Perspective

In 2030
College Kid: In history class, we learned that the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020 was really bad. What was it like?

Parent: Well, everything was shut down in an attempt to kill the virus, but not everyone followed the order to quarantine for 15days, so it lasted longer than anyone expected. Many people died who shouldn't have. Grocery stores were out of everything because people were hoarding as much as they could. We were scared of economic failure for our country and for ourselves because we couldn't work. Don't you remember it, you were 8.

College Kid: All I remember was the school closing and being homeschooled. I remember doing scavenger hunts in our yard. I remember eating meals as a family for a change. I remember getting great sleep because I wasn't up late with activities and homework or getting up early for school. I remember board games, I remember watching our pastor on a laptop. Honestly, it was the happiest time of my childhood.


So I saw this on Facebook and I felt the need to share. I know the adults with my children right now continue to watch the news, we continue to discuss what is happening in our country, but I think my kids are just overjoyed to be with family. I think they are loving late nights and sleepovers with their cousins. They are in heaven making up games in the pool, and have only grumbled slightly when we've tried to do scavenger hunts on our neighborhood walks. Kiersten is going on 3 miles runs with her dad and Leah is hitting the tennis court whenever she can. We are loving the long family dinners. Where the kids giggle and are so busy playing it takes them far too long to clean their plates. Now don't get me wrong, it's not all sunshine and roses. Sometimes they are testing my patience. They want to be on their iPads way more than I want them to be and they argue when we try to shut it down. They screech a little too loud when they are in the pool, but for the most part, they have gotten along so well. I hope when they look back on this time together they remember making smores, pizza picnics in the grass, scavenger hunts in the desert, and lots and lots of laughter and love.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

I'm losing track of what day it is. Maybe social distancing day 9??? We are really enjoying our family dinners and the quality time together. Tonight's dinner was appropriately titled Cheeseburger in Paradise. The girls are still loving the pool, and I'm incredibly grateful for the good weather and endless cart paths so I can get out and move. Yesterday we engaged in a family Yoga Session in the backyard. We could all use a little more peace these days.

 Today we saw a masked man on a horse behind my sisters house...because only in Tucson. And Mitch has been able to go for a few good runs. Incredibly grateful for this husband of mine who has been helping to cook all the meals and has tolerated being with my family during quarantine. He's something special and I'm so glad he's mine. #schultzfamilyescapades #covid19 #campIanello

Happy Birthday, Sister!

So normally when I talk about sisters, I'm talking about my three girls. But this time I'm talking about my baby sister. It's been many years since we've spent a birthday together. And this year just so happened to be a big one for her...40! Over a month ago Jeff reached out and mentioned having a surprise party for her. The timing was perfect because it was our spring break and we had plans to be in Arizona. When Mitch's trip to Europe got cancelled I told him he just had to come out for the party. I didn't have to twist his arm too hard. I mean, Arizona in March!!!

Fast forward a few weeks and Covid-19 is all anyone can talk about. We actually got to Arizona on the 15th, and Jeff was starting to question whether his party could take place. He toyed with the idea of moving it to their house, and then on Monday when the CDC recommended no more than 10 people gathered at a time, and all the restaurants closed, so the decision was made for him. No party to celebrate the big 4-0!

We tried to make the best of it. Laura and I got up and went for a long walk...about 5 miles on, Saturday morning. Then we hit the Omni Spa. Jeff had booked a massage and a manicure to celebrate. Once we got home, I watched the girls while Laura, Jeff and Mitch went out for a round of golf. On Saturday night Mitch made her dinner. He grilled steaks, roasted red potatoes and zucchini. I contributed a broccoli salad. Jeff had ordered a cake so we put a few candles on and she was serenaded by a handful of her favorite girls. It wasn't the celebration we had hoped for, but we certainly made the most of it under the circumstances. Happy Birthday, Laura!

