We could see it coming from a mile away, and in a way it still feels like it's a mile away. The pandemic started in China and started to make the news in January. There was so much talk and concern that it would reach the U.S. but before it reached us we watched as it spread throughout Europe and completely overtook Italy. I have several friends from my mission from and in Italy. I also have a couple of military friends stationed there. Seeing their Facebook posts still felt so foreign even though they were, in a way, warning the world to prepare. We had so much time to prepare and China and Italy to learn from, yet here we are.
The Corona virus is still in China. It is still killing HUNDREDS every single day in Italy. Now, it's here. It has shut down big cities and is very quickly making it's way from the outer edges of our country to the center, where we are.
What is the current status for us here? We have been semi-quarantined for going on 3 weeks. People began panic buying and hoarding toilet paper, of all things! The shelves at Walmart and the commissary have been wiped clean of all sanitizing wipes, tissues, paper towels, bread, eggs and meat.
For us it started on Spring Break. Rich had spent weeks planning and booking our big Spring Break Roadtrip. We were so excited!
I spent days packing for our 9 days of different adventures in the sun, going on hikes and even sledding in the snow! It was a rough one to pack for but I got it done and we headed out at noon on Friday March 13. We drove the 6 hours to our first destination, Albuquerque New Mexico. We had dinner, swam and then went to bed.
It must have been 5:00am when Rich got the message. All Active Duty Military had to report back to their duty station by Monday. Just like that, Spring Break was cancelled. To be honest, I was relieved. I was feeling the stress of keeping the kids safe and wondering whether the people around us, at the hotel or at the gas stations, had the virus. It just wasn't a good time for a trip but we were going to make the best of our one day in Albuquerque!
We rode the Sandia Peak Tramway.
It was a fun day and I'm glad we got to have a little adventure before we had to quarantine. We watched Onward at the theater where they were already limiting the number of people in each theater in order to practice social distancing. Grabbed a bite for dinner and then we went swimming at our hotel. The next morning we made our way back to Altus. I don't think we really understood the reality of what was to come at this point.
Rich went in to work on Monday and that was when the first Altus Covid-19 case walked into the clinic. An Airman who went to Seattle to visit family for the weekend was showing symptoms. He was tested, ordered to self-quarantine and his test would eventually come back positive. It kind of got real for us right off the bat because of this one positive test and we immediately began our social distancing.
At this point the kids school had not been cancelled or even postponed. It was like they were still in denial about the virus actually reaching us here but once word got out about the Airman testing positive the school postponed school for 2 weeks and then about a week later it was decided that all Oklahoma schools would be closed for the rest of the school year.
This is what social distancing has looked like for us.
Aidan and Maya had a youth fireside that they attended via Zoom.
I began my quest to making the perfect cinnamon rolls.
A few of my favorite memes from that week.
By the end of week one there was still a lot of people continuing to go about their regular daily lives and not taking too many precautions. Stores were still open and restaurants were just beginning to close their dining rooms and offer only take out.
The base has taken the threat very seriously and immediately began to discuss options and ideas of how they would run the clinic. At the gate they stopped taking ID's to scan. Instead we just hold it up, show them our picture and then turn it around for them to scan. That's why this is my favorite meme.
For us it started on Spring Break. Rich had spent weeks planning and booking our big Spring Break Roadtrip. We were so excited!
I spent days packing for our 9 days of different adventures in the sun, going on hikes and even sledding in the snow! It was a rough one to pack for but I got it done and we headed out at noon on Friday March 13. We drove the 6 hours to our first destination, Albuquerque New Mexico. We had dinner, swam and then went to bed.
It must have been 5:00am when Rich got the message. All Active Duty Military had to report back to their duty station by Monday. Just like that, Spring Break was cancelled. To be honest, I was relieved. I was feeling the stress of keeping the kids safe and wondering whether the people around us, at the hotel or at the gas stations, had the virus. It just wasn't a good time for a trip but we were going to make the best of our one day in Albuquerque!
We rode the Sandia Peak Tramway.
The ride up was beautiful but the best part for the kids was the snow at the top!
It was a fun day and I'm glad we got to have a little adventure before we had to quarantine. We watched Onward at the theater where they were already limiting the number of people in each theater in order to practice social distancing. Grabbed a bite for dinner and then we went swimming at our hotel. The next morning we made our way back to Altus. I don't think we really understood the reality of what was to come at this point.
Rich went in to work on Monday and that was when the first Altus Covid-19 case walked into the clinic. An Airman who went to Seattle to visit family for the weekend was showing symptoms. He was tested, ordered to self-quarantine and his test would eventually come back positive. It kind of got real for us right off the bat because of this one positive test and we immediately began our social distancing.
At this point the kids school had not been cancelled or even postponed. It was like they were still in denial about the virus actually reaching us here but once word got out about the Airman testing positive the school postponed school for 2 weeks and then about a week later it was decided that all Oklahoma schools would be closed for the rest of the school year.
This is what social distancing has looked like for us.
Aidan and Maya had a youth fireside that they attended via Zoom.
Lily has had endless attention and Aidan has spent hours reading.
I began my quest to making the perfect cinnamon rolls.
The girls and I started our Totoro puzzle that we've had for over a year.
A few of my favorite memes from that week.
The base has taken the threat very seriously and immediately began to discuss options and ideas of how they would run the clinic. At the gate they stopped taking ID's to scan. Instead we just hold it up, show them our picture and then turn it around for them to scan. That's why this is my favorite meme.
This is such a crazy time. We have no idea how long this social distancing will last. We are just waiting it out and enjoying our time together.
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