…”
I thought the same thing about the wifi. LOL
Wow 4.5 hours! Not sure I’d wait in line that long for anyone “famous”. Good you got to meet her though after all that. would suck if they said ok that’s it and you were a few people away
That’s so cool. I spotted her cookbook a short while back at Target and I thought it was beautiful. Like you said all the pictures and colors make for a unique book.
You are cute, Caitlin, haha
I think you handled that situation very well, and it must have been so awesome to meet someone like her.
Wonder how your book release will be ^^ Maybe I should take the trip over and take a ton of picture of you and make you feel like the biggest celebrity, haha!
Anyway, no matter how big your fame is, the most important is what a great person you are.
haha i dont think my releases will be like that at all, even if even get to do signings, but it would be really cool to meet some of the teenagers who email me all the time about the notes they post in their high school! i think i’d enjoy that the most.
It was great to meet you tonight! When we FINALLY got to see her, I was totally awkward. Oh well! It was fun!
hahah yay you linked your tumblr!
wonderful to meet you too!
Awh, 4.5hrs – that’s love right there!!
I’d never heard of her before you blogged about it, but her cookbook does look beautiful! Anything that combines food + horses is a winner with me
I can’t believe I didn’t know who the Pioneer Woman was until today!!! I was lost in her blog forever!! That’s so exciting you got to meet her!
LOVING that recap girl. So cute.
Julia
http://www.britbride.com
Hahahah that is awesome. I have her cookbook and it is great! I have made a ton of the recipes from there and her site.
Love the story, looks like fun! And she got her publisher to do the 4-color because they knew she’d sell 200k+ copies!
true…. LOL
Sooooo lucky!!!! I hope she comes up to Toronto one of these days! This time next year it’ll be you in Ree’s spot and fangirls screaming all over you!
Really though – what do you say to people you know everything about, and they know nothing about you? Haha. I didn’t know her book was so beautiful, I may have to splurge the money on it. I’ll go be a screaming fan girl at your first book signing Caitlin!
if you scream at a book signing of mine, i will pay you $20 afterwards. LOL
Way too adorable. And your outfit is very cute, by the way!
I love that you were able to meet one of your favorite bloggers. That must have been so incredibly exciting! 
How cool–I love that she knows about your blog, too. I can’t imagine ever reaching that level of fame especially for someone like her, who just started a blog not aiming at being a celeb.
So cool! Glad to hear she’s just as sweet in person. I love her!
I totally want her book! I agree she is amazing!
OMG…I would have been crying by the time I got to the front of the line..I do not handle “meeting famous” people well…seriously…I would cry if I met you!!!
then i would say something really embarrassing (like “crying is epic.”) and you would laugh
What a special night!!!
How exciting! Wow your B&N is HUGE!! It must be so cool to look at a book now and know what went into publishing & writing it!
Congrats on meeting her, you didn’t embarrass yourself at all!!
Ahhhh! I’m so jealous! I absolutely adore her!! And now, I think I have to buy her book. Stat. Her recipes are unreal!
she looks so cute and so do you!
ah – so fun! I LOVE PW and her cookbook is just beautiful.
Does it make you excited to start touring/promoting OB? If you come anywhere near me, I’ll be at your signing with bells on!
So exciting! Soon you’ll be the one sitting in the chair with the sharpie marker
Yay!
i agree! you dont need to star in a movie to be a celebrity! it’s all about your following! cant wait for your book signing!
that. is. awesome. and you’re adorable. nooowwww…it’s your turn!
I love Ree-I bought her book as soon as it came out! I love it!
I’m always afraid that is how I would be if I met someone like you
I am SO jealous you got to meet P-Dub! You’re both adorable. She has made me, too, whish I could live on a cattle ranch with all the cute cowboys and doggies.
Good luck on your own book tour, as well!
Haha I love that you waited 4.5 hours! I’ve always wanted to live on a huge piece of property with horses. My dream one day.
This sounds just like the time my mom and I took a day off of life to go to a book signing at the King of Prussia mall with Paula Dean! I loved her and it was well worth the 6 hours we waited. She was lovely and her husband, Michael, called me “darlin’”. I could have peed my pants. I totally get the celebrity thing.
I spent all afternoon yesterday browsing her site and reading her romance novel of a love story between her and her husband.
I can. not. get it out of my head today.
My boyfriend grew up on 110 acres in West Texas so A LOT of what she was writing really hit home for me.
There is few things sexier than a cowboy, in my opinion! I love their no bullshit (excuse the language!) attitude. There’s no time to be wasting playing games and blabbering on about nothing. He listens and is always honest. Can’t beat that!
So jealous of your meet up! I would be equally as awkward, if not more. I hope she comes to my area some day.
Caitlin! Your book release will be just as epic! I know it! You have alot of fans.
Awesome!! THat looks like such a great time. And yes, there will definitely be a TON of people in line for your signing
Oh Catlin how awesome to meet the Pioneer Woman! Lucky you! I would probably be very awkward meeting her too! But you did great! I wish she would come to our town for a book signing, but I didn’t see it on her schedule. Maybe one of these days………
YOU are super cute! Aw, love it! So happy you got to meet her
I have to be honest Caitlin, if I met you, I would be slightly star struck tooooooooo 
That’s gonna be you, soon!!
Hehe how fun! You look so excited in the pic
That’s awesome she wrote about OB!!
That sounds like a great night! How awesome that she has your blog right on her site!!!
HA! I love your description of your awkward convo! It is so funny how sometimes it is hard to remember bloggers are normal people. I was really nervous when I met YOU in August! Now that I know you, it is funny how nervous I was. Your a normal person (who happens to be super fun!)
I’m so jealous- not of the 4.5 hours of waiting, but still jealous nonetheless! The picture of you two is adorable!
That’s so cute! I love the conversation!
[...] reading about the Pioneer Woman on Healthy Tipping Point, I decided to check out some of her recipes and I stumbled up this recipe for Molten Chocolate Lava [...]