Okay, I‘m the first to admit it, I get a little crazy with the birthday celebrations… I am happy to be alive! Another year? I‘ll take it! So why not celebrate for a few days (well, it was over a week, but whose counting?!)
31 is an accomplishment! I sure as hell, couldn‘t do it on my own. So, thanks for all the help! Thanks for enriching my life in your own unique way. (Even if I don‘t know you and you just stumbled upon my blog, thanks for taking an interest in my life.) There is so much to celebrate! I am so grateful to the people in my life that want to celebrate with me. Thank you to all of you that made it so very special for me. I love you guys!!
I don‘t take a single second for granted (or a single one of you!). I know all to well how fragile life can be. I have learned a lot from losses, and from living with a chronic condition. I enjoy my life the very best I can. So yeah, birthdays are kinda a big deal to me.
*In other news: I am very excited to be seeing a new doctor next month. I scheduled an appointment with her next month. She is a licensed medical doctor (MD) that seems very holistic, and is educated in the field of herbal and natural medicine. My body seems to be especially responsive to this type of treatment. This makes me very hopeful about the future, I can‘t wait to hear her recommendations.
I also just ordered a new enzyme supplement I have never tried. Systemic enzyme therapy is very popular in Europe, particularly Germany (or so I read online), and very compatible with my current health regimen. I first heard of Wobenzym at a FARNY meeting, Dr Roger Murphee was the guest speaker. I talked to him briefly afterwards and he wrote ”Wobenzym” on the back of his card and told me to do some research on my own. That same day I bought his book (Treating and Beating Fibromyalgia), and implemented many of his suggestions in the book into my lifestyle, but never got around to checking out this supplement. The other day when I was referencing his book, his card fell out…
So, I decided to give it a whirl. (It has very few reported side effects) I went on Amazon and ordered Garden of Life Recovery Capsules, a supplement that contains Wobenzym, its enroute right now. I was starting to become frustrated with my health, and I was running out of things to try. I am literally in pain, e-v-e-r-y-d-a-y. It’s a challenge- to say the least! I am better then I have been in the past, but its still there (a lot) of room for improvement. So I get really excited when I can check out new paths to healing. I know there is no magical cures for Fibromyalgia, but there are ways to improve my quality of life. From what I understand, this supplement can be taken daily, but is also quick acting and can be taken as needed. I would take this instead of a NSAID like iburpophin or naproxen. That is really cool, because my body has made it very clear to me that it does more harm then good. I used to take so much of this stuff and now I can only use these medications in times of desperation. Wobenzym also helps the body heal itself. NSAIDs on the other hand, really hurt my belly (stomach and intestinal lining, liver, kidneys, etc) after years of constant use, and now my body just can‘t tolerate these chemicals. I am done trying new pharmaceuticals. When you feel like you have tried everything, new treatment options are big news.
This is gonna be a great year.
I am really vibe-ing with being 31 and the year 2012.
This New Year's Eve was hands down thee best EVER!! What a way to end a great year! An amazing way to kick off 2012 (that I know will be a great year!) and our new lives together as united soulmates ('cause it was our honeymoon too). I have a really good feeling about things. But I am an optimist no matter what. (did you read my post about being delusional ?) As you know, we love music and its what brought us together, so what better way to celebrate then with our favorite band?! Thanks again to everyone that helped make this happen. It was EPIC!
Bob and I on the super long train ride to NYC. Taken with my front facing camera on my 4G android phone (gifts we bought for ourselves after "one love")
The train was not too bad. Bigger seats then an airplane. Pretty smooth, no painful pressure changes, no seat belts restraining movement, and I could get up anytime I needed to, as often as I wanted. It was pretty quiet and I was able to nap. Much easier on my body then flying or even driving. Best part was sipping on some Pork Slap Pale Ale during the ride- can't do that in the car!!
We left at 9am and arrived in Penn Station at 4:40. By 4:50 we had already found our friends across the street at the Penn Hotel. We bumped into Stacy in the lobby, and she helped us find the room. It was nice to be greeted by familiar faces and warm hugs.
