one year later - hurricane sandy.

Today marks one year since Hurricane Sandy.  Over the past couple of weeks, I've been asked a lot about my feelings on the one year anniversary.  I've also spent a lot of time thinking about what marks the 1 year anniversary for me.  Do I define it as 8 PM on October 29th, when I first noticed the water trickling into the apartment?  Do I define at as 11 PM on October 29th when Tyler and I stood in sopping wet clothes in the doorway of our building doing shots of whiskey as we watched the streets fill and cars submerge under 6 feet of water?  Do I define it as 8AM on October 30th when we stumbled out of our neighbors apartment and into the startlingly bright light of the day where we realized we no longer had a home? Do I define it as 11AM on October 30th when I first cried as the shock of the situation wore off and the reality of the situation set in?  How does one define, quantify, and mark the moment where so many things changed?  Is it even possible to do so?

I've felt strongly about wanting to celebrate this, the fact that we survived.  The fact that we were luckier then most.  The fact that we have friends, family, and co-workers who went above and beyond simply because they care about us.  The fact that strangers were kind and generous to us. The fact that Tyler and I are still together and a team and in love because if you ever want to know if you love a person, trying to put your life back together after a hurricane is a good way to find out (and let's be honest, we are still trying to put our life back together).   But to be honest, I'm not entirely sure how to celebrate this. Popping champagne doesn't feel right and pretending it never happened feels equally wrong.  So instead I came up with my own way to celebrate by doing what I do best.  I cooked and I baked and I made the same cake that I last made exactly one year ago.  The same cake that I took out of the oven right as the water began to come in.  The same cake that I first ate a slice of around 12PM on October 30th and that same cake comforts me as much today as it did then.

To everyone who did anything for us, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  

*This mud line on the door represents the water line that was in our apartment.  All 6 feet of it.