Israel...

On November 5th, four days after I complete the New York City Marathon I will be joining my man in Israel. I really can't tell you how excited I am about going on this big adventure. My boy is already over there playing basketball for the city of Nahariya which in on the northern coast, about an hour north of Tel Aviv. The apartment where I'll be staying is right on the beach, which is awesome. I really can't wait to see the country and the culture. I know it's probably going to be a major culture shock to me, but at least I'll have my boy by my side. He has already been over there for a month and a half, so it's comforting to know that he'll know the city pretty well by the time I get out there. We both have always wanted to travel and see the world and this is the start of something so great.

I don't know how I'm going to react when I see my boy after all this time apart. I mean we skype constantly but it's definitely not the same as seeing someone in person, but it does help. I told him, I will most likely tackle him to the ground, so he better be prepared. I can't wait to see the city, which I've heard is so beautiful.

I have so much to do before the heading over there and I know it's approaching so fast. I have to get all my things together that I am bringing over, and I am trying to be smart about it. Checking your bags to go overseas is really, really expensive, so Meghan needs to learn how to really live simply. I'll be coming home for Christmas with my boy, so I figured if I need anything else I can just bring it back with me after the visit home.

I know I will miss somethings about home, but this isn't permanent and I know there is so many more positives, then anything negative like...NO STARBUCKS, I think you guys are seeing how much I love this coffee. I did come up with a solution though, I will bring their coffee and flavoring over with me and have our own little Starbucks in the kitchen, I'll try my best.

We'll be over there for Thanksgiving, which I am actually kind of excited about. My boy is becoming quite the cook, so it will be fun cooking ourselves a little feast and maybe try and get feed of the parade or a football game off the Internet. I will also be turning 24 while I'm out in Israel, so I'm excited about spending my birthday in another country.

Many people keep asking, well what are you going to do while your there? I am actually going to be taking online courses through Empire State College back home. I want to study Philanthropy, after getting involved with the Lance Armstrong Foundation, it has really become a passion of mine and I can see myself doing something involving charity work in my future. I'll also be training, I really want to get into triathlons so I know I'll have a lot of time to workout. I am really looking forward to just being with my boy, watching him play ball, exploring a new country that I know very little about and learning more about myself.

The next three weeks are gonna be really busy but it is so worth it.

Live, Laugh, Love and Livestrong
Meg

Favorite Places...

Everyone has a few places, where we love to spend time. It could be a vacation spot, a city, a local watering hole or coffee shop. I have a few places that I consider my Utopias, places that I can go and unwind, enjoying it either by myself or in good company. Sometimes during a busy week of work and training I yearn to be in one of these spots where I can forget the rest of the world and just be.

Barnes and Noble...Now most who know me know that I am a dork, a major nerd. In high school I was the one making typed outlines for the upcoming tests only to see girls who weren't in my class with my time consuming outline. I accepted it and embraced it. So on most Sundays you can find me at Barnes and Noble Booksellers, where I can browse for hours. With my nerdness (not a word), I also have a small obsession with fashion, so I hit up all the fashion mags trying to get the latest scoop on fashion. I don't consider liking fashion being materialistic, I look at fashion as art and it's designers as artists. You'll never see me in anything very fashionable as a matter of fact, my staple is a white v-neck and jeans. Now back to Barnes and Noble, there is something about this place that is so amazing, the fact that you can find a piece of literature on just about anything might be it, or the different people buzzing around, the great music that is always humming in the background or maybe it's the coffee you smell brewing in the Starbucks cafe. For me it's a combination of all these things that makes me spend so much time here, always leaving knowing something new that might lead to a topic of debate later on at Sunday Dinner with the family.

Brooklyn Heights...I hope to one day experience living here, but for now it's either a car or train ride away because it is rather expensive. Brooklyn Heights is in downtown Brooklyn and its major selling point is the Promenade. The Promenade is at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge and across the way from Manhattan. I love to just sit on one of the benches with a Starbucks and stare out at the greatest city in the world, and think that I am a part of it. It actually makes me feel really small haha. Brooklyn heights has a city feel but it's a little more subdued. Walking down the main street I feel as though this place was made for me to live there. There's a Starbucks, Monty's Pizzeria which has the best whole wheat pizza going, a Hallmark store...I love giving cards and can spend a good portion of my day finding just the right one to give someone, a Banana Republic a classic brand with classy clothes, a neighborhood Key Food, a Five Guys when you feel like pigging out, a yoga studio...actually there are a few of these, a liquor store, and a bunch of great restaurants. Don't get me started on the apartments...one day me and the boyfriend just walked around looking at these amazing structures imagining what it would be like to live in one and what our perfect day would be like. Hey people can dream haha. I love this place and when I need an escape I find myself here taking it all in.

