Editor’s Note: I started jotting down happenings surrounding the Coronavirus/Covid-19 when the situation started to become more of a reality here in the U.S. (at least in my world) and things were developing quickly. Days started to blur together because of the daily changes and daily updates, so I started writing things down just so I could keep track. I originally posted my Month One Journal and now, 60 days into quarantining, I’m publishing Month Two mainly as a way to memorialize this time so that I don’t lose it somewhere. I don’t typically journal since I have this blog as my own personal online journal of sorts. So I wasn’t sure what to do with actual pen to paper writings, this seemed like a more practical place to start writing. This journal is just that, a stream of conscious type writing that simply reflects my experience and items that popped out to me during this time. It’s a journal, so it’s mostly specific to what I’ve experienced. The fact that I have a job that I’m able to work from home, a house to shelter in place, a husband to shelter with, and funds to purchase groceries is not lost on me. Please keep that in mind if you choose to read. And know that along with the words written here, there are daily rollercoasters of different emotions behind the screen. Sending you all the positive vibes. Stay well friends! Here’s my month TWO journal.
You can check out my Month One Journal here if interested.
Saturday, April 11th // Our 5th weekend sheltering in place at home! Michael and I were able to use our neighbor’s grill (she’s not in town) to up our weekend cooking at home game. We grilled burgers and enjoyed time on our deck. And went on lots of neighborhood walks!
Sunday, April 12th // Easter Sunday! I enjoyed seeing everyone’s Easter photos online and loved seeing videos of my friend’s kids celebrating Easter at home!
Monday, April 13th // Territory meals to the rescue! A reprieve from cooking (and cleaning after cooking)! I ordered Territory meals for us for a few dinners this week. Such a treat to not have to cook dinner! Three meals at home for days on end was starting to get to me.
Friday, April 17th // Ventured out to pick up steaks from Revival Market! Michael and I are planning on grilling over the weekend. Revival Market did a great job with contact-less ordering and car delivery! I was able to call and see what they had available in the meat counter. I paid over the phone, called when I arrived, and my package was put directly in my trunk by a kind employee.
Our new favorite thing to do on Friday evenings is outdoor yoga on our deck (YogaWorks is streaming live classes) and follow that up with happy hour and FaceTiming with friends! By Friday, I think everyone is looking to chat and hang with friends. FaceTime has been a great escape!
Saturday, April 18th // Michael and I resurrected our herb garden! Our local nursery, Buchanan’s, is offering phone orders and contact-less delivery. I ordered a few new herbs and soil and was able to pick everything up the next day. I provided them with my name when I arrived and they brought out my order and placed it in the trunk!
We grilled the steaks I picked up from Revival Market and had a long FaceTime with friends in New Orleans (hey Jenny & John!) while we both made cocktails and cooked dinner. One thing that’s been great about quarantine is learning that FaceTiming doesn’t have to be a big to-do. Hop on, prop up your phone, and chat while you’re doing what you do. I’ve loved being able to chat with our friends and family via video (something I NEVER did pre-quarantine).
Tuesday, April 21st // Our 40th day at home! WOW. Honestly, I can’t believe we’ve been home for 40 days straight?! It actually doesn’t seem like it’s been that long …
Houston News: Today marked two days in a row where there were 0 deaths from Covid-19. The first time this has happened since the pandemic began.
I shared a Day in the Life VLOG!
Wednesday, April 22nd // New announcement today here in Houston, on Monday, everyone in Harris County over the age of 10 will be required to wear a mask covering their nose and mouth anytime when out in public for the next 30 days. “Under the order, the county’s 4.7 million residents must cover their faces at all times except when exercising, eating or drinking, alone and in a separate space, at home with roommates or family or when doing so poses a greater risk to security, mental or physical health.”
Thursday, April 23rd // Yeast has been a HOT commodity. I was able to track some down at a local bakery, Red Dessert Dive. Excited for weekend baking!
The NFL draft happened virtually, for the first time ever! And LSU’s Joe Burrow went number 1!
Friday, April 24th // Our Friday routine over the past few weeks has included a post-work yoga class streamed from YogaWorks on our deck. Afterwards, cocktail time! And we’ve been FaceTiming with friends and family while cooking dinner. It’s a fun way to end the week!
Saturday, April 25th // On a baking spree today! I baked homemade lemon, blueberry scones and rosemary focaccia. Both for the first time ever. They both turned out so yummy!
Similar to our Fridays, we’ve developed a Saturday routine too! The bar opens around 5PM 😉 Cocktails on the deck followed by grilling out for dinner!
Monday, April 27th // Today marked the start of the 30 day mandate in Houston for anyone in public to wear a face covering. Exercise is an exception. Governor Greg Abbott announced that Texas will begin slowly reopening on Friday, May 1st. The Texas stay at home order ends on Thursday, April 30th.
First to open Friday: retail stores, restaurants, movie theaters and malls. But they will only be allowed to operate at 25% capacity. Museums and libraries will also be allowed to open at 25% capacity, but hands-on exhibits must remain closed.
I’m interested to see what the restaurants will look like this coming weekend. Will the restaurants actually open for dine-in? Will people dine-in?
