Our Week - The One with Quarantine, Week 53 (Tornado Day, Covid Vaccine, and Two Birthdays)

What. A. Week.  Whew!  It was a mixture of odd and good, heavy on the GOOD, and we are rolling into this new week feeling grateful!!  We are also rolling into this week feeling excited because this is the last week of school before sprrrriiiing breeeeaaaak!

Monday, March 15 (Day 367 of Quarantine)

Monday kicked off with a Publix run after I dropped the kids at school, followed by a very long day of work.  I managed to get several blog posts outlined as well as a few completed, and it felt fantastic to be back ahead of the game again!

I had to work at the concession stand at the ball park for the first time ever Monday evening, so I grabbed the kids from school right on time, and headed home to get them settled in so I could get ready to leave.  The concession stand is run by the parents, so we all have to take at least one shift during each season, but due to Covid shutting everything down last year, and the other two seasons being fall ball (when they don’t require us to work concession), I’d never had the chance to do it.

I had to be there at 4:45, and I was with four of the other parents from our team.  I was a little nervous about doing it – we sell chicken fingers, corndogs, fries, and other items that have to be cooked in a fryer – and I’ve literally never fried anything in my whole life.  Lol.  Thankfully, a couple of the other guys there with me had done it a few times before, and they knew exactly what to do to get things up and running. 

I ended up ringing up orders all evening, and everything went perfectly smoothly.  I worked at a movie theater for three years and I worked at a bank for several years, so I definitely know how to take orders, use a cash register, and count money.  Ha!   As a matter of fact, one of the guys working concession with me was an old neighborhood friend who I grew up with, and we also worked together at the movie theater, so I had major 1998 flashbacks all evening long.  Haha.

The whole situation was a bit surreal because I hadn’t been around that many people in such close proximity for such a long stretch of time in over a year.  Everyone wore masks, so it was safe, and it was actually really nice to be out of the house and doing something with other humans.  Our shift wasn’t over until 9, so B had the kids at home all night, and it was the first time in over a year that I wasn’t there to put the kids to bed.  Come to think of it, that was probably the longest stretch of time I’ve ever gone in their whole lives putting them to bed regularly and not missing a night.  Prior to the pandemic, B and I were going on monthly date nights, and I was also seeing my girlfriends on a regular basis causing me to miss bedtime at least a few times per month.

The concession stand stayed super busy all evening, because not only were the regular ball games going on, the whole entire baseball team from our kids’ school just so happened to be there watching one of the games.  My nephew goes to our kids’ school and plays for their high school team, so I got to see him, too. 

When I got back home, I was pooped, but happy to have been out of the house a bit, and I settled in on the couch with a light, very late dinner while B and I got caught up on The Bachelor finale.

Tuesday, March 16 (Day 368 of Quarantine)

Tuesday morning, I had loads of errands to run – Krispy Kreme to pick up donuts for Jacob’s class for St. Patrick’s Day, UPS Store, Target, and Fresh Market, and then I headed home.  The remainder of the morning and early afternoon was spent getting a bunch of “life stuff” done – I’ve been fighting with the insurance company about a bill for months, and I FINALLY got that resolved in our favor – along with several other annoying things like that that have been hanging over my head. 

B picked up Chipotle for lunch for the two of us, and then after lunch, I spent the afternoon putting together Easter baskets and finishing up buying the things we need for the Easter baskets and Easter egg hunt.  We’re going to the beach for spring break this year, and will get back just two days before Easter, so I have to get it all done now!

After school, the kids and I stopped by my parents’ house to pick up some leftovers and we spent about 30 minutes with them in the back yard.  My mom was off of work, so we got to see both of them, which was nice.

Tuesday evening, Jacob’s baseball game was canceled due to the weather, so we spent the evening at home eating dinner and watching some of American Idol that we’d missed.  I even squeezed in some reading, and the kids built a leprechaun trap!

Tuesday evening, we saw the good news that a local clinic had gone to the kids’ school after hours to vaccinate all of the faculty and staff!!  That puts us one step closer to wiping this thing out, and it also makes me feel even better about having them at school in-person.  Our school  has just done a phenomenal job this school year, and I pray it continues since the end of the school year is near! 

Wednesday, March 17 (Day 369 of Quarantine)

Wednesday was St. Patrick's Day, so the kids were allowed to wear green.  

After I dropped them off, I got in a workout and then worked most of the morning.  There was terrible weather forecasted for the overnight hours into Thursday, so my anxiety was pretty high, so I spent the afternoon relaxing, taking Maui for a walk out in the fresh air, and meeting with my therapist for my monthly appointment.  That appointment couldn’t have come at a better time!

