A few Covid-thoughts from Shantel

David has been doing a great job at keeping up with all of the Covid-post updates. 

I have a million things I could say. But not many things I really want to say. Or at least not type. My thoughts are too much for even this space, at least today. 

But I did want to post a few things. 

-I love David working from home. I love it. I didn't ever think that we would be a great fit for a work-from-home job. I just love being with David so much that I always thought that it would be too hard for him to get any work done. Now, he might disagree with me - but I think we've done a really good job of making sure that he gets dedicated, undistracted time to work what he needs to work. Of course, there are times that I still go in and talk to him, or ask him to help with something or other - but I try to keep it to the same level as when I would previously call him on the phone during the day if I needed something. And I KNOW that when we was working in the office, his coworkers would come in and talk to him - so sometimes I try to fill that role, too. But mostly, he's been able to get good work done and I LOVE having him there. I love being able to bring him lunch when he's supposed to eat lunch (often he would "forget" to eat lunch at work). I love having him roll out of bed and start working in our room while I'm snuggled in bed instead of him having to get up an hour earlier and drive to the office to start working at the same time. I love being able to leave Lucy in her crib for a nap while I run an errand (and occasionally I've left ALL of the kids and just had Lydia be in charge downstairs- the best!). I love his commute home from work. I love that he is still willing to "leave work at work" and be with our family after his work day is done. I love being able to hear him on his phone calls/video meetings - I'm always so proud of him. I love that he gets to wear casual clothes, and I love that when he dresses up for big meetings, he still wears his sweatpants on bottom. 

I just love him and I love that this work-from-home thing means I get to see him and be with him more. 

 2020 has been rough for a lot of reasons. But I will not complain about the slowed-down family time that we've had. (Although I have REALLY missed our outdoor family time - darn all those other people that used to do other things and took over all our spring/fall hikes. And boo - no swimming this summer.) This meme made me laugh out loud (there have been a significant lack of good memes after about June when 2020 became too heavy for a lot of reasons). I'm glad to see a few memes coming back. It's especially hilarious because everyone and their dog was planning to have 2020 be the best year yet. 2021 is just around the corner and we're all going to just ride in slow and hope for the best. (Not THE best. Just like... any sort of best.) 

This is another thing that has made me laugh much more than it probably should have. I have a friend named Sarah, and she posted a conversation with one of her friends who does a trivia contest every year.  In case the picture is too hard to read it goes like this: 

My friend does a trivia contest every year and spends the whole year writing down questions. One of her early questions is not going to be viable anymore. 

J: Some of the questions wrote in the first quarter of the year did not age well. 

Sarah: Do tell!

...

J: What is the name of the virus in Wuhan China?

Sarah: Haha (I don't' know if I want to insert a laughing or crying emoji)

I've read this at least a dozen times and told it to at least 5 other people and I'm still dying about it. For future understanding. The Covid virus started in Wuhan China and appeared in small news blips occasionally. My mom would talk about it sometimes and I absolutely did not consider for a minute that it was something that I needed to be worried about. Even when it started spreading in Asia and into Europe, I wasn't aware but wasn't particularly worried. It just seemed so far away. But of course, no where is "so far away" anymore and now the tiny little news segments about a random virus in China have completely changed the way we live our lives. It just feels crazy. I would never have believed it if December 2020 Shantel had appeared and mentioned it to 2019 Shantel. 

But here we are.

Masks. Social Distancing. Restaurants barely starting to open up. Church at home every other week to allow for our ward to be split. Immediate Family Only Stake Baptisms. Zoom Meetings. No Homeschool Coop. Limited friend interaction. Limited visits with grandparents. Civil unrest. An awful election cycle (that can't be blamed on Covid, but still). Toilet paper shortages. Temple closures. (And I almost forgot about the earthquakes!)   

But I'll never be able to talk about 2020 without also acknowledging the silver linings, too. Homeschool blessings. David working from home. Increased reliance on the Lord and faith in His purposes and plan. Our four children that we've managed to take care of and who have thrived throughout this whole year.

Thos are just some of my thoughts.