Our Week - The One with Quarantine, Week 61 (First Lunch Out and Olivia’s Dance Recital)

What. A. Week.  Whew.  We did it!  We made it through the busiest week of, probably, the whole year!  Settle in, friends, because this is going to be a lengthy recap with loads of story-telling and even more pictures!

Monday, May 10 (Day 423 of Quarantine)

Monday morning, I dropped the kids at school, did a short weight-training workout, and then got to work.  We’re coming down the home stretch for the school year, so everything has been a whirlwind, and I’ve been tying up loose ends all over the place!

Jacob had practice Monday evening, and while he and B were gone, Olivia and I hung out at home.  I had dinner waiting on the boys and we all watched American Idol while we ate. 

B gifted me with a Barrington bag for Mother’s Day (EEK!), so I designed and ordered it Monday night and I am SO DANG EXCITED to get my hands on it!!  It should arrive soon!

Tuesday, May 11 (Day 424 of Quarantine)

Tuesday morning, I started the day off with a Walmart run, and then I spent the rest of the morning working. 

Tuesday was a big day and another step forward out of this pandemic… I went out to lunch with one of my old coworkers for the first time in over a year!  Y’all!  I know many of you have probably been doing these kind of things for a while, but our family has been very cautious this whole pandemic, so this was the best thing! 

While I did see a few of my old coworkers at Christmastime for a short outdoor visit at their office, this particular coworker wasn’t there that day, so I hadn’t seen him since, maybe, February 2020 or something like that??  He and I have been going to lunch every couple of months since I quit my job back in November 2017, but because of Covid, I hadn’t seen him in over a YEAR.  It just blows my mind that this much time has passed.

Since B and I are fully vaccinated now, we decided that it was probably okay to start doing a few things, so this was one of the first steps getting back out there.  My friend and I went to the same local pizza place we always go to, and gosh, it was just so good seeing him face-to-face!!  We’ve had several long phone conversations during the pandemic, but it’s just not the same, ya know?  It was also great to be back at that restaurant.  We got to see our favorite waiter and he was so excited to see us in there!!

We won’t be too crazy doing all the things just yet since our kiddos aren’t vaccinated, but the light is definitely shining brighter at the end of the tunnel now, y’all.  It was a good day.

Tuesday evening, Jacob was scheduled to have a baseball game, so we squeezed in a quick dinner and headed to the fields, but as we were driving over, the bottom fell out.  When we arrived at the ballpark, the rain hadn’t yet started there, but since some thunder had rumbled off in the distance, the boys weren’t allowed on the field for safety reasons.  Coach told us to hang out to see what the weather was going to do, so we let Jacob and Olivia play in the park since it wasn’t storming there yet. 

As we approached game time, the front moved in, and while it never rained there, thunder continued to rumble way off in the distance, so they ended up canceling the game for the evening.  Such a bummer.

We all headed home and enjoyed a quiet evening at home complete with earlier bedtimes for everyone.

Wednesday, May 12 (Day 425 of Quarantine)

Wednesday morning, I dropped the kids at school, got some things done at home, and then I headed to my very first appointment with my new primary care physician.  I hadn’t seen a regular family doctor in probably 20 years since I see so many specialists (Midwife, Allergist, Eye Doc, Dentist, Dermatologist, etc.), so it was high-time to establish a relationship with a family doctor.

After a TON of research, I landed on a female PCP who was highly recommended by one of my mom friends from the kids’ school.  She has 17 years of experience but is still young (so I hopefully don’t have to worry about her retiring any time soon), and she specializes in women’s health which is obviously perfect.  Her son is in Olivia’s class at our school (although we’d not ever had the chance to meet), so that was another great thing about her.  Oh, and her office is just seven minutes from my house which makes it even sweeter!  Most doctors and specialists are on the opposite side of town from us, so it’s rare to have one close. 

Y’all I LOVED her.  Their office was following strict Covid protocol which I liked, I only had to wait for about five minutes in the waiting room, and about five more in the room before she came in, and then she spent nearly 30 minutes with me, going over my entire medical history, asking questions, answering questions, etc.  She was incredibly thorough, has a great bedside manner, and didn’t make me feel rushed in the least.  I don’t think I could have chosen a better doc! 

Since I hadn’t been to a PCP in so long, I hadn’t had any bloodwork done probably since I was pregnant with Olivia, so they had that done, too.  Everyone in the office was wonderful and I just can’t say enough good things… I’m so very pleased and even more excited because I finally have a PCP after 20ish long years without one!  Woo hoooo!

