Today is Thursday, April 30, 2020
*Here in Utah we are roughly at day 45 of quarantine/social isolation.
*In the US alone, there are just over 1 million confirmed covid19 cases with 58,000+ deaths as of this evening. In Utah, we have had 4343 confirmed cases and only 45 deaths.
*Schools have been closed since March 16, 2020 and are teaching remotely online. This will continue for the duration of the school year and some predict it will impact the start in the fall.
*There are lines and tape inside of stores on their floors to show people where to stand and how much space to leave 6 feet between.
*Restaurants are only open for takeout, home deliver and pick up.
*Parks, beaches, hiking trails, sports fields are not accessible to the public (in some areas - here in Lake Point we still have access to outdoor places with the exception of the playgrounds and school outdoor facilities like the track and tennis courts.) No visitors are allowed at hospitals.
*All major and minor league sports competitions have been cancelled as well as kids' sports. This impacted Nate who was just starting his senior tennis season as the number 1 singles player at Stansbury High School.
*All festivals, concerts and entertainment events have been banned.
*Weddings, family celebrations and birthdays have been cancelled. Funerals limited to 10-20 people (church policy right now is very small funeral gathering of under 10 and no service except at the graveside.) Our beloved Bud Huggins passed away this week and will be having a graveside service only. People are doing drive by parades to celebrate birthdays.
*People are doing drive-by receptions and parades for birthdays and other special occasions.
*Young kids can't understand why they can only see grandparents and other extended family and friends on a screen or through a window if someone visits in person.
*All extra curricular/ volunteer/business meeting and other gatherings are now on virtual meeting platforms i.e.(Zoom, House Party, Go to Meeting, Whatsap, Webex, Google Duo) the list goes on.
*No hugs or kisses with anyone outside of your household.
*Churches are closed. We have been having home church since March 15. The last time we attended church was when my parents flew home from their mission. That was March 8.
*We have to stay away from each other, more than six feet. Every now and again the kids will "hang out" with their cousins. The other night they played football, touch football. It may not have been the smartest but it made my heart happy to see them outside playing again. Nate has hung with his friend Isaac a few times and has played tennis with cousin Scott. I have interacted with coworkers as we worked to get online schooling going. We believe in "obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law." So when our Governor asks us to stay home, we really tried our best. It was hard especially when others weren't following the rules as well as they could have.
*Shortage of disposable masks and gloves in hospitals. At first you could not find toilet paper, gloves, hand sanitizer, bleach, paper towels, cleaning supplies, flour, or yeast in stores unless you can shop the earliest hours and if you get lucky. It's gotten a little better. If you do find it, you can only buy 1. Same for a lot of the higher demand groceries, and depending on where I shop, there have been limits on things like meat, eggs, milk, etc. It made me grateful that I followed a commandment to have food storage. We've never had a lack at our house.
*Among the several empty/ picked over shelves at the stores are the shelves with good old fashioned board and card games and jigsaw puzzles are on back order! Good thing we are a puzzle family. We are well stocked in puzzles.
*Most people wear masks in public, some states REQUIRE them to enter any public area. People are wearing all sorts - bandannas, homemade masks with hair ties, hospital grades of all varieties and dust masks/filters. Many people are making them and donating them to first responders, hospitals and friends. Again, grateful I had a 72-hour kit where I had put some dust masks in. They came in handy when we needed to board a flight.
*Stores have limited hours to allow staff to clean and sanitize every night.
*Store check outs, some pharmacies and drive thrus have Plexiglas between employees and customers, you reach under or around to pay.
*Australia, USA, Canada and Europe have closed their borders.
-Some groups are protesting to reopen the economy, "my mask my body."
*Very VERY few people are traveling for leisure. Airports are virtually empty, lots of cancelled flights. I can attest to that when we flew to Phoenix to pick up a car. Tourism has the worst crisis in history. Everyone is cancelling and postponing trips and vacations until further notice. Our June girls trip to Hawaii has been postponed. We are still waiting to see about our trip to Atlanta/Florida in October. We have had girls camp, and Trek cancelled for the summer.
