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I guess by now you’ve all noticed I’ve been MIA. I’ve been trying to do a little better with social media lately but I’m just not able to keep up with the blog right now. Life took a crazy turn last Saturday when my brother was severely injured in a car accident. I’ve been at the hospital as much as I can be, but anytime I’m away (especially at work) it’s all I ever think about. My brother will get better, but it will be a long road to recovery. It’s just so crazy to me how things can change in an instant. I just want everything to go back to normal, and for him to be fine. Before I start getting all weird on you guys, I’m just going to cut to the point and say I apologize for what will most likely be very sporadic posting for the next who knows how long. See you soon!

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I’m assuming you’ve all seen the “Ain’t Nobody Got Time For That” video? Well, I find it can be quite a good motto. So the next time someone asks me to do something ridiculous, you bet I’m going to say this:

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I started dancel lessons at age 3 and loved every minute of it (except this one costume that was bright red tulle and SO itchy, but tha’ts another story). For any lover of dance, The New York City Ballet is kind of a huge deal. And for someone who knows how hard it is, I am even more in awe of every little move they make. When I saw this article in The Cut I knew I had to show it to everyone. Thank you, Henry Leutwyler, for sharing these photos with New York Magazine. Plus, ballet dancers always get away with wearing the coolest stuff… and they are the inventors of the sock bun!

Photos By Henry Leutwyler for New York Magazine

Andrew and I went to see Once this weekend. I thought it would be focused mostly on love, but the story line kept coming back to fear. Where will you go if you let fear get the best of you? How many days/weeks/months can you waste being afraid? One of the most powerful things I learned was that if you aren’t afraid of your dreams, you probably need to take another look and make sure they are big enough for you.

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Well, it’s Monday. One week after Sandy hit the East Coast. To a lot of people, life is back to normal… especially in Manhattan. Andrew and I left Hoboken on Wednesday because we had no power or water; the situation isn’t much better at our parent’s homes. Both have no power still and there are trees and live wires around everywhere. Gas lines are hours long and rationing is in place now in our county. It’s strange to be in a situation where you’re basically Laura Engels Wilder while at home… living by candlelight and bundling up to avoid freezing at night but then expected to be at work right away. Let’s just say it was extremely hard for me to turn on “work mode”. When I walked into the office on Friday I felt like an alien. Everything was going on like it was just another day whereas I was completely anxiety ridden, worrying about my family and the down power lines laying all over their street. Would the uprooted tree hanging ominously over my house fall? How would I get back to help? Will I be able to navigate the down lines after dark? Imagine the people who lost everything trying to cope in the aftermath of Sandy. Market week begins tomorrow and to be completely honest I’m worried about just how much I will be able to focus on handbags. It’s hard to think about the need for luxury items in a time when people don’t even have the bare neccessities. I’m typically writing about fashion here, so I felt it was only right to stop for a second and focus on the aftermath.

I am a Jersey girl, born and raised, and the devastation here is causing me to look at things in a different way. I’ve spent every summer of my life at the Jersey shore. Long Beach Island has a particular place in my heart. My Dad grew up spending his summers there, working on the slide at Pier Village and surfing in Beach Haven. When I grew up I “learned” to surf there too, always comparing tans with my brother, and enjoying the quiet and calm that comes with Jersey Shore summers. There’s something magical about that place and each year on the last trip of the summer I feel a pang in my heart. Little did I know that last trip this year would be the last time I would see it the way I’ve always remembered it. Long Beach Island is completely and utterly broken. There is sand covering the entire island, beaches are no longer beaches, and houses were swept into the ocean. There are similar situations happening along the entire East Coast, including Seaside Heights where that iconic roller coaster is now totally destroyed. I can’t imagine what it must feel like for the people who lost everything they worked so hard for all of these years.

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How you can help: If you are in the area there are plenty of shelters that need donations along the Jersey shore as well as in Long Island, Staten Island, and in the Rockaways. They are looking for heavy trash bags, work gloves, and other supplies you would need to clean up a really large mess in your home as well as clothing and food of course! The Manzo family is also collecting food, supplies, and clothing for Sandy victims at Cafface in Franklin Lakes if you are in Northern NJ. A lot of organizations including FEMA are looking for volunteers if you have the time, you can see more information here and here. If you’re not in the NY/NJ area you can donate to the American Red Cross here, you can also donate to Feeding America here.