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. 

Pre-COVID

 Ah, 2020. Do you remember how cool we thought it was that we were going to be alive to possibly relive the rolling '20s? This year started out great! I rang in the new year at the Long Beach Aquarium surrounded by my Quesada cousins who I hadn't seen in forever. There were trips planned: a visit to Portugal with my friend Natalie, and a family trip to Toronto to see where the Blue Jays play paired with a visit to upper-state New York to visit church history sites. Then, the second week in March hit, and the world effectively "shut down." We complied with stay at home orders and quarantined—no Disneyland, no Church services, no Immigration Courts, no weekends at the movies. 

I still remember my "lasts." Last movie I saw in theaters: Onward (which, for the record was super great, but I had actually planned to skip out on this one; however, when I saw the writing on the wall that movie theaters would be closing I thought, "I have to see one more film at a cinema!"). Last day I went to Disneyland: March 13th with my cousin Xochitl and her family (this also happened to be the last day Disneyland was open). Last Sunday at church: March 8th (I remember staying late and playing the piano for the ward choir as preparation for a musical number that would be taking place the following Sunday). Lots of lasts!

In many ways, I've been grateful for quarantine. About three months into the COVID-19 shutdowns I made a list of blessings I had received in many respects due to the pandemic. This post is a reminder that 2020 started out like any other year. This post is a snapshot of my life pre-COVID 19

^^I bought a Rosca de Reyes at a Northgate in Santa Ana to celebrate Día de Los Reyes Magos with my coworkers

Our family really loves the Disney after Dark events. We went to '80s night with my cousin Magos and her family earlier in the year. We also turned the outing into an unofficial birthday celebration for Devin at Cafe Orleans. 

^^Ezra and I planned matching TRON outfits for '80s night

^^(L) ran into my friend Carolina at a fireside for Spanish-speakers featuring Sis. Reyna I. Aburto of the Relief Society General Presidency (R) Neri & I eating the most expensive breakfast of our lives at Storyteller's Cafe at the Grand Californian hotel

^^The Valentines treats I gave out to my coworkers earlier this year. Cute little toy llamas--I had to!

^^Nat came to visit one weekend in February from the UK and had a gathering of friends

President's Day weekend my family decided in a very impromptu manner to go camping at Death Valley National Park. We're big Star Wars nerds, and so we were really excited by the prospect of seeing some of the filming locations for A New Hope. Ezra said I messed up though, because I hadn't downloaded Star Wars soundtracks for the trip. 

^^My homie Ian & I took pictures one Sunday when he wore the tie I had given him for his birthday in 2019. Coincidentally, this was the last Sunday we had in-person church

^^Jeniffer, one of my besties from high school, was supposed to get married in April. We celebrated her with a bridal shower a few weeks before the shutdown. Her wedding has since been postponed until next year, but I still remember getting teary eyed at her bridal shower hearing her speech thanking everyone who had come

Lastly, photos taken from literally the LAST day Disneyland was open. It was so empty that Friday and slightly rainy. I still remember thinking, "we'll be back soon enough." We even talked about meeting up with my cousin and her fam again in late July. Here we are, eight months later, still no Disneyland. :'(

2019. The Year of Hope

Is February 29th too late to talk about what a wonderful year 2019 was?! That's why God gave me an extra day this month, right? My word for 2019 was hope.  I read my horoscope forecast at the end of 2018, and according to the stars, my 2019 was to be focused entirely on work—the stars were NOT wrong. So much of 2019 was spent figuring out this full-time work thing, but by the later part of the year (we're talking October on), I had mostly figured out the groove of things, and I really learned how to find balance in my life. 

In October, I traveled to Utah for General Conference. I was a bit nervous to go because when I first got to CA, my thought was, "I can always go back to Utah if this California thing doesn't work out." I was worried I would go back to Utah and my heart would want to stay there. I was pleasantly surprised at how WRONG Utah felt. From the moment I landed, I was happy to be back, happy to be among friends, but it was very much apparent to me that Utah was no longer my place—at least, it's not my place in the immediate future. Still, with a view like the one below, I couldn't help but feel a rush of happiness to be back at one of my former homes. 

I used my time in Utah wisely, visiting some of my favorite people, and favorite places to eat!

^^Our pre-conference Quesada Family dinner at Bucca di Beppo. It never disappoints!

