Last week was the ultimate in C.R.A.Z.Y. Seriously, I've never experienced a more unbelievably chaotic week.
Monday and Tuesday I worked with my team to get materials and learning online. We are required to use Google Classroom, a platform none of us have ever used so there was a learning curve for not only us, but the students and parents who would be using it.
Wednesday, March 18 was the day slated for virtual, online learning to commence.
Mother Earth had other plans.
I was putting on my shoes, about to walk out the door to head to my classroom when I heard a loud, unsettling boom that could have been someone hitting our house, the construction workers behind us, or the train that goes by frequently.
Only when the house began to shake did I run through the house yelling earthquake.
After a few aftershocks we decided the best place would be outside since there isn't anything really big that could fall on us.
Our earthquake lasted a total of about 10 seconds and came in at a 5.7 centered just around the mountain in Magna. The only casualties we had were shampoo in the tub, hand sanitizer on the floor, a tipped Christmas tree stand, puzzles on the floor, and those pictures Ashlyn hurried and took off the wall. They've now been sitting there for a week as we continue to have aftershocks.
In addition to yanking gray hairs, I now check the UofU's earthquake page every morning to see what I missed during the night.
I stayed home Wednesday and then went into a panic the next morning as I remembered my chicken eggs that were incubating. The power had gone out at our house for about 20 minutes and I feared those eggs would be toast. On Thursday I got to my classroom to find that they were incubating quite nicely. We'll see what chicks we get this coming week.
Saturday was Ashlyn's birthday.
I texted a few of her close friends Friday night to have them reach out to all her friends to text her birthday greetings the next day. If you can't hang with your friends, you can at least chat. One even brought her her favorite drink from Fiiz, another had her sister drop of a Crumbl cookie and notes because she was out of town, another brought her Doritoes, and the YW dropped something off for her on the doorstep. So much love. And to top it all off . . . we had no water all day long. None. Nada. Zilch. How's that for timing: we're quarantined to our homes and shouldn't be going anywhere and we have no water. I had run my 5 miles that morning and waited to shower until after we opened presents. Wrong move. Finally, at 3pm after I couldn't take it anymore, I tearfully called Kiersten and asked to borrow her shower. Ash came along for the drive . . . to get out of the house and to see the progress on the baby's room.
As I pulled into the driveway I had a thought that I should park on the street but dismissed it with the thought that no one was coming over and Grandma and Grandpa weren't going anywhere. At least two 90 year olds shouldn't be going anywhere.
I walked into the house and talked with Grandma briefly about how they really shouldn't be leaving the house, and all she wanted to tell me was how hard change is. Well an hour later when Ash and I left, Grandma and Grandpa were no were to be seen. It was only a few hours later that we noticed the scuff marks on the van. Grandpa had left and scraped his way out of the driveway. Those two are so naughty and just won't stay put.
Our water eventually came back on but not without a requirement to boil water for the next couple of days. Out came the water I've been storing for two decades. I bravely tried some water and ya know, it didn't taste bad at all.
For birthday dinner we hit all our favorite drive-thru's, except American Burger which had a line to Timbuktu. No shakes for us . . . that is ice cream shakes. We've had plenty of shakes all week.
And the fun just continues as they've extended online school to May 1.
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