I have finally acquired the little black dress I mentioned I was looking for a month ago or so. I tried on tons of dresses, most of which did not fit at all. It wasn't a very fun experience. This is what I ended up getting:



Here's another view of it, this time in red:



No pictures of me in...

The race went really well. I didn't beat my previous time, but I wasn't dead last! Hooray!

Here's me just before receiving my award (a completion certificate and a water bottle). I look crazy exhausted, but I'm happy I did it!



The weather was absolutely stunning. It was around 30C, there was a little breeze from time to time, and the ocean water was nice and warm. There...

This is directed to the ladies. I'm looking for a cute little black dress, but I don't know where to start. I'm not much of a girly-girl, so the last time I wore/bought a dress was for my high school graduation 11 years ago. It took me MONTHS to find something appropriate and nice to wear back then, and I'm hoping this time around it won't be as bad. I have a few months until the event that I need the dress for, so there's no huge pressure.

What are some good shops that...

All I ever seem to write about, whenever I bother to update this thing, is exercise. That's pretty much the only interesting thing in my life right now.

On May 31st I did my 3rd 10k of the year. I can't believe I've done 3 of them so far! I was totally unprepared for that run, so I didn't have any time goals. I just wanted to finish. It was one of the hottest days of the year so far, so I was totally sweating even before the race started. It was a gorgeous day, and we...

Is this as amazing as everyone says it is? Jillian freaks me out a bit and annoys me slightly, but I think the workout would be awesome, and help kick my ass back into gear. I haven't totally decided if I should buy it yet or not.



Oh yeah - I'm doing a 10k run on Sunday, then my next event is a 1 mile swim at the end of July. I'm not ready for this run. At all.

Today was my 10k run, and it was my 2nd time participating in this particular one. I felt about as prepared as I could be, but I was still a bit nervous and apprehensive. I got a good night of sleep on Friday, but last night I tossed and turned. Same as last year. I couldn’t get my mind to shut the heck up and calm down. I kept telling myself that I needed sleep, and finally it came. I probably got about 4-5 hours, which is a bit better than last time.

Our bus met at 6:15,...

So yesterday I completed my first 10k run of the season! It was a gorgeous day, and even though it was cold, the sun helped a lot.

I had my tunes in, and was grooving the entire way.

This was taken by one of the photographers, at the starting line (I'm in all black, behind the two people in the centre):



At about the 5k mark, we were running up this...

I've been pretty busy, so here's what I've been up to over the last 2 months:

Spent Christmas in Hawaii, which was lovely! We spent the first 8 days in Kona, in a little house up in the hills. It was great to experience a new place in Hawaii. The pace of life is much slower, and very different on the Big Island, but I enjoyed my time there. We found some fabulous beaches, got to see the volcanoes, and tour a coffee plantation. My Dad surprised us with spending the last...

... to Sniffy McSnifferson.

BLOW YOUR FREAKING NOSE!!! You're an adult for crying out loud, and that is gross and annoying!

Sincerely,

Me

The annual trip has been booked!

My parents are going on sabbatical and will be spending 6 weeks in Kona, so my brother and I will join them there for Christmas. It's a great deal, because they're doing a house swap with this friend of theirs that lives there, which will save a lot of money on accommodations.

It will definitely be a different experience than in previous years, as we've always gone to Honolulu, but I'm excited to visit a new island....

I never got around to posting more of my pictures from South Africa, because it would take too long to upload them all to Photobucket.

However, I did make a slideshow of about 200 of the best pictures. If you're interested, check it out!

South Africa 2008

So we're planning the annual trip to Hawaii once again. Things will be a little different this year, but I'm very excited!

My parents are taking a sabbatical, and will be spending that time over in Kona. A friend of theirs has a home there that won't be in use, and they've offered them the use of that, which is awesome. My brother and I will fly over and join them for a week or so over Christmas.

So that means we won't be in Honolulu this year. I'm going to miss...

Just thought I'd post a few pictures of the trip.



Enjoying the pretty man pictures on the backs of our magazines on our flight from Paris to Johannesburg.



One of the 3 mountains at the property where we stayed.
...

I'm finally home! After 2 days of flights and layovers and so many adventures, I'm back safe and sound from my 3 week trip to South Africa.

It was an incredible experience. I met some awesome people, made some lifelong friendships, and got to help some of the sweetest people ever.

I'm too tired and jet-lagged to even think about sharing any of my stories, but I'll get around to that eventually.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to a resort about a 4 hr drive...

I leave for South Africa on Sunday morning! Hard to believe the time is finally here.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to do laundry, and start my packing. I need to make a list of everything that I'll need to bring, so I won't forget anything.

I called my bank yesterday, and they'll have South African Rand ready and waiting for me on Friday morning. I'm not bringing too much, just a bit so I can have some actual cash on me. I'll use my credit card for everything...