Olivia had dance after school, and all the while, I kept seeing tornado alerts to the west of us in Alabama, so I knew we’d probably be in for a long night.  All local schools had already announced they’d be canceling in-person classes for Thursday due to the impending weather, so we knew it was pretty serious. 

Since the kids were out Thursday, we treated Wednesday evening as we would a Friday evening, and B and I indulged in a St. Paddy’s Day beer paired with the leftovers from my mom.  Then after dinner, I prepped the closet under the stairs for impending doom, haha.  We let the kids stay up late and finish American Idol, and then B and I watched a few episodes of New Girl followed by the local news so we could get a feel for what was going to happen.

Thankfully, by that time, they were reporting that the squall line was moving significantly faster than anticipated, so our window for bad weather would be much earlier in the night, and they also said that because it was moving so fast, it was starting to look less organized for tornadoes.  The tornado threat was still there, but the risk wasn’t quite as high as it had been.  That knowledge helped me get to sleep a little easier.

Thursday, March 18 (Day 370 of Quarantine)

The storm came roaring in between midnight and 1 and it was crazy loud.  We went from no rain or wind all day and night to an immediate torrential downpour, high winds, and thunder and lightning.  It woke Olivia up immediately, and she came running full throttle into our bedroom, scared as can be.  We got her calmed down and settled in our bed, and then I lay there just waiting for the tornado sirens to go off.  I thought for sure they’d go off at any minute because it sounded so bad out, but they never did.

We ended up making it the whole night with no tornado threats in our area (PRAISE!) but I didn’t sleep well between the storms coming and going all night + Olivia hogging half of my space in the bed.  B got up at 7 and headed downstairs to work, and then Olivia followed not long after, but I rolled over and slept until just after 8 to try to catch up on some of what I’d missed.

Once we were up, it was breakfast time, followed by a couple of cartoons for the kids, followed by school for the day.  The school had pivoted to virtual learning for the day, but they didn’t schedule any live lessons because they were concerned about some people not having power.  The kids worked on their school stuff for the rest of the morning, only breaking for lunch, and then they finished up shortly after lunch.  The kids also spent some of the morning using the tornado closet as a fort, so it didn't go completely to waste!

While they worked, I got the closet put back together, and I figured while everything was out, I might as well go ahead and clean it out and organize it.  It is on my monthly goals list, after all!

Once all that was done, the kids and I went for a walk around the neighborhood, and then I dropped them off at home and headed back out to get in my first run in months.  I almost squeaked out two miles before throwing in the towel because I was struggling.  It’s amazing how little time it takes for your body to lose all of its conditioning. 

After my run, I showered for the day, and then worked in my office while the kids played video games.  I headed down and made an early dinner, and then B and Jacob were off to (indoor) baseball practice at 6:45.  While they were gone, Olivia and I busted out the sidewalk chalk per her request, and then we headed in to get her ready for bed. 

Friday, March 19 (Day 371 of Quarantine)

Friday morning, the kids were able to go back to school, so I dropped them and did some work for a couple of hours before it was time to get my first Covid vaccine.  As I mentioned in my last weekly post, people ages 16+ who have asthma now qualify for the vaccine in Georgia, so I made an appointment the moment it was available to me. 

I have really bad outdoor allergies, and had to start carrying an epipen when I started allergy shots a few years ago, so I have to say, I was a bit nervous about getting the vaccine since a few people have had severe allergic reactions to them.  I asked B to come along with me just in case, and he obliged. 

On the way there, I popped on to the website to help my sister-in-law get an appointment for their vaccines (since she and my brother-in-law now both qualify) and I was so dismayed to see that there were still appointments available around the clock that very same day which meant that the appointments weren’t filling up here in town.  :o(  As a matter of fact, I went on to the website at 10:30 AM and they still had appointments for 10:45 AM (just 15 minutes later) and every 15 minutes after that for the rest of the day.  Sigh.  

We know so many people in other areas who are unable to get appointments and we know so many people here who don’t yet qualify who are waiting patiently for their turn in line, so it is frustrating to know that there are so many available appointments/doses that are going to waste.

The place where we went to be vaccinated was a new mass vaccination site that had just opened two days prior, and when we pulled up it felt like one of those end-of-the-world movies.  They had set up around ten massive drive-through tents in the parking lot, and there were military men and women directing people through the maze of cones to get to the proper tents.  Everyone was wearing PPE, and we were wearing our masks, and the whole thing was just BIZARRE.

