Top Ten: I'm In Love

I'm thinking about doing this little feature here on the blog, where I compose a list of top tens. I think I'll change up the theme each week, too. Here we go!

Top Ten Things I'm Loving Right Now


1. Walking/wading through flood water. Hurricane? Tropical Storm? Irene has come and gone, but the debris and flood water still haunts my coastal town on the Great South Bay. William's block was flooded with three feet of water this morning (totally wish I was there to see it/play in it!) and was still flooded when we went there at 10pm tonight. I've been wearing my rain boots for the past 48 hours (they're black with red and white fish on them, and matched yesterday's nautical-themed outfit perfectly) so I just couldn't resist the urge to walk through all that water! William armed himself with his rain boots (2 sizes too small, I might add) and we went for a walk/wade through his neighborhood.

2. Friendly/supportive neighbors. By this afternoon, it was safe to go outside and drive around town because the rain had stopped and the wind died down considerably. Everyone on my street, my grandparents' street and William's block were outside, conversing and making sure we were all okay. Some of my grandparents' neighbors even offered to help them out with the flooding in their basement (they live right on the canal, so water in the basement is always inevitable). It was just nice to see everyone being so helpful and supportive of one another.

3. Horror Movies. William and I made a vow to only watch horror movies from now until Halloween. We're watching both A and B-rated films, and are currently loving anything Eli Roth. On Halloween day, we're having a Halloween marathon. We're making a Netflix list of all the movies we can't get our hands on at the library.

4. The feel of fall approaching. School starts on Thursday, and with the new school year comes the thought of fall approaching. I love the feel, smell and look of fall and cannot wait to start wearing boots, jackets and scarves. I'm done with the summer right now, and can't wait for apple picking, pumpkin carving, and of course, the pumpkin latte and donut at Dunkin' Donuts!

5. Cooking with tomatoes. I am pretty much all tomatoed-out by now because I grew more than 10 tomato plants this season (I had a family friend give me about 6 plants, and my mom bought me 3 more in addition to what I already purchased in the spring). I've been having fun searching for and creating my own tomato recipes.

6. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathon Safran Foer. I recently finished reading this book, and although it is so heart-wrenching and made me cry several times, it is a must-read. With the thought of the anniversary of 9/11 approaching, this book forced me to reflect back on that day. I was only ten when it happened, and knowing that the narrator of the novel was only ten years old, this book made me realize how the children of those lost must have felt. I highly recommend this novel, and I feel like it has meaning that every American will understand.

7. Pretzel M&M's. My dad bought a giant wholesale bag a few weeks ago, and I've been hooked ever since.

8. Starting school on Thursday. I've been on summer vacation since the second week of May, and although I love sleeping late (when work allows), not having any obligations other than work, and having nice weather to do things, I really just want to start school already. I love how the fall is approaching, and the feeling of getting a chance to start all over again with a semester full of new classes. I've bought all my supplies and I just want to get back on campus!

9. My collection of all things nautical. I'll have to dedicate a post to my collection of nautical themed things, but when our power went out last night (for a big 25 minutes, thank goodness!) all of my nautical candle holders came in handy.

10. Long Island. I'm an Island girl, born and raised, and have no desire to ever move away from here, even after I graduate college, get married and later retire. Making it through the storm and going over to my grandparents' house to help them with the flooding, really made me feel proud of where I live. I can't really explain it, but despite the negative effects of living by/on the water, I realized I can definitely make it through any future storms here on Long Island/the East Coast. The next few days will be tough for many New Yorkers and all of us who were affected by Irene on the East Coast, but here on Long Island, we'll work hard to get through it. We're all very proud people, and seem to be strong during times like this.