A Splash of Baileys: Frankenstorm, Halloween & Apple Cider Donuts!

I can't stop thinking about how lucky we are that we didn't get hit by the worst of hurricane Sandy, or superstorm Frankenstorm. There are so many that are working their way through an awful nightmare and too many lives lost. My heart and prayers go out to all of them.

Growing up in MI we didn't have to worry about these kinds of storms. The occasional tornado, snow and ice storms were about it. Don't get me wrong, some were devastating, but I don't remember a full on panic that we'll never be able to eat again...

Nate went to the store the weekend before the hurricane as I can't handle crazy crowds at grocery stores. No bottled water, eggs, milk, bread or bananas - days before the storm was going to hit. So of course, he came home with a case of one of our favorite wines instead. This man is a genius!

Federal Government, metro and what seemed like everyone but my industry shut down as the storm was expected to hit during the day Monday. So I had Nate drive me to work so he'd have the car in case I got stuck at work. Driving in was eerie as there wasn't any traffic going into the city. NEVER happens!

The storm hit our area around 6pm. I decided to stay overnight at work in case I wouldn't be able to make it back the next day. Luckily we have a guest suite and we were so lucky that we didn't lose power - both at work and at home. No major flooding, just some leaks in the apartments at work.

By the time Halloween hit, I was tired. It had been a long week already! But that didn't stop my team at work from putting a smile (and a scream) on my face. Juan decided to scare the bejeezus out of me...

And Milt has an amazing talent! He makes every ounce of these boxes by hand, it's insane. It's like opening an Apple product - packaged so precisely. He has such a creative eye and NEEDS to open his own business!! I can see his talents on Pinterest one day...

By the end of the week we needed to make our annual trip out to VA's countryside in search of apple cider donuts. They are impossible to find anywhere near DC. So Amy and her boyfriend joined us and we finally found a store that was still selling them. Nate seriously contemplated taking that whole tray. The girls working the store thought we were crazy "city folk" I'm sure but who cares - we wanted those donuts!

We continued on the Philip Carter winery to enjoy a tasting, then a bottle with crackers and snacks by the fire, and finally ventured outside. They had a barrel rolling contest, which ended up being not as fun as we thought, but they did have lamas. Why? They couldn't even answer that. But that didn't stop us from hanging out with them and Amy taking one for a walk...