Well, it’s been a few weeks since I’ve shared my NYC experience, but a lot has happened that’s kept me a little busy. First, my daughter Jessica got married to Chris Garmon in a beautiful wedding here in the City. Having family and 40 or so friends in town from Tennessee was amazing. Next, I was able to spend several days in Tennessee with Laura celebrating our 29 anniversary and running in a Cystic Fibrosis 5K. Wherever Laura is, that’s home for me.

So the last time I wrote, it was freezing cold here and I had put on 8 lbs due to the great food and not being able to run much due to the temps. Flash forward to today, and the weather has gotten much better, I can run consistently in the mornings now. It couldn’t have come at a better time because I’m now up 10 lbs (actually down 1 since peaking last week). Speaking of spring, the City is just now starting to blossom. New leaves are visible and early spring flowers are out in full force. But the biggest sign of spring for me had to be on the Subway. Last Monday was the first day the temps hit the high 60’s. Up until then, all of my NY friends that share the morning commute with me on the Subway were all bundled up head to toe, dressed in black and gray. However, when the doors opened on that fine Monday, it looked like the Easter Bunny had thrown up in the train. Coats and scarves in dreary winter tones had suddenly been replaced by pastels and bright colors everywhere. The metamorphosis was stunning…and very welcome. Also, I think every restaurant in the City immediately set up tables and chairs filling up half of the sidewalks. It’s like the entire City woke up from a long winter nap and decided to take the train and eat out…in their brightest colors.

The weather breaking has me reflecting on my first 3.5 months here and a few things I’ve learned: (1) Family is everything – without a strong support system, I could never have taken advantage of the new job here in NY. But absence does make the heart grow fonder. Not having Laura here with me is hard and I appreciate and love her more than ever. I can’t wait to have her join me in just a few short months. I miss the kids too. (2) Don’t be afraid to chase your dreams – you only live once, don’t live with regrets. This has been an amazing experience for me and will even be better when Laura joins me. (3) Building a community here has been easier than I thought it would be. God has opened doors for me to connect with a great group of men at Redeemer Presbyterian (thanks Brad Blackmon). I’m looking forward to helping out with “Hope for NY”, they help the poor and homeless all over the City. Also, I work around some of the most amazing people on the planet. Working at Visiting Nurse Services NY has been amazing. The work we are involved in, taking care of the poorest and sickest people of NY inspires me everyday. The dedication of the staff there makes it such a great place to be a part of. (4) Some customs unique to NYC have been hard to get used to such as, grocery store lines at Fairway starting back 10 feet from the register (sorry to those I accidentally broke in front of last night — I didn’t know!), restaurants unwilling to split up checks, apartment rent prices (ouch), coffee orders – who knew a “regular” Coffee or just “Coffee” meant a coffee plus plenty of milk and sugar. You don’t have to say milk and sugar. You’ll get that thrown in like a bonus. If you order it “Dark” – that means a little milk. Lite or “light” – A lot of milk. More than a regular. Extra-lite or “extra-light” – More milk than a lite. You got to be lactose tolerant to order this way. I still don’t have this figured out so I just say “Black” and add my own stuff.

Well, enough for now. I’m still loving the adventure but will love it even more when Laura is here with me. I’ll start posting pics of the Spring in the City. Until next time….