COVID-19 World Coronavirus Pandemic

So...I made it home after a very long day and everyone trying to get back into the US and back home.  Our school was cancelled for 4 weeks due to this virus that was spreading unbelievably all over the world!  Schools were cancelling and now, the last day of March, many states have closed restaurants, businesses, anything considered non-essential is closed.  Several states and countries have also called "shelter-in-place" meaning you can be arrested if you are out of your house  You can only leave to get supplies.  I think Iowa will call the shelter-in-place this week.  Everything we have ever known is upside down.

The 1st things stores were out of is toilet paper.  We are all still baffled by this.  Thanks goodness I feel we (and our children) are prepared and self-sufficient right now.  We still have power (and internet thank heavens).  People are upset about having to stay home and not socializing, but for me this is a literal godsend.  I feel  like my Father in Heaven heard my prayers.  He knew I was drowning. The complete and total relief I have felt these past 2 weeks has been immense.  It has helped me organize my life, organize my work, accept being empty nesters, focus on me and my health, focus on the gospel, and prepare for this upcoming conference.  It has made all the difference.  I have no stress, no meetings, nothing I HAVE to attend.  I could live like this forever!

I am going to try to share more about this virus and its effect over the world.  Missionaries have even been called home.  We are starting to get short on supplies, and short on health care workers.  This has changed the world and I wonder how will be once this all passes through.

Right now:

Coronavirus Cases:

837,115

view by country

Deaths:

41,249

So, General conference is closed (Only speakers on a TV will be shown). Even the music has been prerecorded - no church- no meeting, etc.  So, there are 2 things that I have seen on facebook that express my feelings exactly:

Cancun- Part 5

Cancun- Part 4

We cancelled our trip to Chichen Itza to be safe.  We spent the rest of the days doing yoga on the beach, swimming at the pool and beach, walking to the river center mall, and enjoying watching the sunsets on the empty beach.  It was perfect!

Cancun- Part 3

Cancun- Part 2

Angela also arrived safely and on Monday we did an incredible snorkeling tour!  We got to snorkel with sea turtles, a shipwreck (went down in 1988 and 6 people died when it went down), AND an underwater museum.  It was all amazing!

Cancun Trip!

I will cover the virus in a later post, but this trip had been planned in January.  Chad, my friend Angela's husband, called me and said he wanted to do something special for her birthday.  He wanted to know if I would go on a girls trip with her. OF COURSE I would!  SO he booked us an incredible trip to Cancun during Spring Break.  He taped her opening the tickets on her birthday and I loved seeing her reaction!  This trip was the only thing keeping me going.

Right before we were to leave, this virus had started spreading across the world.  The week before we left, Church across the globe was cancelled.  And craziness ensued.  Most teachers I work with cancelled their plans.  I I prayed about it- I KNEW I needed this trip!  Bob had left that Thursday to drive Alayna out to live with Kayla for a few months.  I would be home, alone, in the snow, overwhelmed by doing 2 jobs.  I HAD To go!  I skyped with the girls and Bob and they all said to go! Agelas family said to go! I woke up Saturday and got my checkin information and decided that I absolutely should go.

The travel days were long.  I wore a mask (and so did most people) My 1st flight only had 9 people on board.  The airports were empty, flights were empty and the beaches of Cancun were like a ghost town.  It was the PERFECT time to be there!

It is definitely paradise there!  We had an incredible trip!  We felt strongly to change our flight back to 1 day earlier.  I am really glad we did as the world got more and more crazy by the day.  While I was in the Cancun airport waiting to fly back, President Trump called a level 4 travel and literally said if you are a US citizen and you are out of the country, you better get back now any way you can otherwise you will be stuck out of the country indefinitely!  Talk about having guardian angels!