Pink hair dye, rain and running

(Me before the race when it was sunny!)

So for those of you who have had no contact with me or just managed to avoid me will not no what everyone else does - namely that I ran in the Great South Run for a South Africain Charity (South African Sustainable Development Initivitive) last Sunday and dyed my hair pink for the event. The hair looked great, my parents found me easily, I was on telly and people have said they liked it ..... what I have learnt through my hair dying, running experience is that

1) make sure you wash the dye properly, I did it at 3am and was fed up so half washed it and thought it will be ok...yeah it ur tipped it down all through the race and the stuff I hadn't washed out properly ran as well...all down my neck, back and ipod head phone things and bra...great.

2) Plastic Ponchoes are not the way forward, well extra large size isn't anyway and they are definetly not sexy or flattering! I wore one, becuase it rained so much and whilst this kept me mostly dry and good I think I should have been less of a whimp. (This si the photo of me running down the finishing straight).

3) I want to keep running - marathons here I come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This quite disturbing photo was me at 5 and 1/2 miles and I was so pleased to see my parents watching I started being an idiot, so the photo looks strange ...but what photos of me don't!?

My finishing time was 1 hour 37 minutes 50 seconds!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My position was 6015 out of 18,000!!!!!! Sorry but both are amazing, becuase the furthest I ran was 8 miles twice.

If you want to sponser me please do! and Enjoy laughing at the photos!

More Photos...just found out how to do this!

Here on the left is Anika and Caro some of my German family, Caro flew over from Germany as a suprise for my 21st birthday - a stunt organised by Anika and we went paintballing with some others. Cheers guys - a birthday to remember ..... not only for me but for the guy who may not be able to have children...... and on the right is Tina and myself - i went to Germany for the world cup, it was amazing and yes still going on about it - its one things I can cross off my list of 'Things to do before I die'...(everyone has one right, its not just me!?!) Anyways no idea who the guys were behind us although met some cool British Army lads and if they ever read this I hope their missions are going well! Anyways this is a German against Poland game so had to support Germany - otherwise hmmmm too dangerous!!!!! But I was still rooting for England deep down.

This is the loverly Shanny mummy to be American German, loving the hair!....The world cup does strange things even to the strangest people! Over there that strange scary group are some of my most favourist people in the world...namely my fellow CYM students - and yes as for style and knowledge of colour co-ordination pink and red...might need help there. Here are some more of us at residential ....mostly with face masks on. And by special request to the yes loser lady AKA Piercings girls or Emma (she knows I wrote this) I won't put any of the photos of me and her here...because there aren't any photos that we both can agree that we both look good on, but when we do agree on one it will be posted. In the mean time heres me and Jayne - Your the best lady!

A few photos

Just thought that I would add a few photos, so here is me and an amazingly good friend at her baptism in the river. Love yax

This other pictures Anika and me at Ogmore castle in the Summer.

Both of these girls are like sisters and I'm missing them not being around ..... uni calls.

And since I haven't had the photos of our night out to celebrate your birthday Andrea this surfing one will have to do.....And at least you too have your own surf board and no longer have to borrow one!! or not it doesnt like it, hmmmm will have to find out why. So instead a strange one of me .... face masks especially the pealing ones are such great fun! And its great that even guys feel liberated now to do what was once seen as something just women should do!

Sorry Phil, but this was one way your whole family could get hold of the photo instead of me or Jen emailing it round.......:)

Heres our loverly Photo Em...don't you just love it??!!

Taking the Lead

So most of you who know me know that I am fairly bossy and can be quite dominating - well something I didn't really realsied (well didn't want to admit) until Thurs.

Having been put in the group with people who had never done Salsa before (sorry its about Salsa, because it's all new and exciting and fulfilling something I have wanted to do for so long) - I have to say for the first 5 minutes my attitude stank, becuase I wanted to dance properly not relearn the moves. However when we were dancing the guys changed round (there was a really good dancer there who could really lead and wasnt too bad looking) so sometimes I had to dance on my own - anyways some of the guys were really good at leading and could tell you what they wanted you to do others had abosulty no idea. I was going to lead them, but realilsed no I cant do that its unfair - they would never learn to lead and i would never learn to follow. A complete challenge.