Long Beach Island...It's your perfect little beach town where my family vacations every summer. I get so excited for the one week we spend down there each summer I start a countdown months before. The great thing is that my whole family comes down and it's pure madness, this year we had 23 people in the house at one time, it's great. Perfect beach day for me consists of; waking up around 7am and going for a run on the beach...the beach in the morning is one of the most peaceful things and sets my mood right for the whole day. I come back from my run and usually kick it with the parents, aunts and uncles...everyone else is usually still asleep from the crazy night before. My pops and I will make a big breakfast for everyone, then I'll hop in the shower and get ready for my day on the sand. I like getting a full day out of the beach, I'll go and read, swim, go for a walk, help my boyfriend dig a hole haha, and tan of course. My cousin introduced our family to the most amazing drink this past summer and we would start drinking them in the early afternoon haha, by 2:30 I'd go up to the house and take a nap, nothing beats a nap on vacation waking up refreshed and rested to start part two of the day. This consists of going into town, perhaps purchasing some fudge and a coffee of course. Oh there is one negative thing about L.B.I., there is no Starbucks, what's a girl to do? Well I solved that problem quickly, my mother and I stumbled across this cool little spot called Chocolate Bar, you walk into the shop and you immediately feel like you are in Manhattan and the coffee is delicious, nothing like a little taste of home. Every night the parents make huge dinners, usually followed by a game of football on the beach. After that the drinking starts again, and every year I get made fun of for leaving the family fun early to go to sleep because I want to get in a good run in the morning, I usually get taunted about it, but I know it's all in good fun. I love being with my family and enjoying the beach with them.

These are just a few of my spots that I enjoy going to, and I am sure I'll discover many more in my travels. Who knows maybe I'll find a book store in a beach town with a promenade in Israel...I'll keep you posted on that. :-)

Live, Laugh, Love and Livestrong

Meg

Routine

Since I was 18 I've been going to school and working in Manhattan. I'm going on 24 so I've developed quite the routine. Ask anyone who commutes, we all have our own routine which we don't like to be disrupted. You feel that your whole day is ruined if one thing goes wrong, maybe it sounds a little OCD, but it is what it is.

I have the luxury of taking three different forms of public transportation to get to my destination. I hope you can sense my sarcasm! Here's a little idea of what I go through every morning and afternoon. Sometimes it flows and my commute is flawless, but other times I feel like it's me against New York City Public Transportation.

Here we go...

7:10 (most days)...Walk down the block to bus stop, usually I'm lucky enough to catch the 98, which is a limited bus and is only two stops to the ferry (ideal), but when God doesn't like me he sends the 48 my way. This bus is always packed and makes a good 12 stops before it arrives at the ferry! I love when you get on the bus and people look legitimately pissed at you, because the bus had to stop and pick you up. I'm sorry that I was standing at a designated bus stop and have to get to work as well, now I am screwing up their routine. So I get on the bus, squeeze myself in trying not to bang into anyone but that's useless. You always run into the usual suspects; the lady who should of called out from work because she is coughing up a lung and is grossing everyone out, the high school kids that find in nutritious to eat Doritos at 7:15 in the morning, the smell of cool ranch in a tight space is just so amazing. The man with the huge backpack on that always manages to be standing right next to you and every time the bus stops you get hit in the back with his ginormous bag. The crazy guy who is singing Michael Jackson while listening to his iPod, thinking that he is Michael Jackson. I finally arrive at the ferry terminal, exiting the bus I always pull out my hand sanitizer and de-germify.

7:35...Get to the ferry terminal and get my first coffee of the day, I wait on a line where people can never seem to find where the line ends and just cut the people who can actually form some sort of line. I actually really look forward to my morning coffee, I'm such a regular at this little spot that the two men actually see me on line and have my coffee waiting for me at the counter. I give them a little smile and say thank you, give them their fix for the day and I'm on my way. It's the little things like that in my routine that put a smile on my face.

7:40...Walking into the actual terminal is another experience in itself. Every morning there is a man who stands by the door and quacks like a duck. The first time I encountored this I actually thought there might actually be a duck in the terminal. You have your cops that stand there and do security chatting about the pretty women that walk by, then you have the pretty women that have to stop a pet the drug sniffing dogs, just to bring attention to themselves.

7:45...Ferry loads, this is funny to watch as people rush the doors, I'm actually included in this rush. It is just something you do, but one thing that drives me absolutly nuts is when people are walking so close to you that they step on the back of your shoes! Another thing that is rather annoying are the people that are texting, reading or having a phone conversation and can't manage to walk at the same time causing people to get real heated. Get on the boat and I get my usual seat, if it's an old boat I sit downstairs but only in the blue seats, the yellow ones make me naucous. If it's a new boat I sit on the second level towards the front of the boat, always on the New Jersey side. You'll see people have their usual seats and are visibly upset when some newby takes their spot, we get very territorial. I cozy into my seat, send by boyfriend a text to let him know how happy I am to have my coffee, grab my book and turn on the iPod. If one of these three elements are missing day is not quite the same. I actually enjoy the ferry in the morning, I find it hilarious that I take a boat to work, and really look forward to my coffee and my read.