I was done at her office within an hour and then I headed to Kohl’s to spend some Kohl’s cash that was going to expire.  They had a massive section of clearance items, and y’all, I hit the jackpot!  I got a Lauren Conrad ruffled sweatshirt that was originally $44 for just $1.88, another Apt.9 short-sleeve top that was originally $40 for just $8.55, and a 3-pack of kids’ masks that was originally $9 for just $0.76.  I mean, you cannot beat that!!  I headed home after that to eat a quick lunch with B and then I got back to work for the rest of the afternoon.

Wednesday afternoon was crazy because Olivia had her regularly scheduled dance class plus she had a water gun/water balloon fight scheduled with her teacher and classmates right after school.  At our school’s online auction a couple of weeks ago, one of the auction items was a water gun/water balloon fight with the teacher, so we signed her up for it.  My crazy self didn’t realize that it took place on a Wednesday (dance class day) until I’d already paid for it and gotten Olivia all excited about it, so when we discovered it was the same day as dance, we didn’t know what to do.

Normally, we’d have let Olivia skip dance class, but it was her last one for the whole year + the last one before her big recital, so we knew she couldn’t miss it.  Instead, we decided to do both, but they overlapped, so she had to leave the water gun party early and get to dance late.  Forehead slap.  Lol.

I had prepared her for the fact that she’d have to leave the water gun party 30 minutes early, but she was still crushed when I told her it was time to go.  It broke my heart.  We got her dried off (with my white cardigan sweater, by the way, because I’d forgotten to bring her towel – bless) and changed into her dance clothes in the car, and then she ended up being 30 minutes late for dance class, with 45 minutes remaining. 

Since we hadn’t been able to go home to drop Jacob like we always do, he had to come with us to dance, and then B drove over to dance to grab him because he had baseball at 5:30.  Whew.

I had a shorter wait time in the car for dance since we’d gotten there late, but I used the time to finish cleaning out my inboxes, and I also popped into the dance office to grab our tickets and paperwork for the recital.  Their recitals/rehearsals are VERY long and spread out over four days so there are tons of rules (even more-so because of Covid), things to remember, and things that have to be done to ensure it goes smoothly, so there was tons of paperwork to read over.  I immediately felt overwhelmed just reading it.  Lol.

She and I headed home after dance, she got her shower, I photographed some more clothes to put on Poshmark (don’t ask me why I felt the need to do that when there is so much other stuff going on), and then I cooked breakfast for dinner just in time for the boys to get back home.

We watched some more of American Idol, and then we got the kids in bed on time because the next five days were going to be crrrraaaazzzzy.

Thursday, May 13 (Day 426 of Quarantine)

Thursday morning I dropped the kids, went straight to my office armed with a cup of hot cinnamon tea, some breakfast biscuits, a cozy blanket (it was soooo cold outside – what?!), my twinkle lights, my 90’s rom-coms, and some peppermint and lime in the diffuser, and I sat down to make a to-do list.  It was then that I realized just how much we had going on over the next five days: a 4-hour recital rehearsal, a 4-hour recital dress rehearsal, two 4-hour recitals, 3 baseball games, 2 baseball practices, and a baseball end-of-the-year party.  OMG, y’all.  Oh, and did I mention that Brian’s huge project at work was also coming to a culmination and he had to work all weekend?!  Ah, perfect timing.  Haha.

Thursday afternoon, I spent the entire time labeling dance costumes and packing for Olivia’s rehearsal.  Thursday evening was the rehearsal, Friday evening was the dress rehearsal (in costume), Saturday evening was her first recital, and Sunday afternoon was recital #2.  Dance is pretty low-key the whole year, but the recital weekend is always a DOOZY.

I picked the kids up promptly at 3, and we were back home by 3:15 to get Olivia dressed and ready, get her hair in a bun, pack the car, and turn around and leave again before 4.  She and I headed straight to Chick-Fil-A to pick up a verrrry early dinner, and then we scarfed it down in the car at the theater where her rehearsal was taking place. 

The theater had strict protocol in place for Covid – everyone had to have temps taken and use hand sanitizer upon entry, and everyone had to wear a mask at all times in the building (with the exception of the dancers ONLY when they were on stage performing).  They had every other row in the theater out of use, and they also had seats marked so everyone could socially distance.

