goodbye andie, hello earl.

i cannot even tell you how long i have been waiting to experience a hurricane. since i made the decision to move to li i have been patiently awaiting the chance to weather some sort of hurricane. i mean, that just comes with the territory of residing on an island! to just spend a day or two lighting candles all over the house, parking myself on the couch with a good book and a glass (bottle) of wine and watching the storm. and every time a tropical storm came lumbering up the east coast i would get so excited! and mike would say "you know that its just going to rain, and its not going to be anything special, right?" and i would hope anyway, and he would aways be right.

and now, a real hurricane! wouldn't you know, thursday-readers, here comes hurricane earl, barrelling toward li. and where is andie? in buffalo/canada. oh the irony. on a more serious note, it is my sincerest hope and wish that everyone i know and love on li weathers this storm in good health and that not too much havoc is wrought during earl's rampage (and by the way, worst name ever for a hurricane. if you really need an "e" name that badly, how about edward, or eamon? earl just makes me think about lawn chairs and six packs of milwaukee beast). but that being said, dammit! i wanted a hurricane!

complaining aside, things are in full swing for our freckley little protagonist.  i arrived in buffalo this afternoon and had a great dinner with my parents and am now furiously writing before my cousin picks me up to continue our journey to the great white north. excited! but it still hasn't hit me that i have just left li for good. a big thank you to some incredible ladies who love me so much that they threw me a wine and chocolate get together before i left. i will miss you guys more than you know. and a little woot woot to work for a party as well. and of course, infinite thanks to the family-in-law. you guys are amazing.

i know compared to my previous posts, this one will seem quite abbreviated, but i wanted to make sure i got a chance to write before i lose internet and cell phone service for the next four days (gasp!). i'll find some way to pass the time, in the absence of modern technology, churning my own butter, weaving baskets, making clothes, (kidding, people).

i've heard so many people bemoan the arrival of labor day, as the "ending of summer." i urge you all to reconsider and choose to embrace your labor day weekend as a gateway into what i consider to be the most beautiful and refreshing season of them all, autumn.

enjoy.

be thankful,
andie.