--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As Marlboro Man slid open the huge barn…" description: "\"“As Marlboro Man slid open the huge barn doors and flipped on the enormous lights mounted to the beams, my heart began beating quickly. I couldn’t wait..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/ree-drummond-818_first-anniversary_as-marlboro-man-slid-open-the-huge-barn_2633528.png" --- # As Marlboro Man slid open the huge barn doors and flipped… ![“As Marlboro Man slid open the huge barn doors and flipped on the enormous lights mounted to the beams, my heart began beating quickly. I couldn’t wait to smell its puppy breath. “Happy wedding,” he said sweetly, leaning against the wall of the barn and motioning toward the center with his eyes. My…” quote by Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/ree-drummond-818_first-anniversary_as-marlboro-man-slid-open-the-huge-barn_2633528.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/ree-drummond-818_first-anniversary_as-marlboro-man-slid-open-the-huge-barn_2633528.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13c/ree-drummond-818_first-anniversary_as-marlboro-man-slid-open-the-huge-barn_2633528.png) > ““As Marlboro Man slid open the huge barn doors and flipped on the enormous lights mounted to the beams, my heart began beating quickly. I couldn’t wait to smell its puppy breath. “Happy wedding,” he said sweetly, leaning against the wall of the barn and motioning toward the center with his eyes. My eyes adjusted to the light…and slowly focused on what was before me. It wasn’t a pug. It wasn’t a diamond or a horse or a shiny gold bangle…or even a blender. It wasn’t a love seat. It wasn’t a lamp. Sitting before me, surrounded by scattered bunches of hay, was a bright green John Deere riding lawn mower--a very large, very green, very mechanical, and very diesel-fueled John Deere riding lawn mower. Literally and figuratively, crickets chirped in the background of the night. And for the hundredth time since our engagement, the reality of the future for which I’d signed up flashed in front of me. I felt a twinge of panic as I saw the tennis bracelet I thought I didn’t want go poof, disappearing completely into the ether. Would this be how presents on the ranch would always be? Does the world of agriculture have a different chart of wedding anniversary presents? Would the first anniversary be paper…or motor oil? Would the second be cotton or Weed Eater string? I would add this to the growing list of things I still needed to figure out.”” [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator confronts the absurdity of a wedding gift that reflects a rural, agricultural lifestyle, revealing anxiety about future expectations and material symbols of commitment. **In simple terms:** A wedding gift of a lawn mower highlights cultural clash and future worries. Key Takeaway Embrace humor and discuss expectations with partners. Themes marriage expectations rural life gift culture anxiety Mood amused reflective anxious Type narrative humorous When to use this quote - wedding planning - gift selection - relationship discussions - budgeting - cultural adaptation Key Concepts cultural clash materialism identity future planning Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance tradition with personal values? - What expectations do you have for future milestones? A Different Perspective The humor may mask deeper concerns about compatibility and financial priorities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deere Riding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deere-riding-2210263/) [First anniversary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-anniversary/) [Heart Began](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-began-1193516/) [Huge Barn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/huge-barn-2210264/) [John Deere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-deere/) [Marlboro Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marlboro-man/) [Presents Ranch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presents-ranch-2210262/) [Wedding anniversary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wedding-anniversary/) [Wedding Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wedding-said-757836/) ## Related quotes > [“More and more, I began helping around the homestead. I learned to operate my John Deere mower so I could keep the yard around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/more-and-more-i-began-helping-around-the-homestead-i-learned-to/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“ Maybe he got me one of those two-necklace sets, the ones with the halved hearts , I thought, and he’ll wear one half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/maybe-he-got-me-one-of-those-two-necklace-sets-the-ones-with-the/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“A toast at your wedding, perhaps?” said Eldric. “I shall never get married,” I said. “But I do like champagne.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franny-billingsley/a-toast-at-your-wedding-perhaps-said-eldric-i-shall-never-get-married/) [Franny Billingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franny-billingsley/) > [“This is my mother’s wedding,”«" she said. "We’re not going to have sex. At all." "But ‘at all’ is my favorite way to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/this-is-my-mother-s-wedding-she-said-we-re-not-going-to-have-sex-at/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“I have had it up to here with my wedding," I said. "The other day Andrea tried to explain to me that apparently I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/i-have-had-it-up-to-here-with-my-wedding-i-said-the-other-day-andrea/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [John Deere's manure spreader is the only equipment the company won't stand behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/john-deere-s-manure-spreader-is-the-only-equipment-the-company-won-t/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [I enjoy my John Deere tractor quite a lot. It's a tool that I must use to keep Mother Nature at bay. