PANDEMIC MEMORIES...

What was life like in early 2020?

We had a great start to the year, going on a business trip to the Netherlands and Ireland in February - 2 weeks back to back.  Dan's 60th birthday was spent on the weekend between the 2 trips in Amsterdam.  We thoroughly enjoyed it and knew there was some concern about a virus in China but otherwise were not affected until we re-entered the country and they questioned us about where we'd traveled.  That was February 29. From there things escalated quickly to businesses and church closing, mask-wearing, and shortages!

What was the biggest change? 

Not going places for fear of getting the virus.  Wearing masks, for sure!  Feeling suspicious and wondering if this whole thing was real or not.  Weird shortages at the store - from toilet paper to detergent.  Dan had worked out of the home office for years so that wasn't new for us.  But not going on business trips every few weeks was very different for him.

What were your coping mechanisms?  

Getting outside!  Of course walking has been a big part of my life for a long time.  We also took the opportunity to re-decorate the formal dining room and paint the laundry room.  

What did connection in your relationships look like?  

Less getting together - trying to "social distance" - a new term for everyone!  With our kids we still got together for birthdays and holidays and a few times we played games on an app called House Party.  Unfortunately we did not see any of Dan's family at Thanksgiving or Christmas because their small town had a terrible outbreak of Coronavirus.

What will you remember most?

The disappointment of plans being cancelled.  We had planned an Alaskan cruise far in advance to accommodate all 6 of our kids schedules.  The ship we booked ended up in the news as one of the ones there was a Coronavirus outbreak on. I really felt bad about was those who missed graduations and weddings or they were drastically different that what they wanted.  But the worst was those we knew who lost loved ones from the virus!  Another thing that happened was Dan had our pool filter blow up in his face and he ended up in the hospital for several days and I was not allowed in to see him nor knew how bad it was for the first8 hours.  It was a scary and frustrating time.  He ended up having 5 more surgeries on his teeth/eyes and we are thankful he still has his vision.  

What was the biggest challenge?

Not knowing how long this was going to go on...and the sadness for those who died.  There were many others who died this year as a result of the isolation and other complications the pandemic caused.

What was a beautiful memory?

There is not much I can think of except worshipping outside with our church family, singing outside in the OC Forum.  

What do you believe now that you didn't one year ago?

I already knew this but was reminded...Life is short and we should appreciate each day!

What would you do differently?

Nothing - I found out how much of an introvert I am.  I love reading books and working on things at home, and did more of both.  But if I was unable to go to my Body & Soul exercise class I would definitely suffer emotionally.  Praying with my sisters in Christ and moving to inspirational music really is a boost for me!

What will you carry forward?

Don't be afraid to try new things or change old ways.  Look at things from a different perspective.  Women's Ministry that I'm volunteering for had to embrace some new ways of doing things.  

 

NIGHTMARE OF A TRIP...

 OK, Maybe that is being overly dramatic.  Let's just say it didn't go how we envisioned... 

February 8 we started hearing about this big cold snap/snowstorm coming down from Canada to get us.  The more the weatherman built it up each night, the more The Hubs was adamant that we should skip it and go south.  I wasn't quite ready to travel again, but agreed.  He would take his work with him and I could take my projects as well.  The weather looked like it would hit Texas too but wouldn't be as extreme as the Oklahoma temperatures.  

We decided on South Padre Island, Texas,  where we spent our honeymoon almost 38 years ago!  I hadn't been back there since then, although he had for a work meeting.  So that excited me.  We drove down on a Friday afternoon and spent the night in Waco as the storm was rolling in, and I was a little nervous as there had been a big car accident - 50 car pile up - in Ft. Worth a couple of days earlier due to ice/slush.  We made it just fine and left early the next morning, greeted with patchy ice on the roads.  We drive a 4 WD so The Hubs is pretty confident and we didn't have a problem.  It was actually nice, not many drivers were out. 