We were seated in the theater by 5, and then for the next three hours we sat through the rehearsals.  All of Olivia’s dance friends and moms sat near us, so Olivia was able to hang out with her friends while we waited.  I was grateful for that because three hours is a lot of time for a seven-year-old to sit quietly.  Thankfully, on Thursday night, they do the rehearsal out of show order to accommodate the younger kids first… that way they don’t have to be out so late. 

She did her jazz routine, then tap, then ballet (sprinkled throughout the evening) and she did so wonderfully with all of them.  She was BEAMING on stage.  After her first performance, her teacher from last year came over to me and informed me that the dance school had accidentally skipped her by one level this year, so she was actually in a more advanced class than she should have been.  WHAT IN THE WORLD?!  Y’all, I had NO clue that was the case, but I did think it was odd that all of the girls seemed slightly older than she is.  That said, her teacher actually came to talk to me just because she wanted to tell me how well Olivia is dancing on that level… she said she was insanely impressed and that Olivia didn’t miss a beat even though she skipped a whole year of instruction.

Olivia was done just after 8, so she and I headed straight for the ball field, leotard and all, to see the last half of Jacob’s baseball game.  B had been giving me the play-by-play while I was at dance, and thankfully, I didn’t miss anything big or important.  We ended up getting STOMPED, and we were hitting the road to head home by 9. 

And just for history preservation’s sake, on Thursday, the CDC announced that fully vaccinated people don’t have to wear masks anymore indoors or outdoors (unless, of course, they’re required at a particular facility).  I was honestly shocked that they said that this early on… I thought masks for everyone would go on for much longer, but I’m excited that things are progressing in the right direction… maybe we’ll be out of this thing sooner than later and I can stop titling these posts “quarantine?!”  Haha.

Friday, May 14 (Day 427 of Quarantine)

Friday, I spent the entire day getting my ducks in a row for the upcoming weekend and week.  I started planning Jacob’s baseball party, checked on the trophies, washed Jacob’s baseball uniform, packed for Olivia’s dress rehearsal, picked up a garment bag and flowers for Olivia’s recital, scheduled lunch with another friend/coworker, scheduled dinner with my girlfriends (for the first time in OVER A YEAR!), and also squeezed in the tiniest bit of blog work.

Brian went to work at his office for the first time in over a year on Friday, but only for that day as his big project was coming to a close and they needed that in-person team spirit.  Lol.  I think he enjoyed being there, and I enjoyed having the whole house to myself.  Haha.  That hasn’t happened in ages other than an hour here or there when someone had to run an errand.

School pick-up time came all too soon, and I had to hit the ground running.  I picked up the kids, we swung back by the house to get everyone snacked and changed, I packed sandwiches for Olivia and I to eat for dinner, and then we turned around and headed straight to Jacob’s 5:30 baseball game that had been rescheduled from earlier in the week.  Olivia and I ate dinner during the game, and then Brian finished up at work and arrived 30 minutes into the game.  Olivia and I had to leave at 6:45 to get her to dress rehearsal for her recital at the theater, so we left just shortly after Brian arrived.

Her dance studio’s “recital” is technically more of a professionally done production rather than a recital, and it’s really more in the realm of a Broadway play or musical than a recital.  They pretty much always do a Disney movie, and this year’s selection was Alice in Wonderland.  It’s performed at the largest theater in our city with elaborate sets and props and music and lights so it’s a HUGE undertaking, and therefore, dress rehearsals are no joke. 

Dress rehearsal started at 5 PM and didn’t end until after midnight, but thankfully, all three of Olivia’s performances were in the second act, so we only had to be there from 7 PM to 11 PM rather than the entire seven hours.  It was a loooong night, but we got to hang out with some of our friends from school, so it went by fairly quickly.

Rehearsal and dress rehearsal are the only two nights that parents can take pictures and videos, so I videoed all three of her performances.  They don’t allow picture-taking or videoing during the actual productions just like with any other professional production.  There is a professional videographer that films both of the entire productions, though, so we’ll get a copy of those once they’re produced.  I actually like that it’s done this way because it allows me to be fully present for her performances on the big day instead of trying to photograph and video it.

My little girlfriend rocked all three of her routines – jazz, tap, and ballet – and she was positively BEAMING on stage, y’all.  She just gets out there and lights up.  She’s had a megawatt smile since she was born, and it just gets brighter and brighter the older she gets.  She is such a little light in our lives. 

Olivia and I arrived home just after 11 PM where the boys were finishing up one of the Star Wars movies, and we sent the kids straight to bed, with us following shortly thereafter.  I was exhausted.

