2020 Recap

 I understand it has been quite a while since I utilized my blog. My intention is to get back to writing and documenting what is going on with our lives with a bit more control that is found in social media these days.

What better way to begin this new chapter, then recap 2020.

We started out the year in Suva, Fiji. John and Thomas began the school year, which runs from Jan to Dec because we are in the Southern Hemisphere, in years 3 and 1, respectively. They attend a wonderful school and we couldn't be happier with the International Baccalaureate education they have received this far. 

Covid-19 dominated much of the year as one no doubt knows. For us, that meant a split second decision on March 25. I had hurriedly packed bags in the event of an emergency a day or two earlier. Fiji had cases in Lautoka and had seemed to have it under control. But it hit Suva. That was the tipping point for us. Myself, John, and Thomas made the quick decision within 2 hours of a plane departure to return to the US and leave Andrew in Fiji to do his job. We damn near didn't make it out of Nadi due to some changes with NZ customs and immigration. Thankfully our friends in the embassy worked a miracle and got us clearance. We flew from Suva to Nadi to Auckland to Los Angeles and finally to Newark. It was a whirlwind. We thankfully had N95 masks and wore them for nearly 36 hours straight before we got to a hotel. I decided mid flights to quarantine in a hotel for 14 days before we went to my parents house. We did all that we could given there were almost no guidelines and precautions in place. 

The boys continued the next two terms of schooling via distance learning. I learned how tough it was to manage expectations for the two of them. I had been enrolled in an M.Ed program but I withdrew given the uncertainty and the difficulty of managing my own kids learning.

We spent the next 5 months with Grandma Dee and Grandpa Nick when our two weeks were up. We bought masks, kept inside, and washed hands frequently. We tried to enjoy simple things while we worked through distance learning - walks in the park, pork cutlet night, McDonald's night, running through the sprinklers, walking Walter, drawing, reading, etc.

Our return trip was just as harrowing. We had to find just the right Covid-19 test and get the rest results turned around in a super short window of time. Thanks to my cousin, we had the magic happen. We headed on our return trip, literally back the way we came on August 18. We had to quarantine again, but this time we did so with Andrew in our new house. While we were away, Andrew managed to move us from our old residence to a new one. So, we got two weeks of getting used to our new home together. Thankfully we cleared another PCR test on the twelfth day of quarantine and thus, on the 14th day received the freedom to move about within the country.

The boys were able to return to school and we got to return to a relatively normal existence - no masks and almost not social distancing. It has been a blessing.

But what about me, you ask? Without my own learning to do, I have been focusing on me and my health. I've committed to only one group - the school board - instead of lots of committee work. I am trying to return to the activities I enjoy and should work on - piano, music, cooking, running, etc.

Glad to close the chapter on 2020.