Interrupting Quarantines

I wanted to update this blog and you would think I could have done it by now.  I have only chronicled up to September of last year. But instead we are interrupting this regularly scheduled procrastination session to let you know about all the current happenings.

WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC AND THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES IS QUARANTINED! (NOT TO MENTION MOST OF THE WORLD!)

So whew, yeah- it's crazy out there.  It's not the zombie apocalypse yet, thank goodness, but we did see a guy taking a walk with his family carrying a rather large wrench!  Toilet paper- gone (we have enough to get us through the end of the year, however, because we are LDS.  Come on, we prepare!) Hand sanitizer- gone (we have lots of little bottles from Christmas when we bought out Bath and Body works), Clorox wipes- gone (we have a few stashed away), at one point meat, eggs and bread were gone too, Vitamin C- can't find it under $30 a small bottle, bleach- gone, hydrogen peroxide- gone, rubbing alcohol- gone, N95 mask that we need in the hospital- severe shortage, ventilators in the hospital- supply is strained, anything we need in the hospitals- severely strained.  People be crazy!

The culprit- a little virus that goes by the name of Covid-19.  I had my first known (that I know) positive case on Sunday.  He is currently in the ICU on a ventilator.  Hopefully my mask and goggles and gloves did their jobs.  The peak of the infection is supposed to hit in 2 weeks time so I am sure there will be more to come.

My team one day.  You can't tell who anyone is because we are all in blue scrubs and have masks on.    It gets pretty confusing some days.  There is a doctor, 2 techs, our secretary and 6 nurses in this picture.  We have been training the floor nurses in case we need them to come down and start helping in the ED.  The two that came down this day did super well!

Since the culprit is highly contagious everyone has been told to stay at home unless they are "essential personnel."  I am essential.  Rob stays at home and works from here.  All stores and restaurants are closed except grocery stores and take-out or drive-thrus.  Schools are closed and will not reopen for the rest of the year.  The boys will start online school in a couple weeks.  This week is officially spring break.  The poor seniors won't get a graduation ceremony or Prom or anything.  Church is at home.  We have had some really good discussions.  

Sam's girlfriend, Yvette, has been joining us for our church at home.  This is her drawing of Jacob 5.

The church was preparing us for this time for the last half a year when they went to 2 hour church and wanted us to have our own discussions at home with the Come Follow Me program.  

Life has slowed wayyyy down. 

Some of things we have been doing to pass the time:

After living in one place for almost 4 years, I was getting agitated with all the mess and the piles of stuff we don't use.  Until now, I have to go through that every 3 years as we move.  So we have been moving slowly through a deep clean of the house.  Currently we have these two closets done, the boys closets and chest of drawers, the baseboards, vents, yard, and game closet cleaned out.

We have done a little bit of homework.  The boys are going through an easy Sudoku puzzle in this picture for their math.

I made a mask, for just in case.  It's not nearly as beautiful as all the ones being made by tons of people to hand out to EMS, grocery store workers, Postal workers, etc.

I helped a local business.  They had to bring all their inventory home, so now they can only sell online.  It was a win-win situation, especially since they delivered straight to my door!

Lots of relaxing time is going on.  Doesn't this water look eerie?  It turned that color from one of the bath bombs Emma gave me for Christmas.

We take a walk every day.  We call it "our constitution."  The dog is especially grateful after a long winter when I refused to take a walk. Long being a relative term, because this is the desert so December through February.

We made a golf target with an amazon box and played each other to 200 points.  The biggest hole at the far end was negative 10 points, so Rob was winning, but then ended up not.

Yvette and Joseph won instead.

We also played a game of greed that night.  Sam won- we never did finish that game.

Max still has piano lessons- just virtually.

We try to go play tennis most days too.   And then there is the mind numbing hours we are on our phones and playing games on the playstation.  There is plenty of that happening!  And the amount of times someone wants to eat!  Why do they eat soooo  much food?  Rob always wants it cooked too.  Can't we just eat a salad or a peanut butter sandwich?  Nope.  Exercise, exercise, exercise.  It's the only thing that is going to save me.  Good thing we have a treadmill and weights, since all the gyms are closed!

