Here are the Pictures that go with my last Post

Remember how I told you about my aunt and uncle going to get a cookbook for me from the Pioneer Woman when she did a book signing in Little Rock Arkansas? Well... they took some pictures and I thought I would post them here:

This is my uncle. I don't know why the picture is smaller. We'll have to ask KatyBell(all one word)

My aunt and uncle stood in line for four hours to get this book signed for me. Cause they loved me that much and I'm their favorite niece.

Okay... I'm their ONLY niece. But that has nothing to do with it!

And Marlboro Man was there too! As a matter of fact, he signed my book in two places. One on the picture of his face... but then my uncle made him sign the picture of his booty on the last page.

I might blush if I meet MM in person in Nashville... cuz he told my uncle that he had not signed across the booty for anyone before.

Oh well. It wasn't my fault, but I'm not complaining! :)

BUSTED!!!

I should lay the blame for spending as much time as I do on the Pioneer Woman’s blogsite at the feet of my friend Mary. Mary has a blogsite too.

http://www.kelsofamily.net/blogs/index.php/Mary/

Mary is one of three people who read my blog and typically leaves me a message.

I love Mary.

I don’t know how Mary found the Pioneer Woman, but she passed me the website address and after about five minutes, I was HOOKED. It is a great site. It is funny and pretty and there are WONDERFUL photographs (and I had just purchased my Big Girl Camera) so it is very informative.

And she gives stuff away too.

I haven’t won anything yet, but I’m still trying.

At any rate… I read PW’s website daily. If she is late posting a blog for the day, I will check it a few times to see when it is updated. I will at least smile over something she has written and sometimes I will laugh right out loud.

The Pioneer Woman has now published her first cookbook. How fun! How exciting! I stopped by my local bookstore the other day to pick one up and couldn’t find it.

Hmm. How strange.

So, the next time I was in the location of a bookstore, I stopped over to see if the book was there. Nothing. I was starting to think we were in some sort of parallel-planed universe here in middle Tennessee. I was at a third bookstore (wasting time on my lunch hour) and thought to look there. Didn’t find it. I actually asked one of the college students who worked there if they had the book and she said, “I think we have one left. Don’t you just LOVE her blog?!” I was happy to talk with her and she explained that she told the store managers when their shipment came in, that it would not be nearly enough. She was right. Management was wrong. They have placed their second order with the publisher.

Finally, I located the LAST copy at the B&N at The Avenue in Murfreesboro where I was meeting my college project partner for a study time. I went ahead and made my purchase and then found out PW had added a book signing date in Little Rock, where I have family.

So… I texted my cousin and aunt and told them they should go. They were busy and they are not as interested as I am. But they indulge me anyway.

So, you can only imagine my SURPRISE when I was looking at the PW website this morning and Lo and Behold… there’s a PICTURE of my Aunt standing in line for the book signing. A closer look shows my Uncle with her (but he is blocked) I laughed WAY out loud and picked up the phone.

My aunt is in the jogging outfit wearing the glasses behind the two girls getting their picture made. http://thepioneerwoman.com/confessions/

My sweet Aunt and Uncle stood in line for FOUR HOURS to get this book signed by Ree Drummond AND her husband (Marlboro Man) to give ME as a Christmas gift! They thought it was hysterical that they made the website and told Marlboro Man, who was taking the pictures, that if they were posted, they’d be BUSTED! And they were.

They were even famous enough to make it onto another blog site:

http://www.nonsensicalgibberish.com/?p=265


Goodness but I love my family!

Sunday afternoon...

I should be working on a class project. But it's pretty outside. So, instead of working... I decided to take my camera to the backyard and play with the manual focus... zooming in on one object and letting the background go blurry.

Why? Because I can.

Bird Feeder:

Tree Bark:

Garden Hose:

Gate:

Cruise control:

I promise to work on my paper. Really, really soon.

She's All That... and a Bag of Oats!

She's got style... she's got grace... she's big and dark and beautiful... and she took it to the big boys and beat the whole lot of 'em.

Zenyatta absolutely should be named Horse of the Year. There will be debate with supporters of Rachel Alexandra. But, let's face it... Rachel didn't show up for the big dance that is the Breeder's Cup Classic.

Zenyatta did. She didn't just show up, but she started out flat last and made her way through the trenches to overtake all those macho boys and won! She is undefeated in 14 starts.

And... she has a signature walk! (Tyra Banks would be proud) She likes to strut before taking her place in the gates. She likes to paw the ground and she loves the attention from the crowd. Her jockey said at one point in the race it felt as if she were slowing down to pose for the throngs of people... but she picked right back up and made her way across the finish line first.

This all coming after a very dramatic moment while loading the gates. One of the boys, Quality Road, was having no part of being loaded into the gate today. He bucked and reared and the handlers finally thought to throw blinders over his eyes to get him in the gate. This is not an uncommon tactic in horseracing. But Quality Road was having no part of it. Once in the gate, he began to kick so violently he was led out and examined by the veterinarian. They determined to scratch him (a first in Breeder's Classic history) because he developed a scratch on one of his hind legs. That's not good in a racehorse and I applaud those in charge for erring on the side of caution.

So, they had to unload all the other horses (who had been standing in the gates for all this time) and reload them. When the gates opened, they were off... with Zenyatta bringing up the rear and biding her sweet time.

When she made her move, there would be no stopping her. She ran a powerful and beautiful race and deserves all the accolades due her.

... and probably some extra grain too!