NYC & Do Life a.k.a. Bday Celebrations week part 1

What a fabulous start to my birthday celebration week!  I met up with Erica in DC and we hitched a ride with her brother into the city.  It was a quick 3 1/2 trip (not even kidding) and we entered the city with all the lights and it was beautiful.

We were up early to head to the Met for the McQueen exhibit.  We finally made it after a few subway issues and crossing the Park, but it just added to the adventure.

 It was absolutely amazing seeing McQueen's creations up front and in person.  They had quotes from him and video from his runway shows and sadly you could see the inner turmoil within him and the darkness he dealt with however that's what made him such a genius.  From there, it was a quick lunch at the Chicken Bar which was delicious!  I think there is always more room for grilled chicken restaurants.  Then it was off to see Daniel Radcliffe and John Larroquette in 'How to Succeed in Business Without Trying' which was hilarious and I was surprised to find out how great of a dancer Dan is and seeing him in person was a special treat.  For a yummier treat, we headed to Junior's for our own phenomenal cheesecakes.

 Strawberry Cheesecake!  Yay!!  After a quick nap, we walked around the Lower East Side and found a fabulous little restaurant, saw a bunch of different shops, including Zarin's of Housewives fame!  Sunday came bright and early and it was time for the DO LIFE TOUR!!!!  Okay, I'm not going to lie - I was nervous.  I was fine riding on the subway but as we emerged from the subway steps and walked onto Columbus Circle, I was overcome with nerves and questions.  What if no one talks to me?  What if I make an ass of myself?  What if I fall flat on my face while running?  What if the guy who's blog I've been following and have been incredibly inspired by turns out to be a complete jackass?  What if I'm the last person to finish the race?  Surely, I should just turn around and go home.  What can I say...sometimes I let my head and insecurities overrun my life, but I stayed and met lots of new people and everyone was SO nice!  I even met Ben!

Then it was time to run and while I started out relatively strong, my aversion to heat and running when the sun is on me started to get the best of me and figured a jog/walk was the best course of action.  I ended up jog/walking with a few different people and it was great to hear everyone's stories of weight loss, what they've overcome, where they are, how they deal with certain things and of course we all had to share our blog addresses.  I'm happy to say everyone who started the 5k, finished and we all celebrated with a group picture and then headed to Whole Foods to eat and hang out.

I will always remember the faces of the Do Life crew when Erica and I told them we were from Virginia and we would see them at the DC run on Wednesday and that I would see them at the Atlanta run on Sunday as well.  They seemed to be blown away...that or who are these crazy people...but I choose to think they were blown away.  =)  I truly don't think Ben has any idea of the impact his blog has had on people all across the nation and I can't wait for him to realize this as people continue to show up across the US and share their stories, share their life and run.  Eventually it was time to head out and while I was sad to go, we had a bit more shopping to do and then had to de-funktify ourselves so we could catch our bus back to DC.  We had a little drama when we realized the train we needed to take would not be stopping where we were due to construction, but after a last minute scramble and getting a cab, we made it to the bus!  After getting back to Erica's, it was time for me to head back to Richmond.  I made it in town around 11:30 and pretty much sank into my bed.  Exhausted but happy with such an amazing weekend. 

I had tweaked my back two days before leaving for NYC and I think I overdid it this weekend with traipsing all over the city and the run on Sunday, so I'm taking it easy tonight and I'll be hitting the gym tomorrow for some eliptical work and swimming to ease my back pain and then it's off for the DC run on Wednesday!  I'm so excited to be taking part in any of this tour and to meet some of the amazing people and hear the stories of how their lives have changed and how they are changing; the ups and downs, the tears and celebrations.  We are all linked together by a common goal: living life to its fullest - whether by weight loss, adventure, pursuing a passion, being involved in others lives, etc.  I really hope to see you in DC and/or Atlanta!!