Life in Quarantine pt. 1

 I'm not the best with blogging these days. My job keeps me fairly busy, and my mind is usually in full-on veg mode after having spent a full 10 hours on solving sometimes complex immigration issues for clients. When I first thought of blogging during Quarantine I mused, "I'll make a first half post and then a second half post." I don't know if that plan is quite going to work anymore because I'm not sure I'm the best judge of determining when we'll have reached that half-way point of the pandemic. 

My friend Nat sent me this twitter post (i think?) that said

me in march: hopefully we might be back to normal in 6 months

me now: might book a 2 week all inclusive in 2025 but don't wanna be unrealistic you know?

SO TRUE! Every time I think this virus is almost done raging on, another wave comes around with larger number of infections and cases. It's mental! I will say, I've been in a place of privilege throughout the whole virus in that really, the pandemic has brought lots of wins to my life. Although, maybe that's just my ability to see the hand of God in my life and recognize the blessings of it all? 

At the start of the Stay at Home orders (April 11th to be exact) I wrote the following list of blessings I had seen in my life so far because of the pandemic. 

COVID-19 Blessings ♥ 

1. Less traffic! My commute time to work is 20 min. tops
2. (this is so bad) I don't have to attend the YSA ward (tbh, was already sort of counting down my days)
3. Student loan payments are deferred & interest rates are 0%, so I started putting more than half my paycheck to loan payments so I can really hit that principal balance hard. 
4. Disney stopped their annual pass payments, so the money I was using to pay for me & my Mom's pass is going to the above. 
5. I qualified for the 1,200 refund advancement and again, used it all towards the payment of #3
6. [private]
7. I love quarantine because it makes me feel less guilty about my secret love of being a homebody. I love people, but I also really enjoy spending time by myself. I'm honestly an extroverted-introvert.
8. I've been able to concentrate on my 1/2 marathon training almost exclusively
9. My book reading has gone up significantly
10. No court! No USCIS interviews!
11. My transition into a new position at work was so smooth thanks to the pandemic. 
12. [private]
13. [private & sassy]

I think this list could do with a bit of updating, but I think I'll leave that for New Year's Eve—the perfect time for self-reflection in my *humble* opinion.  Until the next time. ✌️

^^The week the Stay at Home orders started, we were notified of the unexpected passing of one of my aunts in Utah. I had literally just spoken to her the month before, so a HUGE shock. Despite the bittersweet circumstances, it was still good to see some of my Flores cousins and their children

I already wasn't planning on going to General Conference in April because one of my best friends from high school was getting married. Both events ended up getting "cancelled," well, General Conference shifted to broadcast only, so my family ended up staying home and modified our conference traditions slightly. 

^^prophet pancakes

^^"priesthood session pizza"

^^Sunday session of General Conference

^^My mom & I have developed a COVID tradition. Every Saturday morning, we head to the park near our house, work out, and then immediately after, go to Target. It's become one of my favorite traditions

^^I LOVE putting together holiday treats for my coworkers, this year for Easter, I bough nail polish for all my coworkers and put the corresponding shade into plastic easter eggs.

^^Thanks to quarantine, I FINALLY finished this watercolor painting that I started when studying for the Utah bar exam. literally took me a year to finish this thing.

^^I also started another art project—note: it still looks like this months later. I have a bad habit of starting art projects and never finishing them. help. 

^^had to document these covid snapshots (L) LA traffic has never looked so clear, (R) Ezra and I standing outside of Panda express waiting to pick up our order

^^Vanessa came to visit me at work where we had a socially distant lunch together in our respective cars. You have to get creative these days

I attended a virtual birthday party in April for a former 97th ward friend. It was during this Zoom gathering that I got this *crazy* idea that maybe we should host a 97th ward virtual reunion. If you followed my blog at all during my grad school years, you'll know that this ward played such a crucial role in my life those last few years at BYU. Never was there a happier YSA ward I assure you. TBH, I wasn't sure if anyone would be interested in joining in for a reunion, but the idea took off and everyone got SUPER stoked about it. It was so fun to reconnect with friends across the globe and the gathering felt like old times when we gathered for "ward prayer" in the Hampstead courtyard. ♥  

^^In June when the stay at home restrictions were slightly lifted I was able to take advantage of the window and get my hair cut, colored, and styled. I had had a hair appointment scheduled in May, but COVID canceled those plans, so I was super eager to get my hair cut by the time June rolled around. 

^^June also brought Misden's 30th birthday. Misden and I have been friends since we were Sophomore's in high school! Our gathering was tiny and small, but after months of not seeing my high school bffs, the birthday brunch at Misden's home was much appreciated.

You know I'm a birthday package making fan! Top was for my friend Andrea from my BYU years who celebrated her 30th birthday in June. Bottom was for my cousin Xoch's eldest daughter. My cousin and her family were supposed to come in July for a trip to Disneyland to celebrate her daughter's birthday. I know it must have been such a bummer for the family to miss out, so I tried to send some of the magic from a galaxy far, far, away via snail mail.