What? An Update?! in Open Diary 2001-2018 (Pre-Prosebox)

 
I suppose an update is in order.  I’ve been so crazy, crazy busy lately.  It makes me happy, but life feels like such a whirlwind right now.
 
Let’s see.  After Europe and Africa (from my last entry), I went to China.  Was there for two weeks of blood, sweat, tears, and horribly terrifying driving (almost died so many times…MUST write about this!). 
 
Started a diet on the day that I left the US.  I would almost say that was a mistake because I love, love, LOVE Chinese food (Peking Duck, Dim Sum, etc.), if I hadn’t lost 5 lbs while I was traveling.  It was not easy at all, but I have to say that the agents and factories I was working with were amazingly accommodating and did their best to help me find delicious veggies, grilled chicken, and they also introduced me to my new favorite fruit, lychee!
 
I didn’t drink a drop on the trip [gasp]!  I know!!  This is the second time this year where I have gone a full month without alcohol (with the exception of a get-together on Tuesday night when I had two glasses of wine).  I actually quite like being so clear headed.  I don’t know if I’ve written about this before.  I don’t remember a time (before these two times) where I have gone that long without alcohol since I started drinking…something like…25 years ago?  Wow.
 
See, SexyPants told me that he normally doesn’t drink during the month of March.  He first started doing it for Lent years and years ago and then he just kept it up annually.  So I thought I’d try it with him.  At first, I think we were both worried if it would affect our relationship.  Because, after all, I think we drank at least a glass of wine or two every time we got together.  We wondered if it would make us boring.  We wondered if we wouldn’t like each other as much without the help and lubrication (heh) of booze.
 
But we tried it during March and you know what?  We were just fine!  In fact, not only did we still have a great time with each other, but we both lost weight!  I lost only 5 lbs, but SexyPants lost over 15!!!!  Ass.  He barely even tried!
 
So this time, we both decided to go on a diet (after March we both gained all of our weight back—drat!)…for REALS this time!  And so far, I’ve lost 7 ½ lbs.  Yay!  No clue how much he’s lost yet because (a) he won’t tell me and (b) he’s been traveling so much lately.
 
Annneeeyyyway.  Pretty good trip to China.  I was happy that SexyPants and I were able to talk almost every single day.  We did a lot of Face Time on our iPhones.   We missed each other a lot.  In fact, SexyPants used to live in Shanghai, so he connected me with a friend of his who still lives there, and this friend (let’s call him Ari) not only took me out to dinner one night, he also took me to the markets!  It was such a blast getting to know Ari because he gave me a little bit more insight into SexyPants and what his life was like when he was married with children and living an ex-pat life.
 
The rest of the trip was pretty much hectic work, work, work.  I still haven’t quite recovered!  Because every place we went meant more and more and more work to be done when I got back.  Went to over 15 different manufacturing facilities.  Exhausting…especially since many of them were hours apart! 
 
And the driving in China.  Oy vey!!  The driving is so scary!!  This little blurb won’t do much justice to the story, but let’s just say that at one point we were going from one factory in one big city to another in a HUGE city (Shenzhen, if you’re familiar), and the driver had never been/driven to Shenzhen.  Now.  Never driving in Shenzhen is sort of like never driving in New York City…if you’ve never done it, it can be quite harrowing.  So, our driver at one point is in the wrong lane, headed off in the wrong direction, and luckily, my buyer can speak both Mandarin AND Cantonese and tells the driver that he’s taking the wrong exit.  You know what our driver does???  It’s rush hour, mind you.  He STOPS in the middle of the freeway (!!!!) and inches his way through 5 lanes of traffic (!!!) and somehow turns the car completely around as hundreds of cars zip by so that we are facing RIGHT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC!!!!!
 
Oh my god.  OH MY GOD!!!  I am practically screaming at this point.
 
Somehow, my buyer convinces the driver to stop and pull over.  And our agent?  She’s fucking LAUGHING!!  My buyer tells her that we almost died several times over and she finally stops.  I don’t know how we didn’t see more wrecks.  I try to learn every time I go just not to look out the window, but it’s hard when they hire drivers who have no clue where they are going in the first place.  Ugh.  My biggest frustration over there.
 
Anyway.  I’m back safe and sound now, and although things are hectic, they are also very sweet. 
 
Have I told you lately how much I love SexyPants?  No?
 
We are SO in love….well, we are so very, very much in love…that we are talking the “M” word.  Yes we are!  I’m telling you, I have never, ever, ever had such a wonderful and sweet love.  It is everything I’ve ever wanted in a relationship (and then some…yes, the son is still The Sitch and the daughter is still estranged, but…unfortunately, life is never perfect, is it?).  Here’s the thing. He treats me with so much respect, thoughtfulness and care.  I have never known anything like this.  It’s just so very easy that it’s almost scary.
 
So of course, along with the romantic side there is also the practical side.   With my businessman SexyPants, along with the “M” word goes the “P” word.  Yes, pre-nup.  And that takes a bit of the romance out of the whole deal, but that’s OK.  Because I understand the fact that getting married is a legal and binding contract.  I understand the fact that his last ex-wife took him to the cleaners.  I understand the fact that this will be his third marriage and that he really didn’t think he’d ever want to marry again until there was an “us”, and he knew from the very start that I DO want to get married.  So, we have just barely scratched the surface on this issue, but I’m getting referrals for attorneys at this time.  We shall see!
 
And there’s one more thing.  One more issue that I really want to get out in writing that I’m too tired at this point to write about.
 
But I will!
 
Anyway, all I really wanted to report is that I am so thrilled at the way my life looks right now.  I don’t know if I could be any happier.
 
I have true love.
 
I have a job that rocks.
 
I am getting back into shape.
 
I have money in the bank.
 
I’m driving my boyfriend’s Mercedes-Benz (heh!).
 
I still have my wonderful parents, who are still so amazing to me.
 
I enjoy my world travels.
 
I am a lucky, lucky woman.
 
I made all this.
 
And I want to keep making things good and right.
 
I love you.  And I miss you so much!
 
I’ll be back.
 
(Gotta run!  Picking up SexyPants at the airport!!)