New Normal of Indoor Fun

Our jobs have kept us all busy during the week and it is tempting to eat dinner before 6pm on most days...but we stick to a routine. Other staples of the week include church online, farm orders (White Oak Pastures), Wagshal's meat run, video calls, Bananagrams, baking, coffee creations. Our new Minnesota puzzle finally arrived, so that will be a nice distraction as well.

We actually inquired with a breeder about a kitten that would be available in late May. Why not? The kitten is a cross between Quiet and Peanut Butter (coat like Quiet and size of Peanut Butter). He's white. The breeder hasn't decided whether or not she is going to keep him or sell him. YES--he's that cute! LOL She's going to let us know this weekend. 

 

More of the Same, Plus Easter

The days kind of blur together...but it was nice to have a quiet Easter celebration. In the absence of chocolate overload, a basket, and gifts, Steven made a hefty money transfer to Julia. :) We ate porterhouse pork chops from Wagshal's (forgot to take the after shot). Over 1,300 people tuned in for our Easter service; very nice service and included beautiful choir segments from last year's celebration. Highlights of the week included FaceTime, Facebook, and Zoom calls with friends and family. Most fun--video chatting with Don and Laura while they made their first batch of Buckeyes! They can attest, it is not as easy as it looks! Work is incredibly busy for all three of us--which is good to make the time go by quickly and to feel like you are being productive. Steven and Julia started taking vitamin C gummies last week since Emerson's sent them by mistake with my vitamin order.

 

DC Stay-at-Home Order and Games

Early morning run, Webex meetings throughout the day, lunchtime walk, news briefings, dinner at 6pm, and game time--this is our new routine. We got Wingo's this past week, trying to support our local businesses and hoping they will survive. Steven had a telehealth appointment with Dr. Macedo today to get prescriptions refilled. He recommended 90-day supplies (delivered), since there may be a shortage of medicine coming from China. Most of the 30-minute video chat was spent talking about COVID-19, his thoughts, and recommendations. He said to avoid Safeway unless you have gloves and a mask.

National Presbyterian Church online is seeing record numbers--914 people streaming.

We had a couple of video chats with family and friends. Julia has been having several video calls with friends to stay in touch. And, they all just bought Minecraft so they can connect and play online together. We're all finding our own fun. 

Locked Down and Busy

One thing is for sure, we are all working efficiently and effectively at home. Despite the coronavirus turning our lives upside down, Julia is successfully working for NASA remotely! YAY! Webex video calls have worked fairly well and our work continues--more hours than ever, it seems.

On a personal level, however, it is sad that we haven't been able to see family and friends. Miss you, Mom! Magda had her baby, March 24: Sharif Kinzi Ismail. He looks cute as a button and I hope to FaceTime with them soon. Otherwise, during our downtime we have been snuggling with the cats, playing Bananarama, and watching TV ("The Windsors," "Yes, Man," "Liar Liar"). 

Social Distancing with Love

The coronavirus is quickly spreading and each day has brought about new information and changes to our daily life. Last week, the WBG told HQ employees to work from home. Now, all travel has been suspended. The Phoenix has closed its doors, along with most other retail stores, bars, and salons. Restaurants are only offering take-out and delivery. We have stocked up through White Oak Pastures, Wagshal's, Smith Meadows Farm, Trader Joe's, and Safeway. So glad we were able to get the second freezer and fill it up. We bought a bunch of porterhouse and NY strip steaks, which I didn't want to freeze...so we have been eating a lot of good meat. LOL I've made Greek yogurt several times as well.

Church was online; over 580 people were signed on and watching.

I don't miss the office, at all--Webex with video works well enough. It has been nice to work from home with Steven and Julia around. I'm in the upstairs office. Steven is at the dining room table. Julia moves between her room and the kitchen counter.

I got a stack of books from the Georgetown Library before it temporarily closed its doors for at least the next two weeks.

Gang All Together Again Despite COVID-19

Miriam is home for her spring break! It was wonderful to have dinner and catch up with Julia, Mom, and Miriam. These women are all movers and shakers. So far, Mom's trip to Peru is still on. Fairfax is preparing to go online, so we'll see what happens with her job. As of this posting (3/11/20), several colleges have decided to go all online for the remainder of the semester (Georgetown, AU, Harvard, MIT, Emerson, Tufts, Duke, UMD, OSU). Not sure what will UVA will do; maybe Miriam will be spending more time in DC! Julia is working on getting her NASA badge and hopefully will be able to start before everyone is required to work from home. The freezer arrived--YAY! Steven is planning a major Wagshal's haul this evening to stock it up.

UPDATE: UVA is moving classes online!

NASA, COVID-19, and The Phoenix

Exciting times! The biggest news was Julia connecting with climate scientist Dr. Compton "Jimmy" Tucker at NASA. He picked her up from Union Station Friday, 8 a.m., and she spent the whole day there. She sat in on meetings, shadowed various scientists, and scored some NASA playing cards and stickers. This is all through a potential advisor setting up a meeting with someone at the University of Minnesota, who then called Dr. Tucker and said he should hire Julia. She's very excited to return and see what she can work on--stay tuned for the details.

On the home front, many minds are consumed by COVID-19. The Safeway shelves were empty, where disinfectant wipes used to be.

Meme came over to check out The Phoenix (shop here--great collection of unique items!) and for dinner. It is always good to catch up and spend quality time with her. Thanks for the LaCroix, mom!