In case you haven't figured it out yet, I am slightly obsessed with Ree Drummond, AKA "The Pioneer Woman".  Like many people, I first became acquainted with Ree through her TV show.  Since then, I've read her blog, bought her book, memorized her cookbooks, and indoctrinated my child with her Charlie the Ranch Dog series. 

​I have a problem.

Ree, along with Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist, was one of my inspirations for starting Soul Food Time.  Her love for cooking, for her family, and for life is contagious! So yeah, I was beyond excited when my husband offered to take our family to Pawhuska for spring break.  It was a dream come true.

We left Cincinnati on the Sunday before Easter and drove 8 hours or so to The Lodge at Old Kinderhook in Camdenton, Missouri.  Located about 30 minutes off of the interstate, this lodge and golf resort was an unexpected treasure.  I had flashbacks to our spontaneous discovery of the beach at Lake Ogalala in Nebraska.  Just absolute beauty in the middle of nowhere.

A tip: We booked our room only a day in advance on Orbitz, and because it is Kinderhook's off season, the rooms were cheaper than the local Hampton Inn!  Woot woot!

People, I felt like a QUEEN!  We arrived to the lodge through a gated entrance (oooohh), and it looks over a beautiful golf course on all sides (aaahhh).  There was an indoor pool, jacuzzi, outdoor pool, volleyball court that is transformed into a skating rink in the winter, two restaurants, and an elegant lobby area with a fireplace and piano that played by itself (that kept Reed occupied for a very, very long time).

Can I go back?  Pretty please?

After a night and morning of relaxation and fun, we ate breakfast and left literally 2 minutes before the checkout deadline.  

We left Old Kinderhook behind, spurred on by the promise of The Mercantile's twice-baked potatoes.  Four hours later, we checked into a hotel in Bartlesville, OK, about 30 minutes from Pawhuska and all things Ree Drummond.  Bartlesville was a fantastic town with plenty of restaurants and shopping.  Reed and I managed to sneak out to the mall for a minute or two... or ninety.

At last, on Tuesday, we made it to The Mercantile! 

A few notes here:​
1.  I was so excited to see the Merc, I forgot my nice camera!  So the pics from here on out are from our iPhones.  Sorry!  I lost my wits, seriously!

2. Let me take a moment and commend my awesome husband.  I mean, what kind of man drives 11+ hours to take his wife to a town in the middle of nowhere so she can be a crazy fan-girl with mostly middle-aged women in cold, rainy March?  This guy!  There should be monuments built in his honor.  He should hold seminars and charge lots of money.  And then he should use that money to take me back to Kinderhook and Pawhuska.

Is that selfish?

Wait a second... didn't I camp out in the middle of nowhere IN A TENT for 10 days so he could look at antelope?  

That's right, my ladies.  It's all about the give and take.

But still, thank you, Jacob.  You are an amazing man.

We arrived at The Merc around lunchtime, so the first thing we did was eat! We waited for about 20 minutes and then were seated at our table by the most adorable, friendly waitress.  The size of The Merc was the most shocking thing to me; it just went on and on and on.  About half of the bottom floor was a restaurant, the other half a store, and then the top level was a bakery with seating to relax and enjoy the 360 view of Pawhuska.  We stayed for about two hours; I could've easily stayed for four.

The food at The Merc restaurant was some of the best I've ever had!  And it's not just the rose-colored glasses, Jacob agreed!  He kept saying over and over, "Wow, this is a lot different than what I expected!" and then I would fill him in on another 5 minutes of random Pioneer Woman trivia.  I really think he had a great time. 

So ladies, don't be afraid to bring along your husbands.  The food will make the trip worth it. 

​He ordered the steak dinner, Reed ordered mac n' cheese, and I ordered the half chicken parmesan.  We split chips and queso, and even after stuffing our faces we had enough leftovers for dinner at the hotel.  

Thanks to Charlie the Ranch Dog, may he rest in peace, Reed is almost as obsessed as I am with Ree Drummond.  He could narrate her mac n' cheese recipe and he had her seasoned salt recipe memorized at age 2.  He was sooooo excited to be in cowboy country. Whenever a cowboy walked by he would smile creepily and watch him until he was out of sight.

Where does he get this weirdness?

​Oh, yeah.

After eating and shopping, we went upstairs to the bakery.  I ordered a cupcake for later (it was dreamy) and a latte.

​I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

We spent a few more sweet minutes at The Merc before grabbing tickets to the Lodge and heading out back in the rain for the 30 minute trek to Ree's guest house and TV studio.  If you make the trip to Pawhuska, be sure to check The Merc Webpage for lodge visits.  The tickets are free and easy to get, they just aren't available every day.

