Quarantine Book Talk

In many ways, I've been busier than ever with work during quarantine ... but I'm trying to balance with my favorite type of self-care: reading. There have been plenty of moments for me to enjoy some reading, even if it's just a chapter or two.

MUST READ

1. The Lager Queen of Minnesota was a book I just had to have, for obvious reasons. I love the author anyway, and this story didn't disappoint. I loved the references to places I know, and the story itself (about breweries but also lots of other things) was worth the read.

2. American Dirt is the book that has come under such scrutiny since Oprah picked it for her book club, but it's about a Latina woman and her son trying to cross the border from Mexico, written by a white woman. I ignored the controversy and just read. What an incredible, gut-wrenching story, and on top of that, the prose is stunning.

MIGHT AS WELL READ 

1. If you've got quarantine time on your hands, these books are enjoyable reads. In the same fashion of Where'd You Go, Bernadette?, Today Will Be Different was ... different. The author's character building and sense of humor is so unique. Just a great story of best-laid plans. 

2. The Hypnotist's Love Story wasn't my favorite Moriarty book, but it was good nonetheless, and had just enough mystery to it.

3. The Coincidence of Coconut Cake was really just a love story, set in Milwaukee. A few unexpected twists, plenty of really obvious parts - it's how I think a Hallmark movie would come out as a book. I appreciated that it was easy, didn't add stress to a stressful time, and had a happy ending.

NEXT ON MY LIST

As I was nearing the end of Today Will Be Different, I was almost paralyzed by this quote. I read it a thousand times. I live and breathe my job, and that effort rarely translates to home. Although I don't love quarantine, I'm thankful for this time to slow down, reflect, and work to "...love well the people I love the most."

Spring Break 2020

 Well, now that Spring Break feels like it was a thousand years ago, I'll blog about it. Hard to believe that just two short weeks ago, we were leaving G&G's Florida Paradise.

Ready to go!

We got to Florida late Sunday afternoon. The weather wasn't great, so the girls settled right into a project Grandma had ready for them.

 We were ready to hit the pool on Monday! After a pool day, we headed out for a sunset/dolphin cruise. The weather had been cool so we only saw a couple of dolphins and not much of a sunset, but we did see a beautiful rainbow and we had a fun boat full of good (rowdy) company!

Beautiful girls enjoying the cruise...

 Tuesday we headed to Tween Waters on Captiva ... maybe one of my favorite places in the whole world. The **highlight** of the trip for the girls was parasailing with Grandpa!

 The girls were the youngest on their boat, and were the first group up. They were all smiles when they finished, saying they definitely want to do it again. Such a special memory for them!

 

 

At both Captiva and Lovers Key, Emma spent most of her time in this position.

 Enjoying the beautiful day!

 These girls don't even know they're living the best life.

 On Wednesday after time at the pool, we hit up the once-a-year magic show put on by a retired magician at G&G's complex. The girls thought it was pretty fun!

 Wednesday night we got to see The Tap Monkeys in what would be (though we didn't know at the time) their last Wednesday night gig of the season. Emma introduced, of course. We like their new venue at Big Storm Brewery!

 The girls and I skipped out on just a few songs to grab some ice cream at a new local place in The Cape!

 Another beautiful beach day. Emma did lots of digging; Sara did lots of reading.

 Look at that amazing water. We ended up with some good boogie boarding waves!

 Hooray for a Beach Day!

 On this night, we stopped in (in our sandy beachwear) at a local restaurant thinking we'd hear one musician. He wasn't there, and the one who was there wasn't outstanding ... but we still enjoyed ourselves and of course Emma had to hit the tip bucket a couple times. Love these girls ...  

 ... even when they look like this. Crazies.

 We had a great trip. Of course all the news near the end put a damper on things, confirming even more how much we needed a week away ... a week of sunshine, sand, and people we love. Our Friday night flight was delayed, and we knew we were heading home to canceled school and quarantine, so I was extra grateful when American Airlines gave out the red wine for free!

