Category Archives: Celebrity

Duck Commander

So as many of you know, we attended a wedding in Fort Walton Beach, Florida this past weekend. This meant a 10-12 hour drive, one way, depending on how many times we stopped. Driving thru five states with good people is pretty fun but more on all that goodness later. I’m about to tell you about greatness.
Now, Sy and I have become hooked on this show called Duck Dynasty. It is greatness. It’s based on these hillbillies in Louisiana that became millionaires by inventing duck calls. Regardless, they are funny, wise and completely personable and I can’t get enough. If you haven’t seen the show, take a moment to stop reading this post and go ahead and set your DVR to record every upcoming episode. Go ahead. Every episode. Yes I’m serious. Good? Alright!
So our trip began bright and early Thursday morning. I was first to drive out of the metroplex (YAY! Out of the metroplex we go!) and headed east! A couple pee breaks (thanks Ray!) and we finally hit our first gas fill up, randomly taking an exit in Monroe, LA. Here I was, at this little ole gas station (not even realizing what town I was in) and looking across the street seeing this sign that says “Bayou Pawn”. Wonder what they had in there is really all that was going thru my head. I got booted from driving and as soon as we got back onto the road, I grabbed Sy’s cool phone with the Internet and started Diana’s rambling.
“I wonder where Duck Commander is.”
“On the way back we have to stop at Duck Commander!”
“It’s a weekday, I wonder if Uncle Si is at Duck Commander.”
“Ah hell, we should’ve tried to find it on our way thru Monroe!”
“We ARE stopping on the way back!” Period.
Sunday rolls around. I have been driving from Fort Walton Beach and we’re rolling into Monroe. Florence, the navigation on Sy’s phone, tells me to exit. I exit. Take a left. I take a left. I go over the highway overpass and stop at the light. What do I see in front of me… Bayou Pawn. !&%@(!
I’m not even kidding you, I took the first right past Bayou Pawn and Duck Commander is sitting right there on the left. Thursday, I was across the street from this place and I didn’t even know it and with my luck Uncle Si and the rest of the gang was in Duck Commander and I was with my city folk across the street. How does this happen?! Next time, I’m going to be prepared! We’re planning ahead!
 My Sy standing next to Uncle Si and the crew! “Hey” “Hey”
Phil!
City boy. Country girl. Duck Commander love!
We just spent the last three days on a white sandy beach on the Florida coast, at a wedding at that and this is the only picture we got together all weekend. Ah well! It’s Duck Commander!
The ducks are still on the roof but it looks like Willie got a new door to his office!
To the folks at Duck Commander, you are fantastic! I’ve even convinced a guy at work to grow out his beard (or maybe he’s convinced me he will do it). We’re coming back thru in September… how about you just happen to be around one Saturday morning? Please?!Now the real question – let’s be realistic here, we weren’t the only ones that stopped to take a picture so I’m figuring there’s some traffic to check out the building. Are any of the guys actually there during the week?

Presidents Day & Update

Happy President’s Day Ya’ll! I hope the majority of folks were able to take the day off and relax. I seem to have a hard time sitting still, even when I have a three day weekend. It’s like I’m always giving myself a new project or something to keep me occupied other than just sitting down and doing nothing.
Update: My camera is currently out of commission for what could be as short as seven days or as long as two weeks. With that being said, I’m taking this time to recap on some “adventues” that I’ve taken in the past. Although my posts are usually random and posted here and there, expect that even more in the upcoming seven days, up to two weeks. I’m kind of excited about this though because there are a lot of things that I would like to share!
AND since it is President’s Day afterall……
President George HW Bush Library in College Station, TX.
George W. Bush’s House in Dallas. Just prior to his moving in.
Saturday’s Trip: Mark Cuban’s house in Dallas. Ok, maybe he’s not officially the President or the Mayor but he might as well be!

Ree Drummond Book Signing, 2/14/2011, Dallas, TX

On Valentine’s Day I found myself sitting in (a very long) line waiting to meet Ree Drummond. She is the creator of PioneerWoman.com and an accomplished author. There are many reasons that it was a very long line. Have you checked out her website? If you haven’t, you definitely should.

Ree Drummond found herself dreaming of living in the city. She had spent some time in Southern California going to college. She went back home to Oklahoma for a short stint before planning to move to Chicago however her plans detoured when she met her future husband, Marlboro Man. (He’s a cowboy.) In 2006, she started her Pioneer Woman blog which is about an accidental country wife and mother for four children. She is an accomplished author (New York Times Best Seller), cook, and photographer. (She is pretty much living my dream life.)

I first came across The Pioneer Woman when I received her cookbook “The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl” as a Christmas gift. I was hooked. This is a recipe book which also showcases her photography and family on her Oklahoma ranch. This recipe book is a little different than the normal recipe book. Each recipe shows step by step photographs of the meal you are creating. This is especially helpful. The recipes are also fairly easy to make, they don’t require a ton of ingredients (don’t you hate those recipes where there’s 25 different ingredients listed? This isn’t it.), and they are darn tasty. Besides the fact that she lived on a ranch, was married to a cowboy and looked to have a pretty successful thing going on, I had to know more, so I looked up her website.

Her website is a compilation of her “Confession”, Cooking, Photography, Homeschooling and “Home and Garden”. Her “Confessions” page is stories of her life on the ranch. Her site also includes her photography (which is outstanding) and helpful tips to achieve the photography success you are looking for personally. Ree provides home and gardening tips, they did a home renovation a few years ago and she shares every step of that with you. She and her husband (did I mention that he is a cowboy and they live on a ranch) home school their four children. The homeschooling section (which is run by herself and another contributor) answers questions that people may have and show you the everyday life of being a home schooled kid. The cooking section of her site is her main focus as she loves to cook. This area provides some of her personal recipes and also brings you to a sister site called “Tasty Kitchen”. Here you have access to a ton of recipes which have been submitted by cooks from near and far. Her humor makes you feel as if she’s a friend that you’ve known forever. Her site is inviting and warm and is really a great learning experience. She also has three contributors on her site so you will always be getting an update in one area or another.

Her second book (which is the one that I attended the book signing for) is titled “The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels“. This book is her story of how she and her cowboy husband ‘Marlboro Man’ met – you’ll fall in love with him by the end of chapter 2 – I guarantee it. She has humor and wit and doesn’t hold back when she shares some embarrassing stories (pretty much sounds like things that would happen to me). If you are into great love stories – pick this one up.

Ree Drummond has won numerous awards and is currently nominated for some of the world’s best blogs. She was also featured on “Throwdown with Bobby Flay“. At the book signing she said that she has been approached for starting a show on the Food Network however it sounds like she is more focused on her family and life on the ranch. They were also approached regarding putting out a movie about her book “The Pioneer Woman: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels” so who knows – they have three years to put it out there.

Her website has so much to offer, she appeals to so many people. Check out her site, go buy her book, you won’t be disappointed.