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Here We Are!

May Day 2020! I didnā€™t know if I would still be here now. It seems like the last two months have aged me ten years! I am grateful that all of my family and I did not fall victim to COVID 19. It is still around, so we still need to be super careful.

Life has changed in many ways I never could have imagined. My grandchildrenā€™s schools were closed. Our churches are closed. Many of my favorite stores are closed. I havenā€™t been able to hug my grandchildren since the lockdown. We visit each other by driving by in our car. We donā€™t visit with friends or relatives without being six feet apart. As if the lockdown was not enough of a trauma, we had several earthquakes, one of which woke me up and rolled beneath me. It seems I felt every aftershock. It is focused in Magna, Utah.

Corona virus is no respecter of persons. Some of the well-known people including Pink, Tom and Rita Hanks, Daniel Dae Kim, Prince Charles, Rand Paul, Prince Albert II, Ben McAdams, and several others contracted the virus and luckily survived.Ā https://www.vulture.com/article/famous-people-celebrities-with-coronavirus.html

Others were not so lucky. Here is a list of some of the celebrities that were not so lucky and died from the virus.

https://www.thewrap.com/celebrities-deaths-coronavirus-star-hollywood-notable/

Thankfully, I do not personally know anyone that has been sick or died from Corona.

Being an introvert, staying at home did not affect me too much. Whenever I did go out I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone with everyone donning masks. You can not tell what they are thinking but most of them hurried about and only got what they needed. I missed sauntering up and down the aisles as a form of exercise.

Without other demands, I noticed many of us put more attention on comfort food. Here I am 5-10 pounds or more heavier. At least I can blame that on corona, right??

I had time to pursue my artistic endeavors. I enjoyed watercoloring, oil painting, alcohol ink painting, and acrylic pouring (porn). I used some apps to alter pictures. I continued my writing for smarterparenting.com as well as attempted to keep my Poshmark closet active.

Beautiful Bella on a drive by

https://poshmark.com/closet/elayne001

I am also an Avon Representative. Unfortunately, noone wears makeup during a pandemic on lockdown, so business is not booming.

https://www.youravon.com/rkongaika

Dr. Faucci seems to be the expert, but in my opinion, there are really no experts regarding the Corona virus. I have seen way to much of our president, gotten acquainted with Cuomo, and other world leaders.

No more nights out at the movies, dates at our favorite restaurants, or dinner with friends. Some days I cry when I hear the word ā€œcoronaā€ which is often. Fortunately, I have still been able to read my scriptures every day which helped my focus on people who had it even worse than I did. Our prophet had prepared us for home isolation way before it was even though of. He spoke to us in Conference along with apostles and other church leaders. We have church every Sunday in our home. We still hold Family Home Evening with our family online.

As a way to cope with the pandemic, several creative people have made up memes, jokes, and art. Comedians broadcast their shows at homes including their kids, dogs, etc. I enjoyed that and saw several people in a new light.

One of my favorite new comedians is Leanne Morgan. https://www.facebook.com/leannemorgancomedy/

as well as Shelayne Shelton from Hawaii

https://www.facebook.com/jshelton19/

My husband has turned into Santa Claus since he cannot work at the temple and he got laid off from his job after he fell asleep driving. He has been putting together a book which includes stories from our missionaries. I edit out all of the wrong tenses, spelling errors, and punctuation blunders. It should be ready soon, but here is one in case you havenā€™t seen it yet. There are more stories to come before it is finalized.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J5aNe4FihPnNrnRNlX54koaaACFqSUG2OkqK9ebrULU/edit?usp=sharing

Santa ā€˜Isi

Until we meet again, I will pray for all of you that this virus will go away and that we will enjoy the rest of Spring and Summer. Should we die, all is well, all is well!

Uncategorized

Since the Corona VirusĀ Lockdown

It has been almost two weeks since the lockdown due to the corona virus visitng us here in Utah. Social distancing has been used several times to remind us that we should not get close to another person for our own and their safety. Many people have suffered from the sneaky tiny virus that is lethal. People have either shown their worst or best side during this pandemic. It has been a difficult time for all of us (the whole world)!

Personally, the viral breakout together with a medium-sized earthquake a week ago literally rocked my world. Having a predictable schedule is now a thing of the past. Last month my husband had a car accident which resulted in him being let off work. I was just getting used to him being home almost every day before the corona virus came to America. He still worked in the temple two days a week until the temple was closed for his work there. We have discussed having couple counseling since we are not used to being together 24/7!

The hardest thing for me through all of this is not being able to hug my grandchildren. We now do feet or elbow bumps! We also have drive-by visits. Luckily we have the app Marco Polo to check in with our children every day and also utilize Facebook and Zoom. We can hold a family home evening where everyone of our children and grandchildren participates. Two of our grandchildren were at university and now they are home with their family. Our new normal is difficult to get my mind around some days.

I worry about my daughter since she is on the frontline of this battle against the enemy. She goes everyday to help sick people. As for my work, I can still write articles online but my reseller job has gone stale. Evidently, the virus can stay on cardboard for several hours so it is not feasible to send packages out every day. Now I feel like getting rid of all of the items in my Poshmark closet but there is no where open to take them. So many people are out of work and suffering much more than I am.

A few days into the lockdown, I felt like I was suffocating and had to get out of the house. I drove up and down Redwood and was shocked by the lack of traffic, closed businesses and vacant schools. I tried to come to grips with the current situation. I grieved for lost opportunities and my lack of freedom. With loss comes the need to check priorities.

I have kept up on my scripture reading and anticipate our conference that is coming up soon. Our prophet warned us to ā€œtake our vitaminsā€ and be prepared for a memorable conference this spring. All of the temples have been closed, missionaries sent home, and church services now take place in our living room. A lot has changed since the last conference. My prayers have been more often and sincere lately. Thatā€™s a good thing!

Funny how much things can change in a couple of weeks time. Comedians have been my ā€œgo toā€ when I am feeling low. Many have posted new poems, songs, affirmative thoughts, and inspirational quotes. I appreciate them! There is still so much good in the world. This is a wakeup call for all of humanity!

One thing I have been doing to use my time is artwork. I have never had this much time to do the things I enjoy. I share the art with my

granddaughters and it inspires them to be creative. I hope you enjoy them, too! These are all watercolors and I also paint with acrylics and oil.

Stay safe and carry on!