 We left a week in paradise, where I had largely ignored the news, and returned to a totally new reality that I'm still not completely grasping. More than ever, I'm so, so glad for a Florida Spring Break 2020.

quarantine-ing

I'm really trying to think hard about what to write about this time, because I think this is something - a time in history - that my kids will tell their kids about. In the course of a week, it feels like life has been turned completely upside down. A week ago, we were on the beach, knowing there was illness spreading, but having no idea that it would come to this. Stores and restaurants are closed. Grocery and food pantry shelves are empty. Schools are closed indefinitely ... it's unfathomable. Yet here we are, quarantine-ing. 

I've been going to school everyday this week because we are a meal site. Each day the number of kids coming for grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches grows. I've also had a few virtual meetings in there. Figuring out my profession "from home" is a real challenge. Steve has been working from home since last week, and the girls are slowly realizing that they will be schooling from home. So far, this is how we've passed the time ...

Emma has done lots of creating, as she does.

 I had to take a picture of the table the other night. Although it makes me a little crazy, I enjoy the evidence of brain-stimulating activities.

She has also started reading The Magic Treehouse books!

 Of course our living room had to turn into a giant fort. Forts are always just the most fun, aren't they?! 

 Sara has done her fair share of tumbling, reading, chatting on her phone ... and just lounging.

Steve has decided that our front room is going to be The Pub. Daily at 5:00, he sits in there, turns on the record player, and we have happy hour. Time and locale enjoyed by all.

 I had some quiet time with a puzzle last night. We'll see how long it takes us to get through this one. Although we're not in any hurry, so ... 

Work is going to continue to keep me busy as we navigate school outside of the schoolhouse, and the girls will both shortly have more structure in their days. This afternoon, Emma spent some time on her online math program, and Sara did a couple of assignments on Google Classroom (in fact, after a short break, she just walked by and said, "back to the grind..." ha!). This is a learning curve for all of us. I have a lot of mixed emotions - missing our routine, missing my school family, wondering how we end a school year like this ... while lots of the unimportant things don't matter, so much about what we do and what the school provides is important and it matters a lot. I think COVID-19 has the potential to forever impact a system that has been the way it's been for a long time. That's not all bad. We're in uncharted waters - and taking it one day at a time.

blogging during social distancing...

Just when it felt like I was going to be out of time to blog, I seem to be staring down all the time in the world ... what a crazy week of coronavirus spread it's been. The girls and I were in Florida until late last night - enjoying the sunshine and, as Steve put it, riding out the apocalypse on the beach. I haven't had a chance to organize those pics yet, but here are a few from the week prior.

Emma was recognized as a Citizen of the Month for February! The trait being recognized was "optimism", and her teacher picked her as the student who best exemplified this trait. I'm so proud of Emma and the progress she's made at school - and also so thankful for her amazingly perfect-for-her teacher!

 We were blessed with a beautiful leap day! I had to work that morning, but made it home in time to go to Emma's soccer game and then for a late outdoor lunch and playtime. I had to take this picture as proof that, sometimes, my girls enjoy each other's company.

 We had a busy week leading up to spring break with regular school, practices, etc., plus open house. We started spring break at the FC Dallas game - a beautiful day for $1 dogs and beers! The next morning, the girls and I headed off to FL to see G&G.

Now we're out of school for at least next week. Sara is happy (not thinking about all the potential make-up days); Emma is sad (she has a 1st grade program coming up that she does NOT want to have canceled); and I'm just here with my head spinning. I have a stack of books to read, which I'm excited about ... but I also have lots of work I can get done. With the news changing every minute, it's hard to anticipate what will happen next, how far out I can really plan, etc. But we have plenty of groceries (and teepee!) thanks to Steve's shopping this week, so although we're really going to miss watching sports, we're ready to just embrace whatever comes.