On Weather

Well. A lot has happened in the past few days. Frankenstorm, also known as Hurricane Sandy, the collective of storms that recently battered the East Coast, has come and gone. We were mainly spared in the D.C.-metro area. There were downed trees and branches, some flooding of businesses and basements, and extensive power outages, but the damage we faced was nothing (nothing) compared to the devastation in New York and New Jersey. As with many natural disasters, there aren't words to describe what's left in the wake of the storm. The Atlantic has some vivid photos of the aftermath here and here and here. (Side note: Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, has earned his Super Mayor title.)

Breezy Point, Queens

Manhattan without power

Queens, NY

Seaside Heights, NJ
(photos via The Atlantic)

As a Mississippi gal who grew up visiting the Gulf Coast, from Houston to New Orleans to the Florida Panhandle, I'm not a stranger to hurricanes. I was at school in Tuscaloosa when that bitch Katrina came barreling through, and we had substantial damage even then, several hundred miles from landfall in New Orleans. My family was vacationing near Destin, FL when Tropical Storm Alberto came through back in 1994. There are countless other storms that caused my hometown plenty of residual flooding and damage; Andrew, Ivan, Rita, Camille back in the day, and of course the innumerable tornados that hit the Southeastern U.S. each spring.

I don't mean to say that I survived these storms, because that's not at all fair to those who actually lived on the Coast and lost homes and loves ones. My point is, this storm was such a rare occurrence that it would have been terribly devastating to those who expect weather events like this; I can't imagine what it must feel like for the NYers and NJers who were blindsided by this storm. (Kind of like in 2009 and 2010 when D.C. experienced record snowfall amounts and the city shut down. President Obama, a Chicagoan, couldn't understand why three-plus-feet of snow sent D.C.-ers into a panic and received some flak for it.)

The District has experienced some pretty odd weather events over the past several years. There was SnOMG in December 2009, which dropped 16 inches of snow in D.C.; Snowmageddon/Snowpocalypse in February 2010, responsible for three-plus feet of snow and an epic snowball fight in Dupont Circle; an earthquake in August 2011; Snowtober on Halloween 2011; a derecho in June 2012; and now the Frankenstorm in October 2012. The Washington Post even wrote about it, and here's another breakdown.

Anyway, my neighborhood tends to lose power at a brisk gust of wind, so I packed up and camped out with my sister and her boyfriend in Arlington. We were lucky enough to maintain power the entire time, and had our own three-person hurricane party, complete with beer, PlayStation, scary movies, and homemade pumpkin waffles the next day. All in all, not a bad way to spend a couple of days.

Please consider donating to the Red Cross's Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. 

Thankful

Sometimes it seems a shame that we only "celebrate" Thanksgiving once a year since there is so much to be thankful for each day.  My immediate family and I went to Seaside, FL, a place that is special to us, and we were fortunate enough to be spend several days with our extended "family"; we may not be related by blood, but we are related through love and a rich history of friendship.  There are so many things for which I'm thankful (my family, my friends, my job, our country, red wine, the list goes on), but I was happy just to spend time with my favorite people in my favorite place.

Craig

Randy and Dad - BFFs

Craig, Mom, Anna

the extended family

sisters

sisters

Anna's pumpkin pie

Anna's apple pie

Scrabble Pillows

The weather has turned chilly in DC, and we're well into the holiday season.  Now that Halloween is over (and my decorations are put away), I'm looking forward to spending the week of Thanksgiving with my family at one of our favorite destinations.  We have some holiday traditions that include my sister and I arguing about clothes, my mother attempting to teach me how to cook, my father reminding me to change the oil in my car every three months, sipping red wine, watching old episodes of Friends, and playing numerous games of Scrabble.  As such, I thought it was appropriate to share these cute Scrabble pillows; I think they would be adorable in a child's room or guest room.

Celebrating 30 Years

October 12 is memorable to many Americans because it is Columbus Day, the day in 1492 that Christopher Columbus landed in The Bahamas, thinking he had reached South Asia. However, in my family, October 12 is special because it is the day my parents were married in 1980.  Today, exactly three decades ago in Atlanta, GA, my mother and my father took vows to love each other through sickness, health, good times and bad, for the rest of their lives.  I am so grateful to God for bringing these two wonderful people together (even though when they first met they were both dating other people), and for keeping them together throughout the years.  Mom and Dad, I love you, and happy 30th anniversary!

My parents in Seaside, FL

Wedding Weekend

I spent the past weekend at a friend's wedding in Hollywood, Florida.  It was a wonderful trip; the weather was beautiful, I got sunburned, I shared a hotel room with some hilarious friends, the ceremony was elegant, the reception was a nonstop dance party, and the bride was absolutely stunning.  My sweet friend Amanda, a University of Florida graduate, for some crazy reason scheduled her ceremony at the exact same time as the Alabama vs. Florida game; although I was surrounded by Florida Gators almost the whole weekend, it turned out okay in the end since the Tide was victorious.  It was also my first Jewish wedding, and I enjoyed learning about the traditional customs (like the chuppah, the ketubah, and the horah). Below are some pictures of the hotel and of the festivities.

the lovely bride and groom

 

there was very nearly a wedding cake malfunction