Monday, You're Too Funky for Me...

There was a funk in my spirit today. I didn't want to do a think at work. Why would I need to work after not working for so many days? hahaha  I finally got into gear after 4PM and did two solid hours of work.  Aside from working in the office I've been working on my plan of action for the 30 days of crafting.  The excitement begins in just a couple of days.

1.  I'm glad all of the things I needed to finish for homecoming planning is nearly over. WHEW!
2. I love that I finally said what I needed to say. What a relief!
3. I found a new craft site that I love to death... Curbly!
4. Today Barbara brought me some large mason jars. I love how thoughtful she is.  I'm going to have to make her something for Christmas. 
5. The weather today was amazing. It just doesn't get better than that at the end of November in Northern Virginia! 70 degrees????

Super Soul Sunday

I haven't done a thing today and I am okay with that.  Although I never left the house, I did find 5 solid things that I loved about today.

1. Myra stopped by to return the key. It was nice to chill out and chat with her. She's a good friend in the area.
2. I saw a video today that promotes marriage equality. It was made in Australia. It was done so well that I had to share it on Facebook and now I'm sharing it here. The video is titled, "It's Time".
3. I've spent most of the evening looking for craft projects. I'm embarking on a 30-Day challenge to make one craft per day.  I've found about 15 strong projects today. Lots of the ideas came from Design Sponge. Heeeeeeeeeeey, Design Sponge! :0)
4. Waking up early and being able to go back to sleep for a 2 hour nap is something I love. To have no real agenda for the day is awesome!
5. Super Soul Sunday on OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) was great today. They talked about Taoism.  Maybe I'm a Taoist?  I don't know. What I do know is that I was fully engaged in the program.

Smurfiness, Trains and Automobiles

Oh what a day!  I left NYC on the Bolt Bus and 7 hours later, I'm finally sitting on my couch back home.  It's been a good day of resting - because I needed it for the trip back - although I kept nodding off most of the way home.  There's so much energy in that city.  I love it.  It's like, when you're around your neighborhood, its not so crazy and it all seems pretty normal.  Once you venture out to Times Square, it gets bananas!

1. I lucked out again on my ride back from NYC.  Although the bus was full a skinny guy sat next to me.  When my knee started bothering me and I needed to switch seats, he switched with no complaints.  I love when people are nice.
2. My timing on all of the public transportation that I had to take today was impeccable!  I probably never waited more than 5 minutes for the next bus or train - in some cases the train would show up just when I did.
3. The much needed sleep I got before leaving NYC was awesome!  
4. A homeless man was working his hustle when I went to reload my smart trip card at Union Station.  I needed just another dollar on my card and he shows up with a Metro Ticket that had $1.30 on it and asked me if I'd pay him for it.  We conducted the transaction and I gave him more than what was on the card.   
5. On the way home I picked up a small rack of BBQ Ribs at Giant for only $5!!!  I LOOOOOOOOVE that deal.

New York, New York, You're a Helluva Town

It was 5:30 AM and I was up and at 'em.  Ready to conquer the world - well, NYC anyhow and more specifically, Good Morning America.  There are many things I want to do during my visit here and today I achieved a couple of them.

1. We made it to Times Square to check out Good Morning America. I loved getting to see Lara Spencer and Josh Elliot in person.  We all got some face time on camera too - I loved that!
2. I scored a new t-shirt from the NBC Studios Store for $5!  You can't beat that with a stick!
3. I got to see the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular - all thanks to my friend Colby and a Groupon!  We all had orchestra level seats, too.  Great job! 
4. I required a nap this afternoon and loved that I got one.  It helped me feel a little more refreshed. 
5. We were on a search for a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf today and found one.  YES, we got that red velvet hot cocoa - DELICIOUS!!!

The Day just "Float"ed on By

Day two in NYC yielded new experiences - one including an "ok" $50 meal for Thanksgiving... yeah.. not too thrilled about that one but there are other things that I loved about the day.  So, here we go!

1. I FINALLY got to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Check that off my Bucket List! YES!!
2. Getting some awesome pictures of the parade just made my day.  It was definitely a different vibe seeing it in person and I got lots of great pictures of the floats. I will say that it DID feel like any other parade in all honesty - but it was something I always wanted to do and I am loving that I did do it.
3. We went to Greenwich Village for dinner and went to a couple of bars.  One bar was the historic Stonewall Inn. It was cool to be in such a historic venue.
4. After the parade I got a much needed nap.  It was good to recharge after being up so early for the parade.
5. I love that I have cool friends who just want everyone to be happy.  I appreciate that.

Big Apple Bonanza of a Day

I'm super excited to be in NYC!  So much so that I've walked a lot of miles already and I've only been in the city since about 2PM.  There was once a time where arriving in NYC made me nervous.  These days I don't even bat an eye.  Stepping out into the Big Apple and taking in everything.

1. To explore NYC with friends is something I love to do.  We visited quite a few places in the short time I've been here (They arrived yesterday). One of those places is Gaga's Workshop at Barney's.
2. I REALLY love the apartment I'm staying in.  It's like the coolest place.  Very cute and modern.  If it were possible, I'd have my place look a lot like this.
3. I loved that Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf were giving out free hot cocoa.  What made me love it more was that the hot cocoa was red velvet flavored! It was by FAR the best hot cocoa I've ever had. NO LIE!
4. Walking through Central Park at night with the road closed off was pretty damn cool.  There's not many times when a person would get to do that.  And probably not many times you'd feel safe doing it either. Luckily the police had everything blocked for the parade!
5. Foursquare is cool when you check-in at new places and you get badges. Tonight I unlocked 3 badges.  What I really loved about the check-in at The Dead Poets bar was that it unlocked a special - one free shot of Wild Turkey!

The Magnificent Metro and the Friends Along the Way

Today I commented on all of the people listing things they're thankful for.  It's a good exercise in gratitude.  It's kind of like the reason I do this blog - to find the positive things in life that I'm happy about or grateful for.  There are days where I am always trying to dig deep within to find a one or two more situations/items to list as a good thing.  It's especially hard if you haven't interacted with many people. Today I'm thankful for friends.

1. I had lunch with my friend Myra. It's always a good time. She's going to feed my dog while I'm away and I'm glad she doesn't mind.
2. Staying at my friend, Nicole's tonight so that my commute to Union Station is so easy in the morning. Shaving off an hour on the commute. I'm headed to NYC in the morning!  Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, here I come!
3. I love that Thai Crunch Salad at California Pizza Kitchen. I didn't realize that it had cucumbers in it though.... and despite the cucumbers, I still loved it. Now that's progress.
4. Sara brought me a brownie with sprinkles on it to my office this afternoon. That was really nice of her.
5. I loved that I rode the Metro today and I only had to wait about 4 minutes for the train to leave. That's pretty good timing - I guess it's pretty normal during the work week with lots of trains passing through. LOL  However, for me, it was something great that happened to me. :0)