Saturday, May 15 (Day 428 of Quarantine)

B had to be at work at 6 AM Saturday morning for his big project, and I slept in until 8:45 which is very late for me!  Olivia slept in even later, not waking up until 9:30 which is just unheard of!!  She was exhausted after her very late bedtime.

I made a very late breakfast of homemade waffles, and B walked in the door just as we were sitting down.  He had to be in meetings from home for the rest of the day, so he wasn’t able to join us, but at least he wasn’t at the office all day. 

I knew Olivia was going to have another very late night ahead of her, so I wanted her to take it easy all day.  She and the kids watched Soul after breakfast, and I got in a 90-minute cardio workout… I wanted to make up for my lack of working out all week long.

The rest of the day was spent preparing for the recital, eating a light lunch, and a very early light dinner, and we arrived at the theater at 6 PM.  Since Olivia was only in the second act, she was able to sit in the audience with us to watch the entire first half.  We had to drop her costumes off at the stage door prior to the show, and then we met up with my parents and snapped some pictures before heading into the theater.

It was WILD being indoors with that many people for the first time in over a year, but the theater did a fantastic job of keeping everyone safe – temperature checks, mandatory hand sanitizing, a mask mandate, staggered arrival times, and social distancing in the theater – they only used every other row and they also left an empty seat between each group in the rows.  It was well thought-out and well-orchestrated, and I felt perfectly comfortable the entire time we were in there.

Since the recital takes place at a real theater, they offer an array of concession items including adult beverages, and after our crazy busy week, I had no qualms about indulging in a craft beer… at my daughter’s dance recital.  Lol. 

The first act lasted about 1.5 hours, and at intermission, I had to drop Olivia off backstage to get ready.  I made it back to my seat just in time for the jazz and musical production and it was my favorite part of the entire show other than Olivia’s portion, of course!  They did a Moulin Rouge Cabaret Spectacle this year and it was just fantastic.

The jazz portion lasted about 20 minutes, and then it was time for Act 2 of Alice in Wonderland.  Olivia was a “Flamingo Mallet” for her jazz performance, a “Jack’s Buddy” for her tap performance, and a “Royal Rosebud” for her ballet performance, and y’all, she just SHINES on stage.  She had the biggest smile on her face every single second she was on that stage and you could tell she was having the time of her life.  A lot of the girls put on one of those fake stage smiles, but not our girl… she just genuinely loves it and that shows during her performances.  I teared up watching her because I was just so grateful that she has found something that she truly loves.  She has more confidence in her little pinky than I have in my entire body and I have NO CLUE where she got that from.  Haha.

The show was over just after 10:30 PM and my parents and Brian, Jacob, and I showered her with flowers as well as her production trophy.  She was elated, and not tired at all, but we headed straight home to get her in the bed so she could do it all again Sunday afternoon. 

Sunday, May 16 (Day 429 of Quarantine)

Sunday morning, Olivia ended up sleeping in until 9:45, and we had a very quick breakfast before getting ready for the second recital.  We had a few extra minutes after she was ready, so I snapped some pictures of her in her costumes.  The dance studio typically has professional pictures taken in costume, but that didn’t happen this year because of Covid, so we had to make it happen ourselves!

We had to be at the theater by 1 PM for the 2 PM showtime, so we dropped Jacob off at my parents’ house at 12:30.  Since the recital was 3.5 hours long, we didn’t want to make him sit through it twice, so my parents were kind enough to let him stay at their house for the afternoon.

When we arrived, I dropped off Olivia’s costumes backstage, and while I was back there, her dance teacher stopped me in the hall to tell me how proud of Olivia she was.  She said that she and the dance studio owner couldn’t take their eyes off of her the entire time she was on stage Saturday night because she just has so much fun up there.  She’s truly a natural.

Her second recital went off without a hitch, and again, she was just beaming on stage the entire time.  Again, I teared up every single time she came out… it just never gets old seeing her do what she loves.

When the recital was over, we scooped Olivia up from backstage, and then we headed straight to my parents’ house.  My momma was so kind, and she had dinner waiting on us when we arrived since we had no time to even think about food.  My Mama Cass came over, and we ended up having the first Sunday dinner at their house in months… maybe since last July?!  It’s been so long since we’ve had a regular Sunday dinner I can’t even remember when the last one was.

When we arrived back home, Jacob had a surprise waiting in the yard… someone from the school had delivered a yard sign announcing his Student of the Month at school, so of course, we had to snap some pictures of that, too!

It was the perfect end to the best and most exhausting weekend!

Happy Thursday, y’all!