I don't think I am alone when I say I definitely underestimated Covid-19. It was another distant thing happening in another country. Then it felt like suddenly it was in the US and cases were exploding and before I knew it, restaurants were having to close, schools were switching to online, and then we were in a full "shelter-in-place." While things were starting to ramp up I was in the midst of my clinical rotation at Children's Hospital of CO. I was absolutely loving it. It was really challenging, but I loved the things I was learning, the patients I had, the people I got to work with, and the environment! Unfortunately my time there had to be cut short because both Regis and the hospital viewed students as non-essential and using up extra resources. Therefore it was highly recommended that if my clinical instructor approved me as entry-level PT I end my rotation early (without sacrificing my qualification for graduation). My CI and I fought for me to stay a little bit longer to gain as much experience as I possibly could out of it so I worked many days in a row just to get a little bit more out of it and ended up losing only 2 weeks of my rotation rather than 3. I was happy to get anything more, because also unfortunately like many places, they are on a hiring freeze now.
Also amidst my last couple of weeks there I found out that my graduation ceremony was postponed, possibly cancelled altogether... That one made me really sad. I was very excited to come back together will all of my classmates, all of us who have worked so hard for this, to have that celebration with so many of my family members there to celebrate too. And we were going to have a party at a local brewery with friends and family. But, we will celebrate at some point with friends and family, it will just look a little bit different. And on May 2nd, my commencement date, Jeremiah and I will find something fun to do in the comfort of our own home! It has been suggested that I wear my cap and gown and walk across the living room while Facetiming family. We shall see! One other note on this, my family was so thoughtful and generous and all pitched in to pay for me to get professional graduation photos taken. They know how important this graduation is and wanted to honor it in some way. They are the best. Have I ever mentioned that before??
So now I have been at home "quarantining" for over a week now. In fact, Jeremiah and I got in the car to go on a hike today and I realized I hadn't been in a car since the previous Saturday's grocery shopping. Weird. Though something I think has helped me has been to keep up a relatively "normal" routine. I wake up about 7-7:30 (sleeping in!), eat breakfast (usually in bed, this is not normal, but one of my favorite things ever), exercise in some form, running outside on the nice days, strength/yoga/HIIT type classes on other days. I have also been very consistent with my study routine. I have to set timers for myself, 30 minutes on, 5 minutes off, to keep myself on task, but it has been helpful. But then just yesterday I got an email saying that my test has likely been postponed or cancelled. Not sure which yet, and technically it hasn't been made official yet, but no email is very clear these days. So I don't know how my studying will be effected by that. I will probably back off for a little while, studying less, until whatever new date it is gets closer and I can ramp up again. This is another frustration because it means that it will take me longer to become a licensed PT and the few jobs that may be available right now likely will prioritize someone licensed. Oh we also have three trips planned in May and June that are currently still set to go, but we are anticipating at least two of them to be officially cancelled any day really. One of these was my family's cruise at the end of May. It has been planned for literally an entire year and we were so looking forward to it... We are just hoping we can make it happen a different time if it does in fact get cancelled. Anyway, with all of these frustrations I try to frequently remind myself of the many things I still have to be grateful for and try to put into perspective what others may be going through right now too. One thing I am very grateful for is that Jeremiah has a secure job! He is continuing business more or less like normal. He has transitioned to two days/week at home and three days/week in the office. His company is considered essential since they supply medical devices, even though his particular division handles primarily elective surgery equipment. When he does go into the office there are only a few people in there at a time, about 10% or less of the normal occupancy. I am very happy to have his company at home a little more often on the other days, and like I said, just to know that he has a job is very comforting and we are both very grateful. Other things I have to be grateful for are everyone in my family has stayed healthy thus far, we still get to enjoy being outdoors, it's kind of fun ordering takeout since we rarely ever do that, and we can use this time to rest and recharge a bit. The list could keep going, and quite honestly, I would recommend actually writing those things out if you get a chance because they are great reminders when you are stuck in your thoughts! Jeremiah and I would generally both consider ourselves introverts and homebodies, so to be honest many of our days look relatively the same, but it is weird to just not have the option to go out at all! In our other free time, we have been filling it with puzzles while listening to podcasts, walks, reading (though sometimes I have to force Jeremiah into this...), games, and new shows/movies. I would love to do more baking, but I am concerned about having too many yummy baked goods in our apartment!! I also am considering starting a little patio garden. I would love to grow my own herbs and some simple vegetables, but definitely need to research a little bit more before I dive in. Jeremiah and I hope that anyone reading this is finding fun or new ways to keep themselves occupied, remembering things they are grateful for, connecting with loved ones, and taking time to rest and being okay with that. Or if you have kids at home, that your kids are staying more or less behaved, and that you can find some portion of your day to do something for yourself! Knowing how crazy this time has been for my siblings with kids, I know that is easier said than done. If I could virtually babysit for you, I would!
