Social Distancing

Posted by Chandra March 23, 2020

Social Distancing

The government has asked that anyone 65 or older stay inside and don't come out for anything! Well, that's easier said than done. I tried to order my parents some groceries, but InstaCart isn't even providing its services anymore and most of the stores are wiped clean. Tanner stole some masks and sanitizer from work and went to the store for some medicine and food essentials for them and I brought it down to them last week. I had to leave it at the door and not even hug them. It was hard for the kids not to hug or go inside. But it was sooo good to see them anyway! The drive was good for my soul- I needed to get out of the house. And of course, NO TRAFFIC! My mom sent me a page from a book my Dad was reading and it totally struck a cord in all of us. I am so deeply grateful for a living Prophet of God. He has given us such specific counsel to prepare us for these days including, "Eat your vitamins!" ha ha We all cannot wait for General Conference and are so thankful we can hear his voice often through social media. President Nelson sent out a message via YouTube over the weekend and it was one of the top 3 viewed WORLDWIDE!

But we are certainly hanging in there! We've built a lot of blanket forts and done a lot of late morning snuggling. These kids sure don't understand social distancing! I'm so glad they are such good friends and get along so well together. I'm also grateful for my big beautiful house and wonderful pool and spa! We are so blessed! As we sat in the hot tub on Friday night, we saw Venus shining so brightly. None of us knew what it was and were wondering if it seriously was a sign from God. But we quickly learned, thanks to cool cell phone apps that help you discover the night sky, that it was Venus and that's cool too. Right now as I type this, the kids are singing, "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man" and I can't even.... my heart is so full.

I knew we needed to get out of the house on Saturday. All us of needed to step away from the news and reality for a few hours. I read that the National Parks were still open so we drove to Joshua Tree (an hour and 45 minutes away), but we couldn't drive in. It was closed. We could have WALKED in, but it wasn't worth it. So we found another local trail, had a yummy picnic, and enjoyed a few hours hiking around the desert. We saw maybe a total of 5 people. It was perfect and everyone was so happy! Disney released their new movie, "Onward", on iTunes which is awesome! It just barely opened in theaters but since the theaters are all closed, it was awesome to be able to watch it in the car on the ride home! We ordered Indian food for dinner and I got the kids Yogurtland (I went inside at my own peril. I got the kids each a cup and sanitized the heck outta myself when I got back to the car). I promised the kids that if they were good all week, I'd get them frozen yogurt and they totally WERE, so I couldn't let them down. Thank goodness for take out food!

Sunday was awesome! We were asked NOT to bless and pass the sacrament in our homes but we WERE able to have a ZOOM conference for Primary and Youth Sunday School! It was seriously so cool! I loved hearing from the Bishop and our other leaders. They taught about the Restoration and the Book of Mormon. We were challenged to read the Book of Mormon before conference and it's been a great experience. We also played primary songs and sang around the piano. Tanner made a yummy breakfast and of course, chicken and rice for lunch. I worked out with Rayleigh and even Tanner joined in with Yoga and we swam and ate ice cream. That night, we cuddled up and watched Onward again as a family so that Tanner and I could watch it too.

We tried to be away from our phones all day because we've been spending too much time obsessing over them- especially Tanner. He's worried about the number of corona virus cases and is trying to piece together a trend. But it's almost impossible. So it was nice to have a weekend away from all the worldly distractions.

Today is not unlike any other Monday: cleaning, laundry... I made an extra effort to wake up before the kids to work out and have some time to myself. I made them a good breakfast and we drove to the school for lunch (they pass you a bag through the window). It's really nice that the school is providing lunches for all the kids in the community! The only thing that has happened today that would make it seem totally strange was the fact that Billie Griffith brought me a flat of farm fresh eggs and a case of toilet paper which I desperately needed! I went to Costco on Saturday morning 30 minutes before the open and the line was wrapped around the building. People even brought beach chairs to sit and wait in line. So I went to Smart and Final and was able to get pretty much everything I needed except eggs and toilet paper. And I was only allowed to get 2 of anything like milk or pasta or canned soup. So when Billie asked if I needed eggs I said YES! She is able to get to the stores early because she is a senior citizen so she grabbed some extra toilet paper, too. I wasn't able to see her at the door or give her a hug. So weird. But I am truly thankful! Tanner was able to pick up 5 pounds of brown rice at work. Rice is a precious commodity right not, too!

These are strange times but I am faithful and we are happy and healthy! And the memes we are getting during all of this are pure gold!