What was more scarey was in the practice time after when there was no one shouting what move we needed to do next, we just danced and I had to trust the guy to tell me in time what move to do and how long for - totally relying on him and getting used to the idea of sumitting to what he wanted to do - quiet scarey if you think about it! Also there was huge responsibility on the guys becuase they had to respect the women, made sure she knew what she was doing and tell her in time - its a two way thing, I say Salsa lessons would be great for dominating or bossy women and brilliant for guys who are being down trodden, timid, afraid to take the lead etc. or anyone who just wanted to have fun!

All in all it's showing me a lot about myself and I am learning loads not just the dance steps! But most of all i am having so much fun, I just forget everything when I am dancing I can just be me and move and enjoy it - theres something about dancing where I just connect with God and myself and can really listen (strange I know) its amazing when you are on the dance floor you don't have to pretend or put up a front or try or anything you can be you well at least I am and I have to say that I was at my happiest this week dancing, I had a rough week and Tues not slept coz - i got scared of thunder (I'm not normally, but it was above the house and there are no other houses near me!!!) and Weds I had spent most of my time in the bathroom and felt like crawling in a hole and giving up. But anyways yeah dancing just made me forget everything - I have to wonder why I never really did it much before? Only in Germany did I start properly dancing, not sure oh well its funny, because dnacing is one of the only things I do becuase I want to I mean running, surfing and playing the bass were all started up becuase of guys I was going out with or seeing at the time so its great to have a something to do because I want to do it and it not being because of someone else wanting to do it and me just joining in - although you do need a partner and Piet did arrange it, but you get my meaning its somethign I have always wanted to do not just recently wanted to do.

Anyways I am going to go and buy bin bags and milk and meet my parents - yeah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are coming down for the weekend and I havent seen them for weeks and weeks and weeks.

Love ya x

The evil of trying on dresses!

Ok so when a friend tries on clothes in a shop you do the same right? nay random clothes that you wouldnt buy but just want to try on.....be warned!

I did this - and the zip was a small invisible one that was stiff, never mind I though, put it on, forced it up - spun arround decided the dress made me look well awful and so wanted to take it off - got the zip down 1 inch and half before it wouldnt go anyfurther......hmmmmmm after a while of struggling on my own i called my friend - she struggled for a bit but nothing happened......what to do?! Well ended up trying to wriggle out of a corset type dress ..... impossible! So after 20 minutes - i mean we had started to pray it would come off - but no after 20 minutes we accepted defeat and Andrea went to get the shop assistant ...embarrasing enough except now the whole changing room could se and you could also see a bit form teh shop floor!!!!!!!!!!! She came and couldnt undo it - so got scissors, but only managed to cut 1 inch - becuase she couldnt cut any further down the zuip I was instructed to hold onto the side of the changing room and Andrea took one bit of the dress and the shop assistant the other and they pulled and ripped the dress, so that I ould calmly step out of it - just minorly embarrased ....... the problem is I had an urge to laugh so we ran out the shop before we could.....bewarned! At least I didnt have to pay for it, because it was a faulty zip!!!!!!!!!!!

Just want to Dance the night away

Well just to say I have had a full life and no time for internet *gasp* the amazing Rae had a gig - shes booked to play and sing at the wedding between me and some guy who hasn't made himself known to me yet - but hey just want to be prepared, um been out a few times - Andrea i love you girl you make me laugh!

And then did something i have wanted to do for about 4 years, but never wanted to go on my own (childish I know) - SALSA LESSONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Was really good fun, although for the first 20 minutes I was like 'I can't do this' - defintly need heals for this dancing it makes it so much easier (been practising and think I can do a little turn!) I'm so impatient we were shown moves in the warm up and then the beginners went through them again and I was like yeah yeah lets dance properly now, coz the intermediates were wizzing around and I was like 'I wanna be doing that' - patience! Anyways did dance and discovered that i like leading - but i am a woman so cant lead dances! I have to let the man tell me what to do - so its an excellent chance for me to learn not to take the lead and be bossy! So thanx to Piet for finding out about the lessons and coming with me and soon I'll be professional....or not!

Also when I have more time management looked like such a boring module at uni but its amazing! so more to come on a life in a small town in Wales - fun fun fun, knwo you all cant wait......?!