*Gas prices are under $2.00 and oil companies are in the negative. I paid $1.97 for gas the other day. Several of our vehicles now sit so we start them occasionally to make sure they will start.
30 April 2020
29 April 2020
Conference and a Worldwide Fast
General Conference was certainly memorable and unforgettable. The entire world was sheltering at home for this one. There were two youth speakers. I don't know if I would have been more nervous to talk at a regular conference session of 20,000 people or a small, intimate gathering of less than 10 . . . with the prophet in attendance. We, as a family, got to participate in a Solemn Assembly and the Hosanna Shout from home. There was a worldwide choir from across the globe singing "We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet." A new church symbol was introduced to more closely align with the shift to using Jesus Christ in our name. A new proclamation was issued (there have only been six total in the last 200 years; read this one HERE). Eight new temples were announced, one being in Shanghai China.
And President Nelson asked us all to fast again . . . this time on Good Friday, two days before Easter that the Lord might HEAR US (President Nelson's theme has been for us to discover how to HEAR HIM, how do we hear the Lord). He asked that we fast that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened, and life normalized. I joined a Facebook group called Worldwide Fast April 10, a group a missionary set up, a group that invited all people around the world, a group that has shared so many uplifting stories for people of all faiths.
That day as we fasted, it was such an incredible experience each time I thought about all the people around the world fasting at that particular moment for a common goal of getting past this pandemic. It was such a powerfully uniting effort across the globe, and I loved being a part of it. The thought I've entertained is that after this is all over, I could go anywhere in the world and whoever I talked with we would have a shared experience with this pandemic. The entire world has something in common, something we've all experienced together. Not that this pandemic is cool at all, but the shared experience on a colossal level is something that's quite remarkable.
This spring was supposed to be chaotic with SOOO many good things going on. Nate and all his tennis stuff was the major contributor, but slowly one by one, things began getting crossed off the list. The latest to go was Trek and Girls Camp, only to be rescheduled for next year. As we were fasting for normalcy, that very day UVU sent out an announcement that they were moving graduation exercises from April 30 to August 20. That was a little miracle. In a time when so many things were getting crossed off, it felt so good to have something ADDED to the calendar. It felt kind of NORMAL and human to have something to look forward to.
And then yesterday I got the mail which had our weekly grocery ads. For the past 6, 7, 8 weeks the ad has been nothing more than half of the front page. Yesterday's ad was the ENTIRE insert. That felt normal.
Things are looking up.
Nate's tennis courts that have been under lock and key are being reopened on Friday along with many other businesses with the orders to operate more safely with social distancing still in force.
Erik was transferred to Deland yesterday mid-transfer to be a part of a trio for several weeks. He thinks he'll be back to Deltona shortly as a bunch of new missionaries are being reassigned. I know of several flying back out next week. I've watched several missionaries open their calls, leaving in August.
The interior renderings of our Tooele Temple were unveiled this week.
And no new earthquakes to report. Although I did see graphic of all the major fault lines in the Salt Lake Valley. The article was suggesting that the models have been off and that these fault lines could produce an earthquake as big as 7.6. Originally, they've all concluded that we would never have anything larger than 7. Hmmmm. I'm not sure how I feel about that one.
Here's a couple of my latest favorite COVID19 memes.
And President Nelson asked us all to fast again . . . this time on Good Friday, two days before Easter that the Lord might HEAR US (President Nelson's theme has been for us to discover how to HEAR HIM, how do we hear the Lord). He asked that we fast that the present pandemic may be controlled, caregivers protected, the economy strengthened, and life normalized. I joined a Facebook group called Worldwide Fast April 10, a group a missionary set up, a group that invited all people around the world, a group that has shared so many uplifting stories for people of all faiths.
That day as we fasted, it was such an incredible experience each time I thought about all the people around the world fasting at that particular moment for a common goal of getting past this pandemic. It was such a powerfully uniting effort across the globe, and I loved being a part of it. The thought I've entertained is that after this is all over, I could go anywhere in the world and whoever I talked with we would have a shared experience with this pandemic. The entire world has something in common, something we've all experienced together. Not that this pandemic is cool at all, but the shared experience on a colossal level is something that's quite remarkable.
