quiet over here

for obvious reasons. we have been without power all week & just got cable back today. but mostly, it has been a somber week on the whole east coast over the total and complete devastation hurricane Sandy caused. 

right before the storm, pete's coast guard base was evacuated due to its location on the tip of Sandy Hook, NJ, so he was in Connecticut safe with me when the storm hit. yes we lost power, yes trees, powerlines, and the CT shoreline towns were hit hard... but my heart is broken for the place we called home over the past three years. i simply can not believe that we moved out of new jersey a month before the towns where we lived were completely wiped out. people's homes, the streets, boats, buildings, & the entire town of Sea Bright are no longer there. 

pete drove down to new jersey yesterday to help his friends who lost everything and couldn't believe what he saw. as a person who pulls dead bodies out of the water for his job, not much shocks my husband, but he called me almost in tears at the scene he saw down there. his coast guard base is destroyed, the docks for the boats gone, the military housing under water, & roads washed away. the neighboring towns are occupied by the national guard to keep people out while they bulldoze buildings & attempt to clean up the four feet of sand that has blanketed the town. people are lined up for miles and miles waiting for hours to get gas at the few stations that are open...

i could go on & on describing the chaos on the jersey shore, nyc, and all other states that were badly affected, but we've all seen it on the news & read it in the papers. it is all heartbreaking & i encourage everyone to pray for those who lost everything & to be thankful if the only thing you lost was the power for a few days. below are pics pete took of the destruction at the coast guard base, the marks from the water levels, the flooding, & pics of Highlands, Nj. i hope in a few months (with the hard work of the military, volunteers, townspeople, & workers) that i can take new pictures of a shore that is restored. 

over the past week...

 

we celebrated our one year anniversary at saybrook point

the violet HUNTER boots pete gave me for my birthdaywere broken in on a particularly rainy day

(many puddles were jumped in)

we had dinner + drinks with our neighbors on our last night in the apartment

 i wore a complete rainy day outfit to go run errands (don't mind the messy room!)

the first fire of the season was ablaze. warm & toasty

 i curled up on the couch with my all time favorite magazines

(fashion, home decor, & martha... what more could a girl want? honestly.)

i got to see one of our friend's high school gymnastics meets

& hug my little gymnasts tightly

i baked with apples, apples, & more apples

we went & cheered at my little brother's soccer game

we watched Leo be the happiest we've ever seen him

(being able to go in & outside whenever he pleases for the first time in his life)

we baked 3 apple pies all with a cinnamon swirl crust

(recipe in the "apple" post below)

 hobbes got into the cat nip + fell into a kitty coma

 while Stark (yes, named after game of thrones) took a nap with me

i got to lay outside for a little fall sunshine & enjoy a great + liberating book

i began the search for a perfect october dress for my college roomie's wedding in 2 weeks

and we said a heartfelt goodbye to our home over the last 3 years

 

it was an eventful week starting with our anniversary on monday all the way to moving out of our jersey apartment this weekend. it was bittersweet packing up our belongings and saying goodbye to our neighbors & to the place we have called home over the past three years... i have such fond memories of living at pier village... spending every morning on the beach before work, all the cute shops, seeing our neighbors daily, coaching my little gymnasts down the street, & all the memories with pete & those who we have become great friends with.

 

we spent the week getting things ready with some baking, sunbathing, & shopping thrown in between. on thursday we ventured down to NJ for an appointment with my surgeon followed by a great lunch with the nurse that took care of me while i was in the hospital. we then headed down to our apartment & almost tackled our neighbors when we saw them. the girl is one of my friends from college & a fellow gymnastics teammate and pete has grown very close with her fiance. we are very sad to no longer be in walking distance to them, but know we will visit them often. since we hadn't seen them since my inital surgery, we went out for a long "last supper" together at a restaurant on the water.

 

the next day was spent cleaning & packing & boxing & moving... i had to keep taking breaks and tried to do only the little stuff until my mother & brother arrived to help pack. from there, we went north to watch our friend's high school gymnastics meet & see my little gymnasts who were there to watch as well. out of any job i have ever held, being a coach is one of the most satisfying things i have ever done. the relationship i have with these 10 year olds is beyond words. it is the most gratifying thing to watch them flip around on the mats after the meet was over & know that i not only taught them that, but i have given them skills to be proud of and sparked in them a love for the sport that i still feel to this day. it is one of my favorite things i am taking with me from new jersey & i know i will always have a special place in their little hearts even if i am no longer able to be their coach.

 

a three hour drive later we were back in CT, unloaded the truck, and crashed into a dead sleep. moving is exhausting and i am glad it is over & can spend little portions of the day over the next few months, organizing & cleaning out stuff to get into storage until we purchase a house one day (hopefully by this summer!). it is not an ideal situation to be living at my parents house, but it has given us an amazing opportunity to save and has allowed pete to no longer stress about me being by myself in an apartment while he is at work. i still have another 3 months until my wound is closed up & healed and my family has taken over the role of taking care of me & making sure i have a healthy & speedy recovery after all i have been through.

 

with this move, the next chapter of our lives has set in. so many changes are coming up so quickly and if i have learned anything with experience, it is to just ride the waves & everything will eventually work out. i try to remind myself to stay calm & soak in the moments... oh, & make frequent to do lists.

milkshakes

just a little bit ago one of my 3 college roommates nicole (we call each other gnomies) came down to visit us in jersey.. the beauty of where we live, pier village, is that it really is a little village. right outside our front door are shops, restaurants, and my all time favorite: Stewarts. they have the BEST burgers, BEST fries, + all time BEST milkshakes. so needless to say i try to stay away unless its a special occasion. gnomie's visit was by far a special occasion & was so happy to see her pretty face.

 

even bear,
property of rocky mountain chocolate factory,
agreed.

peace, love, crabs.

a night at joe's crab shack + amy.
your drinks come in mason jars.
that you get to TAKE HOME.  love.