Jersey...

If you're going to be stranded in the middle of one of the most monstrous storms in recent memory, the Oates's house isn't a bad place to wait it out.

Despite the fact that we had no power, we had warm beds, unbeatable company and a neverending supply of DDP.

The storm didn't really hit until Monday night, and we passed the time doing yoga, eating candy and playing flashlight scrabble.

The wind HOWLED like I've never experienced before.
It was pretty nuts, and a little spooky.
We hid under a mountain of blankets to stay warm and if I'm being honest, I got one of the best nights of sleep I've had in years.

We were anxious to get out and assess the damage the next morning.

Though the Oates's house escaped relatively unscathed, their neighborhood wasn't as lucky.

Downed power lines and trees blocked any cars from coming in and out, so we toured the aftermath by foot.

One thing is certain: even a superstorm couldn't taint New Jersey's charm.

Totally unreal.

We had been re-booked on a flight out of New York on Halloween, but as luck would have it, we received an identical message to the one we'd received on Saturday.

 Here's the thing:
we felt terrible leaving our working and schooling husbands in such a lurch,
and we missed our babies something fierce,
but staying up late, sleeping in until noon, hours of reading time, mall hopping and movie watching -- kind of heavenly, if I'm being honest.

(Christen was in on all the fun too, she was just a little camera shy)

We finally caught a flight to Salt Lake City on Saturday night -- a full six days after our original flight was supposed to leave.
Thank goodness for Aunt Michelle and her endless generosity -- she absolutely saved us.

It was most definitely a trip to remember, and as always, I'm already scheming to make it back to NYC as soon as I possibly can.