Tuesday, April 28th // I’ve been sharing my work from home outfits. I like to get dressed while working from home. I’m used to working from home, and getting dressed just sets the tone for the day for me. I’ve been sharing my outfits to show that it doesn’t take a lot of effort to change out of leggings or sweatpants. An easy tee, loose fitting jeans, minimal makeup, and hair pulled back.
Friday, May 1st // Day 50 of quarantine! And the first day of May! Craziness. I feel like we’re going to look back on April 2020 as the lost month. A month where no one saw anyone outside of their home, no one went anywhere, and lots of people learned how to bake bread. A simpler time.
Texas, along with a handful of other states, began its phased reopening today. Interested to see how it goes … Although restaurants are now allowed to have dine-in guests, only 25% capacity is allowed. And a lot of restaurants are remaining takeout only.
Saturday, May 2nd // I’ve been so thankful for the warm and sunny weather here in Houston! I think my mood would be a lot different if I were in a colder or drearier part of the US. Michael and I’s weekend routine has been pretty consistent over the past few weeks. We’ve been incorporating hour walks each day, Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, we usually try to be somewhat productive with reading, working, house chores until around 4PM. I like to get dressed for date night’s in. One perk of quarantine is that we’ve upped our at-home cocktail making game! One of my favorite additions is a simple spicy margarita (shared the recipe here). We invested in our own grill this week, so we grilled out for dinner while FaceTiming with Michael’s parents – burgers!
Sunday, May 4th // Michael hit up the driving range for the first time since pre-quarantine! This is the first time we’ve been apart in 30ish days. At the beginning of quarantine, I was physically going to the grocery store, but we’ve had our groceries delivered for the past month or so via Amazon Fresh and Amazon Whole Foods. Funny to think that we’ve spent that much time together over the past two months!
We treated ourselves to takeout from one of our favorite local BBQ joints – Pinkerton’s. And picked up milk shakes from Shake Shack too! While out and about, most people seem to be abiding by the mask ordinance, although not all folks. I’ve only been out and about a few times in the last few weeks – to UPS and to these two spots for takeout. I didn’t expect the emotions I would feel when I first saw so many people out wearing masks. It makes me sad and also anxious. I realized that I can control my bubble – the bubble we’ve been living in for the past 50+ days at home. But I definitely feel a wave of anxiety while out in public around other people. Constantly taking in how close people are to me and whether or not they have a mask on … Definitely something we’ll all have to deal with eventually as we adapt to the new normal.
Monday, May 4th // The start of week 8 of working from home. I discovered that my clothing shelf in my office doubles as a standing desk! A nice change of pace from sitting at my desk all day, every day.
Tuesday, May 5th // As an update on the phased reopening in Texas, although phase one began on Friday, May 1st, with the reopening of dine-in restaurants at 25% capacity, I haven’t really seen many people dining in at restaurants. Even when we picked up dinner from Pinkerton’s on Sunday, customers were not allowed inside. They only had their patio open for customers. That to say I haven’t noticed much of a change since the reopening began.
Wednesday, May 6th // At home workouts are still going strong! I’m thankful for Orangetheory! They’ve done an awesome job putting together free workouts available on their YouTube channel – a new one every morning! Michael and I have been doing these workouts most Monday-Thursday since quarantine started. On Fridays, we’ve been doing YogaWorks live classes, and on the weekends we’ve been going on long walks on both Saturday and Sunday!
Thursday, May 7th // My first trip to the grocery store since March! Grocery delivery through Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods has been pretty reliable here in Houston, so we utilized those services all of April. We’re out of almost everything in our pantry and fridge though, and as great as online ordering and grocery delivery has been for us, you kind of have to take what you can get. I went to both Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. Trader Joe’s is doing an awesome job. I stood in line outside for about 10 minutes as they’re only allowing a certain number of people inside at one time. They provided me with a sanitized shopping cart as I entered. Everything was in stock. The longest part of the process was the checkout line, which I waited in for about 20-30 minutes. The cashiers had large plexiglass shields installed to separate the cashier from the customer. Whole Foods was relatively empty.
It was very easy to navigate around the store without getting close to others.
I also went to Target to pickup an online order (for lighter fluid for our grill, which neither grocery store had in stock). It was much more crowded and chaotic than Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. I had to stand in line outside of the store for my pickup order. On a positive note, everyone seemed to be wearing masks.
Friday, May 8th //
More businesses are allowed to (partially) reopen in Texas.
As a treat, we picked up crawfish from Boil House for dinner!
Saturday, May 9th // I ventured to the driving range with Michael today! The weather was nice and the driving range has social distancing measures in place with bays marked off so that golfers aren’t able to get too close to one another. I brought my book. It was nice to get out of the house for a few hours!
We grilled out for dinner – kabobs from Whole Foods! And I ordered Clue from Amazon this week! Clue was actually really fun! Something different to do during cocktail hour on our deck! ha
Sunday, May 10th // Michael and I went on an hour walk and to the driving range again today. I brought my book along. It’s really peaceful out there and the sun was shining – I read and caught some rays while Michael golfed.
Monday, May 11th // Day 60! Today officially marks sixty days since we’ve been home (for the most part). I took a screenshot of the updated Covid-19 cases below, as of today. I did the same thing to end last month’s Coronavirus Journal post. It’s crazy to see the enormous leap in the numbers from just one month ago.
