Six Months ... and a change coming

R and I recently celebrated our six-month anniversary at post so we're officially 1/4 of the way through our tour here in the DR. Time does go by very quickly - I'll be bidding on my second post in the next couple of months, which seems crazy-fast. There are many, many places we still want to visit in the next 18 months. We've done quite a lot already, including attending the Dominican equivalent of the World Series:

Where they served empanadas instead of hot dogs. Where they also serve the alcoholic beverage of your choice: Not fond of beer? Have a margarita!

And further adventure beckons nearly every weekend.

Some of the bigger adventures will have to wait, however, until R returns from an epic adventure that he's planning, beginning in March. He's going to hike all 2,100+ miles over five months of that incredible all-American experience, the Appalachian Trail.

To answer the questions that will immediately come to mind:

• Yes, I will miss him.
• Yes, I'm a little worried about his safety.
• Yes, I'll be able to connect with him frequently along the trail through the wonder that is technology (thanks, Al Gore!). I've made him promise to take millions of photos.
• Yes, I'm proud of him. I think he's incredible.
• Yes, he is a badass.

He's wanted to do this for over 40 years, so why not now? It's a perfect time.

After all these years, I still admire his incredible perseverance and will. How could I not? He's an amazing combination of hard work and loyalty, with a little devil-may-care whimsy thrown in. What an ideal partner for life's adventures. He deserves the opportunity to go out there and pursue a dream of his own.

Good times with my guy. Notice the coats? This photo was taken last year in DC....