Viral

It all fell apart on the day our couch for our den got here. 

It was going to be a great day. A ridiculously great day. The den was finished enough that we could start using it (More on Tales of the Basement later - I'm waiting until we can take "after" pics) and we were supposed to go see Keane in Denver. Just the two of us. Our first concert since having kids, the Psychedelic Furs concert having been trampled on by the neighbor kid who threw a rock at Jane's head. 

Anyway, the forecast was very iffy, so we packed some clothes in case we needed to stay the night. The kids were going to stay with their grandparents and we were so, so excited. 

And then it happened. 1:00 in the afternoon, the concert got cancelled. That was March 13th. Right after the NBA cancelled its season and right before the Disney Parks shut their doors. Nothing's been the same since. We've been on virus lockdown. 

The couch still arrived, and we still put it together. (wait for the after pics)

School was cancelled for the kids. 

Somewhere in the mess, I found time to interview for a new job... a promotion... something to do with planning road projects and data. There's never a good time for a new job.

Weirdly, I got the job, but by the time I cleaned out my cubicle, most of my coworkers were already working from home. 

I set up my new cubicle, stayed in an empty office for one day...

and then quietly repaired to my living room, where I have been for the last month - trying to figure out a new job I have no idea how to do. It has been stressful.

We try to fill the time going for walks

and homeschooling and  watching poorly produced celebrity youtube videos... and fighting. So much fighting. This is hard on the kids. No friends, no school, no travel, nothing to do but feel like the world is imploding around them. 

This is hard on me. New job, new stress, so much uncertainty. I spend the days in Google meets... taking hours to understand what could have been communicated in minutes in an office setting.

This is hard on Chris. He is feeling trapped just like the rest of us. 

We try to get outside, to do things for others, but nothing will substitute for normalcy. 

The whole world is going through this misery together... lost jobs... lost time... lost minds. 

All because of a virus. 

I think it's okay to not be okay right now. None of us are.

Easter on the Inside

Easter still came this year. Despite the fact that the world is closed, we celebrated the Resurrection. 

A week before Easter, I got a text from our friends, letting us know they had hid eggs in our front yard. These are the friends that always host the huge nighttime Easter egg hunt in the park. The girls were so thrilled to have some sense of normalcy. They raced outside in their pajamas and giggled for half an hour as they found the eggs. 

We still did baskets for the kids. I had pre-ordered the Baby Yoda months ago from Disney, not knowing that our Easter world would be so different than normal. 

The girls were thrilled to find the candy and gifts in the morning. 

They even dressed up in their Easter dresses for about 15 minutes. It was sad having to do home church that day... even though I must admit I've really been digging home church. It's been a bright spot of this whole mess. 

Because it had snowed a crapload, we hid eggs around the house. That part was actually pretty fun... especially since we decided to put magnets in some of the eggs, which allowed us to attach them to bizarre surfaces. 

So this year, even though we were unable to have our normal Easter, it didn't change the fact that Christ died for us. It didn't change the fact that we are redeemed. It also didn't make Peeps any less gross. Happy Easter!

Jane's First Temple Trip

Jane had her first trip to the Temple. It was everything one could hope for. 

We went down as a family in our car, but we were caravaning with about 50 youth from our ward. 

It was cold, but we caught a rare break in the snow in order to have a lovely evening. 

Afterward, we did the traditional trip to Freddy's. But not the same Freddy's as the rest of the ward because there were 50 of them and we wanted to get home before midnight on account of the fact that it was a school night. 

What a great experience to get to be there for Jane's first trip!

Christmas 2019

A weird thing happened this year.

Nothing went horribly wrong at Christmas. 

Last Christmas, Jane was just barely recovering from a really bad case of strep throat, two years before that, she had c. diff. The year before that I was on chemo, and the year before that Jane had a crazy high fever from the flu.

It was fun to just have normalcy. 

We decorated the tree. We finally went fake last year after the tree aphid incident. That was a disgusting last straw.

But the wreath is still real. It lives outside and can have aphids all it wants. 

We ceremoniously hung the special ornament from this year's travels. 

The governor gave us a half day on Christmas eve, so we spent the time going for a run and finishing up the last few things while the girls were at my parents.

They came home just in time to make Jesus' birthday cake

and open pajamas

and go see lights. 

Christmas morning may not be as frantic with older kids, but I like the more relaxed pace. 

Still, excitement abounds. 

and then we ate fatty pastries which we immediately regretted before spending the rest of the day playing the Nintendo Switch Jane got for her birthday.

Merry Christmas to all!

Hey, Nineteen

Today Chris and I have been married for 19 years. 

It's been a roller coaster.

Fortunately, I love roller coasters. 

There is no one I would rather be with.

Chris is the kind of person who who loves to go on adventures and who takes surprises and problems in stride.

He is the kind of person who says "Thank you" for everything. "Thank you for folding the laundry", "Thank you for picking up the kids", "Thank you for getting me hot sauce at the store".

He is smart. He can figure anything out given enough time and access to YouTube. If Chris can't fix it, then it can't be fixed.

He loves a good spreadsheet or a new Google product. He's always an early adopter of new technology.

He hates big crowds and awkward personal interactions, just like me.

He loves a good long walk accompanied by a long conversation, just like me.

He can't get enough spicy foods, not like me.

And somehow, even after all the twists and turns of our own personal roller coaster, he still loves me.

And I love him.

Those Girls Sure are Running Fools!

This year both the girls participated in running programs. Emily did cross country again and Jane participated in Girls on the Run.

Some families are sports families. They grow up watching sports on TV and playing sports in the backyard. Those families are great, but they're not mine. 

In my family, it's important to be active, but it's not important to win. 

Here's Chris, pushing the girls in a race when they were small:

Chris is athletic, built for running. I am not. But I do it anyway. My runs are shorter and slower every year and one of these years, my knee will finally force me onto a bike. But while I can, I run.

I'm glad that the girls picked up on this. 

And I'm glad that, despite having received a heaping helping of their mom's athletic ability, they have decided to run anyway. 

After all is said and done, very few kids will grow up to be professional athletes. But the ones who gain the most from their experience with athletics are those who learn determination and consistency. 

Thanks to great coaches and great friends, that's what my girls are learning. 

Long may they run.

It's Not Every Day Your (Other) Young Lady Turns Eleven

Jane turned 11.

For her birthday Emily decorated her door, which was pretty fun and included lots of Baby Yoda memes. 

She got the traditional "Welcome to Hogwarts" 11th birthday cake.

She did not get a party. I'm still too tired from last year's party. I'm sure she will be a better mom than I am and let her kid have a party every year. 

But to our credit, we did get her a Nintendo Switch... you can see her ignoring it below while she opens her sparkly backpack.

It turned out all she really wanted was a unicorn blanket. Go figure. 

We love Jane. It has been fun to know her for the last 11 years. She never ceases to entertain us or amaze us with her ability to make friends. Happy Birthday, Jane!