This is the view of Madison Square Garden from their window.
(FYI- MSG is directly on top of Penn Station)
Just as we were saying hi to everyone and cracking open a beer, I got a text message from our friend Bob with this picture:
It was so nice to know our cat was cool and our apartment was ok. We could just relax and enjoy ourselves knowing everything was just fine back home.
It was getting close to show time, so we grabbed our stuff and headed to our own hotel. (We did not get tickets to the 12/30 show) The line was 45 minutes to an hour wait to get a cab. There were a few rickshaws out front, and no line for that. So we hopped in. It was an exciting ride, weaving through cut-throat traffic in mid-town Manhattan. But we did get there in one piece!
Arriving in "style" at the swanky hipster haven, the Ace at 29th St. and Broadway.
(Other guests were arriving in limos, lol)
Upon arriving at our new "home" for the weekend, we cracked open another beer, unpacked a little and made ourselves comfortable.
The bed was comfortable! YES!!
They had all sorts of weird snacks.
I guess this is what hipsters eat?
Thank goodness we brought our own!
This was our view. The Empire State Building, just a few blocks away.
Below us was some sort of Islamic prayer center. It was so nice to hear the calls to pray when we were in our room. Every time, Bob and I would say a prayer, and we watched the men remove their shoes and go inside. Our prayers were of gratitude for 2011, and prayers filled with hope for 2012.
The radio in the room was set up so I could play my own music through my cell phone. While we hung out we streamed a SuperBall IX set through google music.
Jamming out in the hotel.
Ahhhhhh! Its all 3D!!
They had this "not now" magnet for the door, it stayed out there all weekend.
C'mon, we don't want to be disturbed on our honeymoon.
Everything was black, the walls, the carpet.
The hotel had a very dark edge-y vibe.
I put a glow stick in the bathroon for a nightlight, it just made the bathroom look creepier.
This is Bob in the creepy all black mirrored elevator.
The first thing we did was head toward Times Square.
Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square. We didn't try to go in, it looked crazy busy.
Not all that wander are lost.
The steampunk themed Macy's window display.
We grabbed a bite to eat at Ginger's on our way up to Times Square.
It was the same price as Chinese back home, and it had a very diverse atmosphere.
We went with our favorites: sesame chicken and pepper steak.
With nice full bellies we continued our adventure.
We found ourselves in front of BB King's Blues Club and Grill where the Pink Floyd tribute band "The Machine" was playing. Since we showed up during set break, the bouncer was nice enough to let us both in on one ticket.
some video from my phone:
Afterwards, we hung out in Times Square.
The "Ball" up at Times Square.
Chillin' back at the hotel after a busy day, my poor feet.
We tried to get back at a decent hour and were asleep by 2am.
(That's a decent hour in NYC- the city that never sleeps)
Around noon - 1pm we headed back out on the town. We went down to 23rd St to visit the building my first apartment was in, the George Washington. Its one of the SVA residencies.
We grabbed a bite to eat next door.
We did a little shopping.
I joked with Bob about how this little store carried shoes in his size.
In the evening we met back up with our friends at the Penn for a little pre-party.
We went back to the Penn after the show grabbed our stuff, and headed back out in search of food and beer. We briefly stopped in the Pig 'n' Whistle for one of their house beers, then went and found some street meat. We went back to our own hotel, walked around a line about half a block long to get into our hotel, flashed our room key and got right in. I guess Paper magazine was having some ultra exclusive NYE party in the lobby. While waiting for the elevator we could see all the hipsters and models dancing and jumping around to some horrific Cher remix. Not really our scene...
We pretty much went right to bed. Not even sure what time that was...?
We checked out of our hotel around 11:30 and went to find sandwiches. We did not have to go far, there are sandwich shops everywhere. We got some bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches to eat at Penn Station, and some turkey sandwiches to eat on the train.
Bob waiting for our train in Penn Station.
The ride home felt like forever!! I was sore and tired. (totally worth it!)
Thankfully, I was not really hungover, I didn't go crazy with the beer.
I was also super bored.
While I was happy to be home and see my cat, I really can't wait to go back!