My Introduction to Pioneer Woman

Okay, this Pioneer Woman has been showing up every where I look and go! Today at work she showed up at our staff meeting! The first I heard of her was just a couple of weeks ago through Laura Atterberry’s “Just A Little Happy” blog, next at the grocery store and on Facebook and now at my staff meeting? Seriously? A pioneer woman at Indian Health Service? No, we did not hold her captive, tie her to a tree or make her do the round dance with us. I would have liked to feed her some traditional corn soup and grape dumplings though! The reality is she wasn’t physically there, but her name keeps popping up like a rock star! So when I got some time tonight I decided to do what any intelligent person would do, I googled her!

I have always been the last to know things and by looking at the amount of her followers I am again the last to know. I think Dr. Phil was on TV for two or three years before I heard of him. So it doesn’t surprise me a bit that everyone knows of Pioneer Woman, but me. I haven’t had much time to look through her blog yet, but anyone that can document 10 reasons why she loves Sonic, is a favorite of mine! However, one article on the side bar did catch my eye, “Ten Important Things I’ve Learned About Blogging”. Since I am new to the blogworld and still have a ton to learn it piqued my interest. As I have read through the list I asked myself

They are:

1. Be Yourself. ~ Well I can do that. I am actually much more chatty on paper than I am in person, especially in large groups. So many people don’t really get to know me, unless we spend one on one time together. I work with a lot of doctors, nurses, pharmacist, dentist, nurse practitioners; behavioral health specialist and the list of professionals go on. Of course, they all have something very important to say, so I tend just to sit, listen and analyze. Not to mention in person my voice always gets lost, but on paper, I can express myself uncumbered. Thus I will shut up about being myself now!
2. Blog Often ~ I try too. Not because I have something important to say, but it is therapy to me, probably because I don’t get my 20,000 words a day that is estimated for each women.
3. Be Varied ~ I just starting venturing out of what I call my living parable posts, where God shows me truth through everyday life. I actually just recently posted pictures of a new recipe I tried from one of our Diabetic Cooking magazines at work. Although, I failed, pretty miserably in that I didn’t take pictures of about 2 or 3 steps! The only topic I hope you ever see me blog on more than once is my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, He is my strength, my comfort, my hope, my all.
4. Exercise More ~ Wow, we just made a visit to look at a recumbent bike off of Craigslist here in Moore, because I do have a pretty sedentary job. I am very excited to get the bike. We’ve been looking for about two months, knowing that being patient God would bring the right one at the right price. We pick up tomorrow!
5. Allow your boundaries to set themselves naturally ~ Up to this one I was quite impressed that she used only two words! I, too, will not share about any “hanky panky” stuff. I agree with her sister, “Okay, gross” This one is a bit more difficult in that often times I want to blog about work stuff, but being a United States Public Health Officer there are many things we are not allowed to do. So I will set my boundary here and stop this point.
6. Bring back retro phrases like “hanky panky ~ I love this one! Not sure I can do that with my blog, because my memory fails me! If I do I expect to hear a “Cool Beans!” from you! I know I am old.
7. Don’t be afraid to embarrass yourself. ~ That is an easy one, I’m pretty good at this! In fact, I am attempting to start using coupons again. Seeing all the website helps out there and knowing a lot of the work is done, I’d be crazy not to give it a try. Well yesterday, I went shopping with coupons in hand! Checked out. Arrived home. Put up the groceries and felt “hunky dory” (retro phrase). Then today at work when I opened my purse guess what was there? Yup! All my coupons!
8. Try your best to spell words correctly and use proper grammar ~ Gee, do I have to? I love not having to live by all those rules put on me by the government. Oh, she said, try. I can do that, but to be honest proper grammar slows me down and cramps my style.
9. If you have writer’s block, push through and blog anyway ~ Not sure I have encountered that block yet. I have found that I think of things often to blog about, but then I don’t have the time to write and then when I do finally get to sit down, I have forgotten what it is about. I told you I was getting old.
10. Value every person who takes time out of their day to stop by your blog ~ she says to tell you that I love you! It’s that love thing that I still struggle with. I am still working on understanding the width and length and depth and height of the love of Christ (Eph 3:18-19). I can agree with this one too; after all, we are taught by God to love one another. So as the Pioneer Woman says, I too say…
11. I love ya…~ and thanks for stopping by! Come back, ya’ hear?

I think it is funny that on her page it says: “My Name Is Ree. I'm a desperate housewife. I live in the country. I channel Lucille Ball, Vivien Leigh, and Ethel Merman. Welcome to my frontier!” Simply because this past week, Jayden told me I was a “desperate housewife”! Darya whose ears are always open, looking to shoot down anything her little brother says said, “No she’s not!” Jayden replied, “Yes, she is!” Darya concluded, “She used to be a desperate housewife, but she isn’t any more because now she has a husband!”

My name is Dione. I’m an Urban American Indian. I don’t live on a reservation. I channel TLC, HGTV and A&E, the other channeling I don’t do! Welcome to my life on concrete!