Dear Dirty Dash,

I feel like you and I together, along with my girls Cass and Steph, have made the Mud Gods proud. And probably the Fitness Gods as well.

I had taken a working out sabbatical, so this race was the perfect kick off to get my hiney in gear. After a month and a half of pure laziness after the Miss Idaho/Miss Magic Valley health kick (that is right... I stopped working out the day of the pageant and didn't step a foot in the gym or watch what I was eating... I basically was one of the seven deadly sins) my workouts started again on September 1. So this last weekend when I ran in the dirty dash I quickly found out running a race, whether it be 2K, 5K, or 10K, needs a little more than hardly-a-month's prep. Although running uphill for a long time was super tiring, running up a muddy hill in a heard of 100s of piglets made it worth it. Imagine this.

Uphill through the mud, diving through mudpits, coming to a muddy terrain which requires a rope to get out of (which is also muddy and very slippery), jumping over hay bails, jumping over double hay bails, shimmying through muddy tubes, scurrying through crowds of mud monsters, climbing over walls, sliding under walls,

trying to escape from quickmud (like quicksand... but squishy), diving through muddy pools of water, jumping in muddle puddles, go down a huge muddy slip-n-slide, coming to the finish line through a mud lake of fun and adventure.

There you have it. I have never felt so good being dirty. I will return, and next year... I will train a little bit more before.

Love,

Deidre

Dear Mr. Barrister Tony Abbas,

I just received your email about your inheritance you wish to share with me. Thank you so much for contacting me all the way from Nigeria and offering to give me $1,000,000.00. I appreciate your kind soul and considerate heart so very dearly. I will look forward to getting your check in the mail. It must be my lucky yea because not only will you be sharing your inheritance with me, but Mr. Isaac Gozie is giving me all the money from a dormant bank account, Mr. Riccardo Varanini is giving me money from his foundation, and Mr. Alfred Udeh is sharing his lottery winnings with me. Looks like I am sitting pretty. And people said making money was hard....

Love,

Deidre

Dear Base Jumper,

I was excited to go participate at the Perrine Bridge Festival as Miss Magic Valley. The opportunity to meet new friends, watch the base jumpers, sign a few autographs, and drive the train sounded like a great appearance to begin with.

But I will admit that the festival would not have been complete without you. From the moment I got there and the first comment from you was "Miss Magic Valley, huh? So that means there isn't a Mister? Well... there is room for two in this suit!" I knew it would be quite the day. Ending with you asking for my autograph with all the little girls, inviting me to a "fancy" dinner at Elevate, telling me I "had you at hello" and that you had "never met a real woman". Thank you for making my appearance a little more exciting than it would have been. Here is to hoping I see you next year Hansel.

Love,

Deidre

Dear Emotional Rollercoaster,

You make me sick. Please let me off?

Love,

Deidre

Dear Woman In My Home Ward,

Sometimes I sit around and wonder, "Why do I live like this? Is what I am doing really making any difference? Does anyone care if I wear sleeves on my shirt? Does anyone notice that I want to do service? Will it matter if I just live my life and bend the rules a little?" I am in no way saying I am better than anyone around me. I know I have flaws, lots of flaws, and I know there are lots of things I need to work on every single day. But there are so many days when I wonder if life would be more exciting if I just lived on the edge... Then I get a message like this from my mom, "So and so asked how your pageant stuff was going on Sunday. She said that her girls saw your picture in the paper and said Mom she is dressed modestly. She said my girls just love her and look up to her." And that is when I realize... this is why I live the way I do. This is why I strive every day to be a little better. Whether or not I am living perfect, I know I am growing and I know I am setting an example for young girls around me. Thank you for the reminder and thank you for letting me be an example to your daughter and including me in your family's life. Your girls are the reason I want to be better.

Love,

Deidre