Oversleeping: Daylight Savings Time-1 DAY!!!

Tomorrow is the race!
I can't believe it. Shellie and I ran a great 5k this morning and I got to shake off some nerves while helping Shellie set a PR. We had a great time together.

Now, Matt and I are heading into the city for some pre-race time with Inheritance of Hope and then the race tomorrow. Of course, the time changes tonight and everyone I meet brings up this super famous episode and clip from Seinfeld.




I will NOT OVERSLEEP. I will be at the start on time and get this thing going.
I swear. :)

See you tomorrow. It's RACE DAY. Just a reminder, the race will be nationally televised on ESPN2. If you want to see what all the fuss is about, watch Run for Your Life on ESPN2 tonight. It's a documentary about Fred Lebow and the NYC Marathon. It is so inspirational and will make you want to run this race next year. I swear!

19 Days-Fill My Playlist Update

19 days left until the marathon.
The details are needing to get filled in.

Like-am I am going to listen to music or just let the crowds carry me along?

Reading runners blogs have led me to the conclusion that I will probably need a balance of the two. There are miles where the crowd is just awesome and all I need. And miles where I need to focus and let Pavlovian mentality take over. Just settle into my pace with music my body has trained to over the last three months.

So here is a playlist update thanks to all the amazing contributors to Inheritance of Hope:

This is EXACTLY 3:44 minutes of music. 

Which is EXACTLY the time I am predicting that I am going to finish. 

FREAKY HUH?

I might need a few bumper songs. Just in case I bonk. 

Not that it's going to happen, I'm just saying...

Last minute donation challenge:

How much MORE $ can we raise in the next two weeks? 

Donate here and let's see? 

BONUS?

Add your song to the playlist.

Encourage me. 

Run with me.

I run with you.

I think about you while I run in NEW YORK FREAKING CITY. 

No brainer. 

Here's the link:

Inheritance of Hope

Empire State of Mind

My daughters school sent this home on Monday as a 9/11 tribute.

It is supposed to be an image of how God has the whole world in His hands. But instead, it looks like the whole world is coming out of his butt.

Fantastic.
It's a pretty good representation of how people have felt since that day.

We didn't have Facebook back on 9/11 and many people I went to high school were either in the towers themselves or their parents, siblings or loved ones were. This past week was interesting as I got to see for the first time the depth of these stories and to read more about friends being on the Staten Island Ferry approaching the city as the planes hit. And knowing their twin sister was in the twin towers.

Crazy.
I remember every feeling I had those days. And the fatigue from worry and concern over my sister and her husband living and working on Wall Street for the years that followed.

Now that has numbed a bit.
It's why we need memorials and anniversaries.

Even if we get sick of them or jaded.

This week a commercial (yes. A commercial) was released by State Farm was released that put it all in perspective and is so sweet, it makes you feel united to New York.

Much more so than a giant butt pooping out the world.

Empire State of Mind Commercial on YouTube

NYC Girls Trip Recap

There isn't a lot to say about the trip to New York. Mostly because it was so much fun that I can't possibly retell it in words.

But it was lovely to get away with girlfriends. To just waltz through security without having to take off someone else's shoes, holding a jacket, dumping out a sippie cup and worrying that I have lotion in my carryon. I just walked on through like it was natural or something.

The girls that I went to New York with were friends of mine since we met when they were freshman in high school and I was a sophomore Young Life leader in college. That many years ago. Yes. And we laughed at so many many ridiculous things that I loved every single minute of it.

This is Megan and Cassie on the far left at Rockbridge in 1998.

They might burn my house down for posting this image.

We all landed at LaGuardia at the same time, hopped in a taxi and were in Manhattan in 20 minutes. If there is one thing I am sure of, it is this: always go to New York with people who 1) love it and 2) go there regularly or 3) have been there enough times that seeing the Empire State Building is comforting but not something that they have to the top of. These girls are EXACTLY that.

With that being said, we did not do so much the typical touristy things. We were just looking to get away together. New York just happened to work out fantastically. So we all landed, had a broad outline of things to go do, but after that...we had no agenda. It was so super nice. Obviously when that happens, you end up in dangerous parts of town like this:

Two floors of candy bliss. Be still my heart.

These girls know my heart, my stomach and my mind.

The fondue station was a place of many many "that's what she said" jokes.

Like when we heard the mom behind us say,

"just stick it in fast and twirl it."

We about DIED.

This poster was not for sale.

But I do believe if I ever have another child, their nursery will be candy themed and this will be the centerpiece.

Every candy store ought to at least consider a bathtub full of gumballs.

Shoulda bought it. For me. My kids. For me AND my kids.

But I just took a picture.

Awww, a nice little sign on the stairs. All the candy is encased in poly as you go down their stairs to their "classic candy" level. Yes, that exists.

Dylan's Candy Bar.

Don't miss it next time you go to NYC.

After candy times, Megan surprised us with tickets to see Zach Braff (from Scrub's) in an off Broadway show called Trust. We hung around the cast door after the show to meet the cast and we did!

"Vince" from Sex and the City was super nice.

And of course the super nice, Zach Braff. Yes, that is his arm on my shoulder.

Be jealous.

But be more jealous of Megan's Sharpie mark that he made on her arm.

She wouldn't wash it off.

:)

The next night we went to see Promises, Promises.

And we were sorely chapped because Kristen Chenoweth was well, missing.

She was in LA instead of in NY.

So when we hung around the cast door that night we had to be satisfied with meeting:

Sean Hayes

and Tony Award Winner Katie Finneran.

My sister joined us for the night. It was so fun to be with her!

The next morning for brunch before leaving we hit up Serendipity, which I had never been to before.

And it was delicious.

Frozen HOT CHOCOLATE.

Pretty much sums up the entire trip.

Chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate shavings on top.

Let's do it again soon!

Promises Promises

I haven't shared this with you yet, but I am going to New York City with some girlfriends of mine in two weeks.

We have been conspiring for a trip together for over a year and we are doing it-DANGIT-in TWO WEEKS.

And I am really excited.

We booked ourselves to see Promises, Promises on Broadway. Which is an older show that is being redone now with my favorite Kristin Chenoweth and Sean Hayes.

My sister is joining us for the night and it is going to be glorious. Three days, no kids, no nothing...just New York City and me.

If you live in New York City and you are a friend of mine say because I went to high school there: I love you. I really really do. But I am not visiting you. I am hanging out in Manhattan. And this has nothing to do with Jersey Shore. This has to do with this being the longest summer of my life. And I have to escape for three days. IN NEW YORK CITY!

And I just WAAAAAY more excited about the trip when I saw this video from the New York Post that just so totally shows off the talents of Tony Award winning Kristin Chenoweth:

Don't hate, just think about the fact that I can only wish that my voice would sound half as good as Kathy Griffin's when I sing and my fantasy is exactly the same as hers. Sit there and let K.C. sing behind me while I lip sync.

I could do it. I really could.