Before I wrap up I did want to backtrack even farther, because I will say it was a great start to 2020! We flew to Rochester for my grandma's 90th birthday! I have a lot of family who still lives there so of course we saw all of them, as well as most of my family in AZ flew back to meet us there too. We had a really nice dinner celebration, another get together for games/mingling, and lots of casual family time. While we were there it actually coincided with my great uncle Jack's funeral as well. Due to that we were able to see even more extended family than we otherwise might have and we were very glad we could be there to celebrate his life and support my great aunt Doris. She and my grandma Warren had this moment at the funeral where they stood up in the middle of the church and shared this long hug and I pretty much lost it then. They are two amazing ladies and their sister relationship is so incredible and admirable really. So much love and support for each other! Anyway, it was a really awesome trip, and we lucked out with relatively good weather too! I'll fill in the rest of the last couple of months with photos.
My Grandma Warren! One of my favorite people ever!
"High Falls" in Downtown Rochester
Jeremiah got free tickets to a DU Hockey game!
Jeremiah has been taking up bread-making and I can't remember if this was included in our last post, but he went to a Sourdough Class at a place called Rebel Bread here in Denver. He loved the class and has really stepped up his bread-making game! In fact he made 8 loaves one weekend for everyone in our small group.
First day at Children's! Wearing scrub pants was very nice.
Presenting our research poster at the largest annual PT conference that happened to be held in Denver this year!
A quick weekend visit from the Dwights! Wynkoop Brewery in downtown Denver for dinner.
While the Dwights were in town we went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science that had a "Science Behind Pixar" exhibit that was really fascinating.
A Pixar puzzle that Jeremiah's brother got us at the museum!
Another one of the puzzles we've done. A pretty scene of Downtown Denver. In fact this would be the view if you were standing in front of the museum!
I worked on Saturdays while at Children's and we always did fun group therapy projects/activities on those days. This was the "pie" we made for "Pi Day" which landed on a Saturday this year. Unfortunately not allowed to take pictures of my cute patients who made these!
My CI and I on my last day at Children's.
Finally using the pasta maker we got forever ago to make homemade linguine for pasta carbonara!
We had a FaceTime date with Tommy and Emily while we both made the pasta together in our separate kitchens and then enjoyed the dinner together, followed by games!
Another example of the delicious bread Jeremiah has made lately. This was a French loaf and made for an excellent addition to these already incredible sandwiches! We love cooking new things, and pretty much try something new at least once a week. I am currently obsessed with the recipes from "Half-Baked Harvest."
Meeting with our church small group via Zoom.
Giving Madeline a lesson on the heart via FaceTime. She took it very seriously, taking notes, and asking some very interesting questions!
What an interesting time we are living in right now everyone! New things every day that we are having to face and figure out. As much as we try to plan our futures, it doesn't always turn out the way we expect and plans are flipped upside down. My big comfort through all of this is that God has a plan better than any of us could imagine, we might just not know it or see it yet. I hope that is a comfort to you as well! With that, thanks for reading and happy "quarantining"!
