March and April

I don't really know where to start.  The past five months have been some of the hardest and most challenge months I have ever experienced.  My normal way of life has changed significantly due to many factors that I don't know if I have adequate words to describe it.  But I will try because I still want to make sure I document our life so we can look back and remember.

March started off both good and bad. This virus called COVID-19 or Corona was starting to pop up in places like China.  I didn't think at first it was really going to be a big deal, but little did I know what impact it was truly going to have. 

The first blow was our trip to Cancun got canceled less than 24 hours before our flight.  My company had paid for over 800 people to go for four days. Matt and I were looking forward to a few days away.  Due to the virus the company made the decision to cancel.  We were bummed and to be honest thought it was a bit extreme. Hindsight it was the right decision.

We then celebrated my Dad's 69th birthday.  I am so glad we did and I was able to hug him and tell him how much I loved him.

Spring break hit so we decided to go to Broken Bow with Matt's parents.  We had a really nice time horseback riding, putt-putt, mining for gold, roasting s'mores and enjoying each other's company. It was a little rainy which was a bummer but didn't stop the kids from enjoying the hot tub. 

During the trip COVID continued to spread and schools extended Spring Break by one week.  Long story short, school ended up being virtual for the rest of the school year.  The state went on lock down and businesses, churches, school and restaurants shut down.  Matt and I both started working from home while trying to make sure the kids got their school work done. We tried to enjoy things like eating lunch together outside, watching church on TV,  bike rides, sidewalk chalk,  puzzles and family movie nights. It was hard on all of us and it was just the beginning but we did the best we could.

Then on March 29th my life changed forever when my dad passed away. My heart was broken and still is. I miss him so much every day.  Because of the virus, we were not able to have a funeral with our family and friends until June 13th.  That was a challenge because we were missing that closure. It has been hard to live life without him but I know he is in no more pain and dancing in heaven.  

As we rolled into April and still on lock down we tried to celebrate the good things. While we weren't able to go to church, we still celebrated Easter Sunday. It was very different this year but we tried to make the best of it. The Easter Bunny still made an appearance and we spent the day together.

One big milestone was my 40th birthday.  While it wasn't the way we had planned to celebrate I still was able to see friends with proper social distancing and my family treated me so good.

On April 24th Matt and I celebrated 16 years of marriage.  While we couldn't do a typical date night, we did pick up to-go desserts and watched a movie in the car. There is no one else I'd rather go through this crazy life with. He makes me laugh and keeps me sane during all of this.