Covid-19 Life

 Just so I never forget..... April 5, 2020

-Gas prices are way under 2 dollars

-School cancelled until at least 4/30/2020

-Schools transitioning to distance learning.

-Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help distance shoppers (6ft) from each other.

-Limited number of people inside stores, therefore, lineups outside the store doors.

-Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed.

-Parks, trails, entire cities locked up.

-Entire sports seasons cancelled.

-Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled.

-Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.

-No funerals

-Churches are closed.

-No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, now 10 or more.

-Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home.

-Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers.

-Shortage of ventilators for the critically ill.

-Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towel no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer.

-Shelves are bare.

-Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE.

-Government closes the border to all non-essential travel.

-Fines are established for breaking the rules.

-Stadiums and recreation facilities open up for the overflow of Covid-19 patients.

-Press conferences daily from the President and the governors. Daily updates on new cases, recoveries, and deaths.

-Government incentives to stay home.

-Barely anyone on the roads.

-People wearing masks and gloves outside.

-Essential service workers are terrified to go to work.

-Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families.

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

Disruption

Sunday, March 22nd:
Well, the world has basically shut down due to COVID-19. I mentioned this coronavirus before we went on our cruise, and now it has spread the whole world over. Everyone is supposed to be practicing "social distancing" and staying at least 6 feet apart from others. We aren't supposed to leave our home unless absolutely necessary. Today is day 8 of this new life.

It's been challenging having the kids off of school for the unforeseen future. We don't know how long school will be canceled. For now, at least, we still have 3 weeks of this to endure. We've tried to live by a schedule each day to keep ourselves from getting too bored or from watching tv all day. We've done a lot of puzzles, card games, board games, baking, playing outside, bike riding, yard work and washing of hands. This first week has gone pretty well. But I can already tell that the next 3 weeks are going to be hard.

Everyone is feeling very uncertain about the future. The effect this is having on the economy is catastrophic! And it's certainly not the best time for David to be looking for a job. He finishes school at Darden next month and has been job searching.


Sunday, March 29th:
The Coronavirus continues to spread like wildfire throughout the world. I now personally know people who have been effected and it isn't pretty. This week we learned that school will not resume for the remainder of the academic year. This is going to be the longest summer ever! Actually the teachers are all working to adjust their teaching to online instruction, but this will not start for another few weeks. Until then, we've turned my office into Home School Central and are trying our best to keep some sort of routine. It's definitely not too rigid, but does keep us from idling away our time.

The weather this week has been rainy, so it's been hard to get outside time. But Friday was gorgeous and we took advantage of the sunshine and went kayaking at Beaver Creek. It was glorious to be out on the water! Carmen especially is really missing her crew practices and was dying to be on the water in some form or another.

Governor Northam has also closed all non essential businesses now. So only grocery stores and pharmacies are open. Even some outdoor spaces are closed off as well.  Some National parks and hiking trails have been closed because so many people were using them that social distancing became impossible.  Beaver Creek felt that way on Friday, but we didn't care! We needed to feel the sun on our faces.

Thursday, April 9th:
Lately I have been clinging to the thought that there is power in disruption. It gives you an opportunity to reflect and figure out what really matters. To change course. And I have thought about that over and over again in the past three weeks. What do I want to disrupt? What do I want to hold onto? Am I doing what matters most at a time like this? 

It is mind blowing to think what has happened in our world in the last few weeks. Never in a million years would I guess that we would be right here right now. My calendar is filled up with the skeletons of life past, and we are trying to figure out this new kind of normal.

It is safe to say these past weeks have been among some of the most tumultuous and emotional that any of us can remember in our lifetimes. The impact of the coronavirus outbreak has been felt by individuals and families, companies and communities, across the United States and around the world. The response to this crisis has been extraordinary; as much for what it has required from our society as for what it has revealed of us as a people. Far from causing division and discord, this crisis and the social distancing it has required, has allowed us to witness something profound and moving about ourselves: our fond and deeply felt wish to be connected with one another. While much remains uncertain right now, one thing is for sure: this crisis will pass. Our nation and communities will recover. And hopefully we all come out on the other side valuing family time and the simple things of life more than ever before. We have played more games, gone on more bike rides, done more puzzles, eaten more meals, studied the scriptures, worked in the yard and camped in the yard together over the past 3 weeks more than we have any other time before this disruption to life. I hear people describe this time as unprecedented, scary and challenging. And while it is, I have also enjoyed it! I have't been taxi mom nonstop. Our family has time to eat dinner together each night. We aren't worried about bedtime or what clothes we are going to wear to school the next day. Online learning doesn't start until next week, so we haven't been stressed over school work and projects. All we are concerned about is who stole the final piece to the puzzle?! Or who wins at Battleship. Or whose turn it is to unload the dishwasher. We have played more games, gone on more bike rides, done more puzzles, eaten more meals, studied the scriptures, worked in the yard and camped in the yard together over the past 3 weeks more than we have any other time before this disruption to life. Weddings and graduations, birthdays, business trips and funerals, events large and small all have to be cancelled.  David's Darden graduation won't happen now. Charlotte won't get her 5th grade graduation. Carmen was supposed to go to Disney World with band. Aliza missed her Wallops Island trip. Soccer, volleyball and Crew seasons have all been cancelled. There are no church activities and we miss our friends dearly. But more than anything, this Covid-19 virus has taught us all to slow down and refocus on the simple things of life. And I count that as a huge blessing.

