HELLO November! This is my month of upgrades.

Moving from half-marathoner to marathoner.

Gracefully sliding from 20's to 30's

Dropping from 40 hours to 20 hours at Villages which means ...

Leaping into more Mary Kay.

Add to all that a renewed vigor to saying good-bye to remaining pounds, good-bye to another debt and hello to somethings new and very exciting.

Hello November. I like you already.

I am.

What do I say after I've been away for so long? My head has been spinning with everything that is coming in and out of my life. Facebook's status bar says "what's on your mind?" and the other day I read that and knew the answer was simply 'everything'.

I will have to come back tomorrow to write an articulate, whitty and metaphorically genius post, the kind this blog deserves. But tonight I want to say I'm here.

I am in Goshen.
I'm working hard.
I'm turning into a machine.
I am focused.
I am training for a marathon.
I am building my Mary Kay business.
I'm socializing.
I am making new friends.
I am busy.
I am happy.
I'm blessed.

A gorgeous morning greets us with a view of the ocean, sounds of the city, a perfect dominican breakfast & a wake up call from our favorite dominicano.

We're just not ready to come home. Boat rides, french people, near death experiences, new friends, new foods, good laughs. Shopping tomorrow before goodbyes.

Where to begin? 1-we're still alive. 2-we don't what tomorrow holds but what's new? Oh! What's new are bracelets that say "oh dios mios" our theme for the day.

Tomorrow...Helados Bon or bust!! It's been too long! Well, Helados Bon and a beach/snorkeling tour by boat where we will not get ripped off! Enough sunscreen?

Sun. Coco juice. 30min walk to city=2.5hours&tears. Burrito only means shape,not contents. 3 on moto home after 5 attempts@bank. Boogyboard saves day. No burns!

alive after a beautiful death-defying, unplanned moto ride in mtns. Rip off but my mad scared them down half price. Still expensive 'tour'. Sun-Beach-Adventure.

Favorites: heidi says "I know Sallie, you can buy a spanish board!" (Even our spanish speaking friends laughed) Sallie translating for heidi english to spanish.

Saturday: morning siesta, dominican lunch, 3D movie, catholic church. Late night out w/friends for dominican 'sushi' w/bacon, malecon w/water view & bad karaoke

Friday night: to the tv studio to watch mama film her tv show. Enjoyed flirtation of a very good looking dominican man. Dinner at fancy county club at 11:30pm!

Woke to gorgeous sun. Went to Zona Colonial in publico (7 in small car). Said 'no gracias' a lot. Had great street food after bad corn ice cream then drenched.

Arrived! Dominican lunch-yum. Siesta & shower. Walk to someplace we never found. Speaking bad spanish but understanding lots. Tomorrow-the place not found today

Fun watching 'fashion' then Flight canceled. Anger,tears,disbelief,laughter. Miami hotel, screw top wine, no luggage. Sleep nude, wash undie in sink. Luck? Fun.

Success!! 160 character blog updates start today! No pictures, we'll have to rely on internet cafes. 2 casualties today: left laundry soap & don't like purse!

I heard there was a way to text blog updates. I'm giving it a shot on my way to the airport!

A Quickie

Just a quickie update of the last few weeks.

1. got sick.
2. found out Nepal was having strikes
3. was sick and had to decide if I was going to postpone/cancel Nepal trip
4. canceled Nepal trip.
5. cried a lot
6. was still sick
7. lied on the couch
8. went through 2 boxes of kleenex
9. booked tickets to the Dominican Republic for much needed vacation
10. went back to work
11. ran 8.5 miles
12. weighed in at 154.3...15 pounds left to lose, 125 pounds down
13. met another prospective Mary Kay client
14. packed tight for my trip
15. leaving tomorrow for the DR!

Check here and/or Facebook to see photos as we can post them through the trip. I'll make sure to update when I get back on the 21st.

The End of the Dating Drought.

So folks. The drought has ended. I had a first date.

If there is any doubt I've changed my life let me just lay this out for you. It was a totally blind date. We went to a rock climbing gym. Rock climbing on a first date means you can't wear a cute dress. I went on a first date in pretty darn tight workout clothes. Yes, I looked cute but there was no hiding my butt. Speaking of butts...mine was in a harness, high in the air. My date was on the ground making sure I didn't plunge to my death. This meant when I slipped off the wall trying to swing my foot onto a ledge, I was hanging in a harness, high in the air, suspended by my butt, above my date's head.

I've never been rock climbing and had been wanting to go. So...why not have a first on a first? Although I had a bit of a freak out after committing to it, I went, had fun, challenged myself and didn't get annoyed/angry like I normally do when doing new things I'm concerned I won't be able to complete. It was like I actually had confidence in myself and my physical ability. It was like I was an athlete! :)

After hanging above my date in a harness and witnessing his cat-like abilities on the wall, we acquired a third leg to the date and went for dinner. Yeah, you caught that. My first date, wearing tight workout clothes when I first met the date, hanging in the air above his head, had a third person join us for dinner. Who does this happen to? Who does this happen to and they leave the date thinking it was ok?? I guess I do.

There won't be another date with that particular guy but I got the first first out of the way. And hey, I got a free rock climbing lesson out of it.

Oh new and exciting life. You bring twists and turns but I like you.

A Photo for your Pleasure.

I've been hearing an outcry/demand/insistence for photos. So, today before I went for my afternoon run (and my fastest one ever!) I snapped a couple of photos for your viewing pleasure.

This dress is as comfortable as my notorious "blue dress" but so much cuter.
I saw this picture and just saw strong. I think it was my leg. :)

I think the notorious blue dress was a size 20. Hello size small.

The first dress I bought for the summer fun and my first piece of clothing in size 6.

I know maybe I shouldn't love this picture because the lighting could make it weird but I just like it. That and the size 6, not cotton stretchy dress I'm rocking.

I Bought a Dress.

It was a size 6. Holy Moly.