Before

Who would have guessed that it would take a worldwide pandemic for me to find 15 minutes to blog?  Really though, as the kids get older and our lives are full of fun family time, school, work, and friends... stopping to write about it has not been as important as actually living it.  However, now in the midst of quarantine, we have all been forced to slow down and put some things on hold for a bit and if you're like me, there is a whole range of emotions that has come with it.  Sometimes I'm sad thinking of those alone, sometimes I'm angry at those not taking it more seriously, sometimes I'm frustrated at the lack of control over our circumstances, sometimes I'm scared about my job, sometimes I'm worried about illness, sometimes I'm joyful over extra time with my family, sometimes I'm grateful for simple things I might not have stopped to be thankful for before, sometimes I'm hopeful for how humanity is coming together.  Before all this happened though, we were rolling along have a quite nice start to 2020.  Let's look back on a simpler time:

 In February, Kate and her classmates donated canned goods to a local food pantry, unaware of how desperate some would be for this generosity later. 

We dressed up as our favorite book characters for school (Piggie and Fly Guy) for Read Across America week:

We explored new parks in our city as spring started to show up:

We were practicing for our first soccer games of the season:

We were dreaming of a deep run in the NCAA tournament:

Kate had joined a girl's group at church and they were busy planning a tea party for their next social event:

We spent a weekend in Asheville with Grammie and Grandaddy visiting the Biltmore Estate, Pisgah National Forest, and Sierra Nevada brewery:

It was actually on that trip that the closures, cancellations, and news blew up about the impending threat of COVID-19.  Matt and the kids have been in quarantine for over a week, starting tomorrow I will be joining them as well.  It's weird and it's uncertain, but we are healthy and happy (mostly) in our house.  Hope you are staying safe during this strange time as well!