Some of my favorite things right now: 

My gym- when it's open.  Love Chuze gym and their team training.  

Don't Miss This on Youtube and dontmissthisstudy on Instagram.  Love the way they teach and the points they bring out in the Book of Mormon

comefollowmestudy on instagram.  Great thought for the day 

Bedsideroundz and eddyjoemd and zdoggmd on instagram.  I learn something medical most days from these three.  

the Babylon Bee- best satyrical website ever.

codebluememes on instagram.  Nursing humor at it's best.  You won't get most of these or appreciate them at all if you aren't a nurse.

Mental Floss on the web or on instagram.  Fun facts.  I used to love their magazine when they put one out. 

My new car.  I love it!

It's a John Cooper Works Mini Countrymen.  It actually has tons of room in the back for the boys and it has 300 horse power.  I have already gotten my first ticket in it.  It's so zippy and fun!

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson (We actually just finished it.)

Schitt's Creek on Netflix.  I kept getting it recommended to me, but I wouldn't watch it, because of the name.  I finally broke down and tried it.  I love it.  There is some language and sexual content that a lot of my friends and family wouldn't enjoy, but I think it's witty and fun and heart warming at times.

Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist on Hulu.   Super heart warming, fun and great singing to boot!

Words with Friends 2 and Boggle on my phone.  Look me up if you want to play.

It's all about the sports in 'Murica

Max's football team he signed up for dissolved- not enough players.  I thought there were plenty of players!  He would have gotten to participate constantly!  Instead he was placed on a team that had played together for years and practiced about 25 minutes away.  When you have almost every day practices this really stinks!  Also they did a lot of Friday night lights and tailgating parties and other things to simulate high school football, but since we had a senior playing high school football we ignored all of those things.  I was either at Sam's game or working so I only got to see 2 of his games.  Poor Max.  He understood, he said.  He played a guard this year.

Joseph ran cross country after much harassing and arguments from us. 

Our cross country team is 1st or 2nd in the state depending on the year, so he was never going to make varsity.  Even the people on the JV team were running 18 minute 5K's, so he was on the C-team.  A lot of people are on C-team.  This is the land of the runner!

Samuel did his senior year on Football.  

 The team mom's made these for all the seniors.  There was a hook on the back for hanging balloons on game day!

He started out on kick off and kick off return team

He ran this ball back for almost 60 yards!

and as an alternate receiver, but since his coach never ever ever changes players, he didn't play receiver very often.  The coach kept trying him in various positions in practice.  He told him that he was too athletic to be sitting on the side lines.  He finally decided to put him in as a nose guard.  Yep all  5'8 140 pounds of him pushing against 250 pounders.  

They had specific plays they used him in.  He was supposed to do specific things, which he usually accomplished despite the huge guy in his way, but usually got crushed in the end.  

We eventually learned to sit away from the main crowd who were loud and rude and yelled a lot.  Our team isn't the greatest.  We have an amazing assortment of skill players!  They always review us well, because of this.  We also get 2 or 3 signed to college every year.  Unfortunately, we have very few big guys for our line (hence using Sam.) So in the end, our season isn't very long.  If we make play-off's we are out the first round.  We didn't even make play-offs this year.  We still got people signed to colleges, however.  When we moved we found out where the main players families sit- like the quarterback's family.  I always wondered if the mom could hear all those negative comments!   Nope!  She doesn't sit by the bench people and the B team families!  

I got slightly more involved this year- only slightly.   These women are a little over the top for me.  But I did help with Homecoming.  They did a great job!

This is Sam going to homecoming... by himself! 

It took almost the rest of the year for me to forgive his friends who caused the rift with the girls that ended with no one going except Sam on his own.  He did find friends there that he hung out for a little while.  

So much for Fall sports.  

Sam and I at the end of year banquet

Onward and upward!

