I usually do a “Things I’m Excited About” post at the beginning of the month. I often draft them in advance as I add things to my calendar, so nothing is forgotten. So this one was all ready to go, but needed to be edited a bit due to COVID-19 related cancellations. Here it is, anyway!
Easter decorations no one is going to see. As you can tell, I put A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT in to my decorations…
- A pre race massage (won’t be getting anymore)
- Gina, Steve, and Luca visiting (not anymore), and lots of fun plans:
- Running the Milwaukee Half Marathon (canceled and made virtual)
- Going to the Mets vs Brewers game (postponed? not sure)
- Celebrating Easter together (I was so excited about Luca doing an Easter egg hunt here!)
- Celebrating Gina’s milestone birthday early together (mailed her gifts instead)
- Celebrating the many April birthdays our friends have (maybe virtually?)
- A trip to Dallas to spend time with Gina, Steve, and Luca and celebrate Luca’s birthday (99.9% sure that’s not gonna happen, especially since Texas wants people arriving from certain areas (like Chicago) to quarantine in Texas for fourteen days… we mailed Luca’s gifts too)
This isn’t meant to be whiny. I’m completely on board with staying home and continuing to flatten the curve. Now I am looking forward to:
- chill time at home
- garage progress
- long runs
- reading
And I’m looking forward to rescheduling these things! We were going to have a lot of time with the otra familia (Gina and fam) in April. We had our trip there planned, then we decided on their Easter weekend trip here to go to the Mets game. Spending that much time together was something I was looking forward to, but now that we need to reschedule, maybe we’ll spread it out more over the year.
What did you have going on in April?
We have our 10-year anniversary and my birthday. Both are going to be boring and sad. Plus we will be missing our annual trip to Florida to spend time with my Mom. I haven’t seen her since last April so this is especially disheartening.Like you, I get it and understand but I’m hating it and I’m sad.
I bet they will be boring but I hope you can come up with something to do at home to celebrate and make it kind of fun! And I hope you can see your mom later in the year. That is a long time to go without seeing her 🙁 I hope she is doing okay!!!
We had a lot planned for this month, too, so it’s a bummer. But yes, flattening the curve is the best thing for everyone, and as someone with those “underlying health conditions” I’ve been told to stay the heck home. What I like about your post is that you add in things you are still looking forward to! I must say that I have liked the slower pace of days. I’m getting more sleep, I’m enjoying slow cups of coffee reading or watching a favorite video, and I like going back to my hobbies. I really like walking alone in the neighborhood with a podcast. Our anniversary is this month, but I know we will still make it fun. Even if that means saving the last episode of Tiger King for that day!
OMG you should save the last episode for that day. Is it very far away?! That could be hard to wait. And it will definitely be spoiled online! (side note: I keep seeing HP spoilers when I look up who plays the characters in the movies, sigh)
And thank you for sharing what you are liking about the slower pace! I am enjoying those things too, and enjoying going to bed and waking up at more similar times each day since I don’t have to go anywhere. My body feels better and the cats are not waking us up QUITE as early.
I am glad you are staying the heck home. Me too, except groceries once every 1.5 weeks and runs.
It definitely is a bummer to not get to do so many planned activities. Big bummer. But, it’s necessary, which is what I kept telling myself as I canceled our vacation to Orlando, moved all of my doctor’s appointments (they’re still seeing patients but heck no, I’m not going in unless it’s extremely urgent), and stopped doing pretty much everything except for walking outside. Sigh and ugh. But hey, I appreciate your Easter decorations!
100% necessary! Gah, I hope you guys can do your Orlando trip later, and that you can talk to your docs on the phone if you need to! Are you doing any fun videochats with the Kadults? Have you tried Houseparty with them? That seems up your guys’s alley!
Ha, glad you like the decorations. I worked hard on them 😉
Oh, that’s a bummer you won’t see them! So many things cancelled…but worth it if it flattens the curve. And like you said, maybe there are positives to this, like spreading things out more.
Totally worth it, and yes, now we can spread it out more, ha!
That’s a nice list of alternative things to look forward to 🙂 I’m trying to think that way too instead of dwell on the things we won’t be doing. It’s hard but good point about looking forward to being able to reschedule some of those things.
And I really hope you can reschedule a lot of yours because you had so many fun things coming up!!! 🙁
Ugh, I’m sorry you’re missing your trip to see your otra family. I know how much you look forward to seeing them!
I was supposed to spend a week in New Orleans in April and it’s such a bummer to not be able to go. But I’m also trying to recognize the good things: I am healthy and have a job. I really enjoy being by myself and love that I get to sleep in every day and hang out with my cats! And I’m doing so much reading!
Thanks! <3 Now I am hoping we can do our usual July gathering and maybe one in the fall and one in the winter.
That is a bummer about New Orleans! Do you think you will try for the fall or save it for next spring? And yassss we have to look on the bright side. I feel very grateful to be a federal employee right now and to be used to being isolated!
Glad that you are hanging in there – it’s definitely a challenging time!
March actually brought more of the canceled plans (a road trip to Utah), but we were also going to see family for Easter weekend. We’re not going to, obviously.
I was going to start an outdoor trekking course with a local mountain club, and that’s probably the canceled April/May event that I’m most disappointed about.
As other people have noted – I do feel fortunate that I’m safe, healthy (at this point), and that I *get* to shelter in place.
Oh man! Those all sound fun 🙁 Where were you gonna go in Utah? I hope you get to go later this year and share pics – Utah is a state that has so much I want to see and explore! That club sounds cool. I bet they’d have a lot of good tips and great stories!
And yes! We GET to shelter in place – that’s the right mindset!
I’m part of the April birthday crew, and I really loved your gifts. 🙂 Thank you!
Seeing your list of postponed, adjusted, and cancelled events was a stark reminder of how much disruption COVID-19 is. Not that I didn’t realize it from being inside most of the day, but seeing your list was such a clear example.
Glad you’re finding things to look forward to, even if they’re less fun than an Easter Egg Hunt. (I always think about the time we went to that restaurant with the crazy lambs made of icing for Easter…and how random places were closed.) More reading time is something I’m enjoying as well.
You’re welcome!!! 😀
Yeah, our March was chill but when it got to April it was like “geesh, we had a lot going on!” and I know you had a bunch of trips coming up too! Did you have to get credits on a bunch of flights?
UGH it used to make me so mad everything was closed on Easter. Not this year! HAHAHAHA. What are you reading now?