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-claypool/i-enjoy-my-john-deere-tractor-quite-a-lot-it-s-a-tool-that-i-must-use/) [Les Claypool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-claypool/) > [That first year I was in Ring of Honor, maybe it wasn't even a year, I was wearing the trucker hat thing and wearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-page/that-first-year-i-was-in-ring-of-honor-maybe-it-wasn-t-even-a-year-i/) [Adam Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-page/) > [“All was still: dark crawlers with their frozen treads, bulldozers motionless as boulders, backhoes with bent necks and sleeping hearts and shove-mouth jaws pillowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-weil/all-was-still-dark-crawlers-with-their-frozen-treads-bulldozers/) [Josh Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-weil/) > [The only difference between a pigeon and the American farmer today is that a pigeon can still make a deposit on a John Deere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hightower/the-only-difference-between-a-pigeon-and-the-american-farmer-today-is/) [Jim Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-hightower/) > [“So I drive into town for my first date in two years in a red 1941 Chevrolet four-on-the-floor with a John Deere motor grader…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-stockett/so-i-drive-into-town-for-my-first-date-in-two-years-in-a-red-1941/) [Kathryn Stockett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-stockett/) > [“My mind spun like the flywheel on an antique John Deere, merry-go-round during second-grade recess, hard spun roulette wheel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-vickers/my-mind-spun-like-the-flywheel-on-an-antique-john-deere-merry-go/) [Dennis Vickers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-vickers/) > [“The Mahdi rolls along the path to the race track as red, broad and shining as a John Deere tractor…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaimy-gordon/the-mahdi-rolls-along-the-path-to-the-race-track-as-red-broad-and/) [Jaimy Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaimy-gordon/) > [“Macherey v. Home Ins. Co., 184 Wis. 2d 1, 516 N.W.2d 434, 438 (Ct. App. 1994) (trial counsel’s failure to object or move to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/macherey-v-home-ins-co-184-wis-2d-1-516-n-w-2d-434-438-ct-app-1994/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But rituals turn us all into fucking idiots. Like those birds that sleep with their heads facing backwards because their ancestors slept with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-bazell/but-rituals-turn-us-all-into-fucking-idiots-like-those-birds-that/) [Josh Bazell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-bazell/) ## More by Ree Drummond > [“What else haven’t you told me?” I thought for a minute. “Actually, yes…there is,” I replied, pausing to consider my words carefully, “I eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/what-else-haven-t-you-told-me-i-thought-for-a-minute-actually-yes/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [Butter, cream, and bacon. That's such a great foundation right there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/butter-cream-and-bacon-that-s-such-a-great-foundation-right-there/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“More and more, I began helping around the homestead. I learned to operate my John Deere mower so I could keep the yard around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/more-and-more-i-began-helping-around-the-homestead-i-learned-to/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“I walked proudly out of the church, the new wife of Marlboro Man. When we exited the same doors through which my dad and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/i-walked-proudly-out-of-the-church-the-new-wife-of-marlboro-man-when/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“When we arrived at the wedding at Marlboro Man’s grandparents’ house, I gasped. People were absolutely everywhere: scurrying and mingling and sipping champagne and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/when-we-arrived-at-the-wedding-at-marlboro-man-s-grandparents-house-i/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“What is it?” I asked, pasting a magazine photo of a football--found in an old Seventeen magazine spread--on my beloved’s collage. “Well, a bunch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/what-is-it-i-asked-pasting-a-magazine-photo-of-a-football-found-in-an/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“When I arrived, I immediately saw the mother of an ex-boyfriend, the kind of ex-boyfriend that would make you want to look as good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/when-i-arrived-i-immediately-saw-the-mother-of-an-ex-boyfriend-the/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“At times the differences concerned me. Could I ever be with a man who’d never, in his entire life, eaten sushi? Could I, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/at-times-the-differences-concerned-me-could-i-ever-be-with-a-man-who/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“You did not do my homework assignment for me,” he said, grabbing the collage again and looking it over. “I had insomnia,” I said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/you-did-not-do-my-homework-assignment-for-me-he-said-grabbing-the/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“I couldn’t bear the thought of a ham sandwich. Imagining milk trickling down my esophagus almost sent me over the edge. Even the saltines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/i-couldn-t-bear-the-thought-of-a-ham-sandwich-imagining-milk/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“Marlboro Man picked me up the next evening, exactly one month before our wedding day. Our evening apart had made the heart grow fonder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/marlboro-man-picked-me-up-the-next-evening-exactly-one-month-before/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“I’ll send the nurse in here in a minute, okay?” Waste of time , I thought. “Okay, but…do you think there’s anything we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/i-ll-send-the-nurse-in-here-in-a-minute-okay-waste-of-time-i-thought/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“How come I wasn’t riding around in his middle seat? Was I supposed to initiate this? Was this expected of me? Because I probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/how-come-i-wasn-t-riding-around-in-his-middle-seat-was-i-supposed-to/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“I’ll see you in the morning. Oh, and hey…if I don’t answer the door right away it probably means I’m doing some