Social Distancing

I've hesitated the last few days to put anything on Social Media sharing that we are in Arizona. I don't know if we made the right decision, but after all the medical issues my family has had over the past year, we just needed to be together. So yes, we are in Arizona. Did we fly? Absolutely not! Back in December, when Laura decided NOT to come home for Christmas, and while mom was still in the early stages of recovering from her Mitral Valve replacement, I decided that I was taking the girls to Arizona for Spring Break. A few weeks later Mitch was told he needed to go to Europe for a few weeks in March. It was perfect we would be gone the same time. Enter Covid-19...so we booked Mitch a last minute flight to join us in Arizona. But the week before our trip, as things begin to get cancelled and we started to hear the word quarantine I knew I would never be comfortable getting on a plane, or sitting in an airport. Before the end of the school week the NHL, NBA, MLB, MLS, PGA had all cancelled their games/events for the foreseeable future. IHSA and NCAA cancelled all spring sports seasons and colleges were making announcements to shut down and move to online learning for the remainder of the semester.

So once state swim was cancelled we decided to drive. It's not ideal. It's a 24 hour drive, but with two of us we knew we could handle it. We packed a cooler so we could eat meals/snacks in the car and we hit the road. We only had to stop 4 times and were equipped with our Chlorox wipes and hand sanitizer. We left Mt. Zion around 8am on Saturday and arrived in Tucson at 5am. Mitch and I made a great team taking turns throughout the night. We'll most likely do the same thing on the way home.

Once we got here things began to change very quickly. At first we were told no more than 50 people together in a gathering. The CDC quickly changed their recommendation to no more than 10 people. Illinois Governor closed down all restaurants and bars. Arizona followed suit the very next day. By Tuesday Kansas had cancelled public school for the remainder of the semester. And on Wednesday New Mexico closed all restaurants. bars, gyms, salons, spas, resorts to business. The United States Hospital System is not equipped to handle a massive outbreak if people don't follow social distancing directives.

Even after arriving in Tucson we have practiced social distancing. We are fortunate that we can go back and forth between Gigi's house and Aunt Laura's and that we have a pool. Yesterday we took a long walk and the highlight was seeing two gentlemen on horseback. Gigi made cookies for the girls and last night we all watched a movie together. When we got home to Gigi and Papa's yesterday we saw a rainbow. The girls and I talked about how it's a reminder of God's promise. We're making the best of these crazy times. And trusting that in time, it will all be okay.

Strange Days

For the past week it seems all any one is talking about is Corona Virus. This includes myself...social media, the news, everywhere you go, it's the main topic of conversation. In my 41 years I've never seen anything like it. I will have to go back ten years ago in the blog and see if I wrote about H1N1. I was pregnant with Kiersten at the peak of the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic. I remember being terrified of getting the vaccine...I was probably 6-7  months pregnant. But my OBGYN insisted. Even more terrifying, my pediatrician was insistent on Leah getting the vaccine. She was around 18-19 months old. I was panicked...but it was for the best. So here we are, 10 years later. Just waiting for the United States to hit its peak for Corona Virus. And here is my run down of the past few days.

On Thursday I was at school, with my staff friends waiting for Governor Pritzker to address the state. We had heard it was rumored he was going to shut down the schools. Instead he declared that no more than 250 people in a place at one time. On Friday we all showed up for school as normal...meanwhile our administrators were meeting behind closed doors trying to determine the best way to proceed. Friday afternoon about an hour after school dismissed the Governor addressed the state and announced that all public school would be closed until March 31st. In the meantime, President Trump had declared a National Emergency and was suspending all International Travel. Come Friday he was asking people to "Social distance" and not travel unless absolutely necessary. Did I mention Mitch was supposed to be leaving for Europe for two weeks? Thankfully ADM had cancelled the trip, they closed the company gym, and they went to a 50% work force. Meaning that half of the work force will work one week at home and then switch with their counterpart and work a week at the office.

We were supposed to be traveling to Arizona for our spring break. But with Air Travel considered unsafe, and with Mitch working from home we decided to scrap our air travel plans. On Saturday morning we jumped in the car and drove straight through to Tucson. What was supposed to be a 24 hour drive, ended up being a 23 hour drive as Mitch and I took shifts through the night. Sundays forecast in Tucson looked amazing and with Mitch needing to work during daytime hours, he wanted a day at the pool. Sunday at the Omni did not disappoint! Sunshine and splashing in the pool did our spirits some good. Social distancing wasn't too difficult with hardly anyone else at the resort.

