Life Lately Via My iPhone

How is everyone doing? We are hanging in there here in Hawaii. In a weird way, I’ve wanted to document this time in our lives via photo, so I’ve tried to take at least one photo per day to go into the journal I’ve been keeping to record this time. I usually take photos of our life with my phone, so it feels natural, albeit the content looks quite a bit different. In any case, here is a little peek of what we’ve been up to around the house.  Admittedly this is only a small portion of the photos I’ve taken, but an accurate depiction, nonetheless. 

Life Lately Via My iPhone

We tuned in for Elton John’s benefit concert and enjoyed seeing all the artists perform from home. Was anyone else hoping for more Elton?

One night I decided at the last minute I was going to make myself a baked potato for dinner while Dane was teaching. I have started baked potatoes in the microwave for over 20 years (finishing them in the oven for a little extra crispiness), but halfway through this specific night, this one caught on fire. I have never had this happen before and I’m still left scratching my head (?!) about what went wrong. Thankfully, it was a very small fire that I put out immediately. 

I really miss cooking for people. Anyone else? One night Dane and I decided to have a “fancy” date night at home. We enjoyed homemade pasta, sauce, meatballs and cracked open a bottle of wine we brought home from South Africa. 

Does anyone else enjoy train dominoes? It’s a favorite of ours ever since my parents introduced it to us. Dane and I are competitive, so we can get lost in this game for hours. 

It’s safe to say the dogs are pretty okay with staying at home and don’t mind the extra attention from me during the day and Dane on weekends. For them, it’s kind of like “normal”, but without weekend adventures. 

We live in a townhouse-style home, which doesn’t lend itself very well to outdoor decor. We recently switched to a cloth shower curtain and this seemed like a logical choice for the old plastic one. To note, this plastic shower curtain liner has been with Dane and I for YEARS. I think we traced it back to one of our first houses here, which means it had a very good run. 

My grandma turned 90 in quarantine, which is the exact opposite of how my family thought we would be celebrating her. We had a Zoom call where she got to see all of us and it was just as delightful as it looks. I had put a call out on Facebook for birthday greetings and cards and she wound up with cards from across the country. She is so, so loved.

Easter was very low key for us (and I’m sure for many others, too). We got up early, streamed the Vatican mass, watched Andrea Bocelli’s live concert from the Duomo di Milano (SO MOVING!) and ate some cinnamon rolls. 

Last fall, I won an Instagram giveaway from ThirtyAXIS Cartography. I finalized my design over the winter months and received it in the mail a couple weeks ago. I cannot begin to explain how beautiful this design is in person. The photos don’t do it justice! We chose the East Coast, because it features so many of the places we’ve lived. And, of course, that’s where the majority of our family still lives 🙂 

Bill and Judy LOVE to sit in the wingback chairs in our dining room, because it gives them a better vantage point to see out the windows in the front of our house. It’s not the best habit, but this photo of Bill made me laugh out loud. 

And finally – is anyone else cutting their husband’s hair? Dane couldn’t take the length of his hair any longer and handed me a pair of scissors and a buzzer. I watched a few videos and did the best I could, but it’s just not the same and I know he will be eager to return to his favorite stylist again. 

Before I wrap this up, I wanted to say that if you’re an essential worker or front line responder — thank you. Know that the work you are doing has not gone unnoticed by our family and we are forever grateful for all that you do. I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe and if you are struggling with mental health right now, know that you have a friend in me who is here to listen. Be well, everyone!