Change

Change happens so fast!

Sometimes you notice the change right away...

Other times it takes time....

19 days since my last post and so much has changed!

Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast with devastating impacts!

I've learned to appreciate 

light bulbs, 

television, 

screens of any kind, 

hot showers, 

warm clothes out of the dryer, 

clocks, microwaves, heat, and normalcy!

Hurricane Sandy hit us Monday night...we lost power around 7:30 and the boys were excited about a little adventure.

We had the air mattress in the living room 

and we camped out for the night! 

Many memories were made. 

Snuggling under lots of blankets in lots of layers,

Everyone being assigned a flashlight,

Lighting the house up with candles,

Going outside to feel the wind

and smell the creepy salty sea air!

I taught the boys the game I grew up playing with Bernadette. I'm not sure it ever had a name but it was soothing on nights where sleep didn't come easy.

It was called...

Guess what I'm drawing on your back! 

I took turns drawing on the boys 

and they took turns drawing on me!

There were belly laughs and smiles! 

And eventually we all fell asleep!

While I slept soundly with the boys (on an air mattress)

Domenic guarded our house from the elements and the storm.

He bailed water from the basement and finally threw in the towel after making little progress...

Waiting, knowing, and being helpless 

that our basement was filling with water 

while the pump was not working was horrible!

We went to sleep listening to the howling wind and watching our trees sway was one of the most frightening experiences.

In the middle of the night, I heard boots squeaking, doors opening and closing, and men talking outside the house.

Terrified and curious I begged to know what was happening!

Domenic eventually made his way in to say our neighbor had saved the day. We had 3 inches of water slushing in the basement and our neighbor was giving us a line from his generator.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

This line got rid of the water, dried out the basement, and kept our screens charged for the 2 days that would follow! 

Which helped the boys and our sanity 

(as the adventure got very old very quickly)!

The days that followed without power were chilly, dark, and filled with cranky kids and adults!

Still...we made it through!

We lost a swing set and a shed due to a fallen tree!

Both are replaceable!

The devastation seen on our 

New Jersey Beaches is unthinkable!

Pictures just can't describe right now!

My parents just had their power restored tonight!

1 week.....7 days.....168 hours....10,080 minutes

with. no. power!

I have no idea how they did it!

(Yes they had a generator 

but my goodness they deserve some sort of medal!)

They fought gas lines that were sometimes 4 hours long.

Friends and family in Morris County, NJ waited over night and early into the mornings for gas stations to open!

They experiences gas rations with even and odd days!

It's been crazy!

Houses....families....neighborhoods...schools...beaches...

They all look completely changed...

from my memories...

and from what they looked like just days 

before Hurricane Sandy hit!

Most people will be fine!

They will recover with patience, time, 

donations, resources, love and support!

November is the time to be Thankful!

I'm thankful for my own situation!

I'm thankful the people I know and love most 

were seemingly unharmed in the storm!

I'm thankful that friends I've crossed paths with are on a road to recovery and are demonstrating motivation, persistence, and perspective to rebuild their homes and their lives!

More pictures and memories from this 

storm of the century to follow....