A trip to NYC that I will NEVER forget!!!!

If I wait until I finish everything I need to do today to post this blog, I will never get it done so here it is!!

Yesterday was.....incredible. Absolutely, positively incredible. Just a recap: I found out last week that Jennifer Hudson was going to be in NYC for a book signing yesterday. I told my sister in law that I was thinking about going. She told me "If you don't go, I will drag you there myself. You have accomplished so much, she's your inspiration, and she needs to know it!" So in a matter of an hour we had decided we were going.

In case you need to refresh on how much I love Jennifer Hudson, you can check out posts here, here, here, and here. 

Fast forward .....

2:30am yesterday we drug ourselves out of bed, into a cab, and onto the bus NYC bound!

Posing in the bathroom at 3am! 

sitting at the bus station 4am...

We arrived in NYC at 7am and made our way into the big city. I haven't been there since I was young so I was in complete awe. I love that city!! 

We stood outside of Good Morning America hoping to get on TV but we didn't want to waste any time getting in line for the book signing...

Of course along the way we had to stop and take our touristy pictures in Times Square ! 

We arrived at Barnes and Noble on 5th Ave. at 7:15...those 3 people in line were the only people ahead of us! I was so excited we were going to be one of the first people to meet her and seeing as how they were music fans, I figured I was going to be the first weight loss success story to meet her, which made me even more excited!

Yes, we waited for 5 hours out in the cold!! It was so worth it!!

Anxiously waiting!! 

Video #1 : Waiting for JHUD

We met some awesome friends in line and I'm so upset that we forgot to get their contact information! If you guys are reading my blog, make sure you email me! This young guy Dan doesn't realize how much he could do with his interest and knowledge about celebrities. I told him he's the next Perez Hilton!

Waiting...waiting....loading up on caffeine.....looking like super stars....and waiting some more LOL

We went in to get our books....then waited some more!

Now would be a good time to explain something: Bridgit and Peter, the other two winners of the Story Of You contest have become good friends of mine! The only way I was able to afford this trip was because I won that contest and they deserved to be there as much as I did! I also purchased them books. I would have loved to purchase all my WW friends books but then I would be broke so please don't take it personal that I only did it for Bridgit and Peter!

So after all that waiting.....we made it inside the book store...and then waited some more. Here I am, dorky as ever, excited as ever!

Then the moment finally came....there she IS!!

Signing MY book!! 

I told her that I was so excited to meet her, that she has been a huge inspiration to me with my weight loss journey, that I lost 94lbs, and that it was on my bucket list to meet her. The above picture is her reaction to me saying that meeting her was on my list of things to do before I die. Cannot believe she held my hand and everything!! 

Her shocked face when I told her how much weight I lost :)

When I showed her my before picture, she asked me if she could keep it! I have no idea what she might do with it but I sure as heck told her yes! I was wishing I put my contact information on there! LOL! 

Then, despite the fact that there was supposed to be no posing for photography, I asked her for a photo. The security guard started getting madd but JHUD didn't care, I sure as heck didn't care, and Tamara didn't care....

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She is everything I imagined her to be!! She is just as beautiful in real life as on camera and just as genuine! I was on cloud 9! ....I still am! It's incredible to experience something that you thought you may only dream of. Thank you Jennifer for being my first inspiration to take this journey of changing my life. 

So after I hugged Tamara for the longest time ever and we cried together, went to the bathroom, and semi calmed down, I recorded a reaction:

Then we celebrated: 

So after all that excitement....the day wasn't over....we still had all day in NYC! So we did what you do in NYC...we shopped, we drank more coffee, we hung out in Times Square, and we took pictures!

*Stay tuned after the pics...there is more awesomeness coming!*

I died......

and then went to Forever 21 Heaven!!! Four stories of non-stop F21 shopping!!! 

Now I'll give you 3 guesses what we bought, first 2 don't count....

Yup....we both left with nothing but workout clothes! haha I want to go back when I am at my goal weight and buy some SUMMER clothes!! 

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Hanging out (and charging my phone!) in F21

Only in NYC 

Free hugs that cost $1 donation.... -_- 

Yes, we split it!! It was to die for. 

Sooo....after allllllll that there is still more awesomeness!! One of the very first blogs I started reading was the one and only Bitch Cakes aka Sheryl Yvette. If you don't already follow her blog, which you should, check her out at Www.sherylyvette.com . She is one of the coolest people ever! She is taking a bit of a break from blogging for personal reasons, but take the time to catch up on her because you will fall in love. 

Anyway, being in NYC, I mentioned to her that I would love to meet her so she invited me to attend her Weight Watchers meeting!! How cool? Hanging out in NYC and attending a WW meeting with all new people! 

Her meeting was super hidden in a basement and it actually turns out that it's the same meeting center that Jennifer Hudson attends! But she wasn't there last night lol. 

I told you it was super hidden! lol

But we finally found it! And found Sheryl! 

So excited to finally meet her! 

and her adorable WW leader Melanie! 

So after that we walked her to the subway she was catching and then we booked it back to Penn Station to catch the bus home! 

On top of ALL of that.....I received an email from the territory manager for Weight Watchers telling me that she has already heard so much about me and asking me to fill out a questionnaire so that we can set up an interview to work for them!! So of course as soon as I got home I did that...just waiting to hear!!

Thank you all for all the love and support!! Yesterday is definitely a day I will NEVER forget!!!

HUGS!!!!