Social Distancing week 1

Well... this week has felt about like a month long. Anyone else? I have so many thoughts and I've considered sharing all day so.. here goes. What a whirlwind this all has been. When I left work on Friday the 13th I wasn't sure whether we'd see each other on Monday or not. 10 minutes later we found out that school was closing for 2 weeks. I foolishly assumed that meant work from home. Sunday night we found out we'd be working in the building for the duration of the school closure. Monday mid-morning we found out that we'd only be in the building for about 2 days. The story was pretty similar for Colin. We both worked "in the office" Monday and Tuesday. My dad took the kids on Monday and Tuesday they were home. Wednesday all 4 of us were setting out on our first full day at home together. As I was getting up to get into the shower, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit about 20 miles from us. While the ground was literally shaken, so too were our nerves. We were all pretty much a wreck that day and I was still trying to work from home, get the kids engaged in their online learning platforms, and be a mom to some worried kids. It was all very intense and emotions were all over the place. Thursday morning we started with family prayer and things got a little smoother after that. While working from home, being mom, teacher, tutor, cook, maid, and all the rest that comes with staying at home entails, we've really come together as a family to adjust to our current situation. I will refrain from using the term "new normal" because I'm here to tell you folks that this stuff is NOT NORMAL! Ugh. There isn't much I like about it but I will say that there are definitely a LOT of great things that have come out of it. I've spent a lot more time outside walking my neighborhood. I stand a safe distance away and really talk with my neighbors. People are banding together to help one another, to serve one another, and yes, to entertain one another. Aren't the memes that have come out of this just hilarious? Laughter really does help in these uncertain times. Just to name a few some of the most beautiful things I've seen are - people sharing their talents online -a group of neighbors singing Happy Birthday to a 2 year old -drive through confessional at a local church - chalk the walks in neighborhoods -teachers doing a parade through the neighborhoods of their school children. Just really beautiful and incredible stuff. I think the absolute best part of my week has been doing church at home with my family. I don't think my kids will ever forget their dad blessing and passing the sacrament to us in our living room. Stay well. Stay home. Keep being awesome! I love you all!