Harpers Ferry

On Friday, we took the day and drove to Harpers Ferry.  We were looking for places to be outside yet away from others, and Harpers Ferry seemed like a great fit.  The weather was slated to be beautiful, so we figured some time outside in the fresh air and sunshine would be a nice way to spend the day.

These two geese sitting by the edge of the river were quite funny.  They weren’t squaking like they had a nest to protect (and we didn’t see any in the area) but they were also not phased by us or Cayenne.  Only when Cayenne got in the water and started to swim towards them did they move a bit, but she turned away and swam back before they did.  

 

Back on his perch after Cayenne left, the goose was definitely winning in the intimidation battle with Nina.  He was quite content to stare down she and Lyla and not move.  They, on the other hand, were not quite so confident! 

Cayenne loved the chance to be out and running as she always does.  While she’s happy curled up on someone’s bed, she’s also very much in her element when she’s out hiking with us or just walking in nature.  She has a blast!

 

 

Altough the old town part of Harpers Ferry was quite deserted, we did find a little ice cream shop that was open and got the girls and the pup some ice cream before heading back home.  While we’d much rather not be in this situation with COVID-19, I am much happier out doing things like this than being cooped up indoors.  Thankfully this winter has been relatively mild, and spring is here now, so hopefully there’ll be some more of days like this in our near future.

 

First Day of Spring

Thursday was a gorgeous first day of spring! We had really wanted to see the Cherry Blossoms, however with the COVID-19 situation and warnings against being in groups, I was hesitant to go.  Kind of on the spur of the moment, we decided to drive down on Thursday during a time when I thought there wouldn’t be many people there and just stay for an hour.  There still were people there, but certainly not the crowd scene of a normal Cherry Blossom season.  However, I did feel a little guilty when we got there and saw that the parking lot right by the Tidal Basin was closed to try to prevent crowds from gathering. So…they probably didn’t want people coming to see them at all, but like I said, we weren’t there long and kept plenty of space from others.  It was, however, such a beautiful day to be outside, and the blooms were very pretty.  I’m so happy spring is here!  Even thogh it’s been a mild winter, I love the warm weather, sunshine, and the chance to be outside.  Now to just hope the coronavirus doesn’t stay around for the whole spring...

   

 

   

 

        

    

 

  

 

New Normal

What started out as awareness and good hygiene practices surrounding COVID-19, quickly turned into chaos and hysteria seemingly overnight.  It felt like we woke up on Thursday morning of this week with everything panicking.  People were fighting over supplies and toilet paper in stores, schools and activities shut down completely, and “social distancing” is being preached to combat the spread of the virus.  Since the girls will be out of school for the next several weeks (possibly until the middle of April), my plan is to quarantine outside as much is as humanly possible.  For now, I’ll still be teaching classes (until the gyms decide to stop them), but as soon as I get home, if it’s a nice day, we’re going to head outside.

As that was the case on Friday, when I got home from teaching we left to go to Great Falls.  The weather was so sunny and warm, and it just felt great to be outside in nature with all the hysteria of the Coronavirus happening.  I know the recommendation is to self quarantine as much as possible, but my thinking is that trees, rocks, and nature don’t have the virus, and sun and fresh air are so good for combatting germs in my opinion, so we’re going to try to be outside as much as we can.

It’s a scary time for sure, but being out in nature is also a good reminder that God is in control.  Remembering that we are called on to do the best we can in the situations we’re in, but remember that God is sovereign over it all, is a good way to find peace in the chaotic times we’re in right now.

We had an awesome time at Great Falls.  I ended up getting a pass for the year, and with as much school as we’ll have off, I think we’ll be back quite a few more times in the near future!

  

 

  

Lyla Turns 12

On March 8th, we celebrated 12 years of Lyla!  I can’t even believe that we’re a year from teenager with this one.  Time has flown by, but she’s still our sweet, funny, active girl.  On most days you can find Lyla wanting to play outside, hunting for snacks, possibly sneaking candy, heading off to soccer practice, spending her game time limit on Roblox, and asking for a horse.  There’s rarely a dull moment with her around.  She keeps us laughing and sometimes raises our blood pressure, but she is always an irreplaceable part of our family who is loved so much!

Even though her birthday was on Daylight Savings Time, she was till up early and ready to open presents first thing.  Her soccer team was in a local tournament that weekend, so we let her open gifts and have her special breakfast of donuts and scrambled eggs before she had to leave for the game.

 

Later that evening we got to celebrate her birthday some more.  It’s a tradition to have Uncle Bo over on 3/8 as it’s his birthday as well.  We always enjoy celebrating these two together.  

The tournament was a tale of two completely different weather days.  Saturday was very cold and windy for the team’s first two games.  Sunday was warm and sunny, but since they didn’t play in the final, we only had one game on Sunday.   We didn’t know then what we would later develop in the days that followed, but with COVID-19 shutting down all activity, this tournament was the first of their games for the spring season, and their last for at least the next month (hopefully not longer). I’m hoping the spread of the virus will slow with all the “social distancing” but we will certainly miss our activities.  Sadly, Indoor Nationals was canceled for track as well which was very disappointing for Nina.  She was scheduled to participate in hurdles and high jump, and while it was very upsetting for her, the obvious concern about the safety of thousands of people holds priority.  These things are disappointing, but if activity restriction helps to slow the pandemic, it will be well worth it in the long run!

 

 

 

8th Grade Dance

The last weekend in February was the make-up date for the 8th Grade dance at Nina’s school.  Originally scheduled for December, it was postponed because of weather (or what ended up to be non-weather).  While the kids were all really disappointed when it was postponed the first time, thankfully it was rescheduled, and the dance ended up being a big hit.  Nina’s two good friends came over early to get ready, do hair, have dinner, and take pictures, then the girls met up with the rest of their group of friends at the dance.  While they’re a little boy drama here and there, the majority of the kids at the dance were there to hang with friends, dance, have fun, and socialize. We don’t have many occasions to see her dressed up, so this was a nice treat, and she ended up having a great time!