This spring was supposed to be chaotic with SOOO many good things going on. Nate and all his tennis stuff was the major contributor, but slowly one by one, things began getting crossed off the list. The latest to go was Trek and Girls Camp, only to be rescheduled for next year. As we were fasting for normalcy, that very day UVU sent out an announcement that they were moving graduation exercises from April 30 to August 20. That was a little miracle. In a time when so many things were getting crossed off, it felt so good to have something ADDED to the calendar. It felt kind of NORMAL and human to have something to look forward to.
And then yesterday I got the mail which had our weekly grocery ads. For the past 6, 7, 8 weeks the ad has been nothing more than half of the front page. Yesterday's ad was the ENTIRE insert. That felt normal.
Things are looking up.
Nate's tennis courts that have been under lock and key are being reopened on Friday along with many other businesses with the orders to operate more safely with social distancing still in force.
Erik was transferred to Deland yesterday mid-transfer to be a part of a trio for several weeks. He thinks he'll be back to Deltona shortly as a bunch of new missionaries are being reassigned. I know of several flying back out next week. I've watched several missionaries open their calls, leaving in August.
The interior renderings of our Tooele Temple were unveiled this week.
And no new earthquakes to report. Although I did see graphic of all the major fault lines in the Salt Lake Valley. The article was suggesting that the models have been off and that these fault lines could produce an earthquake as big as 7.6. Originally, they've all concluded that we would never have anything larger than 7. Hmmmm. I'm not sure how I feel about that one.
Here's a couple of my latest favorite COVID19 memes.
21 April 2020
Eat your vitamins
Here's what's upped the "excitement" around here:
**School is officially closed through the end of the year. Students will not be going back to the classroom. I began the tedious job of cleaning out desks and cleaning desks. It just makes me so, so sad. Our daily Zoom meetings are such a blessing. In addition to the school suspension, all athletics were also canceled. There will be no spring sports. No tennis matches for Nate, no practices, no tournaments. We are still waiting to see if they can salvage graduation, to which Nate said he could care less. He just wants to play tennis and hang with his friends.
**Last Thursday was the annual Utah Great Shakeout earthquake drill. I didn't think it would involve real earthquakes, but at 7:40am, a 4.2 hit just as I was getting out of the shower. I stood there paralyzed, wondering if it was going to get stronger and thinking, "This really is not a good time for an earthquake." This was the second 4.2 to hit last week, the first one coming Tuesday night.
**We've added to our vehicle fleet. The van that has been with us for 13 years has 227000 miles on it and keeps running like a charm, but we've been looking to replace it for awhile. The day Tyler hopped on the auction site and accidentally bought a Rav4 crossover (because no one else was bidding) was the day the governor came out with his Stay Home, Stay Safe orders. Ummm . . . our car was in Phoenix. Monday morning we hesitatingly boarded the first available flight, Reed shuttled us to the auction site, and eleven hours later we were home. It never felt so good to be home and safe.
**The latest from the mission department is that current missionaries awaiting reassignment can be released and delay for 12 to 18 months. Missionaries with calls can continue with online MTC and leave for their area if conditions have improved. Missionaries in the middle of online MTC can finish and then go when things settle down or delay and go in 12 to 18 months. And those prospective missionaries (this is the category Nate falls under) can submit papers knowing they may go to a temporary assignment or they can wait and submit at a later time. Nate's going to submit and see what happens.
**Tyler is working from home after some long delays in getting systems up and running remotely.
**Alex FINALLY received his trophy from the Hoop Shoot held in January. Don't mind the coronahair. At this point he may not get a haircut until the beginning of school in the fall.
**Ash missed passing the test for her learner's permit by one question. Then they shut down the office before we could go back. I've allowed her a few practice drives, mainly in the church parking lot.
She also stays busy working on puzzles.
**When Erik began his mission 19 months ago, he was allowed to call home twice a year and email once a week. He now calls whenever up to 3 times a week and uses Messenger to text us. His letters still come once a week but with very little meat to them. There just isn't much going on. He even played a game of Yahtzee with us and Kiersten over Messenger last Sunday.
