This is MY account of my life During the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020.
With news of all of my favorite things being canceled, from the Houston Rodeo, Men's Clay Court Championships at River Oaks, tennis, NBA, NCAA & March Madness 😪 I found myself struggling to find a way to fill my newly found "free time."
Sure, I have to spend time planning my lessons to deliver virtually. But this time is only a fraction of what I would spend in a normal school/work day.
This is what I've been doing...
Getting Ready
Just getting stuff ready to send out to my students. Even thought I put my lessons online during the regular year, this is taking some extra planning to make sure that all students are getting the lessons.
This is Bud
Bud is about 3 and a half years old. He and his sister Sissy are super happy that I'm home and have extra time to spend with them."
This is Bud, Sissy & Cooley
The Great Outdoors
I LOVE being outdoors. I'd prefer to be on the tennis court, but I'll take the sun any way I can get it. I'm thankful to have good friends nearby with a pool. Yes, we still stay a healthy distance away from each other.
Working Out
I had been doing a Body Pump class before school - yes, that means 5:30am. But with gyms closed, I had to find a way to keep up with it - because I feel so much better after a good workout. I'm doing Living Room Workouts (Body Pump, Body Combat & Salsa classes to name a few) daily and mixing in some long walks outdoors. Sissy even decided she wanted to work on legs and glutes this day.
Hobbies
If you hadn't already figured it out, I like to think of myself as a little crafty. I've been working on creating some designs I had in mind. These are 2 of them that I've done so far. Unfortunately my t-shirt shop had to shut down since it's not an essential business. So I've only got a few more blank shirts - I've got to pick and choose which designs I'm going to put on shirts right now.
Music
While I don't actually have any discernible musical talent, I love, love, love music! I was upset that the Rodeo was canceled - I had tickets to Lizzo :( and was planning to go to all the shows when I wasn't working my volunteer shift there. I've spent a lot of time watching & listening to DJ's and other artists play online concerts & dance parties via Instagram and Facebook. It's not quite the same as in person, but I guess it will work for now. If you're on those social media sites, keep your eyes peeled - they are popping up more than ever now. “Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest; heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul.”
Cooking
Done quite a bit of cooking this past week. Some of them more post-worthy than others. I've always enjoyed cooking - it takes my mind of the craziness. It's also a way of bringing friends and family together, although a little less together these days. These are a few of my favorites from this past week.
In Search of Bluebonnets
For years I've said I was going to spend a day taking photos of the bluebonnets, but I'm usually so busy that I forgot about doing it. No excuses this year - I've got nothing but time. I almost waited too long though. My first few stops in and near Washington on the Brazos Park there were only small patches of bluebonnets. But on my way home I stumbled upon a big field of bluebonnets with a huge herd of cows. A few of the babies were curious as to why I was so close to them.
More Cooking & Eating
Had a nice dinner with my quarantine family. Note, they aren't really my family, but they have included me in all of their family activities while we are social distancing ourselves. This last Saturday I cooked bacon wrapped fillets (on big time sale at HEB), salad, shrimp in garlic butter, garlic parmesan smashed potatoes with salted caramel brownies for dessert.
I 💓 Tennis
Since I was a freshman in high school, tennis has been a constant in my life. My purpose, my dreams, my job, my outlet, my friends, my exercise... But as I've gotten older it has become harder to find/make the time to play as much as I'd like and I've had a few injuries to keep me off the court as well. Yesterday I had a friend challenge me to make a tennis video to encourage Houstonians to hit against a wall and keep social distancing. I was hesitant to be in front of a camera (I prefer behind it). But it felt to so good to be out there once I started.
Birthdays
I feel extra bad for those of you who are having birthdays during this time. We tried to do our best to make sure our friend (Dr. Williams) knew that we didn't forget about her birthday. So we did a drive-by, honking, dancing and singing for her birthday. If you didn't wish her a happy birthday on Twitter - you should do it!
Seniors!!!
So I just got word that Fort Bend ISD has gone ahead and cancelled school for the remainder of the year. I can't say I'm surprised, I just didn't think they would do it so soon. That means that we aren't far behind I'm afraid. So, seniors - if I don't get a chance to tell you all in person - know that I've enjoyed having you in class! Some of you for three years! I know you'll do great things - and please don't forget to let me know what you are up to! I hope that this all ends soon and that the district hosts a prom and graduation for you before you head off to college or armed forces. As a tribute to you (and for a laugh), here are my senior photos! #BlonderTannerThinner
Happy Mother's Day!
I'm fortunate that I'm able to make a quick drive to San Antonio to see my parents. We like to go to McAllister Park to walk and feed all of the deer. They are so tame now that they take the food right out of our hands. They seem to like apples and carrots the best. But most importantly I get to spend time with my mom and dad. My mom has been my most significant teacher, coach, mentor, cheerleader and sounding board. I can't thank her enough!
Zoom Meetings
Every week I look forward to seeing your faces in the Zoom Meetings so that I can answer questions. But most of the time it's just me and my cats on the Zoom calls.
Credits:
Created with an image by Paweł Czerwiński - "That was an interesting view from some distance. When I got closer to the building I realized that it’s probably prepared for some painting."