Independent Celebration

Not much traveling has gone on since we left Europe.  Travel isn't as easy in the states.  Everything is so darn expensive and so....far...a...way! But for the 4th of July weekend we decided to get away.  We only made it an hour or so north, but it was away!  

We visited Santa Fe and went to their pancake breakfast and old fashion car show.

We visited Los Alamos and saw how middle of nowhere it really is!

 No wonder all those wives were going absolutely bonkers while their husband's did secret work that they couldn't discuss during World War 2!  

We had fun at the casino- well kind of- everything was closed for the holiday and they didn't heat their water in the swimming pools at all.  I guess the hotel part was not really used to being used.  Who closes their restaurants on a holiday??  

Nice little holiday.

Homecoming 2015- or - Sam's first official Date

Homecoming in Germany isn't quite the same as in the states. 

1.  First of all, it's not on your first official game at home (you know, your Home coming!) Ya, but I think that's mostly true in the states as well, now, because someone has to have their first game at home, right?  And who wants to have Homecoming the first weekend of the football season.  No one!
2.  Also, there are no parades.  I tried to get one going, as I was the cheerleading coach at this time, but with the approval we would need from the Garrison commander and the need for the MP's to block traffic and on and on they said "maybe next year."  Well  thanks- I won't be here next year!  I personally think the Garrison commander would have been fine with it, but sometimes getting a meeting with the commander to discuss something is not so easy!
3.  The king/queen, and court are announced at the pep rally and only the pep rally and there is no running them around the field in fancy cars during half time.
4.  The games are played on Saturdays, because of the travel time involved in getting to your opponent and so the Homecoming game is played Saturday afternoon, so that the players have time to get to the dance that evening.  Even then, it's a pretty quick turn around!
5.  Most of the kids can't drive (you have to be at least 17 and have a valid stateside license to drive in Germany.  Since the majority of people have a 3 year rotation here and most parents try to keep their child from having to only do their senior year here, the kids are generally here from 15-18 years or 13-16 years old.  That equals= not a whole lot of kids with driving ability), so going to and from the dance are a constant stream of parents, dropping off, picking up.
6.  Germans don't make corsages well, so there is always someone making extra money by making them- different clubs, random individuals, etc.  Some kids just don't even bother with them and then there are people like me that find it on Youtube and DIY it!

Other than that it is still the usual display of raging teenage hormones and loud, obnoxious music that very few people actually enjoy.

I got to go to the pep rally the day before,  because I was also on the homecoming committee for the football team.  We had 12 Varsity and 12 JV players hand out flowers to the 12 Varsity and 12 JV cheerleaders and thank them for all they did for the players.  Sam forgot his jersey, like he seemed to do all the time this year, so he quickly borrowed someones, so he could be one of the guys giving out the flowers.  Afterwards the girls kept asking me who it was that gave them their flower- but of course I wasn't paying attention to who was giving whom a flower.  I was just trying to make sure it all went off smoothly.  The girls really liked it though and that was what was important.  Afterward the cheerleaders did their performance, the Juniors and Seniors gave their powder puff performances- meaning the boys dressed up in the cheerleading uniforms and did a dance to a song.  Some of them took the girls flowers to use in their dance and never gave them back.  The performances were hilarious and the Juniors definitely, hands down won, but of course the whole thing is rigged and the Seniors walked away with the trophy.  The pep rally was the most fun part of the whole thing.  I have got to make sure I am on that committee again!

The JV lost their game and the Varsity won theirs.  I helped pin flowers onto all the dads of seniors for football, cheerleading and the band.  I did a horrible job.  I only learned how to pin a flower onto a lapel afterwards, when I pinned the boutonnière I had made on Sam.  Guess I should have Youtubed it!

Sam got face masked in the game and came out with a scratched eye.  That kid messed up my Homecoming pictures- which one was it, which one.  I will kick him in the neck!

 And I can do it too.  You know how I know?  I kicked Sam in the neck in front of the school!  He would not ask Sara out. 