We drove 7 more hours and arrived at South Padre in the late afternoon.  We got some groceries and got settled into our condo.  We had a tiny view of the gulf and a big view of a water park.  Sunday we worshipped online and I made some soup we could eat over the next couple of days, as they were predicted about 30 degrees for their cold snap down there.  The wind was fierce, too!  We got out and walked through a Farmer's Market - those vendors were dedicated to be out there in that.  We stopped by another store and drove around checking out our honeymoon hotel that had been turned into condos, and also a restaurant we had eaten at 38 years ago that was still in business, and made notes to eat there again.  We even walked on the beach but could only stand it for about 15 minutes with the terrible wind.  We were looking forward to the mid-week warm up for sure!

We awoke Monday morning to no power.  Our condo was still pretty warm, though 65 degrees.  Power came on and off three times so we were hopeful that the next time it would stay on permanently.  The wind was still fierce and it was 28 degrees so we opted to stay in - except for the The Hubs when he went out for his morning Starbucks run.  I got out the soup when the power was on and heated it, and also started frying the bacon I had bought, only to get it half-fried!  In the afternnoon we decided to go buy candles.  That's when we noticed in the nearby town that Walmart was closed - WHAT - but HEB was open.  There were long lines inside and so we just picked up a few things - we had food, anyway.  There were NO bananas to be found and everyone else was buying candles and water, too.  We picked up some water as well.  

Monday evening our water slowed to a trickle and we realized there were water problems.  We had no local news and our rental agency had not returned my texts asking if they knew when this might be resolved.  Tuesday we awoke and now the condo is 62 degrees.  So I guess still no heat/power.  The Hubs wanted to drive to the nearest big town, Brownsville and use some free Wifi to work, so we did.  It was about 30 minutes away, and guess what?  They too had every other stop light out, plus the lines were really long at the fast food drive thrus and stores.  We just started realizing the magnitude of the problem.  Even with 28 degrees, Texas systems couldn't handle it.

We thought we'd try to stick it out in a cold condo, after all, we had paid for the week.  But a few hours later, we realized this might not be fixed anytime soon and should head north.  We threw away the food in the refrigerator that had been off for about 36 hours now, and tried to wash the dirty dishes with bottled water.  We started emailing/calling hotels in San Antonio and Austin - surely that would be ok?!  No availability, no availability, was the story we got over and over...and as we were driving it was getting icier.  Along the way we passed lots of busy gas stations and hoped our gas would hold out for a long time.  We stopped for dinner and to gas up, hoping to use the bathrooms, only to see them blocked off.  WHAT.  We stopped on a nearby farm road for The Hubs to take a break.  

Finally, about 9 p.m., we got to College Station.  I had texted my niece who lives there about putting us up for the night if our hotel didn't work out.  One Dan had emailed and gotten a reservation at was not answering the phone, so we finally figured out they weren't open for customers or the phone wasn't working or something, and other one had a locked door, so we went on to their house.  They were having "rolling power outtages" to conserve energy, so they had the candles out, but we were able to take a shower and go to sleep just fine.  They were so kind to let us have their bedroom.

My niece with Cally

The next day we found a vacancy in a nearby Aloft hotel, and got settled in, so The Hubs could work and hopefully the weather would improve.  They too were experiencing the occasional power outages, but we charged our devices and got by.  Even though The Hubs couldn't find a Starbucks that was open, I did hear from a friend that Fuego (a Mexican restaurant) was open.  I got some great take-out from there - enough for 2 days! 

The next day was much like the first, but we actually went to the workout room in the hotel when the power was on and enjoyed that.  Also, our friends who gave us the tip about the Mexican food invited us over for coffee.  We were able to get away about 4:00 p.m. and they lived only 8 minutes away.  It was nice to go to their house and visit for a couple of hours!  Later that evening I conducted a zoom class and it went just fine.

Friday we decided the roads seemed improved and we decided we would head home.  We had no problem and 6 hours later we were back in snow-packed Oklahoma!  Actually, our neighborhood was slick but that was the only bad place we encountered.  

Moral of the story:  You can't run from life's difficulties!  Truth be told, we never felt in danger but it is isolating when you are in an unknown place having all these weird shortages. You don't really know the best news source to check in with and when the rental agency is closed up and not answering your calls, that's isolating, too.  Next time we travel we'll probably check the weather forecast in the area a little better.  And we'll always bring our water and granola bars, just in case.  :)

THE BEACH IN THE OFF-SEASON...