The drive to The Lodge was long, but it was so worth it!  Although there was a tour guide there to take questions, we were allowed to explore the TV studio and guest house on our own!

Ree is so cool like that.

I have so many design ideas now for when I become a rich and famous cowgirl someday!

Ok, and maybe some practical ones, too!
​

Reed and I stood behind the stove and pretended we were cooking for the camera.  #nerds

Sneek peek into the props closet! See that box of Dr. Pepper?!  Ree Drummond is a kindred spirit, I'm telling ya.

The view from the lodge is just as beautiful as it looks on television.  Reed is a little distracted by the ranch dogs here, not by his psychotic mother.

At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Time to head home!  Our day in Pawhuska was amazing.  If you ever get the chance and you are a Ree Drummond fan like me, you have to make the trek to Oklahoma.

You just might have to go camping for ten days first.  It's worth it.

Oh, and Reed learned a new sleeping-while-traveling trick on our roadtrip.  Experienced little fellow!

Want to read more about our family adventures?  I tend to keep them on The Little Outdoorsman's page; here are some of my favorites!

Its day 4 at the beach, so I've been away from home for a total of 6 days. It is an awkward time for me because Reed and I are having a ton of fun, we are finally in a routine, and I am starting to get homesick! I miss Jacob, Oliver, Cha-Cha and Poppy, and even the fish! Can anyone else relate to this?

Reed and I spend our mornings in the sand and at the pool with my family.  I frantically chase him around with a bottle of sunscreen periodically.  We've managed to avoid sunburn for the entire trip thus far.  Gold star for Mommy!  Just a personal, non-sponsored recommendation: Banana Boat for kids is seriously the bomb.  That stuff stays on all day, is super water-resistant, and doesn't burn or sting.  You're welcome.

Reed's favorite beach activity is for someone (me) to dig him a big hole either close enough to the ocean to automatically fill with water or for Uncle Brandon to haul in water in buckets.  Reed sits in it for about an hour, digging, splashing in the water, or playing with various cups, shovels, sifters, and buckets.  He gets in a little zone.  It is so fun to watch!  After playing for a few hours, we come inside and he eats a PB&J and takes a nap while I do some chores around the condo and nap or read.  In the afternoon we go out to eat and poke around some tourist-y shops for a little.  It's quite the life!

There are a few parts of the trip I want to remember forever!

1) The balcony.  Our room is 17 floors up and looks over a busy beach.  I get up as early as I can and watch the sun rise in the morning, I'm back on the balcony for Reed's nap, and I try to sneak in a few minutes here and there throughout the day.  It is definitely my favorite place to be.  I read my Bible, people-watch, hold Reed (who is now calling me "mom" instead of "mommy" half of the time, sniffle), read, write, think, and nap.  Now if I could just get Jacob to build me one of these...

2) The people.  No offense to my fellow Ohioans, but the Carolinas have you beat in the hospitality/friendliness arena.  Most people here are really welcoming, and the further we get out of the city, the nicer they are!  I am always inspired by the easygoing kindness I find when I travel to the Carolinas.  I want to bring some of that home with me.  One of our favorite families in the whole world lives in the mountains of North Carolina.  Their kindness molded our family's philosophy on hospitality in many ways.  I'll have to write about them sometime.  Kindness is a world changer, man!  

​Yesterday, Reed and I spied a young guy playing a guitar under the pier.  Let me explain.  He wasn't under the pier in a creepy, loner way, just in a "hey, this is a nice, shady place to play a guitar" way.  And we weren't spying on him, we were just on the beach and Reed saw a guitar and flipped out.  ANYWAY... we walked over to him and he saw Reed looking at him in awe and he played us a song!  After that he got down on Reed's level to talk to him and showed him how he was playing with a shell as a pick.  And he took a picture with him.  Reed was totally excited and talked about it for the rest of the day.  So yeah, the people here are really awesome!

3) Little joys.  I had the opportunity to dolphin-watch (from the balcony, of course).  Its a magical place!  I pulled Reed on a really long wagon ride down the beach.  I watched Chopped, my favorite show on the Food Network, with my sister.  We don't have cable at home, and Netflix doesn't have Chopped anymore- boo!  I stayed up until 10:00 last night watching it (like a rebel- normal bedtime is 9:00).  I love listening to the ocean, the sounds of people playing on the beach, and spending 6 days of invaluable, uninterrupted time with my little guy.  I don't think I could ever get tired of that!

Tomorrow is my birthday.  Twenty eight!  It will be neat being here on vacation, but difficult spending it away from Jacob.  No parties or big night out planned- not my style!  Maybe I will live dangerously and get an extra scoop of ice cream.  Stay relaxed, friends!