Our First Thanksgiving

So, our first Thanksgiving on our own was, in my opinion, not too shabby. Here is how our day unfolded:

First, we figured we might as well do the touristy thing since it is our first Thanksgiving in New York City so we hit up the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I mean, we figured why watch it on TV when you can see it LIVE. Well, note to self, if you really want to see the parade, don't wait until the parade has actually started to go looking for a spot. I guess its true what they say, the early bird does in fact get the worm.  Or in this case, a good view. Oh well, we settled for watching the balloons as they came down Sixth Avenue, which was still pretty neat. Next year we will definitely have to get up a bit earlier to track down a good spot (sadly this is probably wishful thinking since I'm not much of an early riser, but we shall see). Here are a few pics from the parade:

Our view...with Sonic the Hedgehog in the background.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Mickey Mouse on his Anchor. This reminded me of Jilly (not the mouse part, just the anchor). I miss you friend!

Papa Smurf...Aka my Dad. :)

Pillsbury Dough Boy.

Sponge Bob!

Random Dragon??  Any ideas where this one is from?

When we got back over to Jersey, we decided it would be nice to go for a walk along the waterfront. I was first overjoyed to see Christmas decorations in the park (I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!), but then saddened to find that part of the waterfront walkway had been destroyed by the Hurricane. Luckily, it was just this small portion and we were able to get a nice leisurely walk in before returning back to our apartment to start the epic cooking marathon.

Presents in the Park!

Christmas decorations are officially out!

What used to be the start of the waterfront walk.

The damage to the waterfront.

The Hurricane broke the walkway in half.

The broken walkway.

Relaxin on the waterfront (the non-damaged part obviously)

Our view

Such a beautiful Thanksgiving day!

We finally made it back to our apartment around 12:30 and immediately we got to cookin and watchin football! We finished our marathon meal at around 9 PM and then enjoyed a delicious feast together. It was glorious! While it was tricky to time all of the dishes since we only have one stove, we ended up producing the following: green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, homemade stuffing, stuffed mushrooms (as an app), mashed potatoes, gravy, beer can chicken, roasted brussel sprouts with bacon, and beer bread. And for dessert, we had pecan tassies, sweet cream, and pumpkin cheesecake mousse parfaits. The meal was absolutely delectable. Sadly, as soon as we finished dinner, I zonked out. I can't even blame it on the tryptophan since we didn't have any turkey, I was just plain tired. Overall, it was definitely a successful day and reminded me why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!

The Feast!

The next day we had plenty of leftovers so Tay got creative and made stuffing pancakes (kind of like crab cakes, but with stuffing). They were delicious! The savory combination of the bread and sausage smothered in delicious syrup was spectacular. Definitely one of the better dishes of leftover stuffing I've ever had!

Leftover Stuffing Pancakes.

Overall, I'd say our first Thanksgiving alone was a success. I am so thankful for the wonderful life I have, my family, my friends, a job, and of course, Taylor. Miss you all and I hope you had an equally fabulous Thanksgiving as well!

A Not So Warm Welcome to the East Coast...Courtesy of Frankenstorm 2012

Well I survived my first hurricane. As a native of the west coast, I never thought I would say that phrase. One thing I learned, nature is a force that I don't particularly want to wrestle with.

I was telling a friend of mine today that I was strategic in my move to the East Coast...by moving at the worst possible time, it can only get better right...right?!? That's the mindset I have chosen to go with. Also, I got a week paid vacation before I even started work. Not many people can say that huh? Hey, I'm looking on the bright side here. The devastation around us is incredible. We haven't been able to venture out very far, but in our little city alone it is evident that many families and businesses will be feeling the effects of this storm for years to come.

As for me and Tay...we are some of the lucky few who made it through Hurricane Sandy unscathed. A little worse for the wear because of the lack of power and water, but I'd take that any day of the week over what others are going through. 

So here is my account of Hurricane Sandy: Our area was evacuated early Monday if you lived in the basement level or first floor. Since we are in a high rise, we got to stay put. The most intense part of the storm that we felt was the wind. It literally shook the whole building. I think we felt it more because we are higher up (the 28th floor). I tried to take a video, but every video we took didn't quite demonstrate how loud and frightening the storm was.  I found this link online and I think this pretty much says it all. It was a video taken from three blocks north and one block east (toward the water).

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-867824?ref=email

On Monday night we looked out our bedroom window and where there is typically a park that extends out and separates the river into two sections, all we saw was water...all the way up to the building next to us. It was crazy. The storm surge had pushed the flooding up to our building on two sides, but never entered the building so, luckily, we have no water damage. The power to our building (and all of Jersey City for that matter) went out on Monday. It is amazing how much we take for granted. Light, water, electricity, phone service. We only spent a day and a half without power and we were going stir crazy. As for the current situation...power was restored this morning, but the water is contaminated and has to be boiled before we can use it. Also, the hot water is not working because the boilers had been off too long. This morning at around 4 AM we got a loud wakeup call from people banging on our front door. Apparently, the neighbors had left their water on so when the water came back on it flooded the apartment and the apartment below it. Luckily we don't have any water in our apartment, but showers are a no-go for now.

After the storm, Tay and I went for a walk around the city to see the damage. It was unreal. Down by the waterfront there were restaurants that you could look into and see that the water had gone in and flipped everything upside down. It appeared that the water had been up above the counter level at points because of the way things were sprawled out. It was unimaginable. There was debris everywhere. Even in downtown (away from the waterfront) there were people pumping water out of the basement levels of their homes and there were trees down near the city hall. Definitely send your prayers for those who can't return to their homes because of the damage. Overall, Jersey City fared far better than the neighboring town of Hoboken where we almost lived. I think the standing water there is still about knee high. I took a few photos of the city on our walk (except the first one which my friend Sharon sent me).

A view of Manhattan from Hoboken, NJ. Basically all buildings south of 42nd street are without power until Monday or so...

One of two docking stations in our building to charge our phones. One power cord from the generator connected to about five outlet strips. There were people holed up next to buildings that had generators outside using the external plugs just to charge their phones.

A downed stop light in Jersey City.

A broken light pole down by the waterfront.

Debri from flooding about a block from the Waterfront. The building in the background is ours...

So there it is. Please send positive thoughts to all those who didn't fare as well as we did. For me, the storm was a big ole slap in the face about how much I rely on technology in my daily life and how easy it is to overlook the basics like clean and hot water.

I will say this though...I have never looked forward to a shower more in my life...

Love you all. Hope you are safe and warm this evening. :)