Marlboro Man, the kids, and I are in Houston, Texas and later today we’re meeting up with our two-year-old daughter Alex (and okay, she’s eighteen…but still) and going to a football game. This in itself is not notable until you consider the fact that the two teams that are playing are Texas A&M, where Alex is attending college, and Arizona State, where Marlboro Man attended college.
My daughter’s team and my husband’s team are playing each other.
And this in itself is interesting enough until you consider the fact that my husband, whom I affectionately call Marlboro Man, and whose chaps I affectionately admire, takes football very, very seriously. Yes, he’s one of those people, and I knew it before we got married, so it’s not like he pulled the wool over my eyes. Besides ranching, football is his life, and he’s ardently supportive of Arizona State. When I found out the first game of the season for both his team and my daughter’s team was to play against each other, I did the following:
* Laughed
* Stopped laughing
* Considered transferring Alex to another university, and fast
* Cried
* Considered falsifying every football schedule everywhere so Marlboro Man wouldn’t know about this game
* Laughed
* Cried
Then I sort of settled into resignation about it because heck, I told myself, Alex would be in Texas and Marlboro Man would be in Oklahoma and they could both cheer for their respective teams openly, and I could cheer for Arizona State in Oklahoma while texting Alex things like “GIG ‘EM!” and “GO AGGIES!!!!!!” at the same time.
Then Marlboro Man decided to organize a family trip to Houston so we could all attend the game together! And when he told me this, I did the following:
* Cried
* Lost sleep
* Considered transferring to another family, and fast
* Laughed
* Considered canceling our credit card so the flight reservations wouldn’t go through
* Cried
But we’re here. We’re in Houston. And we’re heading to the game this evening with our two-I-mean-eighteen-year-old daughter.
Our tickets are in the Arizona State section.
I will be wearing maroon because it’s common to both teams.
I will be cheering for both teams. I think. I may have to lean toward Texas A&M since I gave birth to someone who’s a student there. (That said, I gave birth to someone who’s a student there because of someone who went to Arizona State. It’s a very difficult call.)
It’s going to be interesting, to say the least.
(Light a candle for me, will you?)
Love,
Pioneer Woman
Ree Drummond is the founder of The Pioneer Woman and a lover of butter, basset hounds and life on the ranch! Ree started her blog in 2006, and now millions visit ThePioneerWoman.com every month for her trusted recipes and fun family stories. Here’s what she has been up to since it all began:
New York Times Bestselling Author
Ree has written two memoirs (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, and Frontier Follies) plus nine bestselling cookbooks:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier (2012)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays (2013)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime (2015)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! (2017)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier (2019)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy (2021)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready! (2023)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes (2025)
Food Network Host
Since 2011, Ree has been sharing simple, family-friendly recipes—and the occasional kitchen prank!—on her award-winning show The Pioneer Woman, filmed right on Drummond Ranch. Ree is also a regular judge on Food Network competitions, including Christmas Cookie Challenge.
Founder, The Pioneer Woman Collection
Ree has been creating and selling kitchen and home products at Walmart since 2015 and she’s involved in designing every piece and pattern. The line now includes best-selling appliances (you have to see the floral blender!), plus hundreds of pieces of cookware, tableware, and more. Ree doesn’t like to play favorites but the Agatha print has a special place in her heart.
Restaurant and Hotel Owner
Together with her husband Ladd, Ree has opened several bustling businesses in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, including The Pioneer Woman Mercantile—a bakery, restaurant, and general store that draws visitors from across the country (many come for the biscuits alone!), P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Ice Cream Shop, and The Boarding House, a charming hotel with eight different rooms decorated by Ree and Ladd.
Media Personality
Ree appears regularly on national TV shows like Today, Good Morning America and more—all while managing to keep flour off her shirt.
Wife, Mom and…Grandma!
Ree’s kids (daughters Alex and Paige and sons Bryce and Todd) are all grown up, and as of December 2024, Ree is the proud grandma of the cutest baby ever, Sofia Scott, born to Alex and her husband Mauricio. Ree still cooks for Ladd (and the kids when they’re home), and she also looks after a few mischievous ranch dogs.
