Major update!

Sorry if this post rambles a little.. I have so much to tell you all. First off - I weighted in at 217 on Saturday! Onederland is so close that I can taste it. I finally got around to re-joining Curves in order to keep my weightloss going .. I'm going to work hard to rev up my metabolism. Chris and I had planned to start working out together, but there seemed to always be a problem with his work/school schedule or our financial situation and I was tired of putting it off. I love the Curves workout.. it's accessible and the atmosphere is comfortable. It's a good first step for me. Swimming is still my major goal, but I'm just not in the right condition for master's swimming. I'll get there.

My trip to the East Coast was fantastic! We started out by driving to LA with my friend Chris and his partner Ivan - we all went to see a concert featuring Jill Scott, the Roots and Lupe Fiasco. Here's a pic of Chris and I, and our friends Angie and Darren, who we stayed with while in LA. We were all dressed up for the show - I felt very glam that night!

The next day we flew out of LAX to Washington DC. Our flight was delayed, but we got there in one piece. We stayed in Silver Spring, MD with Chris' friends Ken and Jessica for the first 3 nights. The day after we arrived, a major ice storm hit and our day of sightseeing in DC was cut short. The Federal Triangle closed at 2pm that day, which really sucked. I did get a picture in front of the Smithsonian building, though I never got to see the inside. Here's the pic (that's me all bundled up):

The next day we went to visit Chris' grandmother, whom the family calls Sugar, and his Aunt Charlotte. Sugar is such a lovely woman.. we had a nice visit. She told me before we left that she was so happy that Chris had met a lady like me. I almost cried. That made me so happy! From Maryland, we drove to Newark, Delaware to see Chris' sister Julia and his parents. Newark is beautiful.. the University of Delaware is there and it's a gorgeous campus. Julia was so cool - she's someone that I would be friends with even if she wasn't my very-likely-future-sister-in-law! Chris' mom and step-father were so friendly and made me feel so welcome in their home. We stayed a night at their house in Bridgeville, DE (they have 2 houses about an hour and a half apart). Here's a pic of Chris and his mom Margaret - he looks just like his mama! So cute!

From Bridgeville, we drove to Charlottesville, Virginia - stopping on the way to say hello to Chris' friend Sia in Chevy Chase, MD. Sia is a gorgeous Greek art school friend.. she was a riot. Very colorful woman. She kept telling us how beautiful our children are going to be and wanting to know why weren't hitched yet. It was kinda fun watching Chris squirm a little!

We finally arrived in Charlottesville at the home of Chris' best friend Peter, his wife Robin, and their 9 year old son Davis. They have a beautiful home in the woods that they've restored over the last 10 years. Staying with them was like staying in a bed-and-breakfast. We had a great time. It was nice seeing Chris with his buddy, talking about comic books and other geeky boy stuff. Here's a pic of our hosts:

From Charlottesville we drove back to DC to the airport and took the long flight home. We both came home feeling more connected - I felt like I knew my partner better than I did before. I can't imagine my life without him. I've never known love like this and I've never shared my life with anyone like this. Nice feeling.. very nice. Finally.