 He kept avoiding it.  He said she kept getting away from him, or he couldn't find a convenient time.  I wasn't convinced though, because they go to church together and are in seminary every morning together. I told him it wasn't nice to make a girl wait until the last minute, because she had to buy a dress.  So I told him if he didn't ask her that day I was going to kick him.  As I was picking him up from football, I asked, "Did you ask her today?"  He said, "no, she disappeared."  So I kicked him- right in the neck.  He knew the consequences!!  His friends just died!  At home I laid down the law.  "No asking tomorrow, no wrestling!"  He knows I don't like wrestling, so he knew I was serious.  Plus, I just proved that I would kick him in the neck with all his friends watching if he didn't do what I told him to do.  The next day she disappeared again on him.  So he found her at lunch and had to ask her in front of all of her friends.  I had scared him enough that he was willing to do it.

Of course she said yes, because I had already texted her mom and asked if she would say yes if Sam asked.  I didn't want to pressure him too much if there was a chance she would say no.  That really would have been mean!  He had a cute little football that said, "want to tackle Homecoming with me" on it, but he lost it, so he just asked- lame!

As far as I know they all had a great time and had lots of fun!

When Sam got home, though, he said, "That was a lot of work.  I don't think I am going to do that again."  Yep- that was a whole lot of work to get dressed up and dance a couple dances with a girl.  Crazy kid!!  He just doesn't understand the power of a throat kicking mom!

Tropical Storm Eagle makes an Impression

Life was moving at a brisk pace that spring of 2015.  Being a 4 sport family always keeps us busily swimming along.  On top of that our daughter was graduating that year, keeping us with our head just barely above water.  Since we hadn't drowned yet, though, we thought, 'what a great time to start an Eagle Scout Project.'  Of course, it had actually been started in February.  The problem was we couldn't get ahold of the guy in charge to give us the thumbs up on turning up the dirt and creating gardens on our base.  It turns out he had a very good reason for not answer repeated attempts to get a hold of him.  He had died.  Yep, died!  Of course he was brought back to life and given a quadruple bypass and was recovering in a hospital, but that was none of our business, so nobody would tell us that.  They just kept telling me to leave messages, and try calling and then try coming by and then email and then come by and so on.  Sam and I made so many attempts to get ahold of the guy that we almost gave up in despair. Finally someone told us that he would be back the next day.  We arrived and asked about creating gardens for Sam's Eagle scout project.  It was now the beginning of May.  The waves were already thrashing us, but we persisted, now that we had put so much effort into it.  And to our amazement he readily agreed, took us out soon after to see the plots, and to see what supplies he could give us.

We settled on a date and got to work on the proposal. 

That is where things got all kinds of crazy!  Pretty soon we were threatened with drowning.  If we didn't get a garden going by the end of May there was no point in it.  We only had 2 weeks to do that in and nobody seemed to be in a hurry to help us except  the base contractor who was ready and willing to supply everything immediately.  Finally desperate calls and meetings took place in an effort to save us, but it seemed all would be lost.  We had already advertised that there would be community gardens and had people signed up for plots.  We were going to have to put these gardens in one way or another, but it might not count for anything towards an Eagle.  I wrung my hands up until Wednesday the 20th, fearing all was lost, when suddenly I got a call that help was on the way, just hold out a little longer.  And then miraculously it came, Roger Carbajal had swooped in and made the rescue.  The project was a go.  The day of the project went smoothly with lots of helpers

and we now have two beautiful community gardens that serve our base.

But as you can imagine with all that,

a visit from Mom and Dad, 

 Frühlingsfest (spring festival)

 Hohenzollern Castle

making two quilts,

 Hand binding- first time for that!

 T-shirt quilt- my first time making such a thing.

I combined two images I saw for quilts to make this one up in my head.  I hand quilted it- yep, first time hand quilting too!

and doing graduation announcements

all at the same time, emotions, tension and exhaustion was running high.  At times like those, I am so grateful for thoughtful friends!  Dear Candace Adair came to my rescue and brought dinner for the family one day, just because!

For just a tropical storm there seemed a lot of rescue work going on, don't you think? We just might need to upgrade this storm!