Staying home and staying safe is working, but it hasn't been easy. We're a little more sluggish, a little more testy with one another. Balance and routine are such commodities at this point. We're all starving for a little normalcy. It's coming, but not without testing the patience of all of us.
18 April 2020
I'm Now In Deltona, Not Like That Matters
I totally forgot it was Monday until 15 minutes ago. Every day is the same. Anyway, here's an update from me.
So the big event for this week was that I got transferred to Deltona. That happened last Tuesday. I still don't know a single member other than having a phone conversation with a few people.
We have a lady named Barbara that wants to get baptized but has some word of wisdom issues she is overcoming first. We need to start meeting with her more and make sure that she gets all the support she needs right now, and hopefully we can help her get baptized within the transfer. We set up a meeting with her for today, and the plan is to make a schedule and figure out a time line for when she can be prepared for baptism. So there's the good news for the week. If you could include her in your prayers I would appreciate it. This is a hard time to try and get baptized. It's also hard to overcome challenges all by yourself.
The other positive thing is that we have a house. It's a 3 bed, 2 bath and it has a yard. There's a master bathroom with a walk-in shower and 2 walk-in closets that Elder Franz let me have. He claims he was just to lazy to move his stuff from one bathroom to the other, but he was actually just being nice and letting me have it. I'm living the life of luxury.
You're probably wondering what I actually do with my time. This week I spent probably fifteen hours cleaning the house up, I spend an hour or two a day studying, I work out for thirty minutes a day, and spend a lot of time talking to people on Facebook and messenger. We also spend a decent amount of time playing board games, watching church movies, and going on bike rides. We are hoping to make some adjustments and start having more video lessons with investigators, and we are going to start having dinner appointments again. We will eat our dinner here and they will eat theirs at their house and we will video call and then share a message at the end. I think it will be fun and allow me to meet some of the members.
12 April 2020
Hatching chicks
I was super excited about being able to hatch chicks in my classroom. On March 9 I went to a little class to get all my supplies and to learn how to hatch chicks in an incubator. On March 13 we went into quarantine. I would be the only one to witness our chicks hatching.
Chicks take 21 days to hatch. I have no idea why 21 days but I was told that hatching would probably happen on that day. My students got to watch the incubator rotate that first week. The next week they were all home as teachers scrambled to figure out online school. The third week I figured out Zoom and we started having daily Zoom meetings. We were also asked to work from home as much as possible. I couldn't do that because I had eggs to watch over. They needed water added to keep the humidity up in the incubator.
On Monday, March 30 I arrived to find one chick had started to peck his way out. My students were so excited to see this on our Zoom meeting.
On Tuesday I arrived to find a chick!
But it wasn't the chick who had started the day before. This one came from our colored egg and he was ready for a playmate.
The chick who had started pecking on Monday was making some progress and I really thought I might be there to see him hatch out. But when I left that day, we still only had the one.
Wednesday when I arrived, he hadn't made any progress and I was very concerned for him. I knew that you shouldn't help a chick out of its shell but it had been 48 hours and you could see he was still alive and breathing. I emailed the lady in charge and asked her what I should do. She said to go ahead and help him and if he didn't make it, he probably wouldn't have anyway.
Two of my coteachers were also in the building and came over to help me. We very carefully pulled the eggshell off to find that the membrane had dried and was stuck to him, keeping his head bent. With some Q-tips and water and tweezers, I dabbed him and tried to pull as much of the membrane off as I could. We had to work quickly so he wouldn't get too cold. We were able to at least get his head unstuck.
I hated to leave him like that. We put him back in the incubator where he just lay there with this legs stretched out and breathing very heavily. I left the bigger one in his box and went home and told my kids that there was a 1% chance he'd be alive when I showed up the next day.
Miracles do happen! That chick was alive and standing. I couldn't believe it. He looked so mangy. I was supposed to send them home with a couple of students on Friday, but I just couldn't send him to anyway looking that way. I decided to take them home for Easter Break instead.