 We are starting a new trend in our empty-nesterhood...finding a warm place to land for a couple of weeks in the middle of winter!  We usually drive and listen to audio books along the way - one of our favorite things to do!  It's usually a working vacation for The Hubs.  He can work remotely so we find a nice place with a view and some warm temps in January. I take projects, a book to read, and cook most of our meals so we can afford to stay longer.  :) 

This year we were headed to Orange Beach, Alabama like we did in 2018, but then got a message that our condo owner had decided not to open the building until February.  So we got our refund and scrambled to find something else. We ended up finding another place about 30 minutes east in Pensacola Beach, Florida.  Unbeknownst to us, this was where Hurricane Sally hit last fall!  But it turned out fine.  The main bridge was out, so we had to drive 22 miles further, but other than that, the beaches were pristine.  There were some tree debris around and some roofs under repair.  90% of the businesses were open.  We had a great couple of weeks.

This year we got a place with a view.  It was amazing to wake up and see the gulf from our bed.  I enjoyed my hot tea each morning on the balcony with the sunrise and the sounds of the waves crashing.  We watched for dolphins on the water's edge.   A couple of mornings, I needed a coat, but most of the time it was a pleasant 50 degrees.  Here's the highlights:

Pensacola Beach outside our condo

Fort Pickens - an interesting place to explore

Biking Pensacola Beach - the UFO house

Pensacola Farmer's Market

We found some pretty shells on our daily walks!

Saw a few jelly fish

The whitest sand and the clearest water!

Brunch at Flounder's enclosed patio!  We loved their food, decor and service, and ended up eating there twice.  

This is me in the booth at Flounder's the first visit.  We laughed so much when they led us to this giant booth.  It reminded us of our first date at Molly Murphy's restaurant, where they did the same exact thing!

See ya again, Pensacola Beach!  We love you!

3 NATIONAL PARKS IN 3 DAYS...

 In the middle of Covid last fall, some friends of ours asked us on a whim if we'd be interested in driving to New Mexico and doing some hiking with them.  They are on a quest to check all the National Parks off their bucket list and there are 3 in close proximity to each other along New Mexico and the Texas line:  Carlsbad Caverns NP, White Sands NP, and Guadalupe Mountains NP.  We rented an Air BnB and after we all got negative tests for Covid, we were off!  Carlsbad was our base.

White Sands NP, New Mexico

We drove several hours from Carlsbad to get here, but stopped along the way at a couple of interesting places:  the Cider factory and the Pistachio farm on the way back.  I enjoyed seeing White Sands because my whole life I knew my parents had honeymooned here! We hiked, ate lunch and tried to sled down the dunes!  

Carlsbad Caverns was pretty amazing.  I don't think I've every been in a cave room that HUGE!  There were no formal tours, but we could walk through on our own.  It was an amazing walk!

The last day we went to Guadalupe Mountains National Park, just over the border in Texas.  This was my favorite day!  We did an easy hike, McKittrick Canyon, in the morning, and saw lots of beautiful fall color.  We were done about 2:00 p.m. and I pushed for our group to try the Devil's Hall hike.  Little did we know what we were getting into... it proved to be longer than we thought and lots of boulder hopping in a shallow creek bed.  A lot less people on this trail, which I enjoyed. It was definitely worth it!

                We loved our quick trip and had a good time getting to know these friends better!

WOMEN'S MINISTRY SOCIALLY DISTANCED EVENT...

After 6 months off blogging, I'm getting a little caught up!  I don't know if I'll return on a regular basis but wanted to document a few things that I've been doing.

Our Women's Ministry at church came to a halt with Covid, except for some small group Bible studies.  I worked harder on our social media accounts, posting three times a week to try to help keep our ladies connected in some way.  Then late in the summer I had an idea - with lots of people embracing some old ways - neighborhood walks, spending more time outside, why not try something we did back in the 80's?  Secret Sisters was something we did at church, with those participating getting information about another member at church.  We were encouraged to write notes and give small gifts, dropping them off at a designated spot in the church building.  It was a fun thing to do and I vividly remember gaining a new appreciation for the older woman whose name I'd been given.  

