October was an interesting month. It came in like a lamb and came out like a hurricane. As you know, NYC (my current home) and the Jersey Shore (my home for 22 years) were hit very hard by Hurricane Sandy earlier this week. My apartment is without power until late Saturday, per the most recent estimate. Aubrey was kind enough to take me in before anything happened so that I wouldn’t be stranded alone and Jessica has been with us as well. My work in Tribeca has been closed all week, our beach towns at home were all underwater, and some of my friends have sadly lost a lot. It has been odd for me because we have been sequestered on the Upper West Side, where we haven’t seen much damage in person, aside from this walk/don’t walk sign that was still functioning although on it’s side.

But to get distracted from the storm just a little bit, I’d like to wrap up October if I may. The beginning of the month was spent getting ready for my trip and attending a friend’s wonderful wedding in North Jersey:

When I got back from Europe, I got to spend a gorgeous Saturday at NY Botanical Garden with my parents (which I will write about in an upcoming entry, don’t you worry):

I got to finally see my old roommate for the first time since we moved and celebrate her birthday with many others, including the lovely Sabrina:

Without knowing that the next week we would all be together for a week straight, Jessica, Aubrey, and I also spent most of the prior two weekends together as well:

Which included a beautiful autumnal walk through Central Park and to Belvedere Castle:

The morning before everything shut down in NYC, we got to catch up with our other home girl, Allie Bear, right before we hurricane-proofed (although I haven’t been there to check yet) and evacuated my apartment.

After being inside for days and eating way too much junk food, when the rain and winds died down on Tuesday, we decided we needed to get outside and breathe some fresh air. Jessica did my hair and makeup and we all wore the same outfit because we had gone a little crazy being inside for so long.

And the one good thing about the storm is that I made a new best friend:

I know I personally was very lucky in this storm and I am very thankful for that. My heart is with the Jersey Shore, Jersey City, Hoboken, and the rest of NYC.  I love you all and am ready and willing to help out with whatever you need. Seriously.

xx