March

March started out as any other normal month, but then ended in an unprecedented way. One evening we found ourselves a little bored and feeling goofy. We dared the kids to all wear their matching pjs with signs taped to their shirts that read "I love my parents". And if they did it, they each got $20 to buy something they NEED. We got a lot of good laughs and funny looks from others. But it was a fun night!

Dallin turned EIGHT! He was so excited to finally get to be baptized. 

 David and I took donuts to his class at lunch time. I think I have a picture of Dallin and Case every year on his birthday. 

He got a huge lego set for his birthday and woke up very early the next morning before school to work on it. He could not wait to get this set started. I was doing my morning scripture study before getting the kids up for school. 

The big day finally arrived. He was baptized on April 7th by his dad. It was a special day with many friends and family there. And he looked most adorable in his new suit!

Aliza continues to do volleyball. I believe this was the game I wasn't able to make it to. 

Charlotte had her birthday and turned 11. Grandma Bean was in town visiting for both birthdays this month. We made her get up extra early to open presents before school. 

 And her teacher sent this sweet message about Charlotte. 

Just two days later we got an email telling us that school would be closed for the next 2 weeks due to COVID-19. Then a few days later it was extended until April 13th, so 4 weeks. Then ultimately the rest of the academic school year was canceled....along with EVERYTHING else. We were essentially not to go anywhere non-essential. 

I began to worry how we were going to pass ALL our time. Dallin and Charlotte immediately wanted to spend their birthday money on the biggest Lego sets they could find. I was sure Dallin's set would take him and couple of weeks to put together, but he finished that thing in just a few days. 

This was only part of it... there were 10 more bags to use. 

After one week of "social distancing", I was feeling ready for a little outside contact. I offered to deliver eggs to all our neighbors. We stood in the cul-de-sac and shared how our week had gone and it felt like the best 10 minutes ever. 

We've also been introduced to on-line meetings through ZOOM. This was one of Charlotte's first Zoom meetings with her class. And so far, we've completed 11 puzzles! 

Dallin having a zoom with some of his friends. 

At this point we still just needed to get out of the house. We headed down to Farmington to the High Bridge Trail to ride our bikes along the old railroad bed. It was a perfect day. 

Same bench, seven years apart. 

We've also had to adjust to home church. At first it kind of felt like we were "playing church", but now it has become one of my favorite things. We each take turns giving talks each week and the kids are learning how to conduct the music. And David preparing and passing the sacrament to us is so special. 

We've also had several Zooms with the Bean side of the family, which has been so neat to catch up with everyone "face to face". 

The kids decided to set up the office so that they each have a spot to do online school which is supposed to start after "spring break" on April 13th. Until then, they've had some optional assignment to work on. I'm just trying to keep some sort of schedule going here or else we'll all end up on our devices wasting the day away. We've tried to get up and do Come Follow Me as a family everyday morning. Then we've taken a walk and come back to work on school work for a few hours before having the rest of the day as free time. 

We've all started to get cabin fever and go a little stir crazy. At one point I saw this boy climbing the walls! No really, I think he was getting something off the roof. I don't really know what the story was. 

Possibly the last bubble bath pictures I'll ever have of this kid. He's sure adorable and always wants a lot of bubbles. 

One nice thing about this quarantine, is no early morning seminary! Instead, it's on Zoom at 8pm every night. 

After week two, we may have broken the rules and got together with the Sorensons to go kayaking at Beaver Creek. We aren't supposed to gather in groups of more than 10. But we figured since we were outside and we mostly kept our distance, we'd be okay. We ALL needed it. And without crew practice, Carmen was dying to be out on the water. 

Another lesson we've had to learn is how to nurse a chicken back to health. A fox attacked our poor chickens and killed one and injured another one. We put her in the garage, certain she'd be dead in the morning. But she wasn't! Carmen and I researched how to take care of her wounds and slowly nursed her back to health. She did become pretty attached to Carmen and we named her "SCAR-lett". 

Lastly, we did some pretty intense driveway chalk art! They spent days doing this, until it rained and all washed away.