Quarantine Days 1-41

I've been meaning to blog about quarantine so that I wouldn't forget all of these days, but I'm just now getting around to it. So here we go.... Days 1-41!

As most of you know, I am in nursing school. I am currently in my second semester and this has definitely been the most challenging semester thus far. Add in this  Corona Madness and it's a wonder I'm still somehow surviving. On March 16, we started the transition to "remote learning." The first few days, everyone was still really unsure of how all of this would play out because nursing is designed to be an in-person program. With all of the virus stuff going on, we weren't allowed to have in-person class, but we also weren't able to complete clinical experiences. This has been difficult for sure, but I officially have less than 2 weeks until this semester wraps up, so I'm praying I survive these final few days!

Day 1 (3/16/20): While everything was on the verge of shutting down, restaurants had not quite made the transition to carry-out or drive thru only, but it was heading in that direction. We had already planned Piper's birthday party to be at the local Mexican restaurant with a small group of family. Because restaurants were starting to close and things were starting to look serious, we decided to order carry-out and have her party at our aunt's house instead. This worked well and we were all able to still be together. I am thankful we got to do this because at this point, none of us imagined that the quarantine would last this long, so this was one last night of "normalcy".

Day 4 (3/19/20): With today being Josie's birthday, Piper & I had already made plans to go pick up some lunch and eat it with Josie on her lunch break. Because of all of the changes, we had to drive thru (Josie picked McDonald's) and eat in our cars, but we still had a lot of fun!

Day 5 (3/20/20): Tonight we celebrated Josie's birthday with our family (don't worry-there was only 8 of us, so we were following the less than 10 people rule). We ordered food from a local hibachi restaurant and it was AMAZING. We timed this perfectly, though, because they ended up closing the very next day.

Day 6 (3/21/20): Tonight we celebrated my Nonny's birthday with our family (again, only 8 of us). We had originally planned to celebrate it on 3/7, her actual birthday, but because of our Lady Eagles going to the REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, we ate supper out on her actual birthday and supported our Lady Eagles, and postponed the party until later.

The next week was my "Spring Break" from school. I had no assignments, which was nice, but we still, of course, couldn't go anywhere because of the quarantine and shutdowns. This week, Mom, Dad, Piper, & I implemented movie/game nights each week where one of us picks what movie we watch and/or what game we play each night and we take turns choosing.

Day 16 (3/31/20): Today was my birthday! :-) While it was a MUCH different birthday than usual, I still had a wonderful day! I started the morning off with breakfast from Wendy's with Josie. She drove thru and got our food, and then we met in a parking lot and talked through the windows of our cars. We had so much fun and it was so nice to be able to talk and catch up. Also, I LOVE Wendy's breakfast-it's amazing! When I got back home, I opened my gifts from Mom, Dad, & Piper and we watched I Love Lucy while we ate Breakfast Casserole for lunch. We watched more I Love Lucy and then took naps. Then we ordered carry-out Los Pinos for supper and watched ALF. We had Mom's amazing cherry cheesecake for dessert and watched more ALF. Then, Mom made non-alcoholic strawberry daiquiris for us to drink!

Day 25 (4/9/20): Piper made the decision around 1:30 am to be baptized and become a member of the Lord's church! We are so thankful for her decision and very proud of her! (A fellow member of the church and someone I look up to wrote a post explaining what baptism is and why it is essential to salvation. To read Emily's post, click Here.)

The other days have been filled with lots of random memories made at home. We've enjoyed spending time with the horses that live next door to us, we've had more game nights and movie nights, and we've also taken drives just to get out of the house. We've spent a LOT of time with our sweet doggies (and Miss Clara had surgery on her knee). The thing that I have without a doubt missed the most is my church family. Being able to go to church and worship and fellowship is such a blessing and so very important. I miss it and I miss being with my church family so bad. I am very thankful for the opportunity to use technology to have a similar worship service at home, and we have enjoyed "visiting" area congregations and getting to hear other local preachers preach, but I am very very ready to be able to see and be around my church family again.

I've also had some time to try some new recipes and do lots of cooking! I've enjoyed it, and hope to cook even more once school is out for the semester! :-)

Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders

Homemade French Fries

Cheesy Pigs in a Blanket

Hamburger Steaks w/ Mushroom Gravy
w/ mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, and crescent rolls

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

Breakfast Pizza

2018 > 2019 > 2020: Striving to be more like Him

I ended 2019 with a much different mindset than I did in 2018. This time last year, I was harboring a lot of hurt feelings. I had experienced some hurt feelings at the hands of individuals that I never expected to hurt me. I discovered some true colors and it took me a long time to learn to handle these new realities. Last year, I was angry. I was hurt. I was heartbroken. This year, while things are far from perfect, things have improved. Lots of prayers have been prayed and answers have been given. I received advice and guidance from a trusted individual and I have really studied on 1 Peter 5:7. Giving everything to God is still something that is not easy for me, but I am working on it. Used to when I would try to give things over to God, my thoughts would still be consumed by doubt, fear, and worry. This year I have improved at praying about something that is on my mind and then moving my thoughts elsewhere. Instead of praying about something and continuing to worry, I am working harder at praying about it and truly giving that burden to Him.

"...Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you." -1 Peter 5:7

I was given two pieces of great advice, the first being "keep everyone an arm's length away." When you keep a respectful distance from people, you are less likely to be hurt. It was always easy for me to put so much trust in individuals that I was devastated when that trust was broken. Individuals, no matter who they may be, will disappoint us or hurt us at some point in our lives, some more than others. It's easy to have too much faith in an individual, and in reality we are having unfair expectations because human beings are imperfect.

"It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man." -Psalm 118:8

The second piece of advice I was given is that "it is better to be hurt than to hurt others." This one was a tough pill to swallow. It's not something that people today want to hear, it was far from what I, myself, wanted to hear. These days people like to say things about "doing what makes you happy" and such. Earlier this year I was in a place of hurt, disappointment, and heartbreak. When seeking guidance, I'm not going to kid you, I wanted to be told to do what was best/easiest for me, to do whatever prevented my loved ones and me from being hurt again. But, that's not the advice I got, and I am thankful for that now.

 When studying and reflecting on what/who I wanted to become, I quickly became overwhelmed. When trying to grow and better yourself as a person, it is easy to nitpick every single negative quality and beat yourself up in the process of trying to be better. I need to be more patient. I need to quit running late so often. I need to do better at controlling my facial expressions. I need to be more kind. I need to be more loving. I need to be more thoughtful about what words I use. Once you start listing everything you think needs improvement, it's easy to be hard on yourself and think "I will never get there." But, in reality, it's simple. There's one thing, and one thing only, you can add to your list that encompasses everything: Become more like Jesus. When I strive to live more like Jesus each day, that's my ultimate goals all rolled into one. When I'm trying to be like Jesus, I am trying to be more patient, more kind, more loving, etc. And this brings me back to the second piece of advice I received: Jesus took the hurt instead of hurting others. Jesus held the mentality "it's better to be hurt than to hurt others." Jesus was kind to others, even when they weren't kind in return. Jesus was honest with others, even if they were dishonest in return. Jesus was patient with others, even when they were impatient in return. So this is my ultimate goal: Become more like Him. He left "big shoes to fill", so to speak, but He left us guidance through His Word and He forgives and He allows us the avenue of prayer, which I'm working on focusing more on this year and in the years to come.

"For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps." -1 Peter 2:21

"Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 2:3-8

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." -John 13:34

"The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked." -1 John 2:6

"Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you." -Ephesians 4:32