This next picture doesn't come from Utah, but comes from a brunch break with a client. This client is the sweetest, and just someone I feel like I would be friends with in real life. Obviously, I didn't take a picture with her because attorney-client privilege/confidentiality, but this picture is a reminder of such a pleasant little gathering. 

^^I didn't do much by way of Halloween activities this year, probably because Natalie left in early September. Literally, the only thing we did with friends was go to a church dance—I promised myself it would be my LAST YSA Halloween dance. I literally threw a costume together from items we had at home. 

Halloween fell on a week day this year, and I decided to invest in a costume for work. I went as the "Latina Elle Woods" or "if Elle Woods was an Immigration attorney". There's only so many legal-themed costumes you can wear. For outside of work, I decided on a simple llama costume made entirely from a cardboard box. I didn't have much time to put together anything. 

For Día de Los Muertos, my bff from high school, Brenda, invited me to come with her and her sister to the Hollywood Forever cemetery's Día de Los Muertos celebration. I had such high hopes to make a flower crown specifically for the event, which was themed Sacred Migrations. But, I didn't have the time. So, instead I borrowed one of Brenda's creations and just glued monarch butterflies on the crown. Brenda is so talented, she always has been, and I was so excited to go to such a cool event. Día de Los Muertos has gained such a cult following in recent years. This year, I told Brenda I'm definitely going to make sure to design my own crown early enough. 

^^I also made these cute skeleton marshmallow pops for my coworkers, and for the security guards at USCIS in Santa Ana--they're the homies!!! Seriously, the security guards feel like my second set of colleagues and are always so warm and friendly when I go. 

I had a bit of a sad spell in mid-October, and had a hot cheeto fairy bless me on multiple occasions. Hot Cheeto Puffs are my favorite chips of all-time, so they definitely put a smile on my face. 

At the beginning of November, my firm asked me to fly to Sacramento for a week to help out our office up there with appearances. It was actually kind of nice to be put up in a hotel room and get some alone time for a bit. Arguably the best thing about flying to Sacramento was that I got to visit friends from BYU who now live there. One of the blessings of going to BYU is that I have friends almost everywhere I travel--connections far and wide. 

^^ I gifted Alyssa with a with this cute succulent sugar skull pot. I thought it the perfect gift to remember me by, haha. 

^^In November, we also had a mini civil rights reunion. Ryan, Kira, and I all live in LA county, and we met up at the Skirball cultural center for the Sueño Americano photo exhibit, by Tom Kiefer. Tom worked as a janitor for Customs & Border patrol and collected items confiscated from immigrants crossing the border. He took these items and created beautiful collages out of them. 

^^For some reason, the only picture I have from thanksgiving is of these turkeys my Mom made for breakfast. 😂 

December started out with birthday celebrations! I mentioned this in my 2019 Disneyland post, but I treated my youngest cousin on my Mom's side, Sophia, to a sleepover weekend + Disneyland trip. She is the cutest and I love that she calls me her best friend, melts my heart!

It was also Tan's birthday in December. She's based in Pendleton, so we don't get to see each other as much, but we gathered for breakfast at a local joint with her fam. 

^^Church friends!

^^In December, I also got asked to be a part of the Church's #lighttheworld campaign. A friend/former ward member of mine works for the social media arm of the church and asked if I'd be willing to put a little snippet together. Just my 15 seconds of LDS fame. 

😂 

^^Reunited with my law school classmate, Mauricio at our firm's Christmas party. We're in different offices, but it was so good to catch up. It's so nice to work with classmates!

^^Mailed a Christmas/Birthday package to Natalie. We joked that I sent the package by owl, because literally it arrived in Oxford the very next day. I don't know why, don't know how. I didn't pay for premium postage, but USPS did me a solid. 

^v also mailed out a Christmas care package to Hermanita Huerta in Dallas, TX. I wanted her to have the experience of opening a little gift each day, so Neri and I went to Target/Dollar tree to grab an assortment of items we thought she'd like. I then wrapped each gift, and placed a number on the presents as a countdown to Christmas. Sending packages and giving thoughtful gifts is one of the ways I show my love.

See, the second half of 2019 was too good not to write about. I can't guarantee that I won't bunch up all the holidays and gatherings for 2020, but I'm trying my best to be more consistent. This blog has been in my life for over a decade (!!!!) and I'm not quite ready to give it up, but my life looks a lot more different than it did when I was in college. So, changes have to be made. 

2020 is already really promising—I turn 30 this year, and I'm embracing this next decade of life with open arms.