Dear Baseball Season and Gloria,

It is sort of funny how things work out sometimes. I honestly never thought I would care about baseball. Sorry Adam, but I just didn't. But now I find myself a month after the last home series craving a little Cougar baseball! What the heck!? I didn't even know the rules of baseball a year ago. And now it has become a huge part of my life. Games every weekend. Looking up Adam's teammates stats at summer ball. Learning all the lingo. Watching baseball every night. Getting excited when some man I don't even know has a no hitter. And asking Adam if we can please watch a game. Who am I? What have I become!?

Well. I know what I have become. A supportive (for lack of a better word) fiance. If Adam can sit through an hour of talent rehearsal, go to multiple pageant events, attend both nights of Miss Idaho, and watch all the future pageants with me... then I can love baseball for him. And I will be honest, I really like baseball now that I understand it.

Besides baseball, do you know what I miss? My baseball girlfriend other half and BFF gdarlinggg. Here we are from the first of the season until the end.

Really glad I had her this last season. And I will miss her these next few seasons while her baseball boyfriend is on a mission and she moves back home to Las Vegas. So first, let's fast forward to next baseball season so I can wear my "MILLER 22" jersey. And second, let's fast forward to 2014 so Gloria can get her behind back to Utah.

Love,

Deidre

P.S. OH! And a VERY happy birthday to my blogging bestie! This little gem of a blogger turns 31 today! And she seriously is the best! Go wish her a HAPPY DAY!

Dear Misikko,

Oh Misikko... how you can draw me in with one giveaway. But not just ANY giveaway. A dream package giveaway? And I have been DREAMING! Cause when you dream it might come true. When you dream, dream big. (Ryan Shupe anyone?) Well. I put together a nice little package. And now I hope you can all dream with me and help me win. Let's have a look, shall we?

Model in a Bottle // Cost: 14.99

Why Model in a Bottle? Well because a nice girl at Miss Idaho sprayed some on my face at the beginning of competition so at the end of the night I looked like this.

Any by this I mean the exact same as when I started. No black eyes, lipstick still fierce, bronzer and blush in place. Even after 3 hours of stage lights, about 10 minutes of dancing, a very scary swimsuit portion (aka nervous sweats), and changing my wardrobe 5 different times.

Model in a Bottle Lash Builder // Cost: 58.99

I picked this product for reasons.

1. I trust the brand, hence the first product I picked.

2. Who doesn't want long lashes?

3. I am tired of looking like this after any night that I want long pretty lashes.

Enzo Milano Clipless Curling Iron 1'' Round // 129.99

My curls always turn to straights. Lets help these baby curls or lack thereof) out. 

Hana Shineshield Heat Therapy Blacklabel // Cost: 44.99

Moroccan Oil Gift Set // Cost: 84.99

So these two items are meant to help protect your hair, make it shiny, and make it healthy. And healthy hair equals longer hair. And I would really like my hair to grow. So I am hoping with these two products my hair will be like Rapunzel. So silky and smooth. And not like this....

Don't mind the face and hands... they aren't always like that.

Heat Proof Mat & Pouch // Cost: 14.99

Simply because I prefer things to not catch on fire.

So the grand total of all the items I picked comes out to $348.94! Which fits perfectly in the $350 limit.  I have included a before and after of what these products could do for not only me, but for you. A true testimonial.

And you know what the best part is about this giveaway? You can enter it too! Just go to Misikko. Pick out your dream package. Blog about it. Post the link to your post on their FB page. Winning all around. And if you dont enter, actually even if you do, help a sister out. Make my post seem better than it really is by sharing the love.

Love,

Deidre

Dear SEVEN questions,

Guess what's back? Back Again? Questions back. Tell some friends.

 "Here. Let me liven up dress rehearsal by stretching on a couch?"

1. If you could be any princess- which would you be and why?
Belle. Not only is she gorgeous. But she is smart. And men fight over her. And she cares about her family. And she likes to read. And she is completely oblivious to things going on around her sometimes. Which makes me think (besides the men fighting thing) we are the same person. Her eyes are brown though, so that is a fail.

2. Do you have any odd habits? (do things in order, words that you say too often, etc)

Everything MUST be even. Even dates. Stretch left side, stretch left side. Can't open the microwave unless it is at an even number... WHO JUST STOPS THE MICROWAVE at :37?! Go to an even or something divisible by 5 at least!


3. What's your "go to" outfit?
My go to outfit. It isn't a specific item, but a general type. Skinny jeans. Comfy top like a loose tee or loose sweatshirt. Flats. You can see a lot of my (Fashion Friday is dead but shall be revived) outfits here. But for my go to look at Exhibit A:

4. Do you have any siblings? What are their genders, ages, order of age, names, etc?
Yep. All brothers. The best time. Ryan 32, Sean 29, Eric 27 .... I think.... Here is an old photo. But you get what I am trying to show you, right?

5. What's your favorite precious stone?
Opals and Larimar. I love all precious things. But those two are more special to me.


6. If you had a check in your hand for 1 million dollars, what would you do with it?
Travel. Nailed it. And also I would shop a lot and buy all the cute things I want. If you are smart one million goes a long long LONG way.


7. What do you love most about yourself- physically (eyes, smile, hair, etc. I don't know a good way to word that question...)

 My smile. Once upon a time I won best smile for the yearbook. That was a happy day. And my parents paid a pretty penny to get these teeth straight.

What else do you wanna know peoples?!

Love,

Deidre

Dear Pretzel Salad,

Remember yesterday when I told you about the pretzel salad? And remember how sometimes when you think salad you think... only healthy. Well this what I like to call an ILLUSION salad. Want to know why? Because it is just treats. Yum. Get. In. My. Belly. That is what I said to the salad, and that is what it did.

