Mar 31,
Today I did not want to get up. I can tell that this week is going to be more challenging than the last. Getting up at 2:45 feels a whole lot earlier than 3:45. But I got up, and started working at 3:00 am. Later in the morning, while I once again jumped from call to call, Bella made me breakfast: Home made granola with yogurt and raspberries. At some point she also left me a love note on my paper to-do for the day. That was cute.
The chore of the day was cleaning the light fixture in the dining room, which Bella did by herself because Sofia did not move fast enough and she did not want to wait. But of course later complained.
At the end of the work day we went for our family walk, Bella played a bit on the trampoline, and she and I did some aerobic video on the Wii. Dinner is next. Then showers, reading club with Bella, and bed.
Mar 30,
These are strange times. Very strange times. A lot of unexpected experiences. A lot of new worries. A lot of new things to be conscious about. I keep feeling like one day I am going to wake up and realize it was all in my head. I wish it was that way. But through it all, I realize how lucky I am.
I am lucky because I have a family who loves me
I am lucky because I have friends who miss me since we can't be together
I am lucky because even though she is now far, I have a new person who considers me family
I am lucky because I have a home
I am lucky because our house has a backyard
I am lucky because we live close to a park
I am lucky because I have a job
I am lucky because I have access to food
I am lucky because I have a dog to take out for a walk
I am lucky because I have access to technology that allows me to stay in touch
I am lucky because I am in a position to ease the burden of this situation for at least 1 person
I am lucky because even though I have been working a lot of hours, I am doing it in a safe environment
I am lucky because while I work, Bella brings me snacks
I am lucky because working from home we have taken more family walks than any other time
I am lucky because even though working Europe hours right now requires me to get up early, that also means I get to finish while the sun is still out
I am lucky because working a lot means I am not bored at all
I am lucky because no matter what, I have people and a purpose that keep me going
Mar 30,
Today we went back to the routine - with 4 instead of 5. Given the Europe time change over the weekend my 4:00 am meeting became my 3:00 am meeting, so I got up at 2:45 am. When I got up Emma had just texted me to let me know she made it to Amsterdam, and was waiting for her 4th and last flight to Paris. She was tired, as she barely slept on the overnight flight, but was hoping to sleep on the way to Paris and in the car.
While I jumped from call to call in the early morning hours she made it all the way to Paris, and reunited with her parents. She still had a long way home though - a 7 hour drive to be exact. She also completed that part of the journey while Lionel and I were working, and both her and her mom texted us to let us know she was home. It felt strange to both of them.
At some point during the afternoon Bella brought me a lemon tart she made, which was really good. Not too sweet. I told myself I would eat half and save the res for later, but ended up eating the whole thing.
At 5:00 pm I stopped working and we went on a family walk. It was relatively short because it was cold (even thought it was sunny) and even though I told everybody that it was cold they did not dress for it. On the way back we played some volleyball in the front yard, which was additional outdoor time. And Bella jumped a little on the trampoline while I sat I watched.
Mar 29,
Today the sun came out to cheer us up. We were bummed that Emma had to leave so suddenly this morning, and that she had such a long journey ahead of her. Bella did okay for the most part, but several times during the day she came up to me and said "I really miss her so much". I said it already, but it was a really, really good thing that the sun came out to make everything warm and bright.
Mar 28,
Today was our last day with Emma, as she is heading back home tomorrow. She was with us for 8 months, and to celebrate her time with us she and Bella made a cake - or brownies to be exact. My poor gordita. She hates to say good bye.
Mar 28,
This morning Emma and I went on our last weekend run together. It was extremely warm, so we were extremely slow, but we rushed during the last mile so we could keep the overall time at under 11 minutes per mile. We finished at 10:58. It was our last run because tomorrow she is heading back home. We didn't get much notice, as we learned about the travel plans last night and she is leaving tomorrow at 7:00 am. But we knew it was coming. Emma us bummed to be leaving now, and Bella is really sad. Nobody was looking forward to telling Bella, but Emma ended up doing it because when we came back from running Bella asked "Do you know yet when you are leaving?". So there was no time to sugar coat anything. It was a straight up question that deserved a straight up answer.
Mar 27,
Today was another long, long day, but we made it another week. Bella made me breakfast, I worked and worked, and at around 5:00 Lionel, Sofia, and I took Zoey for a walk. This morning it was raining, but this afternoon they sun came out and the weather was super mild. I wish it could stay like that.
Mar 26,
Today is gray outside. It was also a long day at work, so I am feeling pretty beat physically. Mentally I think I am still Ok. When I finally finished working at 5:00 pm Sofia and I took a quick 15 minute walk around the neighborhood before it started to rain. Since the weather wasn't great we barely saw anybody, which was Ok. The flowers didn't look as vibrant as when the sun is out, but they were still pretty.
Mar 25,
Today is a a beautiful, beautiful day. I worked Europe hours again, so I got up at 3:45 am. Throughout the morning Bella made me breakfast, and Sofia brought me a cute little yarn mouse she made for me. Since it looked so beautiful outside I finished working earlier than the last 2 days, like at 2:00 pm. Bella and I jumped on the trampoline, the 3 girls, the dog and I took a walk through the Ault Park trails, and I started our vegetable garden. Lionel also got outside to get some fresh air and clean the yard.
Mar 24,
Today was day 2 of my Europe working hours and it went pretty well. Once you are up you are up, and it was nice to finish the day at a decent time. The girls didn't do anything productive - that I know of - but I guess that is Ok because this week is technically their spring break.
After everybody woke up I spent most of the day in my room, where at least I have a pretty view of the street. Bella brought me guacamole and chips as a mid morning snack, and I found one of my massage balls to play with.
After I stopped working Bella and I were going to go outside and jump on the trampoline, but it started raining. We did find a jumping rope in the basement instead, and entertained ourselves with it for a little while before dinner.
Mar 23,
Today I got up at 3:45 am to start working at 4:00 am. I worked from the couch and the kitchen until about 9:30 am. By then Lionel was also on the phone and speaking super loud, so I grabbed all my stuff and moved to our bedroom. I was there until about 2:30 pm, so I have no idea what everybody did before then. But I know it involved getting up late. At that time the girls and I had lunch, I took Emma to the post office to mail some of her stuff back home, and the girls and I went running while Lionel walked the dog.
After running Sofia, Bella, and I practiced lacrosse. Or more like Sofia trying to show us how to catch. It wasn't super warm, but it was nice enough outside. And the sun was out.
Mar 22,
This afternoon we had our last family outing in a while. Lionel had told Emma that he would take her to see his college, Miami University, but for one reason or another we hadn't made it there yet. However, since Emma is supposed to leave soon, and this could be her last weekend with us, we made it there today. We walked around for a little bit over an hour. Keeping our distance from other people was not a problem, since the school is now closed and there were very few people around. The football stadium was open, so we got to walk in and take a couple of pictures.
As we were driving back home, my friends texted me that the governor has issued an order to stay at home starting tomorrow at midnight. Not surprising at all. I think we all knew that it was coming. So before heading back home we stopped by to get more groceries. Trader Joe already had a line outside, as they were only letting in a few people at the time. It wasn't too bad, but I am assuming that tomorrow there will be a mad rush at every grocery store. A rush I plan to avoid.
Mar 22,
This morning Zoey and I went to Ault Park for a walk. The sun was out, and the trees are blooming now. It was cold, and only 8:30 in the morning, so except for a few walkers and runners the place was all ours. When I am walking Zoey I don't listen to music, or talk on the phone. It is just me, Zoey, and the outdoors. So our morning walk was peaceful and nice.