So with the help of the Fellowship Committee, we devised a plan to launch a fall Secret Sisters program.  It ran from September to December, and we hosted a Drive-thru Reveal party outside the front doors of the church building.  The trick was we needed to get the "reveal"cards and gifts a few days before the event from the participants.  We didn't want anyone to drive through, thinking they would get something and know who their Secret Sister was, and not have something.  So that was a job with 103 ladies dropping off things a week before - but it worked! We got all but 2 and I had called their recipients to let them know their Secret Sister had illness in the family.  

Me and my helpers! We had Christmas music playing and our smiles on!

Greeting our ladies driving through

We unofficially voted this the funniest gift!

           Each lady who came received a thank you note so they could send one to their Secret Sis.

We also gave everyone a Pocket Pie, made by a woman in our church who started a baking business.

It was pretty chilly that day, but it was SO GOOD to get to do something for the ladies in our congregation!  My hope and prayer is that everyone that participated has 2 new friendship connections - one between them and their Secret Sister they gave to and one that gave to them.  :)

COMBATING FEAR...

FEAR is something I would have said a month ago was not a problem for me.

Funny how things can change so quickly.

Recent events in our  home life, my friend's lives, and our world have brought back FEAR:  FEAR of lightning, FEAR of my husband dying, FEAR of accidents, FEAR of illness.  In fact, the storms we've had recently have had me on edge.  I talked to a friend about it whose house was struck by lightning years ago told me she cried every time there was a storm for a long time.  I tell myself these fears are irrational; lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place (myth).  Everyone in this world will face death themselves or of someone dear to them.  But when it's a friend close to your age it reminds you again how close it is to you also.  It's going to happen and even Christians admit they'd like to stay with their loved ones a bit longer than they might be given.  Accidents happen and we can only do so much to prevent them.  Life is just filled with opportunities for FEAR.

I started a feature for our women's ministry on social media early this year called #myfavoriteverse.  Different women, different ages and experiences tell me about their favorite verse; what it is and why it's meaningful, and I post one weekly.  Just the other day I received one from a schoolteacher friend.  she said her favorite verse was too long, but she said she had another one:

Her comment about this verse was that whenever she was feeling anxious, she would repeat this verse over and over again, out loud.  She is claiming her God-given spirit of power over FEAR as a Christ follower and baptized believer.

I loved this and needed this!  Meditating on the word, which is something I've been working harder at the last couple of years, might mean saying it OUT LOUD.  Combating FEAR with scripture is the way to go.  Jesus did it in the desert when confronted by Satan several times.  You never know when you might be caught off guard I guess and your security will be shaken up.  We must have security in the right things to be able to stand.

EXPLORING THE SALT PLAINS OF OKLAHOMA...

COVID -19 has taken it's toll on us and we're itching to get out!  We decided to take advantage of a sunny spring day and go check out the Salt Flats of northern Oklahoma.  It is located about 2 hours north of OKC, but we had never been!  The Hubs loves a nice day in his convertible, so off we went.

We passed several of these fields of yellow flowers and I just had to make a stop for a picture!  

The Great Salt Plains State Park is near Jet, Oklahoma.  We drove around and saw the lake, ate our picnic lunch and then drove through the GSP Wildlife Refuge.  It is relatively small in comparison with the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, but nice.  It is a haven for birds and marsh animals.  There is also a huge spillway by the lake that you can walk along.  

We drove through the small town of Jet and saw a masked man!  About 6 miles west of Jet was the "salt flats" where you can dig for selenite crystals.

We got to the crystal digging spot in the afternoon.  It was warm and breezy.  It looks like a dried up lake, with the salt sitting on top.  

 This area was designated as a digging spot, so there were a lot of people in this area!  We walked out to the very end to have plenty of room and feel uncrowded.

We found crystals immediately.  The selenites are near the surface and are very fragile.  Our challenge was to dig them up carefully so they wouldn't break.  The Hubs wore himself out digging and finding crystals!  We took only the largest ones home with us.

 These crystals with the hourglass of sand in them can only be found here!  Pretty amazing!  This is the perfect day for those with elementary aged kids that enjoy digging.  We actually enjoyed it a lot, ourselves!

On the way home we stopped in Enid, Oklahoma and got hamburgers at a drive thru restaurant.  It was nice just to get away from the house and do something different for a change!