March 15, 2020

Dear Diary,

A new coronavirus (COVID-19) has crash landed in the US, and things are already insane. People are hoarding toilet paper and cleaning products, and there is now a national shortage of those items. I am grateful I just did my household goods shopping a few days ago. I have enough paper and cleaning products to last a while, and still be able to share with people in need. 

March 16, 2020

Dear Diary,

Soldiers are being sent home to work, so it looks like Dave and I are coworkers for the foreseeable future. We are getting an office set up for him in one of the extra bedrooms so we each have a dedicated workspace. I’m pretty excited to have him around as an unofficial coworker.

March 17, 2020

Dear Diary,

I did one last quick trip to the grocery store to replenish my nonperishables. It was crazy to see so many people piling up their carts with food. I admit that seeing other people panic shop got me a little anxious, and I had to resist the urge to buy more than what I needed. Now that I am stocked up, we are beginning voluntary quarantine. 

March 19, 2020

Dear Diary,

Today is the first day of spring, and it is a very, very lovely spring day. I sat outside for my Thursday meetings, went for a long run, and after work Dave and I got started on painting the deck. We have been putting it off for weeks, and now we are completely out of excuses. The weather is perfect and we have nothing but time.

March 21, 2020

Dear Diary,

My little sisters Disney Cruise wedding has been cancelled due to COVID-19. We knew it was coming, but it is still really disappointing. Poor Elisabeth. She is handling it like a champ, but is obviously heartbroken. I spent the whole day helping her with go through alternative options, and we got a game-plan in place to switch to a Disney Fairy Tale Wedding at one of the Disney resorts. She is actually very excited about this new option and is having a lot of fun planning. I am so happy that she is perking up a bit.

March 25, 2020

Dear Diary,

On a recommendation from a friend, I signed up for Misfits Market produce deliveries, and my first box was delivered today. I am really impressed with the quantity and quality. It’s a relief to have fruits and veggies delivered so I can avoid going to the store. And from what I am hearing, the stores in my area are running low on fresh foods now anyway.

April 1, 2020

Dear Diary,

Today is April Fool’s Day — and this is the first time that Dave and I did not try to pull off an elaborate online prank. We figured 2020 has been a big enough joke already.

April 5, 2020

Dear Diary,

Today we had a 7 hour game night with our good friends. When we all lived in Louisiana we would have regular game nights where we would get together and talk, eat, and play dozens of different games from dinner time to well after midnight. And even though we have all gotten orders to different places, we still have plenty of long distance game nights. COVID-19 actually gives us more time to spend together while we are apart.

April 7, 2020

Dear Diary,

My little sister and her fiancé have decided to elope on their original wedding date, and then still have their big Disney celebration in the fall. Their church is allowing them to use the wedding chapel for the elopement, and said there can be ten people there (in accordance with the state guidelines). So immediate family can be in attendance plus the officiant and we will be under the limit.

April 12, 2020

Dear Diary, 

CΧριστός Ανέστη! Christ is risen! Aληθώς ανέστη! Truly He is risen! How wonderful it is to serve a risen Savior. Today we celebrated Easter with online church, an easter basket hunt, and a pancake brunch. Then we painted more of the deck and played boardgames.

April 15, 2020

My poor sister cannot catch a break. In addition to a global pandemic cancelling her wedding, she now has several really painful blood clots in her leg. The doctors have her on blood thinners and think that will do the trick, but they still want to keep their eye on her to make sure there are no complications. 

April 18, 2020

Dear Diary,

I made my sister a wedding cake. I have never made a cake before, so a wedding cake obviously seemed like a great place to start (yes, that was sarcasm). I tried to keep it simple to reduce the chance of messing up. I am doing a single tier, three layer cake. The cake itself is a standard white cake with a dash of sour cream to keep it moist and on the savory side. The filling is a homemade raspberry preserve mixed with lemon curd (Elisabeth and Ryan both said they would like a fruity filling). The exterior of the cake is basic vanilla buttercream, and I decorated with edible pearls and white hydrangeas. I sampled some of the shaved off cake top with the filling, and it’s pretty dang good if I do say so myself. And for having 0 cake decorating skills, it looks pretty decent too.

April 19, 2020

Dear Diary,

My little sister is married! It was such a lovely, Christ centered ceremony. Elisabeth wore her wedding gown and veil and looked like an absolute angel. Parents and siblings were able to attend, and it was also live streamed via Zoom. Over 60 families joined virtually! The theme of the wedding was Jude 24-25: “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” It was all perfect. 

April 22, 2020

Dear Diary,

My sister went back to the doctor because the clots were still hurting her so much. The doctor sent her to see a hematologist, who referred her out to a surgeon. The surgery consult is in the morning. She is really scared, and I don’t blame her. Because of the virus nobody can go with her if she ends up needing surgery. Going for surgery, no matter how minor, is hard enough without having to do it completely alone. If she ends up needing surgery I am going to drive to Virginia Beach and sit in the hospital parking lot the whole time. Hopefully that helps her relax a little, knowing someone is waiting just outside.