Changing Seasons

The first official day of fall started on Saturday at 12:03 am. From pumpkin picking to harvest festivals, fall is such a great time of year. Here are a few pictures that remind me of NYC in the fall. The last picture is of Hokkaido, Japan, a beautiful city at the very north end of Japan that Lauren & I visited while we were in college. Enjoy the fall colors!

A Visit from the Bay

A few months ago, my friend Michelle & I were trading some e-mails and discovered that she had a flight coupon, I had a couch, and her team had a bye this weekend, so we booked her on a plane out to NYC. Welcome to our shared world that revolves around the NFL calendar!

We had a great visit and truly made our way around the island of Manhattan. The weather was so beautiful on Friday. We took a pretty hike through Central Park and enjoyed dining at the Boathouse, overlooking the lake and peaceful views. We had a little "makeover" at Henri Bendel before trying out Fusha, a pretty cool Asian restaurant in my neighborhood. We had a great dinner at Coffee Shop in Union Square and a nice brunch with Beth at Philip Marie's in Greenwich Village. We did some good shopping in Soho, stopped in at Balthazar, tried some tapas at the Tapas Lounge, and even made a trip down to Red Rock to visit Kevin.

We finished off a very full, but great weekend by hanging out down the street at Becky's, relaxing and watching football over coffee, eggs benedict, and one very good brownie sundae. The perfect way to spend a Sunday. The guys at the next table were very impressed to see that two women were at the bar when it opened to watch football. They didn't even make it through the first game!

It was a wonderful visit & so good to have Michelle in town. I can't wait to get out to visit her on the West Coast!

Armstrong Prepares for NYC Marathon

Lance Armstrong took part in a 5 mile run from Midtown to Queens, practicing for the upcoming NYC marathon (Running along 57th Street in Manhattan on Wednesday, September 20, 2006)

Seven-time Tour de France Lance Armstrong may have retired from the sport of cycling. He has clearly not lost his competitive edge, though, having now set himself the target of completing the New York Marathon on 5th November.

On Wednesday, Armstrong ran from midtown Manhattan to the borough of Queens to give himself a taste of what he faces.

It is over a year since Lance Armstrong stepped out of the saddle, after calling time on arguably the most successful career in the history of cycling.

But competitive desire still courses through his veins.

And now the seven-time Tour de France winner has a fresh challenge ahead of him - the New York City Marathon.

Armstrong completed a training run from midtown Manhattan to the borough of Queens on Wednesday, and was warmly received by the large crowd of people running with him.

The Texan began his training session at Niketown, before crossing the 59th Street Bridge and into Queens.

The New York City Marathon, which usually draws more than 85,000 applicants each year, takes place on Sunday, November 5th.

The marathon traverses New York's five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan before the finish line in Central Park.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Armstrong's diagnosis with testicular cancer. His dramatic recovery, and subsequent success in the sport of cycling, inspired him to found the Lance Armstrong Foundation in 1997. The organization was set up with the purpose of helping people who are affected in any way by cancer.

As for the New York marathon, Armstrong assures us that - by his previous world-beating standards - his targets are relatively modest.

"I don't know what (time) I would like to do. I would like to be fit enough to at least break three hours, (but) that may be ambitious, I've never done a marathon so I don't have anything to compare it to. I've never run more than 17 or 18 miles. Perhaps I've bit off more than I can chew, I don't know. But three hours would be nice. I would love to run a 'two (hours) 30 (minutes)' one of these days, but that's like a dream."

Finding the stamina to complete the marathon will surely be no problem for the still super-fit Armstrong. There were no difficulties whatsoever after Wednesday's run, as the seven-time Tour winner happily posed for photographs and signed autographs.

The Kindest Cut of All

Pantene Beautiful Lengths is a campaign by Pantene that encourages people to grow, cut and donate their hair to create real-hair wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer. A recent study showed that 58% of women consider hair loss to be the most dreaded side effect they face when undergoing chemotherapy.

If you know my friend Brooke, then you know that her hair looks like it is straight out of a Pantene commercial. Seriously, the girl has gorgeous hair. And she has been growing it out for months now in preparation of making this donation.

Well Friday was the big day & she did it! There are some pictures of the big event on her blog.

She looks fantastic and I am so proud of her!

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Apparently September 19th is the big, international holiday, "Talk Like a Pirate Day." Yes, Joe & Andrew (aka Pirate Harvey the Bitter & Eye-Gougin' Brody Bonny) are really sitting back in their cave talking like pirates. You can get your own "Pirate Name" here.

I also discovered that there is a Talk Like a Pirate theme song. It is really good. I'm sure we will be hearing it all day! ARRRRR!!!

T'me, Yo, Ho, Yo, Ho,
It's "Talk Like A Pirate" Day!
That time in September when sea dogs remember
That grown-ups still know how ta play!

When wenches are curvy
and dogs are all scurvy
And a soft-wear patch covers your eye,
Ta hell with our jobs,
for one day we're all swabs
And buccaneers all till we die!

So hoist up the mainsails
and shut down your brain cells,
They only would get in the way,
Avast there, me hearty,
we're havin' a party,
It's "Talk Like A Pirate" Day!
Yo Ho!

