The COVID-19 Diaries: August/September/October Updates

Whew, we've had a pretty big few months lately! I dunno about everyone but things feel sort of normal except that things are completely abnormal. Life goes on, we adapt, and, we celebrate. 

Alice started 1st grade from the comfort of our home and via a computer on August 17 since we live in a county where the schools did not reopen in person for the fall.

It's been a few months of up and downs educating a 6 year old via computer and without friends and recess. This is not the way we imagined the year would go obviously. There's so much crappiness about the whole thing. We're comforted with knowing she is healthy, safe, adaptable, and alive.

We've tried a few different schedules with her to see what works and different levels of involvement. We've tried just letting her be on her own, we've tried sitting with her during her class, and now we're doing the approach of leaving the door open and listening in if she needs us and checking her work and keeping her accountable. Being totally hands off doesn't work because Alice is prone to doing her own thing anyway and sometimes that 'own thing' doesn't quite make sense. Nothing is malicious but she has quite a way of viewing the world and doing things so we have to keep an eye on her. 

Because of the timing of when my job ended, we had very little time to take a 'vacation' before Alice started school. Seeing as how things with travel are complicated, we chose to just go about an hour north of home and stay by a beach for 2 nights. 

We stayed at a hotel and felt pretty safe but limited. The kids did better overnight than in years past and we liked the place so much we might return again someday.

Our anniversary week was very full and began what has felt like nonstop celebrations. Do I do this to myself every year? While I have a full time job? Or is it that I have time and I make efforts because I can and have no other options? Am I trying to make up for things we've lost by going the extra mile? 

It felt very special to mark this particular anniversary but the reminder and disappointment that I couldn't go out to dinner and have someone watch the kids and all the things that were happening that week that couldn't be celebrated the way I had imagined combined with limitations on the celebrations and because of the planning, taking very little time for myself left me back in the depression spell. I think I slept a lot on our anniversary and the day after that too. I rallied near the evening and we celebrated with a nice dinner in the backyard.

Our dear friends, who have been trying to have a baby for years were finally expecting but because of this pandemic, the celebration had to be modified. We had a masked drive-in photo booth where they could pose with friends and chat a little for about 15 people. 

Then a few of us stayed behind and had a picnic together as they opened presents. The intimacy made it so nice and we still did it up cute style. I had to send my family away the day before so I could have time to do the planning I needed to get done. My brother took the kids for 2 nights and that was so helpful. We got to be fully focused with out friends and I had time to set up guilt and interruption-free.

And then the movie I worked on years ago premiered in theaters. It had a very limited run and we went all the way to Orange County to see it. Two friends who live in the area joined us and it was so very nice. I had to take my time lamenting the fact that I was supposed to have had a big ole blowout with friends all going to see it together, then after party at our local bar... sigh. 

It was very fun to see a movie I had worked on finally. I knew all the ins and outs of the characters, the process, the whole bit. I got to wear my crew shirt and finally explain what Bubbles Inc. meant.

Most of our celebrations have been with the same group of people of our pandemic bubble so we had them over for Matt's 39th birthday movie night. I borrowed a projector from my brother and setup an outdoor movie night themed for "Sleepy Hollow" and let me tell you... I had no idea I would love it so much. I already owned most everything you see and just crafted some stuff. I keep claiming I'm not crafty and everyone calls me a liar but I guess I have upped that this year. If you already have the materials, it's a pretty cheap situation to add things that go with your theme. For the food I just had a bunch of individually wrapped snacks 'cause safety and I had these little trays and everyone had their own little movie snacks! It was seriously one of my favorite things I have ever ever done party wise. 

Lookit this adorable hand sanitizer label I made. LOOK AT IT. The whole black white and green situation made me so dang happy. 

I have been bugging Matt about buying a projector for years and this just proved me right. We projected the movie right on the Hannger, no screen even. 

With COVID, this is the only safe way to watch movies with friends so we'll TAKE IT!

The following week we threw a polar opposite party with a Saved by the 90s themed party for our friend Corey who turned 40. Lemme tell you that I am getting ridiculous with these themes but not as ridiculous as the kids dolled in their best 90s.... 

We actually had a two part to this party. Saturday we had a dance party with the grown-ups and went 'til our bones were creaking too loudly....

And Sunday we had a REMIX where our friends came back and we partied again. We had purchased a few day glow decorations and I got the idea to cut up geometric shapes from neon paper I had combined with Eric making the Hannger lights be all blacklight looking  and I had a black light for the floor and blacklight chalk, and day glow sticks that all added up to a dance party. Oh, we also bought an LED party light on Amazon that is so tiny but totally works as a dance party light and the kids and I have been using it regularly. These celebrations are such nice distractions for me both in planning and executing. It also makes me want to do serious recaps about all the parties past starting with Wally's 1st Birthday 2 years ago. I've done a lot of parties since!

The other thing I'll have to write about is I took a solo soul retreat to Big Bear last week that was... perfect. Much needed and much enlightenment. This year has been big to me as a changed human and the challenges I'm meeting regularly are daily disciplines instead of great big mountains but it took me going to a mountain alone to come to that realization. Go to the mountain.