When we pulled up, there were way fewer vehicles than I thought would be there, and we only had two vehicles in front of us in our lane.  Someone immediately came to our vehicle to start the check-in process, and when he came to the window he said, “So you’re both getting vaccinated today?”  And I said, “Actually, it’s just me since I have asthma, but he doesn’t qualify yet,” pointing at Brian.  And then I said jokingly, “But I’m sure he wouldn’t turn it down if you have any extra doses!!” 

And, y’all, I’m so dang glad I made that joke because the guy responded with, “I GOT YOU.  Anybody who’s in the vehicle and is ready and willing can have it.”  Apparently, they are just wanting to get vaccines into any arms at this point since there aren’t enough qualifying people to fill the appointments. 

After that exchange, he got me checked in and then he added all of B’s info to the system, and then we pulled under the tent so two sweet ladies could administer our vaccines.  It was painless, SO quick, and easy peasy. 

The whole experience was super organized and efficient, and the check-in and actual shot part only took ten minutes, and then we just had to pull over in the parking lot for 15 more minutes to make sure we didn’t have any kind of allergic reaction.  The whole process took just 25 minutes, and the best part was that we never even had to get out of our vehicle!!  Woo hoooo!  We both got the Pfizer vaccine, so we’ll have to go back and get our second ones in three-ish weeks, and then we’ll be 95% protected!!!!  Light at the end of the tunnel, y’all!!

Local friends and family who qualify, if you would like the link to make an appointment, please do not hesitate to call, text, or email me… I’m happy to send it to you!  I know they would be grateful for those appointments to get booked!

B and I both felt totally fine the rest of the day – just a mildly sore arm for both of us, and it was no different than what you have with any other shot.  As a matter of fact, my arm always hurts terribly after a flu shot to the point where I can barely lift it for 2-3 days, but that didn’t happen with the Covid vaccine.

Friday evening, we got Mexican takeout, poured some margs, and then watched the new Tom and Jerry movie together.  Baseball was canceled yet again for wet fields, so we had the whole evening at home.  Jacob and Olivia asked me to build a fort in Jacob's room so they could sleep over together, and we did just that!

Saturday, March 20 (Day 372 of Quarantine)

Saturday was a typical day – homemade waffles, a workout, and laundry – and then B spent the whole morning hanging three more sunshades on the back porch.  We were so impressed with the one he hung last weekend that we decided to go ahead and put them down the entire length of the porch, plus the one open side.  I’m hoping this means we can utilize that space more during the summer even when it’s miserably hot outside.

I made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and then afterward, B was back at it hanging the shades.  It was very chilly Saturday, but sunny, so the kids spent the entire morning outside as well as the early part of the afternoon.  I had reached the point in my book where I couldn’t put it down, so I read the entire afternoon.

B and Jacob headed to baseball practice at 4, and Olivia and I stayed home and got ready.  Saturday was my Mama Cass’s 92nd birthday, and my aunt and uncle hosted my mom’s whole side of the family for an outdoor, socially distanced birthday celebration.

When the boys got home, we picked up pizzas for our little fam, and then we headed that way.  It was cold, so they had three firepits all warmed up and ready to go, and we spent the whole night out there.  Two of my family members who live a couple of hours away came down, and that was the first time we’d seen them in over a year since before Covid hit.  It was SUCH a nice night catching up with everyone, and it was so nice for everyone to be able to get together to celebrate Mama Cass.  She is fully vaccinated now (along with many of our other family members), so things were a little less nerve-wracking.  We still, of course, kept our distance from each other and wore our masks if we had to go in the house, but I was able to sneak in a couple of hugs, and it was just a great night.

We got home late, so the kids got in the bed way past their bedtime, and then B and I spent a little bit of time on the couch watching TV before heading to bed ourselves.

Sunday, March 21 (Day 373 of Quarantine)

Sunday morning was the usual (cinnamon rolls, church, planning the week ahead), followed by my first Pilates workout ever, and then we headed to my mother-in-law’s and step-father-in-law’s to have lunch and celebrate my MIL for her birthday.  She cooked lunch for us (crazy that she always cooks for her own birthday, but she enjoys it, so that’s the way it’s always been), and we all ate in separate rooms.  It was a little too chilly to eat outside, so we split up inside to eat instead, and by the time lunch was over, the sun had come out and warmed things up enough for us to hang out in the back yard for the rest of the afternoon.

The boys and Olivia all played baseball while all of us adults chatted, and it was a lovely Sunday afternoon.  Most of us (besides the kids) will be fully vaccinated in just a few weeks, so I’m hoping things might be able to be more normal over there soon.  We’ll just have to see how things go, though, I suppose.

Sunday evening, we were still stuffed from lunch, so we had a cheeseboard for dinner on the back porch, and that was how we ended our week!  It was a great one!

Happy Wednesday!