Ingredients
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar, plus 3/4 cup sugar

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
• 1 (8-ounce) container whipped topping
• 2 (3-ounce) packages strawberry gelatin dessert mix
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen strawberries
• 
  
• Directions
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the crust, mix the pretzels, butter, and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Press this mixture into a 9 by 13-inch pan and bake for 7 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and 3/4 cup of sugar. Fold in the whipped topping, and spread over the cooled crust. Refrigerate until well chilled.
• In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, and allow to cool slightly. 
• Add the strawberries and pour over the cream cheese mixture. Refrigerate until serving time.
• To serve, cut slices and serve with a dollop of whipped topping.
• 
  

I actually made the salad for a surprise going away party for Miss Heidi at work. She hates surprises....

But it was a successful event. And we miss her. Lots. Already.

Love,

Deidre

Dear Weekend,

Busy. And fun. You were busy and fun. And it was a good kind of busy too. Not the busy where I come home at night and say to myself, "Deidre, what the heck are you putting yourself through!?" The kind of busy where I come home and say to myself, "Well that was a success!" And then I can put my head down on my pillow and think "Victory." 

This is what happened... and I can give you more details laters. Deal? Deal.

Friday

Pretzel Salad (recipe to come)

Lunch Date at Sammy's thanks to an AWESOME Groupon

Sign-in book shopping... still have yet to buy one

Hanging out with my BFF Gloria, so sad she is moving

Dinner Date at Texas Roadhouse

Double Date of cards and s'mores with our favorite people Mark and Mallory

Treats for all!

At Sammy's we had to wait... forever... because all the boxes and shipments were all out on the counter.

Clearly one dinner roll decided to eat the others and was WAY bigger.

Saturday

Breakfast at Kneaders with Adam's mission companions

Donate plasma... tried and failed. My veins are too little!

Bought a kitchen table at Kmart

7 Peaks Waterpark

Lots of Prison Break

Trafalga and Sonic with friends

The nice countdown Adam put in my phone while waiting to donate plasma...

  Adam was Rambo and I was Poseidon.

 Four men on the little kid Frog Hopper? Broken.... 

"You can have one or two adults on it at a time! NEVER four!"

See what I mean? Successful weekend. Too much The perfect amount of fun!

Love,

Deidre

Dear Pizza Party,

Remember in grade school when it was SO exciting to have a pizza party? And that seemed to be the prize for everything? Reach your reading goal? Pizza party.Little Timmy's birthday? Pizza party. No bad marks all semester? Pizza party. End of the school year? Pizza party. Well last week I went to a pizza party with my sister in law Jo. And it was a serious pizza party at that! Her neighbors just redid their backyard and put in a brick oven. It was incredible! And so we headed over with some pears and a salad to celebrate. Their family was adorable. The kids had made menus (and I forgot to take a picture, but it was so cute.. "speshall ohcashun" pizza) for the event and they were all dressed as servers. Inside their house were trays filled with dough and restaurant style tubs filled with ingredients. Once it was all ready we took it outside to their fabulous set up. And we ate. A lot.

The pizza was SO good. And I am sad I only stopped long enough to remember to take one picture... because I wish you could have seen all the kinds. Pear pizza, berry pizza (pictured... but only one berry on this one), cheese, pepperoni, Canadian bacon. YUM. Yum yum yummmm. Seriously so good.

Love,

Deidre

Dear 7 Questions,

It's baccckkkkkk! You missed learning bizarre things about me, didn't you?

After Miss Idaho... it isn't a real event unless I make a fish face.

1. What do you do when you're sick? (Do you act like a baby? Tough it out? Have any weird cravings? Cry?)
I tough it out... and complain to Adam some. But mostly I tough it out.

2. What do you do to find motivation when you feel you've lost it?
I let my haters be my motivators! Just kidding. I don't know of enough haters to motivate me, so if you are out there step forward so that can become true! I usually find motivation through sitting down for a little and then thinking, "Wait one second... this will not do!"

3. Do you wish time away or do you savor every moment?
A little of both. Is that fair? I don't wish time away, but I look forward to the time to come. And I enjoy every moment I can today. "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the 'present'." 

4. If you could be any mythological creature, what would you be, and why?
Clearly the only choice is a Harpie.... A woman's head and torso with the body (aka wings) of a bird. It is like getting everything I want. Being a human that can fly.

5. What is your current biggest weakness and are you working on fixing it?
My biggest weakness... I am very very stubborn. And I am working on it by giving in a little more. And being okay with not always winning, getting what I want, and being right. I have had to work on that even more as I have gotten engaged because marriage is about compromise. You'll have to ask Adam how I am doing because obviously I think I am doing awesome.

6. How do you greet someone when meeting them for the first time?
If it is in a business setting I will just smile, shake their hand, and say, "Hi! I am Deidre, what is your name?" If I am in a friend setting I will introduce myself and then (since I have been hugging everyone else) say, "I will just give you a hug too!"

7. How do you grocery shop? (Do you write up a list? Go in with no idea what you're looking for? Have meal plans? Bring your own shopping bags?)

 I always have an idea of what I want. Meals in mind. But then I just go up and down the isles and pick what looks good for meals and make up my own things. Much more exciting.

So there you are people. Now you can rest another week knowing I shared TMI once again.

Love,

Deidre

Dear Skype,

Remember how much I appreciate you!? Well if you don't, let me tell you again. YOU are the only good part about Adam leaving me for days at a time. Because then I can see things like this....

For hours every single day. Even if he is in a different state.

Love,
Deidre