weight training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/i-ll-see-you-in-the-morning-oh-and-hey-if-i-don-t-answer-the-door/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [“Minutes later, we were back at the sliding glass door that led inside the house--me, leaning against the glass, Marlboro Man anchoring me there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/minutes-later-we-were-back-at-the-sliding-glass-door-that-led-inside/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) [Explore all 361 Ree Drummond quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) ## More First anniversary quotes > [“The second key I gave you was to your car. The third key I’m giving you is to my apartment, which I hope will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sparling/the-second-key-i-gave-you-was-to-your-car-the-third-key-i-m-giving/) [Amy Sparling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sparling/) > [Today marks the first anniversary of me remembering when your anniversary is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/today-marks-the-first-anniversary-of-me-remembering-when-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There’s nothing to be scared of.” Instead of taking Charlie’s pulse – there was really no point – he took one of the old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/there-s-nothing-to-be-scared-of-instead-of-taking-charlie-s-pulse/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [ “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." \[ Remarks on the first anniversary of the Alliance for Progress , 13 March 1962\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/those-who-make-peaceful-revolution-impossible-will-make-violent/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of growths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/love-seems-the-swiftest-but-it-is-the-slowest-of-growths/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [A year ago Guyana became politically free and independent. She assumed the untrammeled right to make her own decisions on what ought to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forbes-burnham/a-year-ago-guyana-became-politically-free-and-independent-she-assumed/) [Forbes Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forbes-burnham/) > [“Not that I've noticed." She looked down at my gun. "What a nice Glock. My sister carries a Glock, and she just loves it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/not-that-i-ve-noticed-she-looked-down-at-my-gun-what-a-nice-glock-my/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [todays the first anniversary of the asteroid hitting the moon. A year ago i was sixteen years old, a sophomore in high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-beth-pfeffer/todays-the-first-anniversary-of-the-asteroid-hitting-the-moon-a-year/) [Susan Beth Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-beth-pfeffer/) > [“I begin to describe a three-tier cake. The bottom tier would be a deep, dark devil's food cake filled with thick chocolate custard. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-ballis/i-begin-to-describe-a-three-tier-cake-the-bottom-tier-would-be-a-deep/) [Stacey Ballis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-ballis/) > [You don't want to pretend that 9/11 ended in 2002 with the first anniversary. So how do you frame the post-9/11 world and play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-barton/you-don-t-want-to-pretend-that-9-11-ended-in-2002-with-the-first/) [Jake Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-barton/) > [I hope you have a great first anniversary and that this exempts me from ever having to remember it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hope-you-have-a-great-first-anniversary-and-that-this-exempts-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Of the widow's countless death-duties there is really just one that matters: on the first anniversary of her husband's death the widow should think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/of-the-widow-s-countless-death-duties-there-is-really-just-one-that/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The world has grown suspicious of anything that looks like a happy married life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/the-world-has-grown-suspicious-of-anything-that-looks-like-a-happy/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I am a disaster magnet. I came home from our first anniversary vacation with jellyfish stings, a puncture wound from a wrought iron pineapple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-harper/i-am-a-disaster-magnet-i-came-home-from-our-first-anniversary/) [Molly Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-harper/) > [For you wake one day, look around and say, somebody wonderful married me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-ebb/for-you-wake-one-day-look-around-and-say-somebody-wonderful-married-me/) [Fred Ebb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-ebb/) [Browse all 21 First anniversary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-anniversary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As Marlboro Man slid open the huge barn doors and flipped on the enormous lights mounted to the beams, my heart began beating quickly. I couldn’t wait to smell its puppy breath. “Happy wedding,” he said sweetly, leaning against the wall of the barn and motioning toward the center with his eyes. My eyes adjusted to the light…and slowly focused on what was before me. It wasn’t a pug. It wasn’t a diamond or a horse or a shiny gold bangle…or even a blender. It wasn’t a love seat. It wasn’t a lamp. Sitting before me, surrounded by scattered bunches of hay, was a bright green John Deere riding lawn mower--a very large, very green, very mechanical, and very diesel-fueled John Deere riding lawn mower. Literally and figuratively, crickets chirped in the background of the night. And for the hundredth time since our engagement, the reality of the future for which I’d signed up flashed in front of me. I felt a twinge of panic as I saw the tennis bracelet I thought I didn’t want go poof, disappearing completely into the ether. Would this be how presents on the ranch would always be? Does the world of agriculture have a different chart of wedding anniversary presents? Would the first anniversary be paper…or motor oil? Would the second be cotton or Weed Eater string? 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