For those who don't know, I have loved Ree Drummond, AKA The Pioneer Woman, for many years. Her cooking show is my favorite series on Food Network, and I own two of her cookbooks. I’ve made a few of her dishes, and everything has tasted amazing! One weird goal I have is to save enough money to visit Oklahoma, stay at her boarding house for a weekend, and possibly tour the ranch house where she films her show. And being able to meet her in person would be a dream come true. Also, I follow her on all social media platforms to stay up-to-date on everything Pioneer Woman related. As you can see, my commitment to this woman runs deep.
Now, let’s rewind to November 2020. Ree was publishing her book Frontier Follies: Adventures in Marriage & Motherhood in the Middle of Nowhere, and from the moment she announced this project, I knew I would be buying it. And sure enough, about a week after it was released, I finally made my way to the store and got my hands on a copy. I’ll be honest with you, though. I only read about 1/3 of it before life got in the way, so I had to put it down for a while. But I do plan on finishing it!
One night I was on Instagram and saw that Ree was sending PR packages to certain people in her circle to promote her book. At first, I was jealous of the people getting that big pink box. I wanted one so badly. So then, the second thing that popped into my head was a question. What if I just asked her for one? I had a feeling that this little nobody from Ohio probably wouldn’t get that lucky, but the worst thing she could do is say no, right?
So, that is just what I did. On November 21, 2020, at 3:59 pm, I took to Twitter and posted
“So… I just found out that @thepioneerwoman does PR packages??? What does a girl need to do to get on that list?? 😂😂 (Btw, bought your book and loving it so far!)”. It was a tweet-it-and-forget-it situation since I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Then, at 4:47 pm, my phone lit up with a notification from Twitter. I opened it and was shocked to see that not only had Ree Drummond seen my tweet, but she also responded with “DM me your address!! ❤️”. If I hadn’t been at work, I probably would have cried. And in the event you guys don’t believe me, here is the proof.
After my internal freakout ended, I did as Ree said. I sent her my address. I didn’t get anything back saying she received my message, but I didn’t think I would. But then came the worst past. The waiting. Waiting to see if I would get anything. Waiting to see how long a package would take to get to me from Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Waiting to see if this was real or just a dream.
On November 30, 2020, I was heading home from visiting my family for Thanksgiving when I got a call from my husband. He asked me if I was expecting a package because a big box was outside our front door. I told him I didn’t think so but asked what it looked like. He said it was a big pink box. At that moment, it clicked. Ree Drummond had sent me a PR package! I told him what it was and asked him to bring it inside. It took every ounce of willpower not to press the gas pedal to the floor and get home as fast as possible. But I decided a speeding ticket wasn’t worth it, so I drove like a law-abiding citizen.
When I got home, I ran into our apartment, grabbed the box, and opened it. The first thing in the box was a typed note from Ree Drummond that explained a little bit more about her book. Then, there was an autographed copy of her book. Finally, there was an assortment of items; two brown leather purses, an insulated coffee mug, a small notebook, a candle, two dish towels, a skunk stuffed animal, a pair of earrings, a bracelet, lipstick, and a baseball hat with “Drummond Ranch” and the logo on it.
Even to this day, I still can’t believe that this happened. I got a present from one of my favorite celebrities. No one will ever be able to take that away from me. The moral of this story is simple: Shoot your shot! Whether it’s with a potential love interest, dream job, or something simple like this. Worst case scenario, they say no. Best case scenario, you get what you want and maybe more. So dream big! Who knows what could happen?
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