I brought home our one and only pets. We soon discovered that the two could not be in the same "home" together. The bigger one kept pecking at the other and I was afraid he would peck him to death.
So we made another brooder box, and Alex and I gave the smaller one a little sponge bath and got more of the membrane off of him. Ash played dress up with the other one.
The smaller one was very wobbly on his legs and we discovered he wasn't eating and or drinking. So Ash was on a mission to help and would carefully push his head into the water until he figured it out. I warmed up some yogurt and put some food in it. That seemed to help him figure out how to eat.
It's been fun to watch them grow bigger and get actual feathers. We've taken them outside a few times.
Yesterday when we took them out, the smaller one actually stood up for himself and didn't let the bigger one peck at him. So we tried putting them in the same box where they've had a few stand offs but other than that they have done just fine.
I got up this morning to find I still had two little chicks that will soon find a different home this coming week. I don't mind having pets for a little while and then sending them on their way. Ash and Alex might be more heartbroken
I hope I get to hatch chicks again next year, and hopefully with a class to experience it with me this time.
Chicks take 21 days to hatch. I have no idea why 21 days but I was told that hatching would probably happen on that day. My students got to watch the incubator rotate that first week. The next week they were all home as teachers scrambled to figure out online school. The third week I figured out Zoom and we started having daily Zoom meetings. We were also asked to work from home as much as possible. I couldn't do that because I had eggs to watch over. They needed water added to keep the humidity up in the incubator.
On Monday, March 30 I arrived to find one chick had started to peck his way out. My students were so excited to see this on our Zoom meeting.
On Tuesday I arrived to find a chick!
But it wasn't the chick who had started the day before. This one came from our colored egg and he was ready for a playmate.
The chick who had started pecking on Monday was making some progress and I really thought I might be there to see him hatch out. But when I left that day, we still only had the one.
Wednesday when I arrived, he hadn't made any progress and I was very concerned for him. I knew that you shouldn't help a chick out of its shell but it had been 48 hours and you could see he was still alive and breathing. I emailed the lady in charge and asked her what I should do. She said to go ahead and help him and if he didn't make it, he probably wouldn't have anyway.
Two of my coteachers were also in the building and came over to help me. We very carefully pulled the eggshell off to find that the membrane had dried and was stuck to him, keeping his head bent. With some Q-tips and water and tweezers, I dabbed him and tried to pull as much of the membrane off as I could. We had to work quickly so he wouldn't get too cold. We were able to at least get his head unstuck.
I hated to leave him like that. We put him back in the incubator where he just lay there with this legs stretched out and breathing very heavily. I left the bigger one in his box and went home and told my kids that there was a 1% chance he'd be alive when I showed up the next day.
Miracles do happen! That chick was alive and standing. I couldn't believe it. He looked so mangy. I was supposed to send them home with a couple of students on Friday, but I just couldn't send him to anyway looking that way. I decided to take them home for Easter Break instead.
I brought home our one and only pets. We soon discovered that the two could not be in the same "home" together. The bigger one kept pecking at the other and I was afraid he would peck him to death.
So we made another brooder box, and Alex and I gave the smaller one a little sponge bath and got more of the membrane off of him. Ash played dress up with the other one.
The smaller one was very wobbly on his legs and we discovered he wasn't eating and or drinking. So Ash was on a mission to help and would carefully push his head into the water until he figured it out. I warmed up some yogurt and put some food in it. That seemed to help him figure out how to eat.
It's been fun to watch them grow bigger and get actual feathers. We've taken them outside a few times.
Yesterday when we took them out, the smaller one actually stood up for himself and didn't let the bigger one peck at him. So we tried putting them in the same box where they've had a few stand offs but other than that they have done just fine.
I got up this morning to find I still had two little chicks that will soon find a different home this coming week. I don't mind having pets for a little while and then sending them on their way. Ash and Alex might be more heartbroken
I hope I get to hatch chicks again next year, and hopefully with a class to experience it with me this time.