The Cutest Fans

It was nice to be home for a few days. While I was in Buffalo, I stopped by my friend Michelle's house to finally see her two little kids. Oh my gosh, they have gotten so big & are just too cute. Michelle & I grew up next door to each other & even though she was two years older, we were always together, finding ways to amuse ourselves. We used to spend hours with the ouiji board. For some reason, Michelle's messages from the beyond were always like, "You will win a million dollars" while mine were more along the lines of, "You will break your ankle & die." We played pranks on half the neighborhood, but our favorite was painting rocks with gold paint, hiding them around the yard, and then getting rid of our little brothers for hours by telling them we had found gold & to go dig in the backyard. Now Michelle has her own kids. It was great to catch up with her & hang out with the kids for a little bit. And I am so happy to see that they are already little football fans!

How cute are we!

Mrs. Timms

Last week I was back in Buffalo for Laura & Sean's wedding. On Wednesday night, the girls had some pampering at the Spa at Falling Waters which was quite relaxing. Thursday was the rehearsal at the church and rehearsal dinner at Harry's Harbour on the waterfront.


Friday was the big day. Laura was a beautiful bride & her dress was truly unique. Not what I would have ever predicted for my mountain biking, dirty duathlon racing friend, but it was gorgeous. Bag pipes played at the church and luckily, after a brief delay while the bride's car broke down on the way to the church, Laura finally made it down the aisle.

The reception was a lot of fun & it was nice to meet so many of their friends and family. We all agreed that Sean is going to have 6 daughters. We continue to keep Sean's Grandpa Joe, a retired firefighter after 38 years with the NYFD, in our prayers and wish him good health & a fast recovery.

Love You, Mean It

Today, four pretty remarkable women came to our office to speak about their new book, Love You, Mean It, released just last week. All four women lost their husbands in the World Trade Center on 9/11. One of the women, Julia Collins, is our colleague at the NFL. Her husband, Tom Collins, was one of the Ithaca College alumni who died in the attacks. Together, these women wrote an inspiring true story of love, loss, and friendship. They spoke of their experiences supporting each other in their journey of shared grief and efforts to rebuild their lives, choosing to pay tribute to their husbands by embracing the same joy and love of life that their husbands always showed. It was very moving to hear them speak of their strength, hope, and resilience while coping with such overwhelming loss. And how the power of friendship has helped them heal and love again. The women have been featured in recent days on ABC News, Larry King Live, the View, and in USA Today, and it was an honor to have them with us today.

Remembrance

Waiting All Day for Sunday

I am looking forward to seeing the Manning brothers make their debut at Giants Stadium tomorrow night. Besides all the hype on Manning vs. Manning, the weather looks good, it's the start of the new Sunday Night Football on NBC, and it should be a great game.

But while we're waiting all day for Sunday Night (click to listen!), there is a GREAT college game on tonight as No. 2 Texas hosts No. 1 Ohio State in one of college football's most anticipated showdowns of the season. Go Longhorns! I love football season!

One Game. One Dream.

The 2006 NFL Season kicks off tonight when the Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers host the Miami Dolphins at Heinz Field. This year's season will be played under the theme of "One Game. One Dream" -- symbolizing the one vital game each team plays each week, leading to the one "dream" game of the year, Super Bowl XLI, this February in South Florida.

Linebacker Antonio Pierce of the Giants sums it up in another four-word season theme -- "Super Bowl," he says. "Nothing else."

Tiki Barber & the Giants will host the "Manning Bowl" on Sunday Night Football

It's Back

It all begins Thursday night. Heading into NFL Kickoff 2006, some of the elements that can give this season its uniqueness:

A NEW BALL: "The Duke" is back! The NFL will play with a new/old football this year -- "The Duke," the ball used by the league from 1941-69 that contained the nickname of the late New York Giants owner Wellington Mara. The ball will carry the signature of new NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

THE SAINTS COME HOME: The new-look New Orleans Saints (Sean Payton, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush) will return to their refurbished Louisiana Superdome home on Monday night, September 25 for the first time in over a year. The game -- the conclusion to a whole day of re-opening festivities in the Crescent City -- will be a rejuvenation for the team and its city. "We can give New Orleans some stability, some hope," says Saints wide receiver Joe Horn.

NFL COMPETITIVENESS: Suspense? It seems ingrained in the NFL. Last year, 17 percent of games were decided in the final two minutes or overtime. Almost half the games (48 percent) were decided by one score (eight points or less) and almost a quarter (24 percent) by three or less points. The average margin of victory for all 256 games was 11.7 points.

"There is nothing predictable in the unpredictable NFL," says new Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.

Football Season & Pumpkin Spice

As much as I love the start of football season, it also means the end of summer. It is always the first real sign of fall to me when Starbucks starts offering their absolutely awesome Pumpkin Spice Latte, with whipped cream of course! Good thing my diet allows me to have plenty of these this fall! They are perfect on a crisp autumn day. I also love the pumpkin cream cheese muffins that Starbucks has this time of year. Last fall I attempted to duplicate with a low fat version that I modified from this recipe. Williams-Sonoma also carries a great pumpkin pancake & waffle mix and a truly delicious pecan pumpkin butter.

Ready for Some Football

Well, it's back to the office. The kickoff countdown calendar informs me that the season opens in exactly 6 days, 8 hours, 36 minutes, and 24 seconds. The start of a new season is always exciting, but I miss the beach!

My dad sent me this gorgeous picture this morning. He took it on our walk down by the docks in Connecticut last week. He takes the best pictures. I wish we were still there!