IRENE

Thankfully, we easily survived Hurricane Irene (downgraded this morning to Tropical Storm Irene) with no damage at all and only a few moments of scary wind noises. But we made many preparations... better safe than sorry, right?!

We stocked up on food and water, batteries and back-up candles. We taped up our windows - at our landlord's request - and moved precious things away from the walls/windows, like our daughter's crib and all of our computer equipment. We also took our air conditioner out of the street-facing bedroom window - it was a cooler night than we've had in recent weeks, so sleeping with the fan was just as good.

But mostly, we just stayed safely inside, read some books, watched aquatic-themed movies like Finding Nemo and The Little Mermaid, and practiced our funny fish faces.

Jon just got back from a walk - it's windy, but the sun is pushing its way through the clouds - and he brought me an iced coffee (so we know that at least Dunkin' Donuts is up and running!). We'll be doing lots of cooking at home this week so that none of our food goes bad. And depending on the NYC subways and transit system, we may or may not be going to work on Monday morning... we'll just have to wait and see (and cross our fingers for a three-day weekend!). The tall sunflowers just outside our front door even weathered the storm!