08 April 2020
🏀
Hey guys, I've officially survived two weeks of quarantine. I have almost nothing to report on this week. I was pretty much bored to death most of the time. We got to go play basketball a few times. We rearranged everything in our apartment and deep cleaned the whole thing. We went for a bike ride a few times. That's about it though. Our Facebook finding has been very unsuccessful, our investigators haven't responded to us, and one of our most solid investigators doesn't have a phone so we literally can't contact her. We have some ideas for this week that we are going to try. Hopefully we have more success.
We did have one of our investigators respond to a text finally. Leroy said that he has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it. We have high hopes for Leroy.
We also have transfer calls this week. I don't know if they would move us while this is going on, I sure hope not. We'll see.
Elder Leary
We did have one of our investigators respond to a text finally. Leroy said that he has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying about it. We have high hopes for Leroy.
We also have transfer calls this week. I don't know if they would move us while this is going on, I sure hope not. We'll see.
Elder Leary
03 April 2020
Conference! Yeeeeessssss!
"The year 2020 will be designated as a bicentennial year. General conference next April will be different from any previous conference. In the next six months, I hope that every member and every family will prepare for a unique conference that will commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel."
Different.
Unique.
Memorable.
Unforgettable.
When this was first announced, we all speculated about what the April conference would be like. Would they televise it from the Sacred Grove? I don't think any of us even imagined that an entire world would literally be forced to their homes with nothing much to do except watch and listen to what a living prophet might have to say.
I've been thinking about how this conference might "commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel" and two thoughts have come to me. First, when Joseph knelt to pray, Satan tried his very darnedest to stop that prayer from happening:
"I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction." (Pearl of Great Price, JSH 1:15)
I think Satan is at it again. He's trying his darnedest to hinder this weekend's proceedings. The world feels as if "thick darkness" has gathered around and it were "doomed to sudden destruction."
But this much we all know: light and darkness cannot coexist together and light will always win out. The LIGHT of the world broke through that darkness that Joseph was experiencing and He will do the same for our darkened world.
Second, Joseph's simple, miraculous vision did not occur in front of a crowd, on a stage, with myriads of people looking on. No, it was in a quiet grove between him and God.
This weekend's messages of hope and inspiration will not be held at the conference center with 20,000 people looking on. It will be televised from a simple, humble room with just a few select speakers. This is how we as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will commemorate the restoration of Jesus Christ's gospel . . . as a simple, humble experience in our homes with our families and copious amounts of time for reflection and revelation in the coming weeks.
"Immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration. As you do, general conference next April will be not only memorable; it will be unforgettable."
I can't wait for tomorrow.
Different.
Unique.
Memorable.
Unforgettable.
When this was first announced, we all speculated about what the April conference would be like. Would they televise it from the Sacred Grove? I don't think any of us even imagined that an entire world would literally be forced to their homes with nothing much to do except watch and listen to what a living prophet might have to say.
I've been thinking about how this conference might "commemorate the very foundations of the restored gospel" and two thoughts have come to me. First, when Joseph knelt to pray, Satan tried his very darnedest to stop that prayer from happening:
"I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to bind my tongue so that I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction." (Pearl of Great Price, JSH 1:15)
I think Satan is at it again. He's trying his darnedest to hinder this weekend's proceedings. The world feels as if "thick darkness" has gathered around and it were "doomed to sudden destruction."
But this much we all know: light and darkness cannot coexist together and light will always win out. The LIGHT of the world broke through that darkness that Joseph was experiencing and He will do the same for our darkened world.
Second, Joseph's simple, miraculous vision did not occur in front of a crowd, on a stage, with myriads of people looking on. No, it was in a quiet grove between him and God.
This weekend's messages of hope and inspiration will not be held at the conference center with 20,000 people looking on. It will be televised from a simple, humble room with just a few select speakers. This is how we as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will commemorate the restoration of Jesus Christ's gospel . . . as a simple, humble experience in our homes with our families and copious amounts of time for reflection and revelation in the coming weeks.
"Immerse yourself in the glorious light of the Restoration. As you do, general conference next April will be not only memorable; it will be unforgettable."
I can't wait for tomorrow.
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