LIFE AND PICTURE SHOW: BEFORE, DURING & AFTER HURRICANE SANDY

Happy, Happy Friday, Blogland!
I am officially in Albuquerque, aka Apple Turkey, as coined by a blogland friend of mine...hehe...and helping out at my sister's school today, love it! :)
Anywho, as most of you know, on Monday, October 29th, Hurricane Sandy tore through NJ, NYC and CT, and around 5:30PM that evening, the power went out, winds picked up and devastation was left the following morning, at each and every turn.
I had been in Brooklyn Heights for a brunch and to explore Red Hook along the water, prior to the storm hitting, taking pictures on a beautiful evening, which was really the calm before the storm, and 2 days later, that very area was flooded and left in ruin.
Ultimately, I got stuck in Jersey City, after having taken the subway from Brooklyn Sunday morning, where I had met up with friends for a chili and pie making Football Sunday gathering, and after the MTA closed down all subways and forms of transportation early that evening.
My dad, being the rockstar that he is, drove out there to pick me up, while all my things were back in Brooklyn, where I had planned to return that evening, and threw all future plans off course. Long story short, we were left without power for 2 full weeks, and as temperatures dropped, I could see my breath inside the house.  Needless to say, I was bundled up in double to triple layers of everything, from socks to sweatshirts, and under multiple blankets in the night, as crisp air surrounded me.
Honestly, I have never seen such massive trees uprooted and down all around us, blocking roads in both directions and at every turn you took.  Phone poles and power lines were just snapped in half and shattered to pieces on the ground everywhere with trees on homes and cars!
Through it all, everyone was so kind and helpful, including police, rescue and utility workers, and the Somerset Hills YMCA opened up about 4 days later offering anyone, whether you were a member or not, free, hot showers, which were me and my hair's savior...those of you with fine, blonde hair may relate! ;)
The local Panera, which got power back around the time as the YMCA, offered free Wi-Fi to everyone, which was the only place I was able to briefly get a bit of work done during it all.
I did my best to stay positive, as did all of those around me, smiling each day, especially after I got my first shower in a week, though I'll admit, it took a bit of an emotional toll on me near the very end.  That said, I know so many were worse off than I, and was thankful it for my situation, while trying to help others in any small way, especially neighbors. 
We grilled whatever food we could, broke out some wine, laughed and were able to sit by a gas fire as we made the most of things.  A flashlight became my best friend, and I caught up on plenty of sleep, as you can imagine, with it getting dark around 4:30 in the evenings.  
For days, 4G barely ran, with everyone trying to get any signal they could, but I was thankful for my phone, when it did work and as the days progressed, which we charged in the car or via a mini generator.  After no real computer usage, internet or electricity for that long, I have to say, you get used to it, and it was kind of refreshing, not having so much to have to be checking, it simplified things.
After the storm passed, I could't get into NYC for almost 10 days, subways were flooded and shut down, while tunnels and bridges were closed.  Then, there was the gas shortage, which left long lines, that lasted hours, and ultimately, turned into a gas rationing by odd or even license plate numbers, which really was a sight to see.
Anywho, I did capture moments just prior to Hurricane Sandy rolling in, as well as, during and after, throughout the whole power outage, which I put together in pictures via my Instagram below, to visually share just a little of all we went through.
Cue the picture show . . .

(images taken on my iPhone 4s via my Instagram)

. . . and scene, to quote my Marvelous Mother! :)

Yes, I realize I wrote A LOT, mostly for my own memory, like a journal, but also in case any of you were interested in it all through my eyes and my experience.

Thank you to everyone for your patience, support and all the wonderful thoughts you sent my way, messages and comments you left...they meant so, so much to me, and were truly appreciated!

Big hugs to you all, and I promise this blog will get back to normal very soon, with regular scheduled posts, as it was prior to Miss Sandy! :)  

I am thinking of each of you who may have been affected by all of this, as well, and please feel free to share your stories and pictures in the comments below!  See you back here on Monday! :)