8:00...When I see Ellis Island I know we are approaching Manhattan, I pack up my stuff, take out my metro card and head towards the front of the boat. Yes, I am one of those people that like to be the first off the boat, but I will argue my case. If I don't get off the ferry quickly I'll miss my connecting train so that's why I do what I do. But there are those certain people that once people are situated at the front of the boat, they'll wiggle themselves through letting us all know that their commute is obviously more important then all of us who are patiently waiting for the boat to dock.

8:10...Boat Docks, I briskly walk off the ferry and head down to the subway hoping that the R train will be there first, because the W is so slow. I get down to the platform and stand where I know once the R train arrives the doors on the second to last car will open right in front of me, I see the same people every morning and they still can't get their positioning right, which guarantees me a seat. Once on the train, I always try and get and end seat, so I don't have to squeeze between to other people. After I sit, I again pull out my book and turn on the iPod. On my ride uptown I think about what I am going to get for breakfast and what my second coffee will be of the day. On the train, you get your usual bums, who have been saying the same thing day after day for as long as I can remember. One lady has been pregnant continuously for the last 4 years, she should definitely go get that checked out.

8:35...Get up to 57th and 7th Avenue, I like my two Avenue walk to work. I usually get a quick phone call in to the boyfriend, and head to Starbucks. The Starbucks on 56th and 6th is always packed, line sometimes actually goes out the door, but that won't stop a true coffee head haha. I walk in and once again they know who I am and usually know what I order, but as of late I've been switching up my drink and it kind of messes with them a little bit, leaving my feeling guilty for wanting change. I order my drink then wait at the bar which what seems like a hundred other people, who seem so miserable and all that will cure them is there coffee. It's super busy but you always get those customers complaining, "I have to get to work", "Are you making my drink I ordered a latte." Patience my friends, the coffee is worth the wait. When I get my coffee, I always try and tell the barista how amazing it is, to put a smile on their face as they are hounded by crazy New Yorkers.

8:45...I arrive at my destination, most days safe and unharmed. Some days I'll complain how I hate my commute but in actuality it's part of me, of who I am.

So Random

Ran 20 miles today, which I am paying for right now. I am a little sore but that is expected after doing such a long run. I get such a thrill from the challenge of these long runs. People see me running down the street little do they know, I've probably been running for 1:30 already. When I am on a run by myself, it's a great time to think about things going on in my life. When you are running that long, so many thoughts go through your head it's ridiculous. I'll think about my future, my family, my boyfriend, the marathon, what am I going to eat for lunch, how a starbucks coffee would be really good right about now, why am I doing this, I love doing this. So many thoughts! Sometimes when I just need to clear my head, a run is the perfect remedy.

Smooth

I have so much coming up in the next month and I just need it to go smoothly.




1.) I am running the New York City Marathon, which I am super excited about. This year is a little different from when I first ran it in 2007. In 2007 when I ran New York, I didn't actually find out I was running until the first week in October, a little less then a month before the race. I was under trained, scratch that...I was very, very under trained. I was also going through one of those soul searching moments, and I wasn't quite sure if mentally I was up for the challenge of a marathon. But I thought about it, and felt I was given an amazing opportunity that I just couldn't pass up. So on November 4th, 2007, my mother dropped me off at the starting line and there I stood with 38,000 other runners waiting to begin the race of my life. I learned so much about myself during the 3 hours and 47 minutes that it took me to complete those 26.2 miles. From that day on I became a better me, and my love affair with marathons began. I've always loved to run but something about training and competing and completing a marathon is personally one of the best feelings in the world for me. After NYC '07 I couldn't wait to run another one. I ran a few half marathons during the year and geared myself up for NYC '08. This time I told myself, "Think of what you can do if you are trained and prepared." So I trained, and trained. November was approaching and I started having pains in my shins, at first I shrugged it off, thinking it was the normal aches and pains of marathon training. Then one day, after doing some yoga I could hardly stand, I had to lean on my boyfriend to take the pressure off my legs. I knew this wasn't good and it was two weeks before the marathon. I thought I would just take it easy, but the pain persisted. With just one week to go I found out I had shin splints and running a marathon would make my injury 100x worse. I couldn't believe it, I was training so hard and now I couldn't compete. I had to defer my entry, which was one of the most upsetting moments of my life, it was a let down for sure, but I wasn't going to let it get the best of me. I rested and recovered determined that I would run NYC '09. Well here I am, it's October one month to go and I feel great. My training has been great and this year, and I have a something else motivating me. This year I am running the marathon for Team Livestrong, which is part of the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It's a great feeling knowing that my running, will actually help people living with cancer. So this last month of training is very important and I hope it goes as planned!

2.) Going to Israel...haha I'll save that post for tomorrow. :-)

Until Then...

Live, Laugh, Love and Livestrong...Meg