Then Sunday afternoon Governor Pritzker made the call. All restaurants and bars in Illinois are closed effective March 17-31st. Drive-thrus can still operate and restaurants can deliver. In no time, several other states followed and closed their bars and restaurants. While we were at the pool this afternoon President Trump addressed the nation again. This is not going away anytime soon. If we can continue to social distance it should peak in the next month or so.

I'm heartbroken for so many. Could you imagine if you were planning a wedding that would take place in the next month or two. What about all the seniors...high school students anticipating their Senior Prom, their NHS inductions, the chance to walk across the stage as graduates. Same for the college students who have worked so hard. What a long strange trip this will be, while we wait for this to pass. Until then we will be in prayer. I believe now more than ever, that God is holding us in his hands. He's trying to tell us something, and I will hope and pray that we can be open to the message. I will hope and pray that we can remain healthy and come together as family and friends, to protect our vulnerable populations...be well my friends.

Swim State

Oh goodness, I'm heartbroken for my sweet girls. It's been such a fun swim season. They have worked so hard. Kiersten has about the worst birthday you can have for swim. Cut off for State Swim is March 15th and her birthday is March 8th. So last year when she qualified in about every event, she aged up and didn't get to swim. She's been waiting for this season. She pushed herself so hard. And my girls made state cuts in her 100 IM, 50 Breaststroke and her relays. Leah as an 11 year old qualified for her relays. She has minimal time left to drop to make state time in several events next year.

With all the Covid-19 news and with it spreading, we knew it was coming. Today they cancelled state swim. Big picture, everyone is healthy, and they will have plenty more opportunities to swim. But we are sad. Tough loss for all our little Gators who were excited to swim this weekend.

Covid-19

This past week has been a weird one. Some would even say surreal. In all actuality 2020 as a whole has been a little bit over the top. And now we're faced with a pandemic...Covid-19. More commonly referred to as Coronavirus.

We first started hearing the news in early January. An outbreak in WuHan China. People were sick and people were dying. But we don't need to worry about that here...or do we?!?! 

By mid-February the United States had its first case. Two weeks later at least a dozen dead, mostly in the Seattle, Washinton area. But then there was a case here and then there was a case there. At this time Italy has declared a state of emergency. People are quarantined and not allowed to leave their homes. Cases begin to spread around the East coast, and then Chicago. I don't know very many people from Chicago. And I certainly dont know many world travelers. But I live in Decatur. A Central hub for both ADM and Caterpillar corporations...with lots of international travel. Maybe we need to pay attention to this?!?! 

Right now the reports are that its affecting the elderly and the immunocompromised. You better believe I called Hatties doctor and asked if her Henoch Schonlein purpura means she's immunocompromised...she's not. They said she's immunoactivated. So how concerned do we need to be? Stay tuned...

Happy #10 Bug!

We spent the day enjoying the beautiful weather, but even more so, we spent the day celebrating our beautiful Bug! Today my sweet middle is 10...Double Digits!!! How is that possible? So fitting that her birthday is in March because she definitely  came in like a lion after 30 hours of labor, and a trip to the NICU. And the irony that she waited until just after midnight on March 8th, International Women's Day, is not lost on me. She's so very smart, she's inquisitive and challenges everything. She is wise beyond her years, but she's also very kind hearted. There is no doubt that this fierce little girl will grow up to move mountains. And I'm so thankful to have a front row seat to it all...blessed to be her mom.

We kicked off the day with giant cinnamon rolls and lots of presents. We hit up Dairy Queen for lunch where we had to get blizzards to celebrate the 80th birthday of Dairy Queen. We ended the night with tacos...the kind with Doritos shells, because that's what she wanted. I hope she enjoyed the day as much as I did. Happy Birthday, my little love Bug, bug-a-boo. Ten came much to quick for this Mama's heart.